Card 0 of 884
Which of these best describes the cursus honorum?
The latin phrase cursus honorum translates to “sequence of offices.” It was a term used during the history of the Roman Republic to describe the correct traditional order of political offices sought by aristocratic politicians (similar to the United States; if an inspiring president first serves as a representative, then a senator, then secretary of state). The highest position was that of the consul.
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Most of the early history of the Gallic Wars was written by __________.
Much of the primary history of the Gallic Wars was written by Julius Caesar (the Roman general who led the Roman army during the Gallic Wars). For this reason, the history of the Gallic Wars cannot really be trusted — after all, how can one expect Julius Caesar to provide an unbiased account of his own actions?
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In the latter years of the Roman Republic, imperium __________.
In the latter years of the Roman Republic, the power of individual generals was growing due to a series of reforms and political changes. Originally, imperium_, or “the right to rule and command the army,_” was bestowed on an individual by the Roman Senate. Over time, however, as generals grew more and more powerful, they began to bestow imperium upon themselves and used their personal armies to reinforce their claim.
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Regardless of their many and variable responsibilities at different times in the history of the Roman Republic, praetors were primarily __________.
Praetors are one of the branches of magistrates in the government of the Roman Republic. At various times in the history of the Roman Republic, praetors had different responsibilities, but they were always primarily judges. For example, the praetor urbanus settled legal disputes between citizens in the city of Rome.
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Which of these statements about family life in the Roman Republic is most accurate?
Social life in the Roman Republic was organized around tight-knit and extremely patriarchal families. The Romans placed great emphasis on family life and practiced ancestor veneration. Roman society was dominated by men and Roman families were no exception.
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Which of these best describes the Roman Forum?
The Roman Forum was the social and ceremonial center of the city of Rome. The Roman Forum grew organically and gradually, throughout the history of settlement in Rome. Among many other functions, the Roman Forum served as the final stop on the procession of so-called triumphs, which were a sort of military parade to celebrate Roman conquest of a new territory.
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The Latin word imperium most closely means __________.
The Latin word imperium most closely means “the right to rule and command the army.” It was a title that originally was bestowed on a would-be ruler by the Roman Senate effectively as a coronation. Once an individual was granted imperium, they had the ultimate political authority in the Republic.
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Which of these accurately reflects the correct order of the cursus honorum?
The cursus honorum was the Roman term used to describe the correct sequence of political office sought by would-be politicians. It begins with the office of quaestor, followed by aedile, praetor, and finally, consul. So, an individual politician who wanted to one day be consul would first seek to serve as a quaestor, aedile, and praetor — effectively moving up the ladder of power with each title.
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Roman Senators were generally appointed __________.
Roman Senators were generally appointed for life. Unlike other elected positions in the Roman Republic, Senators had relatively few checks on their power. Senators were drawn from the aristocratic patrician families of ancient Rome.
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What was the name of the battle in which Roman forces led by Julius Caesar defeated a large force of Gauls led by Vercingetorix, effectively marking the end of Caesar's Gallic conquests?
The Battle of Alesia was fought in 52 BC between the forces of Julius Caesar and a large conglomeration of Gallic tribes under the leadership of the Gaul Vercingetorix. Vercingetorix was paraded through the streets of Rome, spent five years in prison, and was then executed by strangulation.
The battle was won by Julius Caesar, and was a tremendous success for him both politically and militarily. This basically marked the end of Caesar's Gallic conquests and allowed him to return to Rome in a time of great political tension. His return to Rome by crossing the Rubicon precipitated the start of the Roman Civil War, which would ultimately be resolved in Caesar's favor.
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The Battle of Alesia was the decisive conflict in the __________.
The Battle of Alesia was the decisive conflict in the Gallic Wars. It was fought in 52 BCE between the forces of the Roman Republic, led by Julius Caesar, and the forces of the Gauls led by Vercingetorix. It ended in victory for the Roman Republic and consolidated Roman control over Gaul.
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In the armies of the early Roman Republic, who were velites?
The armies of the early Roman Republic (prior to the Marian Reforms of 107 BCE) were comprised of a series of different groups, each with different responsibilities and roles on the battlefield. These groups were determined according to class and generally related to the type and quality of armor that an individual could afford. Velites were the poorest members of the Roman military and were generally unable to afford armor. Velites were frontline skirmishers who threw javelins as the hastati advanced upon the enemy.
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Which of these divisions within the army of the Roman Republic matches the following description: experienced infantry units who formed the core of the army and were expected to reinforce and relieve the hastati in battle.
The hastati were frontline, inexperienced infantry troops who led the first charge into battle and were expected to hold the line. If the hastati tired or were struggling to hold the line, they would be reinforced by the more experienced principes. The principes were relatively wealthy Roman soldiers who could afford high quality armor and who were well-trained. In the event that the principes were also unable to hold the line, they would be reinforced by the most experienced members of the Roman army — the triarii.
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The Wars of the Second Triumvirate were __________.
The Wars of the Second Triumvirate broke out in the wake of the assassination of Julius Caesar. They were fought between an alliance of Octavian, Mark Antony, and Marcus Lepidus and the forces loyal to Brutus and Cassius. Octavian, Mark Antony, and Marcus Lepidus claimed they were avenging the murder of Julius Caesar, and perhaps that is partially true, but they were really fighting to consolidate their own political power.
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Which of these most accurately describes Vercingetorix?
Vercingetorix was the leader of an alliance of Gallic tribes who fought against Julius Caesar and the Roman Republic in the Gallic Wars. At the Battle of Gerovia, Vercingetorix actually defeated Caesar and the forces of the Roman Republic. This was a short lived victory, however, for later that year Vercingetorix and the Gauls were decisively defeated at the Battle of Alesia, bringing to an end the Gallic Wars.
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Which of these governing bodies in the Roman Republic could constitutionally declare war?
The government of the Roman Republic was divided into several distinct executive, judicial, and legislative bodies — each with their own customs, rules, and spheres of authority. The Centuriate Assembly was one of the most important governing bodies in the Roman Republic. Among many other responsibilities and powers, the Centuriate Assembly was the assembly which could constitutionally declare war.
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The Marian Reforms opened service in the Roman army to __________.
The Marian Reforms were enacted in 107 BCE by Gaius Marius. The reforms were designed to improve the fighting capabilities of the Roman army. One of the ways in which Marius hoped to achieve this was by opening up service in the Roman army to landless peasants.
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The light cavalry units of the army of the Roman Republic were called __________.
The Roman army, prior to the Marian Reforms, was divided into several subcategories — velites, hastati, principes, triarii, and equites. The grouping of an individual was generally determined by the individual’s wealth and social status — specifically, what kind of armor they could afford. The equites were often the wealthiest members of the army of the Roman Republic. They fought on horseback and were armed with a light spear. They advanced alongside the infantry and were expected to attack the enemy’s archers or missile units and chase retreating units across the battlefield.
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The Battle of Corinth __________.
The Battle of Corinth was fought in 146 BCE between the forces of the Roman Republic and the Achaean League led by the Greek city-state Corinth. It ended in total victory for Rome and the beginning of Roman dominance over Greece.
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The Gallic Wars were essential in the rise to power of __________.
The Gallic Wars were essentially in Julius Caesar’s rise to power. They were fought from 58 BCE to 50 BCE and ended in Roman conquest of Gaul. The conquest was led by Julius Caesar, and his successes made him immensely popular with the Roman people and the army, and paved the way for his dictatorship beginning in 49 BCE.
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