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Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a civilization that started as a small community in the Italian Peninsula around 10th century BC. Located in the city of Rome, it became one of the largest and most powerful empires of the ancient world.
6,726 Questions
What is one of the most famous Roman sayings in history?
Many of the quotes and phrases that we use regularly today were coined by Roman writers in Latin and preserved throughout the years. Most of the famous quotes are part of larger texts but their meanings still have relevance today. Even more famous Latin quotes have been written by later students of the famous Roman writers and students of Latin.
Famous Latin quotes such as Virgils' "love conquers all things" are still used verbatim, but others such as a quote by Plautus, "Done is done, it cannot be made undone" have been slightly modified over the years but retain their original meaning.
Here is a list of some of the more common phrases in the original Latin and translated into English. See how many you recognize and use on a daily basis.
Timendi causa est nescire ~Seneca
Ignorance is the cause of fear.
Audentis fortuna iuvat ~Virgil
Fortune favors the brave.
Ipsa scientia potesta est ~Bacon
Knowledge itself is power.
Amor vincit omnia ~Virgil
Love conquers all things.
Lapsus linguae
A slip of the tongue
Carpe diem ~Horace
Seize the day.
Errare humanum est ~ Seneca the Younger
To err is human.
Credula res amor est ~ Ovid
In love you'll believe anything.
Nunc scio quid sit amor! ~ Virgil
Now I know what love is!
Dum vita est, spes est. ~ Cicero
While life is, hope is.
Ut sementem feceris, its metes. ~ Cicero
As you sow, so you shall reap.
Festina lente ~ Augustus Caesar
Make haste slowly.
Veni, vidi, vici! ~ Julius Caesar
I came, I saw, I conquered.
Omnium rerum principia parva sunt. ~ Cicero
The beginnings of all things are small.
Cogito ergo sum ~ Descartes
I think therefore I am.
Tempora mutantur, et nos mutamur in illis. ~Ovid
Times are changing and we are changing with them.
Cum grano salis ~ Pliny the Elder
With a grain of salt.
Aspirat primo fortuna labori. ~ Virgil
Fortune smiles upon our first effort.
In virtute sunt multi ascensus. ~ Cicero
In excellence there are many degrees.
Libenter homines id quod volunt credunt. ~ Caesar
Men gladly believe that which they wish for.
Alea iacta est. ~ Caesar
The die has been cast.
De nihilo nihil ~ Lucretius
Nothing comes from nothing
Factum est illud, fieri infectum non potest. ~ Plautus
Done is done, it cannot be made undone.
Fama crescit eundo. ~ Virgil
The rumor grows as it goes.
In aere aedificare. ~ St. Augustine
Build castles in the air
Rome fell in the year 476 to a German tribe called?
The Goths began invading and taking over Roman territory starting in about 376 AD. By 476 when Flavius Odoacer, the first King of Italy, deposed the Roman Emperor Romulus, Rome was no more - in part due to the depredations of the Goths. Note it was primarily two branches of the Goths - namely the Visigoths and Ostrogoths who played a major roll in the fall of the Roman Empire.
What religion did Greece and Rome have in common?
Polytheism. This means many gods, one for each aspect of life. They both had a high god - Romans had Jupiter (a development from Janus - Janus-pater, ie Janus the Father, later corrupted to Jupiter). Greeks had Zeus. The two religions recognised that their gods, even though they had different names, were the same, and gave them due respect. It was not until the advent of Judaism and its offshoots Christianity and Islam that religious differences became significant, claiming supremacy, and war and killings in the name of religion emerged.
Who was Hannibal what happened to him and why was he important?
Hannibal Barca was one of the greatest warriors of his time. he killed many men in trying to complete his fathers dream, to defeat Rome and take control of their empire. he was part of the 2nd Punic war out of three.
He was son of Hamiclar Barca and lived 248--183 or 182 BC was a Cartgaginian military commander and tactician who is popularly credited as one of the most talented commanders in history. His father, Hamilcar Barca, was the leading Carthaginian commander during the First Punic War, his younger brothers were Mago and Hasdrubal, and he was brother-in-law to Hasdrubal the Fair.
What were the Twelve Tables of the Roman republic?
The Twelve Tables that were created in the early days of the Roman Republic were born out of problems between common people in Rome called plebeians and the wealthy aristocrats.
The plebeians were at the bottom of the Roman citizen classes. The wealthy Romans had economic leverage over the plebs and the plebs protested by refusing to work or staging sit down strikes.
Aside from needing workers on the estates of the rich people, Rome needed the plebs to fill the ranks of the legions. The aristocrats were forced to make reforms to benefit the majority of the Roman people. Here are some examples of the reforms:
1. The plebs were allowed to elect 10 special magistrates called Tribunes who were supposed to protect the people with their power to veto unfair legislation.
