Ancient History: Rome : Ancient History: Rome

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for Ancient History: Rome

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Example Questions

Example Question #281 : Ancient History: Rome

This region was known as the breadbasket of the Roman Empire.

Possible Answers:

Gaul

Britain

Egypt

Iberia

Greece

Correct answer:

Egypt

Explanation:

The population of the city of Rome (and other notable imperial cities) grew dramatically in the early years of the Roman Empire. So much so that it became impossible to feed the population based on what could be grown locally. As a result, much of the grain in cities like Rome, Syracuse, and Constantinople was shipped from more fertile lands. Most of the grain that arrived in Rome came from Roman occupied Egypt, which is sometimes referred to as “the breadbasket of the Roman Empire.”

Example Question #113 : The Early Roman Empire (31 Bce 284 Ce)

Aqueducts were vital for __________.

Possible Answers:

the housing of the poor during times of catastrophe

conveying water to cities in the Roman Empire

maintaining the Roman postal service

ensuring a reliable supply of grain in the Roman Empire

the construction of Roman roads

Correct answer:

conveying water to cities in the Roman Empire

Explanation:

Aqueducts were vital for conveying water to cities in the Roman Empire. Aqueducts were a notable accomplishment of Roman engineering, because they required precise measurements and intricate detail. Some historians contend that the Roman use of lead in their aqueducts caused widespread poisoning in the Roman Empire, which might have contributed to the decline of the Roman Empire, but this argument is heavily disputed.

Example Question #282 : Ancient History: Rome

The Roman province of Thrace was located in territory that comprises which three modern-day countries?

Possible Answers:

France, Belgium, and the Netherlands

Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands

Greece, Macedonia, and Albania

Italy, Austria, and Hungary

Greece, Turkey, and Bulgaria

Correct answer:

Greece, Turkey, and Bulgaria

Explanation:

Thrace was a Roman province that was absorbed into the Roman Empire in the first century CE. Thrace was located in territory that includes modern-day Greece, Turkey, and Bulgaria.

Example Question #1 : Separation Of The Western And Eastern Empires

By the fifth century CE, the eastern half of the Roman Empire was referred to as the ___________________.

Possible Answers:

Ottoman Empire

Persian Empire

Hunnic Empire

Hephthalite Empire

Byzantine Empire

Correct answer:

Byzantine Empire

Explanation:

The eastern half of the Roman Empire, initially ruled by Constantine I, was named the Byzantine Empire due to its largely Greek-speaking population. Before Constantine named the capital city Constantinople (330 AD), it was referred to as Byzantium. The other answers are incorrect because they refer to empires that either existed before (Persian), elsewhere during (Hunnic and Hephthalite), or after the Byzantine Empire's reign (Ottoman).

Example Question #1 : Separation Of The Western And Eastern Empires

Which of these statements about Valentinian I is accurate?

Possible Answers:

He divided the Roman Empire once again and placed his brother on the throne of Constantinople.

He was the first Roman Emperor to inherit the position from his father.

He was assassinated on the orders of Octavian during the Wars of the Second Triumvirate.

He led the rebellion against Roman authority in Britain in the second century.

He reunited the Roman Empire at the end of the Crisis of the Third Century.

Correct answer:

He divided the Roman Empire once again and placed his brother on the throne of Constantinople.

Explanation:

Valentinian I ruled the Western Roman Empire during the fourth century. He is sometimes remembered as the last good emperor, although this is most likely because the empire collapsed shortly after his reign. He, notably, divided the Roman Empire once again (it had been previously divided under Diocletian, before being somewhat reunified under Constantine) and placed his brother, Valens, on the throne of Constantinople.

Example Question #1 : Separation Of The Western And Eastern Empires

The city of Byzantium was perfectly situated to benefit from __________.

Possible Answers:

the natural protection offered by the Apennines

the natural protection offered by the Urals

trade between North Africa and Italy

trade between Europe and Asia

the natural protection offered by the Alps

Correct answer:

trade between Europe and Asia

Explanation:

The city of Byzantium (also called Constantinople) was made the capital of the Roman Empire in the fourth century by the Emperor Constantine. The city is located on the European side of the Bosphorus; a body of water which connects the Mediterranean and the Black Sea. It was thus perfectly situated to benefit from the trade between Europe and Asia. The city would grow immensely wealthy from control of this trade.

Example Question #1 : Separation Of The Western And Eastern Empires

The permanent division of the Roman Empire, into east and west, took place following the death of __________.

Possible Answers:

Constantine I

Romulus Augustus

Nero

Diocletian

Theodosius I

Correct answer:

Theodosius I

Explanation:

The Roman Empire had become too large to be ruled by one emperor by the third century (this was one of the causes of the Crisis of the Third Century). It was divided, by Emperor Diocletian, into a tetrarchy. This tetrarchy was then dissolved in favor of an Eastern and Western Roman Empire. During the reign of Theodosius I, in the late fourth century, the two empires were reunited once again under his rule. But, when he died, Theodosius left the eastern portion to one of his sons and the western portion to another of his sons. This was the final, permanent division of the Roman Empire into a western and an eastern half. The Western Roman Empire would not last another century, whereas the Eastern Roman Empire would continue for more than one thousand years.

Example Question #1 : Separation Of The Western And Eastern Empires

Which of these Roman emperors moved the capital of the Roman Empire to the eastern-half?

Possible Answers:

Diocletian

Nerva

Trajan

Constantine

Vespasian

Correct answer:

Constantine

Explanation:

The Roman Empire was divided into an eastern half and a western half in 285 CE by the Emperor Diocletian. It was the Emperor Constantine in 330 CE, however, who moved the capital of the Roman Empire to Byzantium (Constantinople), in the Eastern Roman Empire.

Example Question #1 : Separation Of The Western And Eastern Empires

The Tetrarchy was created by __________.

Possible Answers:

Caligula

Diocletian

Augustus Caesar

Constantine

Julius Caesar

Correct answer:

Diocletian

Explanation:

The Tetrarchy (“rule of four”) was created by Diocletian in 293 CE. In the third century, the Roman Empire had grown too large and impossible to administer. To solve this problem, Diocletian divided the Roman Empire into four distinct territories, each to be governed by a different ruler. This brought to an end the Crisis of the Third Century and stabilized the Roman Empire. The Tetrarchy did not last long, and within twenty years was dismantled, in favor of a permanent division between an Eastern Roman Empire (led by Constantine) and a Western Roman Empire (led by Licinius).

Example Question #2 : Separation Of The Western And Eastern Empires

After Diocletian retired from office, __________.

Possible Answers:

the Roman Empire experienced a destructive civil war

the Roman Empire declared war on the Parthian Empire

mercenaries were permitted to serve in Roman armies

the Roman Empire experienced a prolonged period of peace and prosperity

the Roman Empire was reunited

Correct answer:

the Roman Empire experienced a destructive civil war

Explanation:

Diocletian was the fifty-first Roman Emperor and was one of the most significant. His leadership brought to an end the so-called Crisis of the Third Century. He notably created the Tetrarchy, dividing the Roman Emperor into distinct territories, each to be administered by a different ruler. He abdicated power in 305 CE, and due to competing claims for authority in the Roman Empire, a destructive civil war soon broke out.

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