The Roman Mysteries Complete Collection
Page 112
Hebrew (hee-brew)
holy language of the Old Testament, spoken by (religious) Jews in the 1st century
hoplomachus (hop-lo-mack-uss)
type of gladiator armed like a Thracian with metal greaves over quilted leg-guards and a brimmed helmet, but fought with a round shield and short, straight sword
Ides (eyedz)
thirteenth day of most months in the Roman calendar (including February); in March, July, October and May the Ides occur on the fifteenth day of the month.
impluvium (im-ploo-vee-um)
a rainwater pool under a skylight in the atrium
Ionatano (yon-a-tan-oh)
the Latin alphabet had no ‘J’ and used the letter ‘I’ instead; this is the dative case of Jonathan’s name: ‘to (or for) Jonathan’
Isola Sacra (eye-sol-uh sack-ruh)
means ‘sacred island’; a strip of land between Ostia’s river harbour and Claudius’s new harbour to the north, its many tombs can still be seen today.
iugula (you-gyoo-la)
the ‘jugular vein’, a major vein in the neck; crowds at the amphitheatre shouted this if they wanted the victorious gladiator to cut his defeated opponent’s throat
Judaea (jew-dee-uh)
ancient province of the Roman Empire; modern Israel
Julia
the Emperor Titus’s daughter, probably about fifteen when this story takes place
Juno (jew-no)
queen of the Roman gods and wife of the god Jupiter
Jupiter (jew-pit-er)
king of the Roman gods, husband of Juno and brother of Pluto and Neptune
kohl (coal)
dark powder used to darken eyelids or outline eyes
lanista (la-niss-tuh)
owner of a group of gladiators; he supervises their training and hires them out
lararium (lar-ar-ee-um)
household shrine, often a chest with a miniature temple on top, sometimes a niche
Laureolus (low-ray-oh-luss)
robber who was crucified and torn apart by beasts
Leander (lee-and-er)
young man who swam across the Hellespont to meet his lover Hero, a beautiful priestess who signalled him from a tower; one night he drowned in a storm
libellus (lib-ell-uss)
Latin for ‘little book’; they contained statistics about the gladiators to help those who wanted to bet on the outcomes of gladiatorial combats
Ludus Aureus (loo-duss ow-ray-uss)
before Domitian built the great Ludus Magnus, the gladiator school located in the Domus Aurea might have been known by this name
Ludus Dacicus (loo-duss dak-ee-kuss)
one of the main gladiator schools in the first century AD
Ludus Gallicus (loo-duss gall-ik-uss)
one of the main gladiator schools in the first century AD
Ludus Iulianus (loo-duss you-lee-an-uss)
a famous gladiator school in Capua, founded by Julius Caesar
magister ludi (mag-iss-tur loo-dee)
‘master of games’; the person in charge of organising the games
manica (man-ick-uh)
a gladiator’s arm-guard, at this time in quilted linen or leather, rarely metal
Martial (marsh-all)
Marcus Valerius Martialis; a poet of Spanish birth who wrote a collection of of poems about the inaugural games called ‘de spectaculis’
medicus (med-ee-kuss)
the doctor at a gladiator school who looked after wounds and patched men up
meta sudans (met-uh su-danz)
‘sweaty turning post’; a famous conical fountain near the Colosseum in Rome, it can no longer be seen
missio (miss-ee-oh)
Latin for ‘I release’; the release granted to a defeated gladiator to spare his life
mitte! (mitt-ay)
Latin for ‘release!’; if the crowds think a defeated gladiator fought well they shout this at the editor, hoping he will allow the defeated gladiator to live
murmillo (mur-mill-oh)
type of gladiator who usually fought hoplomachus or Thracian; he had a protected right arm and left leg, a big, rectangular shield, brimmed helmet and short sword
Neapolis (nee-ap-o-liss)
a large city in the south of Italy near Vesuvius; modern Naples
Nereids (near-ee-idz)
mythological sea nymphs who were daughters of a wise old sea god called Nereus
Nero (near-oh)
wicked Emperor who ruled Rome from AD 54 – AD 69
Oppian Hill (opp-ee-an)
part of the Esquiline Hill in Rome and site of Nero’s Golden House
Orpheus (or-fee-uss)
famous musician in Greek mythology; he played the lyre so beautifully that he charmed wild animals, rocks and even Cerberus when he went to the underworld to try to recover his beloved wife Eurydice (see above)
Ostia (oss-tee-uh)
port about 16 miles southwest of Rome; Ostia is Flavia’s home town
Palatine (pal-uh-tine)
one of the seven hills of Rome; the greenest and most pleasant; the site of successive imperial palaces (the word ‘palace’ comes from ‘Palatine’)
palla (pal-uh)
a woman’s cloak, could also be wrapped round the waist or worn over the head
palus (pal-uss)
wooden post used by gladiators to practice on
papyrus (puh-pie-russ)
the cheapest writing material, made of pounded Egyptian reeds
parma (par-ma)
small square shield used by the Thracian type gladiator
Pasiphae (pass-if-eye)
