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WorksheetsGeography and Social Structures of the Roman Republic
Total questions: 28
Worksheet time: 21mins
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.
(a) , 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:
(a)
The lowest class in Roman society:
(a)
The rich and powerful in Rome belonged to less than twenty large families. These were called ' (a) ' and almost all important politicians were members of this class.
' (a) ' (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.
The wealth of Rome was widely spread out and many people owned a substantial amount of wealth.
True
False
Poorer Romans made up the large majority of citizens, often referred to as ' (a) '.
Most lower class citizens lived in very poor conditions in Rome and other major Italian cities.
True
False
Which of the following statements is true for the lower classes of Rome?
They were given the same rights, freedoms and opportunities as the upper classes.
Poorer Romans made up the large majority of citizens.
Despite the lack of money and influence the lower class had, without them the political and military system would collapse.
Many of the lower class citizens were freed slaves, or the descendants of, and who had close and supportive ties to the upper class families that had granted their freedom.
Which of the following statements is true for women in the Roman Republic?
Women could still own land and did most of the work managing complex Roman households, but had no right to choose who they would marry and were often married off for political reasons.
The corruption of the paterfamilias dominated Roman social life, with the eldest male of the family controlling the family and all its members - giving women little say and power.
Roman women did not have full citizenship. Female 'citizens' didn't have the same rights as their male counterparts.
Women could not vote, stand for political office or serve in the military.
Why were foreigners - or free local people - important to the Roman Republic?
They were not
They were employed as servants and other jobs that Romans didn't wish to do.
They paid taxes
They provided soldiers (auxilia) for Rome's never-ending series of conquests.
The late Roman Republic was exceptionally rich due to constant successful wars, slavery and the provinces.
True
False
It was the Romans duty and love for their country that kept them constantly conquering and expanding throughout the Mediterranean.
True
False
Wealth was highly (a) , almost all of the wealth was controlled by either the state or the tiny Roman upper class in Italy.
What percentage of the population of Italy were slaves?
10 - 20%
20 - 30%
30 - 40%
40 - 50%
People with virtually no rights and no freedoms in the Republic, they were considered chattel - property not people:
(a)
Which of the following statements are true for slaves in the Roman Republic?
Slaves were either captured in war, or descended from those captives.
Slaves were freed after sixty years of service, but not many made it this long.
Slavery was one of the two foundations of the Roman economy and thus constant new conquests were needed to keep topping up the slave population as slaves died or were freed.
Slavery allowed Roman citizens, who could afford them, the time to focus on military and academic pursuits.
What were the two main foundations of the Roman economy?
Lower Classes
Slaves
Military
Provinces
Most of the Republic was made up of the (a) - administration areas made up of mostly non-Roman citizens:
The provinces were the other foundation of the Roman economy - they provided a huge variety of resources for trade and a large taxation base.
True
False
Why was it a desirable job to be a high-ranking Roman magistrate selected by the Roman senate to govern a province?
It was a powerful feeling to rule over the local people.
It was a way for magistrates to grow politically.
It included the vital job of tax collection, much of which they could keep for themselves.
It was like a Roman holiday.
Which of the following is true for Roman religion?
Roman people took their religion very seriously, their Gods were vengeful and a lot of work was required to keep them appeased.
Roman religion was often ignored in the face of fact or understanding.
Roman religious officers could yield significant political power.
Pontiffs advised the top magistrates and assemblies could be cancelled if there were bad omens.
What was the importance of Roman religion to the Romans?
Religion was a powerful force that bound man to the gods and involved the correct performance of ritual.
Worship involved sacrifice and prayer, and if any mistakes were made in the household or the state, prayers would not be answered and the ritual repeated.
Priests were nominated for life by the state religion, and were typically active politicians like magistrates and senators.
All military decisions were checked for the Gods approval, as well as political movement. Animals, unusual births, natural phenomena, and flight paths of birds were all considered omens.
