Question 1

Why did the Huns ultimately direct their energies westward and not toward the eastern half of the empire?

Accepted Answer

A)  The western emperors invited the Huns in under the condition that they serve in the western army. 
B)  The Huns had adopted the Arian form of Christianity and sought to punish the western church for its persecution of heresy. 
C)  The Huns' move toward Constantinople was blocked by the Alps. 
D)  The eastern emperors paid the Huns to spare the eastern half of the empire. 
A)  The western emperors invited the Huns in under the condition that they serve in the western army. 
B)  The Huns had adopted the Arian form of Christianity and sought to punish the western church for its persecution of heresy. 
C)  The Huns' move toward Constantinople was blocked by the Alps. 
D)  The eastern emperors paid the Huns to spare the eastern half of the empire.

Question 2

Why did Rome lose its status as the Roman Empire's most important city as a result of Diocletian's reforms?

Accepted Answer

A)  Its population shrank so dramatically because of the exodus of governmental officials that it ranked only as the fifth-largest city in the empire. 
B)  The Vandals and the Visigoths both sacked the city, since Diocletian's reforms had taken funds away from the armed forces protecting the city. 
C)  Diocletian had the Christian officials of the city executed, destroying the Christian leadership of the entire empire. 
D)  Diocletian divided the empire into smaller units, thereby turning Italy into a section of the empire like any other. 
A)  Its population shrank so dramatically because of the exodus of governmental officials that it ranked only as the fifth-largest city in the empire. 
B)  The Vandals and the Visigoths both sacked the city, since Diocletian's reforms had taken funds away from the armed forces protecting the city. 
C)  Diocletian had the Christian officials of the city executed, destroying the Christian leadership of the entire empire. 
D)  Diocletian divided the empire into smaller units, thereby turning Italy into a section of the empire like any other.

Question 3

Who were the Huns? How did their invasions start a "ripple effect" across Europe?

Accepted Answer

Answer would ideally include the followi

Question 4

Explain how Justinian's military campaigns, which successfully regained large parts of the old Roman Empire, actually weakened the empire.

Accepted Answer

Answer would ideally include the followi

Question 5

How did Diocletian use titles and court ceremony to reinforce and legitimize his demand for absolute obedience to his rule?

Accepted Answer

Answer would ideally include the followi

Question 6

How did Diocletian indicate his autocratic intentions when he came to power in 284?

Accepted Answer

A)  He replaced the title princeps with dominus, which was what slaves called their owners. 
B)  He proclaimed himself the head of the state and of the Christian church. 
C)  He eliminated the Senate, consuls, and all other vestiges of republican rule. 
D)  He appointed only fellow Balkan peoples to important positions. 
A)  He replaced the title princeps with dominus, which was what slaves called their owners. 
B)  He proclaimed himself the head of the state and of the Christian church. 
C)  He eliminated the Senate, consuls, and all other vestiges of republican rule. 
D)  He appointed only fellow Balkan peoples to important positions.

Question 7

In his mammoth work The City of God, Augustine put forward the notion of original sin and argued that human beings had a duty to

Accepted Answer

A)  obey secular authority, whose purpose was to uphold a social and moral order. 
B)  disobey secular authority, since it too was cursed by original sin. 
C)  place religious leaders at the helm of the state, since they alone could guarantee and uphold morality. 
D)  withdraw from political life, since it was fundamentally tainted by corruption and original sin. 
A)  obey secular authority, whose purpose was to uphold a social and moral order. 
B)  disobey secular authority, since it too was cursed by original sin. 
C)  place religious leaders at the helm of the state, since they alone could guarantee and uphold morality. 
D)  withdraw from political life, since it was fundamentally tainted by corruption and original sin.

Question 8

As the church's influence in state affairs grew,

Accepted Answer

A)  women were able to assume a greater role in politics. 
B)  the bishops came to replace the curials as the emperors' partners in local rule. 
C)  the bishops began to assume positions as officers in the imperial army. 
D)  Christians successfully pressured imperial officials to exempt monasteries from taxes. 
A)  women were able to assume a greater role in politics. 
B)  the bishops came to replace the curials as the emperors' partners in local rule. 
C)  the bishops began to assume positions as officers in the imperial army. 
D)  Christians successfully pressured imperial officials to exempt monasteries from taxes.

Question 9

The Edict of Milan, promulgated by Constantine and Licinius in 313, decreed

Accepted Answer

A)  polytheism to be illegal. 
B)  Christianity to be the official religion of the empire. 
C)  religious tolerance for all inhabitants of the Roman Empire. 
D)  that all property seized from Christians during the Great Persecution be returned. 
A)  polytheism to be illegal. 
B)  Christianity to be the official religion of the empire. 
C)  religious tolerance for all inhabitants of the Roman Empire. 
D)  that all property seized from Christians during the Great Persecution be returned.

Question 10

Why is the label "Germanic peoples" misleading when used to describe the non-Roman peoples who flooded into the empire?

