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I hope you're all having a nice summer!

Review Post #2: Schools open on Wednesday; Quiz in 1st block as scheduled

Make sure you review your "Jeopardy" sheet. Most of the ID/significance questions will come from that sheet. There will be 25, not 35 multiple choice questions.

Because of the flood delays, the potential third quiz will be a take-home matching quiz.

See you all tomorrow morning!

Review Post #1: Roman Republic Unit Quiz 2

Good morning.

The format of Monday's quiz will be the same as Quiz #1: 35 multiple choice questions and 8 out of 10 identify/give significance terms.

As I said on Friday, we will have a third quiz, which will be to your advantage. The format of the third quiz will be a matching exercise featuring short excertps from primary documents that you will have to match with the author/situation.

Here are some tips for Monday:

As you go through your "Jeopardy" clues, think of the multiple choice question format. For example, here is an easy MC question based on that review sheet:

1. Members of the cavalry who were initially not permitted to hold high political office were known as:

a) nobiles

b) equites (equestrians)

c) patricians

d) plebians

First of all, you should rule out (c) and (d), because the question is very specific in its description of the group's circumstances. You now have to choose between (a) and (b). Who were the nobiles? If you remember our discussion about nepotism in Roman politics, you will remember that the nobiles dominated the consulship during the 2nd century B.C. Thus, if they were consuls, they would not be barred from office. Detailed information for the correct answer, (b), can be found on the Civil War power point, which you took notes on in class last week. The equites are mentioned in the slide "Division of the Aristocrats." NOTE: This question is "easy" because it involves memorization of a term.

Although you should have notes from this power point, I will try to upload it to this blog if I figure out how to do it.

Now let's look at a medium-difficulty multiple choice question:

2. In the Verrine Orations, Cicero:

a) denounces the corrupt Catiline, who wanted to use the spoils of war to pay off Rome's debts

b) accuses the Roman senate of changing the nature of Roman politics

c) condemns the actions of Sicily's governor, an avaricious man who used his wealth to bribe officials

d) celebrates the honor and virtue of Rome's political establishment

Hopefully you threw out (d) immediately, since we have been studying an era in which politics reached a low point. Although (a) is correct regarding Cicero's achievements, it does not have to do with the Verrine Orations, since these speeches are named for Verres, not Catiline (see the introduction to the primary document we discussed in class). Choice (b) may describe something Cicero believes, but, again, is not specific and does not relate to the reading in question. Therefore, choice (c) is correct. NOTE: This question is medium because it requires that you paid attention in class as we read through Cicero and that you did the assignment at the bottom of page 2 of that handout.

And now, a "hard" question:

3. Which is not a contemporary Roman explanation for a decline in values in the late Republic?
a) there were no strong enemies left after Carthage, which led to a lax attitude regarding virtue
b) the Romans were overwhelmed by affluence
c) the Romans were no longer religious
d) the influence of Greek ideas and practices

This is a handful of difficult questions on the quiz (5 or so). It is an analytical question that assumes you have paid attention in class discussions. You have had to pay attention to and write down the definition of an important word that has been mentioned several times this year, "contemporary." People think that word means "modern" or only "pertaining to right now," but what it usually means when studying history is "occuring in the same period of time." Therefore, a Roman in the late Republic would not have thought about (a), because Romans were a belligerent people who went to war whether there was a reason to or not. Choice (c) is factually incorrect, as evidenced by Julius Caesar's ambition to be Pontifex Maximus. We have to choose between (b) and (d). The problem with (b) is that affluent Romans would not have seen their wealth as "overwhelming" but rather deserved and overall a positive development. Greek ideas (d), however, were attacked by Cato the Elder, arguably the most conservative public figure of his time. He embodied sober gravitas in telling his son that the "Greeklings," with their feminine airs and lavish lifestyles were tainting Roman values and introducing immorality and hedonism. This is a convenient excuse for a person who did not want to see that his fellow countrymen were changing due to their own corruption and imperialism just as much, if not more so, than by foreign ideas.

Check back later for Review Post #2.

In the meantime, continue identifying/giving significance of terms in the manner we discussed at the end of Friday's class.

Post #5: The End of the Republic

Work on Post #4 first, which adds to what we learned yesterday and is a good review for Monday's quiz.

After, read the Verrine Orations and answer the questions at the bottom of the handout.

Post #4: Alea iacta est! (The die is cast!)

If you don't know who said that, you will by tomorrow (good news: you will watch a good documentary of Julius Caesar in tomorrow's class).
The point of no return had come to the Roman Republic, as soldiers' loyalty was transferred to the general rather than the state. Think about this development: You remember that in pre-polis Greece, the soldier's loyalty was to himself (if you could even call him a "soldier"). Then, as cities were established, the hoplite fought in phalanx formation for the glory of the polis (the community as a whole). The Romans adapted the phalanx and formed maniples, cohorts, and legions. They fought together for the glory of Rome (remember SPQR!) against common enemies like Hannibal. The army expanded along with the Republic and was used for defense and offense alike. So, what happened? What word would you use to describe events surrounding the rise of men like Marius and Crassus? What might Lucullus have said about selfless sacrifice in the name of patriotism (think about the literal meaning of that word-- loyalty to the patriae, the "fatherland")? As we shall see, military "reform" would have a domino effect which would lead to the most famous (or infamous, depending on your opinion) general of all, a man whose life was built on a relentless quest for domination, and who, unlike Sulla, would not be satisfied with becoming merely "dictator for life" and then peacefully rebuilding the government. See Q1 on Handout 2


Above: This is a still from the epic 1959 movie Ben Hur (read about it here) starring Charlton Heston. It is an historical film about Jesus Christ set in the early Roman Empire. The scene above shows the Via Appia (Appian Way), a well-traveled Roman road infamous for its use as a venue for public execution.
The prisoners being crucified above experienced the same fate as Spartacus's men who were not killed by Crassus on the battlefield. Read about crucifixion and why this was used as a method of execution here, and then click back to this blog. See Q2

Go to this link and read about Pompey in Judaea.