2. The plebs demanded that the Roman laws be changed from unwritten ones to written ones that were published for all to see. This was achieved by the creation of the Twelve Tables which became the basis of written laws to prevent the aristocratic judges from interpreting the unwritten laws to favor the rich.
The Twelve Tables were a victory for the common people of Rome.
What is the number of emperors that ruled during Ancient Rome?
All Roman Emperors were famous in their own way.
There were 192 people who claimed the title Emperor of Rome from 27 BC when the Emperor Augustus took control of the Senate until 1185 AD. Some of the later such would now be called Byzantine Emperors, but a the time they called themselves Roman Emperors.
Second answer.
Generally speaking most historians separate the ancient Roman empire and the Byzantine empire.
The Byzantine empire lasted until 1453 AD when the Ottoman Turks took over Constantinople.
What types of crimes and punishments existed in Ancient Rome?
Ancient Rome had a legal system that guaranteed a fair trial for all Roman citizens. However, rich people usually got away with lightly, usually with just a fine or at most with a period of house arrest, unless they committed the most serious crimes. The treatment of poor people was harsher. They were often sentenced to death.
The Romans did not have prisons which can be compared to ours. Roman prisons served as a holding place for those sentenced to death. Occasionally the accused might be detained to await trial, but they were encouraged to go into voluntary exile. Those awaiting trial were called "carcer" or "publica vincula."
Non-capital punishments were:
1) Damnum, fines
2) Talio retaliation, which was an eye-for-an-eye codes of justice. Like many ancient laws, Roman laws sanctioned retaliation where the injured party could inflict damage to the person or property of the injuring party of the same degree as that of the offence. In Rome this was called Lex Talionis.
2) Vincula, fettering.
3) Verbera, whipping, lashing.
4) Vgnominia, infamy
5) Exilium, exile/banishment. This was the punishment for forgery and false testimony and for conspirators when their life was spared. Banishment also deprived people of their property and privileges. During the period of rule by emperors it was also used for getting rid of political opponents.
6) Servitus, enslavement (this also involved loss of citizenship). Many of the enslaved peoples were forced to become gladiators
.
Capital punishments were:
1) Dejectio e rupe Tarpeia, being thrown a cliff. This was the most common form in the early days of Rome. Rupe Trapeia was the Trapeian Rock, a cliff of the Capitoline hill were this practice started.
2) precipitatio de robore, being thrown from the robor, which was a part of a prison.
3) projectio in profluentem, being thrown into the river.
4) Stangulatio, being strangled.
5) Scourging, being flogged to death.
6) Being buried alive. This was the punishment for the priestesses of goddess Vesta (the Vestal Virgins) if they were found or suspected of having broken their vow of chastity. They were put in a prepared underground vault with a couch, a lamp, and a table with a food and water, ostensibly so that Vesta could save her if she was truly innocent. The vault was then filled with earth. This was done to execute them without shedding blood, because this was forbidden. They were executed in the Campus Scelletatus (the Wicked Field) outside the old city walls. Their lover was flogged to death.
7) Sercussio secure, beheading. Originally this was done with an axe. Later it was done with a sword because it was thought to be more honourable.
8) Servitus, enslavement (this also involved losing citizenship). Many of the enslaved people were forced to become gladiators
9) Fustuarium or bastinado, being beaten to death with cudgels. This was a punishment for soldiers
10) Ordering a person to commit suicide. The person in question agreed because this was considered to be more honourable than execution and because (unlike with execution) his property was not confiscated. Therefore his family could keep his property.
11) Condemnatio ad bestia. This is often given in English as condemnation to the arena. People were thrown into the arena during the gladiatorial games and were left to be eaten by wild beast. This was reserved for slaves, traitors and deserters.
12) In crucem actio, crucifixion. This was considered most shameful and disgraceful way to die. It was reserved for slaves, pirates, enemies of the state and war captives. Roman citizens were exempt, except for high treason. Later it was extended to citizens of the lower classes (humiliores) as a means to display their low status. Crucifixion was also practiced by the Persians, Carthaginians, and Macedonians. In Carthage it was well established and was also used for defeated generals. Crucifixion was banned by Constantine.
13) Being burned alive. This was introduced during the great persecution of Crisitans of the early 4th century AD.
Patricide was considered the worst crime. The punishment was being blindfolded for not being worthy of seeing the light, being stripped and exposed naked, being whipped with rods and then being sewed up in a sack and thrown in the river (projectio in profluentem). Later you were put in the sack with a dog, a cock and a monkey.
What is the arena where chariot races were held called?
In Rome it was called the Circus Maximus; on an oval track about the size of a 100 yard football field. In Greece it was the Hippodrome.
Chariot races were held in a long narrow stadium known as a "hippodrome" in the Greek world and a "circus" in the Roman world.
If you use Google Earth to look at the ruins of Tyre in the Lebanon, or south-east of Haghia Sophia in Istanbul, or by the forum in Rome, you will see the typical shape of a hippodrome (Hippo is the root for horse, ie hippopotamus= water horse)
What did the Romans believe about Romulus and Remus?