Accepted Answer

A)  The barbarian peoples were ethnically and linguistically diverse. 
B)  This was a term of abuse created by the Romans themselves to describe the barbarians. 
C)  None of these peoples lived in regions that correspond to the borders of Germany in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. 
D)  Most of these peoples spoke languages that were more closely related to modern East Asian languages, including Korean and Japanese. 
A)  The barbarian peoples were ethnically and linguistically diverse. 
B)  This was a term of abuse created by the Romans themselves to describe the barbarians. 
C)  None of these peoples lived in regions that correspond to the borders of Germany in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. 
D)  Most of these peoples spoke languages that were more closely related to modern East Asian languages, including Korean and Japanese.

Question 11

It is common to attribute the expansion of Christianity in the Roman Empire to the conversion of Constantine in 312. But in fact, this process was gradual rather than sudden. Why was this the case? Discuss the gradual Christianization of the Roman Empire from the reign of Constantine through the early sixth century.

Accepted Answer

Answer would ideally include the followi

Question 12

Why was Diocletian (r. 284-305) an unlikely candidate for emperor?

Accepted Answer

A)  Unlike most third- and fourth-century emperors, Diocletian had no formal ties to the Roman army. 
B)  He hailed from a peasant family in the Balkans, far removed from Rome. 
C)  He spoke only Greek and no Latin. 
D)  He had once served as a gladiator, an occupation that would ordinarily have precluded him from high positions of authority. 
A)  Unlike most third- and fourth-century emperors, Diocletian had no formal ties to the Roman army. 
B)  He hailed from a peasant family in the Balkans, far removed from Rome. 
C)  He spoke only Greek and no Latin. 
D)  He had once served as a gladiator, an occupation that would ordinarily have precluded him from high positions of authority.

Question 13

By the time of Justinian's death in 565 C.E., which of the following regions had come under the control of the eastern Roman Empire?
​
  ​

Accepted Answer

A)  The Frankish Kingdom 
B)  The Vandal Kingdom 
C)  The Visigothic Kingdom 
D)  The Sasanid Empire 
A)  The Frankish Kingdom 
B)  The Vandal Kingdom 
C)  The Visigothic Kingdom 
D)  The Sasanid Empire

Question 14

Following the emperors' conversion to Christianity, the plight of the Jews

Accepted Answer

A)  improved, as emperors respected their monotheism and the fact that Jesus had been a Jew. 
B)  worsened, as later emperors imposed legal and political restrictions on Jews and continued to impose significant financial burdens on them. 
C)  remained much as it had been under previous polytheist Roman emperors, who had permitted Jews to live and worship undisturbed. 
D)  worsened, as the construction of new synagogues was banned and many of those already built were destroyed. 
A)  improved, as emperors respected their monotheism and the fact that Jesus had been a Jew. 
B)  worsened, as later emperors imposed legal and political restrictions on Jews and continued to impose significant financial burdens on them. 
C)  remained much as it had been under previous polytheist Roman emperors, who had permitted Jews to live and worship undisturbed. 
D)  worsened, as the construction of new synagogues was banned and many of those already built were destroyed.

Question 15

Who exerted a strong influence on Justinian's rule despite a humble upbringing as the child of a bear trainer?

Accepted Answer

A)  Empress Theodora 
B)  Cassiodorus 
C)  Emperor Theodosius 
D)  The patriarch of Constantinople 
A)  Empress Theodora 
B)  Cassiodorus 
C)  Emperor Theodosius 
D)  The patriarch of Constantinople

Question 16

What new obligations did the emperors impose on the curials, the social elite in the towns, in response to Rome's economic problems?

Accepted Answer

A)  The emperors forced them to perform menial labor on tenant farms because so many tenant farmers had fled. 
B)  The emperors drafted them into the army and required them to serve a minimum of five years. 
C)  The emperors forced them to come to Ravenna and Constantinople to work as servants for the emperors. 
D)  The emperors forced them to serve as unsalaried members of the city senate and to use their own money to support the community. 
A)  The emperors forced them to perform menial labor on tenant farms because so many tenant farmers had fled. 
B)  The emperors drafted them into the army and required them to serve a minimum of five years. 
C)  The emperors forced them to come to Ravenna and Constantinople to work as servants for the emperors. 
D)  The emperors forced them to serve as unsalaried members of the city senate and to use their own money to support the community.

Question 17

Why did classical polytheist texts in Latin and Greek survive in the Byzantine Empire, even though its leaders had become ardent Christians?

Accepted Answer

A)  Byzantine leaders were simply not able to wipe out all of the pagan texts, since so many copies were in circulation. 
B)  Byzantine leaders subscribed to classical ideals of tolerance and believed that societies function best when diverse viewpoints flourish. 
C)  Byzantine leaders did not regard this literature as important or dangerous enough to destroy. 
D)  Christian education and literature in this bilingual empire depended on non-Christian Latin and Greek models. 
A)  Byzantine leaders were simply not able to wipe out all of the pagan texts, since so many copies were in circulation. 
B)  Byzantine leaders subscribed to classical ideals of tolerance and believed that societies function best when diverse viewpoints flourish. 
C)  Byzantine leaders did not regard this literature as important or dangerous enough to destroy. 
D)  Christian education and literature in this bilingual empire depended on non-Christian Latin and Greek models.