This illustration shows Cicero, the best orator of his time, prosecuting the corrupt politician Catiline, who attempted to overthrow the Republic in the "Catiline conspiracy." Click on this illustration to enlarge it, and examine it. How does the artist depict this situation well? Think about the use of light and shadow, the position of figures in the illustration, and the way Cicero and Catiline are posed (body language is very important in works of art!) Think about this image as you read your primary document on Cicero later today (Handout 2: The Verrine Orations).


The equestrian statue above, located in the town square of Clermont, France, shows the most famous Gaul, the general Vercingetorix, rallying his troops as he rides over the body of a Roman soldier. Although the fierce "barbarian" Gauls had been feared by Romans for centuries (remember that the early Romans had to pay off the Gauls to leave Rome), their rule over the area north of the Alps that is today modern France was ended by another ambitious Roman general with loyal troops, Julius Caesar. As you will see in tomorrow's video, Caesar knew that the best way to get respect in Rome was through military conquest, and he spent much time and energy the large, challenging region of Gaul. As you read about and watch the video of Caesar, think of Hannibal. How were these men similar, both in military tactics and how they were seen by their troops?

Read about Julius Caesar in Gaul here (Q8-Q10 on Handout 2)


Here is Vercingetorix surrendering to Caesar. Examine this painting in the same way as the Cicero illustration. How does the artist show that Vercingetorix, although defeated, has maintained his dignity? Do the two generals respect each other? How can we tell? List other aspects of this painting that tell the story of the Gallic Wars.



After Caesar's conquest of the Gauls, the Roman Republic would enter a dark era of violence, intriuge, and political and social unraveling.

Post #3: Perpetual Dictatorship: A Dangerous Precedent

Good morning. Again, I wish I were there, especially during these terrifying but exciting times for the Roman Republic!

Remember that, for your Good Old Days dialogue, you should use specific terms that we have discussed in class from Weber videos, power points, etc. For example, a conservative complaining about changing times might lament the lack of gravitas or pietas in society. A debauched glutton might boast about his vomitorium. Look through all your notes and share ideas with classmates if you vaguely remember a term or notion but cannot remember the word exactly.

Please read the summary below before you begin working on the handout.


As you have seen by now, times had changed in the Roman Republic. Marius' military reforms and events that transpired during the Social War ushered in a new era of irreversible military, political, and social developments for Rome.
Roman soldiers' and generals' new attitude would have a snowball effect. Gone were the days of Cincinnatus. As you may have predicted, Marius was one of many ambitious military leaders.
Today you will read about Sulla, Crassus, and Pompey, all men who deserve the adjective "infamous." The culmination of this era will come tonight (homework) and tomorrow, as you learn about its two most famous men: Cicero and Julius Caesar.
Begin reading about Sulla and working on your handout here (click).

Your homework for tonight is a primary document regarding the defeat of the slave Spartacus by the upstart general Crassus. If you are interested in more information about this period in Roman history, I will post some links on this site later that you can peruse.
Have a great day!

Post #2: Internet activity for Monday: from the legacy of the Gracchi brothers through the Social War

Fill out HANDOUT 4 as you read the websites posted below.


Pictured above: Gaius Gracchus giving a speech.

Most of the questions on your handout refer to The Late Roman Republic website.
Use http://www.onelook.com/ for dictionary definitions. You may use any of the links that come up, but I would recommend the Oxford English Dictionary. For a fun time defining words, check out http://www.ninjawords.com/.


Above: Marius. Read about him here.


Here is the illustration I mentioned click here (or go to the Wikipedia article).

Click for the article on the Equestrian order.

We will go over Sulla and Pompey tomorrow. Please work on the Gaius Gracchus question sheet tonight. It is due on Wednesday. There will be a short vocabulary "quiz" at the beginning of tomorrow's class based on today's words. You will be allowed to use your notes, but you will need to put the words in the appropriate historical context in a complete sentence.

E-mail me at mhmshistory@gmail.com if you have any questions.

Post #1: An unexpected development

Good morning, and welcome back from Spring Break! I wish I could be back at Merrol Hyde, but instead I am here in the southern Dutch province of Limburg about a mile from the border with Germany. My wife and I were supposed to fly back to Nashville on Sunday, but our flight from Brussels airport in Belgium (one hour from here) was canceled.
There are, of course, worse circumstances, places, and times in history in which to be stuck:
- a villager in Mesopotamia at the height of the Assyrian Empire
- a Greek in Asia Minor during the Persians' westward advance
- a debtor slave in Athens before the reforms of Solon
- a Roman under the rule of Tarquin the Proud during the era of Etruscan kings
- one of Hannibal's mercenary soldiers during the crossing of the Alps
and, the subject of our recent studies...
- a Roman farmer-soldier returning from war only to find that his land is occupied by a corrupt senator who wants to expand his latifundia!
But more on that later.

The image above shows the volcanic ash over Europe as of this morning. The red dot on the map is Belgium, from where I will be flying back to America.


The red arrow above is where I am located. It is a town called Sittard. My wife's sister's husband is in the US Army and stationed on a NATO base near here.
Well, enough about me... Please read Post #2 for instructions for today's Internet activity.