CLAS / HIST 4091 / 5091 Roman Empire

Preparation for Second Midterm:  Friday November 5, 2007

(Bring Blue Book or Paper)

 

The exam will be constructed in the same format as the first midterm.  It will consist of three parts:  identifications, multiple choice, essays.

 

NB  This midterm will cover material only since the last midterm, i.e. from Lecture 9 “Five Good Emperors” through Lecture 18 “Bread and Circuses” and Discussion 8 “Attitudes to Spectacle.”

 

Identifications

The identifications will be taken only from the list offered below. There will be four questions taken from this list of ten. You should be prepared to give four or five sentences (or bullet points) which include all important information: names, dates, places, major trends etc.  Full credit answers usually fill c. 1/3-1/2 page with substantive material. The more information you can give, the more likely you are to get full credit. 

1. Hadrian (L 9)

6. Augustan legislation on women (L 15)

2. Imperial secretaries (L 11)

7. Active/passive slave resistance (L 14)

3. Legionaries (L 13)

8. Annonae (L 17)

4. Ephesus (L 12)

9. Septimius Severus (L 10)

5. Ordo Senatorius (L 16)

10. Types of gladiators (L 18)

 

Multiple Choice

These questions will be on factual information taken from the lectures. Use your lecture outlines to help you boil down the material in the texts since the questions will come only from material that was covered in lecture.  The range and difficulty of the questions will be similar to those from the first midterm.

 

Essays

The essays will cover material we read for our discussions on Fridays (Discussion 4 “Pliny and Trajan” through Discussion 8 “Attitudes to Spectacle.” The questions will be formulated based on the reading guides that I have distributed in class. I will offer a choice of three essay topics based on the five discussion panels since the last midterm. I would recommend preparing yourself for at least three essays in advance so that you can compose a thoughtful and well-written essay quickly.

 

Extra Credit

Up to 5 percentage points of extra credit will be allotted for those who can successfully list the names and dates of all the emperors who ruled from Severus Alexander Severus through Constantine. Partial credit will be given for partially completed lists.