HIST 151: Chapter 11 Reading Guide

Bentley & Ziegler, Traditions & Encounters — Chapter 11: Mediterranean Society: The Roman Phase

Note: This is a reading guide, not a study guide. Complete it while you read — it directs you to specific passages, keeps you engaged, and holds you accountable as you move through the text. The goal is comprehension and evidence-gathering, not review.

World history can cover unfamiliar civilizations and time periods. This guide will help you identify the most important events, peoples, and processes so that by the time you finish the chapter, you will have a solid grasp of the material — and be well prepared for the Chapter Quiz.

Anchor Questions — Step 1: Go to the page indicated. Find the sentence using the opening words provided. Type the entire sentence verbatim into the first box.
Anchor Questions — Step 2: Answer the question in your own words using that sentence as your evidence. No outside research needed or permitted.

Review Questions: Answer in your own words from your reading. No outside research needed or permitted.
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Anchor Question 1

Conflicts between Patricians and Plebeians

On Page 207, find the sentence beginning with the words: "To maintain the integrity..."

Type the entire sentence verbatim here to identify the evidence:

How did the patricians attempt to ease class tensions and maintain the integrity of the Roman state when the plebeians threatened to secede in the early fifth century B.C.E.?

Anchor Question 2

The Expansion of the Republic

On Page 208, find the sentence beginning with the words: "Instead of ruling them..."

Type the entire sentence verbatim here to identify the evidence:

How did Rome's policies toward conquered peoples in the Italian peninsula contribute to its successful expansion and political stability?

Anchor Question 3

Imperial Expansion and Domestic Problems

On Page 209, find the sentence beginning with the words: "Because they enjoyed economies..."

Type the entire sentence verbatim here to identify the evidence:

How did the creation of enormous plantations known as latifundia contribute to social and political tensions in the Roman republic?

Anchor Question 4

The Foundation of Empire

On Page 210, find the sentence beginning with the words: "Caesar then centralized military..."

Type the entire sentence verbatim here to identify the evidence:

What specific actions did Julius Caesar take to centralize his power and transition Rome away from its republican constitution?

Anchor Question 5

Augustus's Administration

On Page 211, find the sentence beginning with the words: "Yet he proceeded more..."

Type the entire sentence verbatim here to identify the evidence:

How did Augustus restructure the Roman government and military to consolidate his power while avoiding the fate of Julius Caesar?

Anchor Question 6

Commercial Agriculture

On Page 215, find the sentence beginning with the words: "Instead of planting crops..."

Type the entire sentence verbatim here to identify the evidence:

How did the establishment of the pax romana and the expansion of the empire transform agricultural production across the Mediterranean?

Anchor Question 7

The Paterfamilias

On Page 217, find the sentence beginning with the words: "Although Roman law placed..."

Type the entire sentence verbatim here to identify the evidence:

In what ways were Roman women able to exert influence and circumvent the immense legal authority of the paterfamilias?

Anchor Question 8

Slavery

On Page 220, find the sentence beginning with the words: "More than their counterparts..."

Type the entire sentence verbatim here to identify the evidence:

How did the living conditions and prospects for freedom differ for enslaved people in urban areas compared to those in the rural countryside?

Anchor Question 9

Greek Influence

On Page 220, find the sentence beginning with the words: "Recognizing that they lived..."

Type the entire sentence verbatim here to identify the evidence:

Why did the Hellenistic philosophy of Stoicism appeal so strongly to Roman intellectuals like Marcus Tullius Cicero?

Anchor Question 10

Jesus of Nazareth

On Page 222, find the sentence beginning with the words: "To Roman administrators, however,..."

Type the entire sentence verbatim here to identify the evidence:

Why did Roman imperial administrators view the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as a political threat, leading to his execution?