Question 18

Discuss the ways in which the eastern empire preserved or attempted to preserve Greek and Roman culture.

Accepted Answer

Answer would ideally include the followi

Question 19

What was wergild? What was the principle behind it, and how does this explain why the murder of a woman of childbearing age required a higher wergild than that of an older woman?

Accepted Answer

Answer would ideally include the followi

Question 20

What was one of the primary attractions of monasticism for early Christians?

Accepted Answer

A)  It was a safe haven, offering abundant food and shelter in an increasingly insecure world. 
B)  Early Christian teachings encouraged withdrawal from familial entanglements. 
C)  It earned them recognition through continual worship and self-mastery. 
D)  It ensured a strong sense of community with other Christians. 
A)  It was a safe haven, offering abundant food and shelter in an increasingly insecure world. 
B)  Early Christian teachings encouraged withdrawal from familial entanglements. 
C)  It earned them recognition through continual worship and self-mastery. 
D)  It ensured a strong sense of community with other Christians.

Exam 7: The Transformation of the Roman Empire, 284-600 C.E

Why did the Huns ultimately direct their energies westward and not toward the eastern half of the empire?

Why did Rome lose its status as the Roman Empire's most important city as a result of Diocletian's reforms?

Who were the Huns? How did their invasions start a "ripple effect" across Europe?

Explain how Justinian's military campaigns, which successfully regained large parts of the old Roman Empire, actually weakened the empire.

How did Diocletian use titles and court ceremony to reinforce and legitimize his demand for absolute obedience to his rule?

How did Diocletian indicate his autocratic intentions when he came to power in 284?

In his mammoth work The City of God, Augustine put forward the notion of original sin and argued that human beings had a duty to

As the church's influence in state affairs grew,

The Edict of Milan, promulgated by Constantine and Licinius in 313, decreed

Why is the label "Germanic peoples" misleading when used to describe the non-Roman peoples who flooded into the empire?

Why was Diocletian (r. 284-305) an unlikely candidate for emperor?

By the time of Justinian's death in 565 C.E., which of the following regions had come under the control of the eastern Roman Empire? ​ ​

Following the emperors' conversion to Christianity, the plight of the Jews

Who exerted a strong influence on Justinian's rule despite a humble upbringing as the child of a bear trainer?

What new obligations did the emperors impose on the curials, the social elite in the towns, in response to Rome's economic problems?

Why did classical polytheist texts in Latin and Greek survive in the Byzantine Empire, even though its leaders had become ardent Christians?

Discuss the ways in which the eastern empire preserved or attempted to preserve Greek and Roman culture.

What was wergild? What was the principle behind it, and how does this explain why the murder of a woman of childbearing age required a higher wergild than that of an older woman?

What was one of the primary attractions of monasticism for early Christians?

Early Western Civilization, 400,000-1000 B.C.E

Near East Empires and the Reemergence of Civilization in Greece, 1000-500 B.C.E

The Greek Golden Age, C 500-C 400 B.C.E

From the Classical to the Hellenistic World, 400-30 B.C.E

The Rise of Rome and Its Republic, 753-44 B.C.E

The Creation of the Roman Empire, 44 B.C.E-284 C.E

The Heirs of Rome: Islam, Byzantium, and Europe, 600-750

From Centralization to Fragmentation, 750-1050

Commercial Quickening and Religious Reform, 1050-1150

The Flowering of the Middle Ages, 1150-1215

The Medieval Synthesis and Its Cracks, 1215-1340

Crisis and Renaissance, 1340-1492

Global Encounters and the Shock of the Reformation, 1492-1560

Wars of Religion and the Clash of Worldviews, 1560-1648

Absolutism, Constitutionalism, and the Search for Order, 1640-1700

The Atlantic System and Its Consequences, 1700-1750

The Promise of Enlightenment, 1750-1789

The Cataclysm of Revolution, 1789-1799

Napoleon and the Revolutionary Legacy, 1800-1830

Industrialization and Social Ferment, 1830-1850

Politics and Culture of the Nation-State, 1850-1870

Empire, Industry, and Everyday Life, 1870-1890

Modernity and the Road to War, 1890-1914

World War I and Its Aftermath, 1914-1929

The Great Depression and World War II, 1929-1945

The Cold War and the Remaking of Europe, 1945-1960s

Postindustrial Society and the End of the Cold War Order, 1960s-1989

A New Globalism, 1989 to the Present

Filters

By the time of Justinian's death in 565 C.E., which of the following regions had come under the control of the eastern Roman Empire?