Name
Date
REVIEW
The Height of the Roman
Empire (27 B.C.–A.D. 180)
CALIFORNIA CONTENT
STANDARD 7.1.2
SPECIFIC OBJECTIVE: Discuss the geographic borders of the Roman Empire
at its height and the factors that threatened it.
Study the map and summary to answer questions on the next page.
Roman Empire A.D. 120
Roman lands
North
Sea
BRITAIN
GERMANY
EUROPE
GAUL
ATLANTIC
OCEAN
SOUTHERN GAUL
GREECE
an Sea
SPAIN
!RAL
3EA
spi
ROME
RO
THRACE
THRAC
LATIUM
TIU
CAMPANIA
LUCANIA
NIA
CALABRIA
Bl ack Sea
Ca
ETRURIA
ASIA MINOR
SICILY
Copyright © McDougal Littell/Houghton Mifflin Company
Me
dite
r ran
AFRICA
ean S
ea
PHOENICIA
OENICIA
ASIA
EGYPT
Factors Helping Rome’s Expansion
• Pax Romana, a period of peace and
prosperity that lasted for over 200 years
Factors Threatening the Roman
Empire (after A.D. 180)
• End of Pax Romana
• Strong rulers, beginning with the first
emperor Augustus who built a strong
and stable government
• Growing gap between the rich and the
poor
• Efficient bureaucracy run by civil servants
who managed tax collection, grain
distribution, and the postal system
• Initial rise of Christianity
• Thriving agriculture
• Extensive trade network
• Powerful army and navy
• Stable borders
• Vast network of roads connecting parts
of the empire
• Slave revolts
• Economic problems, including inflation,
bad harvests, and loss of revenue
• Disruption of trade by pirates
• Weakening of the military
• Indifference and ignorance of citizenry
• Continued threat of invasion from
Germanic and other tribes
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Name
Date
PRACTICE
CALIFORNIA CONTENT
STANDARD 7.1.2
The Height of the Roman
Empire (27 B.C.–A.D. 180)
DIRECTIONS: Choose the letter of the best answer.
A As the Roman Empire grew, more
people needed food, making it
necessary to increase food supplies.
B
C
The government of Rome had no
other way to earn money, so they
had to rely on farming.
As the Roman Empire grew, many
people shifted from government
jobs to jobs on farms.
D There were no roads to connect
communities, so most people had
to grow their own crops.
2 The growing gap between the rich
and poor in Rome
A threatened Rome’s stability.
B
led to the start of Pax Romana.
C
had little effect on the empire.
D was the direct result of the
policies of Augustus.
Use the map on page 33 to answer
question 3.
3 At its height, the Roman Empire
included
A most of Africa, Asia, and Europe.
B
western Europe and the
Mediterranean regions.
C
Germany and nearby regions.
4 What did the end of Pax Romana
mean for the empire?
A an economic boom
B
a rise in the number of practicing
Christians
C
a time of great achievements in
the arts and sciences
D an increasing struggle to maintain
stable borders and internal peace
5 Which factor did not contribute to
the loss of territorial cohesion in the
Roman Empire?
A weakening of the military
B
lack of communication within the
empire
C
high level of civic involvement of
the citizens
D slave revolts
6 The civil service system in Rome
A provided efficiency and continuity
in the government.
B
increased corruption among officials.
C
promoted rivalry between
patricians and plebeians over
government jobs.
D moved the empire toward more
democratic forms of government.
Copyright © McDougal Littell/Houghton Mifflin Company
1 Why was a thriving agricultural
system important to the expansion
of Rome?
D the regions east of the Caspian Sea.
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