History
Rome, founded in 753 BCE, has a rich history involving conquest, defeat, prosperity, and hardships. For the Latin II Exam, you will need to know prominent characters and major events from Roman history.
Pominent Historical Characters of Rome
Augustus
Augustus was the founder and first emperor of the Roman Empire (previously the Republic, until Caesar became Dictator). He was also known as Octavian. "Augustus" means: venerable or great. Octavian was, through the will of Caesar, Caesar's adopted son, and thus his heir. And so, Octavian began his journey to become Emperor. First he became a senator, and then moved on to become the first Roman Emperor. He is known for the great changes he made to Rome and how Rome operated. He is also known for winning the Battle of Actium. Octavian ruled from 27 BCE to 14 CE.
Hannibal
He was a military leader from Carthage during the Second Punic War. He is best known for marching into Rome from the North with an army which included elephants. And also for winning major battles including these three: Trebia, Trasimene, and Cannae.
Julius Caesar
Gaius Julius Caesar was the dictator of Rome before the empire was founded by Augustus. Julius was a general, famous for success in the Gallic Wars. He was also famous for his writing, and use of the idea of bread and circus: providing sufficient food for the citizens, and entertainment for the citizens. Julius Caesar was loved so much by his citizens that he was made dictator of the Republic.​ During his rise to power, Caesar was elected as consul in 59 BCE, despite an election full of corrupt candidates. As consul, he created the First Triumvirate, which was a group that included Pompey, who was the head of the Roman Army, Caesar himself, and Crassus, who was the richest Roman. The First Triumvirate allowed those men to have command of the Roman public. However, some of his political rivals, including, Brutus, who was his poltical and personal friend, plotted against him and assasinated him on March 15th, 44 BCE. Caesar's famous last words were, "ET TU, BRUTE" Which translates to, "And you, Brutus"
Cleopatra
Cleopatra, the last ruler of Ptolemaic Egypt, most directly relates to Roman history because of the Battle of Actium. She, teamed with Marc Antony, was defeated by Augustus Caesar (still Octavian then), in the last battle of the Roman Republic.​ She also was politically and romantically involved with Caesar.
Marc Antony
He was one of Julius Caesar’s generals who joined forces with Cleopatra during the civil wars which ended the Roman Republic. At one point, he questioned Cleopatra about aiding the enemy, but she was able to clear her name. Afterwards, he became romantically involved with Cleopatra, and stayed with her in Alexandria, Egypt for the winter. He was defeated by Octavian at the Battle of Actium, and then retreated, alongside Cleopatra, to Alexandria, where they killed themselves.
Spartacus
Spartacus was a member of the army who was caught stealing, and sold as a slave. Then, as a Roman gladiator he led a rebellion against Rome, which was eventually defeated by the forces of Marcus Licinius Crassus. He was one of the most phenomanal gladiators in history, which was why he was empowered to lead the slave uprisings.
