| A | B |
|---|
| a libellis | freedman in charge of petitions. |
| a rationibus | freedmen in charge of accounts |
| ab epistulis | secretary of correspondence for the Emperor. |
| amanuensis | Secretaries used by wealthy Romans. |
| amici principis | Friends of the Emperor, would gather and advise the Emperor |
| aqueducts | supplied Rome with millions of gallons of fresh water daily |
| Bacchus | Mystery religion with a large cult of followers, god of wine |
| Baiae | Baiae (fashionable resort on Bay of Naples) |
| bibliopolae | the booksellers |
| bulla | charm children would wear |
| Capitoline Hill | location of the temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus |
| cena nuptialis | the wedding feast |
| censor | removed unworthy members from the Senate, enrolled new ones; position filled by ex-consuls |
| charta | a sheet of Egyptian papyrus |
| Circus Maximus | The longest race track in Rome, 2000 feet long, holds half a million (500,000) spectators |
| Colosseum | aka Flavian Amphitheater, 70-80 AD, built by Vespasian and then Titus, built for entertainment purposes, held gladiatorial games, sea battles |
| confarreatio | a traditional marriage ceremony with far (grain cake) |
| consul | the highest position in the cursus honorum, presided at meetings of the senate, only two at a time |
| cum manu | a marriage in which the woman passed completely into the control of the husband |
| cursus honorum | senatorial class path of honor, to move up a level in the political sense, ladder of promotion |
| curule aedile | in charge of public works |
| dictator | In times of chaos the leader would be given the title of dictator, which gave him unlimited power for a period of six months. |
| dignitas | Prestige and honor. An author, unlike other clients, could offer his patron a chance of gaining prestige and honor (dignitas). |
| dos | a dowry given by the brides family to the family of the husband |
| emporia | riverside markets |
| Epictetus | Freedman of Epaphroditus and famous stoic philosopher who said that opinions disturbed men more than facts of reality |
| Epicurus | Founder of Epicureanism, pursuit of pleasure but not to excess |
| equites | equestrian class, rich people |
| Esquiline Hill | The hill where wealthy people lived |
| factiones | the various chariot teams were divided into these four groups |
| far | a grain used to make the traditional wedding cake for the Romans |
| fasces | The bundle of sticks with an axe in the middle which was the symbol of imperium |
| flammeum | flame-colored bridal veil |
| Forum of Augustus/Temple of Mars Ultor | built in 20 BC, built by Augustus, took away congestion from the forum Romanum; honors Mars. Place of Battle of Philipi |
| Horace | Epicurcean poet, carpe diem, Roman lyric poet, wrote about triumph of Rome |
| horrea | grain warehouses at the docks |
| imperium | In ancient Rome imperium could be used as a term indicating a characteristic of people, the measure of formal power they had. |
| insula tiberina | a short stretch of land in the Tiber river shaped like a boat |
| insulae | tenement houses |
| Isis | Mystery religion influencing Rome, Egyptian goddess of fertility, Roman cult of Isis |
| iunctio dextrarum | Symbolic joining of the hands in Marriage |
| liberti Augusti | A small but important group of freedmen who worked as personal assistants to the emperor. |
| librarii | Educated slaves that hand copied books to be distributed, wrote correspondence from dictation or copying |
| lictor | these officials carried the fasces and accompanied the consul & praetor as a symbol of their imperium |
| ludi circenses | chariot races |
| Ludi Romani | oldest games celebrated at Rome; their origin went back to the period of the kings |
| Maecenas | Augustus's friend, patron of Horace and Vergil |
| magister equituum | second in command to the dictator |
| manumission | the act of freeing a slave |
| mappa | the napkin which was dropped to signal the start of a chariot race |
| Martial | Roman poet noted for epigrams |
| matrona univirae | Women who had only been married to one man. |
| Mausoleum of Hadrian | 120-139 AD, built by Hadrian and Antonius Pius, built to house bodies of Hadrian and his successors, now Castel Sant' Angelo |
| meta | the turning point at the ends of the spina. This was the most challenging, dangerous and exciting portion of the track for chariot races. |
| Mithras | The Persian god embodying the ancient spirit of light of Mithraism, a Persian religion popular in the Roman Empire that exalted fraternity and loyalty, appealing to soldiers. |
| Mithreum | shrine for Mithraism, designed to look like caves or were built partially underround |
| Munera | gladiatorial shows, originally part of the rites owed to the dead |
| naumachia | naval battles, held along the banks of the Tiber |
