Geography and Social Structures of the Roman Republic

Why was Italy important to the Roman Republic and the Mediterranean?

• Italy was central and well-resourced, the perfect location to control the Mediterranean.

• Italy was a holy place and whoever controlled it could control the Mediterranean as they were the messengers of the gods.

• The Romans used to be one of the many tribes of Italy, before making themselves the undisputed masters of the peninsula by conquering the other tribes.

• Most Roman citizens resided in Rome, not other parts if Italy, as within Rome was where the politics occurred.

By what year did the Romans control most of the Mediterranean world?

• 733BCE

• 835BCE

• 735BCE

• 833BCE

After conquering Italy, the Romans conquered neighbouring nations, because

• these nations were disliked by the Romans.

• the profit was rich.

• they were seeking to expand.

• the Romans needed more land for their citizens.

____, the conquered nations under Rome's rule, were governed by Roman promagistrates, and provided huge amounts of resources to the Republic.

Which of the following is true for the provinces?

• Provinces were governed by their own leaders but supplied soldiers, food, weapons, and tax to the Romans.

• The people of provinces were not citizens, and neither were a large number of Italy's population.

• Provinces were governed by Roman promagistrates, and provided huge amounts of resources to the Republic.

• Ptolemaic Egypt was a subject kingdom of Rome, meaning Egypt had its own leaders but were subservient to Rome.

Which of the following statements is true for Roman citizens?

• All citizens were divided into five categories based on their wealth.

• Roman citizens were entitled to rights within Rome, such as the ability to vote in the assemblies, which were political meetings, enlist in the army, and stand for political office.

• The majority of the Roman Republic population were not citizens.

• Citizens were rarely found outside of Italy, and within Italy many people were not citizens. Citizens tended to cluster around Rome.

The highest class in Roman society:

The lowest class in Roman society:

The rich and powerful in Rome belonged to less than twenty large families. These were called '____' and almost all important politicians were members of this class.

'____' (knights) were a new type of upper-class Roman. They did not belong to any great families: they were wealthy, but did not have traditional privilege and power like nobiles.