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WorksheetsThe Roman Military and Roman Sources
Total questions: 20
Worksheet time: 16mins
Much of the success of the Roman Republic relied on her (a) .
What did the Roman military constantly allow the Republic to do?
Subdue their citizens should they ever cite rebellion.
Remain safe and protected from outside threats.
Invade neighbouring nations, which expanded access to resources, a tax base, and most importantly - slaves.
What was unusual about the Roman military for the time at 83BCE?
It was a professional army.
Soldiers were full-time soldiers who got paid for their efforts.
Other nations used regular working citizens who would be called upon to fight when needed.
The Roman army had ranks whereas other countries used a simple system of all foot soldiers.
The Roman military had only been professional since circa. (a)
Most soldiers were upper class Roman citizens, because it was a job that came with glory and heroism and a way to ascend the Cursus Honorum.
True
False
Rome's armies also relied on (a) soldiers, non-Roman citizens ruled by the Republic that often fought in their native fashion.
Soldiers spent extended periods on campaign, sometimes years.
True
False
Which of the following statements is true for the Roman officers?
Most of the military officers - commanders - were upper class Romans, especially the highest ranks.
Roman officers had started as basic foot soldiers, and worked their way through the ranks to be eligible for the position of a ranking officer.
Serving around ten years as a military officer was the first step on the cursus honorum for any upper class Roman - if they did not pursue a legal career.
Consuls, praetors and provincial promagistrates were the highest ranked officers, consuls especially were responsible for armies across vast military campaigns.
The pay was the main reason soldiers chose to fight in the army.
True
False
Which of the following were incentives to keep the Roman soldiers happy and motivated?
Loot from defeated enemies, towns, and cities was distributed amongst participating soldiers.
This loot could make a regular lower class Roman citizen quite comfortable if his general kept leading his men to victory.
Soldiers who were part of successful campaigns expected to be, and often were, rewarded with small plots of land on their return - either in Italy or in the provinces.
This land would allow them to live relatively comfortably for the rest of their lives.
Roman soldiers were most loyal to the Roman Senate.
True
False
What did loyalty have to do with soldiers and politics in the Roman Republic?
Since soldiers were under the command of the same generals for extreme periods of time, if those generals were successful in war soldiers beneath them would be staunchly loyal to them, because of money, rather than Rome itself.
Soldiers were most loyal to the Republic and the Senate because of the jobs they had received to pay them as well as they were.
Loyalty allowed successful generals to also be incredibly powerful and influential political forces in Rome, as they had the backing of thousands of soldiers, who were also voters.
Who are some examples of sources who were alive during the events of the Roman Republic?
Julius Caesar
Cicero
Appian
Plutarch
Historical sources written by historians from lower classes, upper classes, and foreigners are often found throughout history.
True
False
Greco-Roman historian who lived in the 2nd century CE, who also had a distinguished career as a high ranking official in the Roman Empire:
(a)
Wrote a 24-book series of Rome's history, likely utilising his position in the Roman Empire to access Roman records to write it. Most of his work is lost, however books 13-17 have survived to this day, and they conveniently cover the decline and fall of the Roman Republic:
(a)
His main focus is the events and the reasons for why the Republic failed:
(a)
Greco-Roman biographer living in the 1st or 2nd century CE:
(a)
Unlike a traditional historian, he is not so concerned with the historical events as he is with the actual people involved in the events, and what those people were like:
(a)
His most famous work is the Parallel Lives, a series of biographies of famous Romans and Greeks that he compares with each other:
(a)