| negotium | the business of life ne-otium (not leisure) |
| ornamenta praetoria | the highest honor a freedman could attain and gave him equivalent status to a Roman praetor |
| Ostia | Rome's coastal port |
| Otium | leisure which was often spent reading, studying and writing letters of correspondence |
| Palantine Hill | location of the palaces of emperors |
| panis et circenis | “bread and circuses” – used to describe the Roman government’s provision of food and entertainment to prevent rebellion of the people |
| Pantheon | built in 27 BC, built by Agrippa, rebuilt by Domitian, and again by Hadrian. It held statues of gods, was a temple. |
| pantomimes | dramatists that would have danced and acted stories |
| paterfamilias | the head of a Roman household who held absolute authority over the family and presided over weddings |
| patronus | he would often help his clients, at times to become literary figures at Rome, supports a writer |
| plebeians | The poorer majority of Rome, working class |
| plebian aedile | An appointed official who was responsible for the upkeep of public buildings, baths, sewers, and roads. |
| Pliny the Younger | attached great importance to public readings, he wrote about his disgust towards people who mocked them, wrote letters, vacationed at his villa |
| praefatio | the short introduction of a recitatio |
| praetor | an annually elected magistrate of the ancient Roman Republic, they were second to the consuls; were primarily judicial officials |
| proconsul | Governer of one of the big ten “imperial” provinces |
| propraetor | An individual who, after serving as a praetor, was sent to govern a lesser province with praetorial authority. |
| qaestor | managed sums of public money |
| Quintilian | the famed author of "The Education of an Orator," and the tutor of Pliny the Younger |
| recitatio | the public reading of a writer's work |
| rhetor | the teacher of oratory who presided over the third stage of education |
| S.P.Q.R. | Senatus Populusque Romanus (The Senate and the People of Rome), motto of Roman Republic |
| salutatio | the morning meeting between the patron and client. The patron would give the client a sportula at this time. |
| senatores | senatorial class in Rome, men went through the ranks of the cursus honorum |
| Seneca | wrote about people faking enjoyment about poet's writings; followed Stoicism; tutor of Nero |
| seviri augustales | six priests of the cult of Augustus, had to be freedmen |
| sine manu | a marriage where the woman remained a possession of her own paterfamilias |
| spina | the central platform in the Circus Maximus, upon which the seven huge eggs of wood or marble were hoisted to mark laps completed |
| sponsalia | the engagement ceremony where the two family would agree to the wedding contract and celebrate |
| sportula | a gift of money given to the client from the patron. In exchange, the client would perform various duties for the patron. |
| Stoa Poikile | Covered colonnade in Athens, Zeno taught here |
| Stoicism | philosophy extolling virtuous behavior over pleasure and favored the republic as the best form of government |
| Subura | the "slums" of Rome where the commoners lived. Plauged by fire and a number of other adversities |
| suo anno | 'in one's year,' to gain a position in suo anno meant at the earliest age. |
| Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus | built in 508/509 BC, built by Tarquinius Superbus. Built to worship the gods, held chambers to worship different gods, |
| Temple of Vesta and House of Vestal Virgins | built by Numa/Pompileus to worship the goddess Vesta, location of palladium, housed eternal flame, housing for virgins |
| The Education of an Orator | a famous book on rhetoric and public speaking by Quintilian |
| Theater of Marcellus | 44-22 BC, built by Caesar, Augustus continued building it after Caesar's death.Held secular games, plays, and gladiator fights. |
| Tibur | a town twenty miles east of Rome (Tibur is the ancient name); popular resort spot |
| tribunus militum | after a year of being a vigintivir, each young man would travel abroad on military service as an officer in a legion. |
| tribunus plebes | These six junior officials served in each legion. One of the six was of the senatorial class |
| ubi tu Gaius, ego Gaia | Where you are Gaius, I am Gaia, phrase said by wife to husband, a traditional vow taken at a wedding and symbolic of the bond between husband and wife |
| venationes | Beast Hunts |
| veto | this was granted to the tribunes of the plebs and consuls to ensure that no legislation detrimental to the people could be passed |
| virgintivir | 20 junior officials who served in a clerical and municipal capacity at Rome; first step of cursus honorum during Empire |
| volumen | scroll |
| Zeno | (333 BC - 264 BC), founder of the Stoic school of philosophy |
