Choose ONE of the questions below and answer it as
completely as you can. Remember your audience! I already know all the facts;
your job will be to provide the analysis.* Take your time, think through what
you want to say, and then compose a well-organized essay. There is no correct
number of pages that your essay should be. Rather, it should be complete. Some
students might answer a question in one or two pages while others will answer
the same question in six or seven pages. As long as you express yourself
clearly and stick to the point of the answer, any length essay that you submit
is the correct length. Your grade for this exam will be based on how clearly
you express yourself and how thorough your analysis is.
*This does not mean give no facts; just don’t think that a
string of facts is all that is required. 🙂
Due in Assignments no later than midnight Sunday. Please
submit as an attachment to preserve your formatting. And please put your name
at the top of the first page of your essay.
1. The Romans started off with nothing but their seven hills
and some huts. In that, they resembled many of their neighbors, but they were
also surrounded by cultures that were much more advanced (Etruscans and
Greeks). Yet in the end (202 B.C.), it was the Romans who dominated the Italian
peninsula and much of the western Mediterranean. We have read about the events
that led to this dominance. Define what it was about the Roman culture that
made this dominance possible. How did they DO that?
2. Now for some role playing. You can be either the
Carthaginians or the Macedonians. In your essay, outline how your people and
government viewed the actions of the Romans during the period of the wars you
fought against them. We have read about events from the Roman point of view;
you provide the loser’s side. You do not have to go through all the events of
the war; just make it clear what your viewpoint is about the whole affair.
3. The Roman military and the Roman government were very
closely connected, sometimes even interchangeable. How did this effect Roman
military development from the foundation of the Republic through to the mid-2nd
century B.C.? Did it effect Roman military development? Again, do not try to
cover every detail; isolate what is important and explain from there.
