Quiz on the Roman Empire and the Near East

What territories were primarily referred to as the Near East from the Roman Mediterranean perspective?

• Spain, Gaul, and Britain

• Syria, Palestine, and Mesopotamia

• Greece, Italy, and Egypt

• North Africa, Germania, and Thrace

What was the role of local kingdoms in relation to Rome?

• They were independent and opposed to Rome

• They were clients of Rome and supported its forces

• They were conquered and absorbed immediately

• They were completely autonomous

What was a significant engineering achievement of Roman engineers?

• Building the Great Wall

• Constructing massive aqueducts

• Creating the Colosseum

• Designing the Parthenon

By the early second century, what happened to the dependent kingdoms west of the Euphrates?

• They were absorbed by Rome

• They remained unchanged

• They formed alliances with Persia

• They gained independence

What was the annual yield of Herod's kingdom in denari?

• 10 million denari

• 5.4 million denari

• 1 million denari

• 2.5 million denari

What was the approximate population of the Roman Empire in the mid-second century?

• 30 million

• 100 million

• 60 million

• 15 million

Which cities were considered the great urban centers of the Roman Empire?

• Rome, Athens, and Sparta

• Carthage, Alexandria, and Antioch

• London, Paris, and Berlin

• Constantinople, Jerusalem, and Damascus

How did the local upper classes interact with the Roman state?

• They collaborated in administration and tax collection

• They resisted Roman authority

• They were completely excluded from governance

• They revolted against Roman rule

What significant shift occurred in Roman political history during the second and third centuries?

• The senatorial class gained more power

• Power shifted from the provinces to Italy

• Provincial upper classes became more powerful

• Military power was centralized in Rome

What action did Emperor Gallienus take regarding senators and military command?

• He encouraged their involvement in military affairs

• He allowed them to lead armies

• He excluded them from military command

• He promoted them to high military ranks