The Roman people regarded Romulus as their sacred founder. They considered him the George Washington of ancient Rome.
The Roman people regarded Romulus as their sacred founder. They considered him the George Washington of ancient Rome.
The Roman people regarded Romulus as their sacred founder. They considered him the George Washington of ancient Rome.
The Roman people regarded Romulus as their sacred founder. They considered him the George Washington of ancient Rome.
The Roman people regarded Romulus as their sacred founder. They considered him the George Washington of ancient Rome.
The Roman people regarded Romulus as their sacred founder. They considered him the George Washington of ancient Rome.
The Roman people regarded Romulus as their sacred founder. They considered him the George Washington of ancient Rome.
The Roman people regarded Romulus as their sacred founder. They considered him the George Washington of ancient Rome.
The Roman people regarded Romulus as their sacred founder. They considered him the George Washington of ancient Rome.
Why was the Roman Colosseum called the Roman colosseum?
It may have been named after a colossal statue of the goddess Nero that was nearby at the time
The name gradually became associated with the Colosseum because of the Colossus of Nero, an enormous bronze statue of Emperor Nero directly beside the amphitheatre.
What is the roman name for the Minotaur?
Because this myth has Greek origins, and the word for bull in Latin (taurus) comes from the Greek word ταυρος (tauros), in Latin, it would been simply called "Minotaurus".
What roman road was built by appius Claudius?
The roadway, referred to as the Appian Way (Via Appia), was built in the 3rd and 4th centuries BC as a military supply line across the Pontine marshes. The first section was completed between Rome and Capua in 312 BC.
What didn't we inherit from the Romans?
The biggest thing the US got from the Romans would be the senate.
We also got the style and form of the arena, arches, cement, paved roads, apartment buildings, inside plumbing, some forms of our government ( but the Romans took that from the Greeks),our calendar, the days of the week, and the months of the year. Many of our hoildays ( they have been renamed as well)
Were chariot races held in the Colosseum?
No, the Colosseum was built for other entertainment purposes. Perhaps an occasional chariot race was held there, but the chariot races were held at special courses laid out for them, such as the Circus Maximus or Circus Flaminius.
How did the Romans invent roads?
The Romans did not "invent" roads. Roads wee around hundreds of years before Rome existed. What they did do is greatly improve them and build many more roads than had previously existed.
WHen did democracy in Rome end?
im a loser and Rome was never a Democracy, it was a Republic controlled primarily by the Nobles in the early stage and later by both the plebians (average poorer citizens) and by the Patricians (Roman Nobles). The senate was only for Roman nobles and the concilium plebis was to establish laws by the general populace. The change from Roman Republic to Roman Empire can be traced to 27 B.C. when octavian (Augustus Caesar First Emperor of Rome) "returned" power to the senate after the civil war, but in fact gave the senate little to no power and he was the shadow leader under what was then called the principate.
What civilization had the greatest influence on the Roman Empire?
It was the Greeks. This started very early as the Greeks settled in southern Italy and Sicily between the 8th and 6th century BC. The Greeks were a more advanced civilisation and had a profound impact on the Italic peoples they came in contact with. The Italic peoples at that time lived in daub and-wattle huts. They learnt to build stone temples and houses from the Greeks. They did not have a written language and adopted the western Greek alphabet. Trade with the Greeks also developed.
Over time the Roman elites came to look up to the Greeks. They received an education in both Latin and Greek and spoke Greek fluently. The pinnacle of education for elite men was a stay in Greece to learn Greek philosophy. Rome had Greek libraries as well as Latin ones. Roman art became Greco-Roman art because it was influenced by Greek art. The Romans absorbed substantial parts of Greek mythology and Roman goods became linked to Greek gods. They also adopted the divination books of the Sibyls, who were Greek oracles.
What is a Roman coin worth one twentyfourth of a Gold Solidus called?
The answer is SILIQUA and can be found in Wikipedia under ROMAN CURRENCY item 5 RELATIVE VALUES
What did the Romans do that failed?
The Roman republic fell because of the greed, corruption, and vote buying by the powerful families. The Roman politicians of the late republic used their offices to enrich themselves instead of for the good of the state.
yes, Romulus was real. He had a brother named Remus. Legend has it that when they were both young, they were put in a basket and thrown into the Tiber River. They did not drown, however a wolf found them and cared for them for a couple of years. After a couple of years went by, a women found them and adopted them. As time went by, they became the founders of Rome. Remus mocked one of Romulus's ideas and out of a force of anger, Romulus killed Remus! He then named the wonderful place Rome, after himself.
What did Julius Caesar do that the people didn't like?
people didn't like how Julius would take away their power and give it to himself they also feared that he would soon become the king of Rome and so it was in the power of any citizen to kill him for going against the 12th law in there table then they killed him.
they also think that brutus his good friend killed him