Mythological wife of Cretan king Minos who fell in love with a bull and later gave birth to the Minotaur, a creature with the body of a man and head of a bull
peristyle (pare-ri-style)
a columned walkway around an inner garden or courtyard
Persephone (purr-sef-fun-ee)
beautiful daughter of Demeter who was kidnapped by the god Pluto and reigns with him as queen of the underworld for six months out of the year
plebs
the ordinary people, the lowest class of freeborn Romans
Pliny (plin-ee)
(the Elder) famous admiral and author who died in eruption of Vesuvius; his only surviving work is a Natural History in 37 chapters
Pluto (ploo-toe)
god of the underworld, he is the Roman equivalent of Hades; in the games, a man may have dressed as Pluto to dispatch dying gladiators and criminals
Pollux
one of the famous twins of Greek mythology (Castor being the other)
pontifex maximus
literally: the greatest priest; this term is still applied to the Pope in Rome
Potsherd Mountain
now known as Mount Testaccio, this hill was made of millions of sherds of broken oil amphoras methodically discarded behind the river warehouses
retiarius (ret-ee-are-ee-uss)
type of gladiator who usually fought secutor; he wore manica and galerus on his left arm and fought with net, trident and dagger; his name means ‘net-man’
Sabinus (sa-bee-nuss)
Titus Flavius Sabinus; husband (and cousin) of Titus’s daughter Julia
scroll (skrole)
a papyrus or parchment ‘book’, unrolled from side to side as it was read
secutor (seck-you-tor)
type of gladiator who usually fought retiarius; armed like a murmillo but his smooth tight helmet enclosed the head completely, apart from small eyeholes
Seneca (sen-eh-kuh)
Nero’s tutor and Stoic philosopher who wrote about how to die a good death
sesterces (sess-tur-sees)
more than one sestertius, a brass coin; four sesterces equal a denarius
shalom (shah-lome)
the Hebrew word for ‘peace’; can also mean ‘hello’ or ‘goodbye’
sica (seek-uh)
sickle-shaped dagger used by Jewish assas
sins in the first century AD
Spartacus (spar-tuh-kuss)
famous gladiator from Thrace who escaped from the training school at Capua to lead 6,000 slaves on a revolt which lasted two years before being quelled
Stagnum (stag-num)
artificial lake across the Tiber river; built by Augustus, it was used during the inaugural games of the Colosseum for mock sea battles
stibium (stib-ee-um)
powder used by women in Roman times to colour their eyelids
Stoic (stow-ick)
a Greek philosophy popular in ancient Rome; its followers admired moral virtue, self-discipline and indifference to pleasure or pain.
stola (stole-uh)
a long tunic worn mostly by Roman matrons (married women)
stylus (stile-us)
a metal, wood or ivory tool for writing on wax tablets
tac! (tak)
a shortened form of the Latin imperative ‘tace’ (‘be quiet’)
Tarpeian (tar-pay-un)
a cliff on the Capitoline Hill; traitors were executed by being thrown off it
Tartarus (tar-tar-uss)
the underworld or land of the dead ruled by Pluto, who is sometimes known as Tartarus
Thetis (thet-iss)
beautiful
Nereid (sea-nymph) who was the mother of Achilles
Thrace (thrace)
region of Northern Greece which became a Roman province about 40 years before this story takes place
Thracian (thrace-shun)
gladiator armed like a hoplomachus with metal greaves over quilted leg-guards and a brimmed helmet, but fought with a small, square shield and curved sword
tiro (teer-oh)
novice gladiator who has never fought in the arena or is fighting for the first time
Titus (tie-tuss)
Titus Flavius Vespasianus, 40 year old son of Vespasian, has been Emperor of Rome for nine months when this story takes place.
toga (toe-ga)
a blanket-like outer garment, worn by freeborn men and boys
Torah (tor-uh)
Hebrew word meaning ‘law’ or ‘instruction’. It can refer to the first five books of the Bible or to the entire Hebrew scriptures
triclinium (trick-lin-ee-um)
ancient Roman dining room, usually with three couches to recline on Trigemina
Gate (try-gem-in-ah gate)
gate with three arches which led from Rome to the via Ostiensis
trigon (try-gon)
ball game where three players stand at different points of an imaginary triangle and throw a ball to each other as fast and hard as they can; you lose if you drop it
tunic (tew-nic)
a piece of clothing like a big T-shirt; children often wore a long-sleeved one
vela (vel-uh)
awnings or sails; there were massive vela on masts above the new amphitheatre (Colosseum) to provide shade for the people
venator (ven-ah-tor)
Latin for hunter; these were the skilled men who fought in the beast fights
venatrix (ven-ah-tricks)
a female beast-fighter
Vespasian (vess-pay-zhun)
Roman Emperor who died nine months before this story begins; Titus’s father
Vesuvius (vuh-soo-vee-yus)
the volcano near Naples which erupted on 24 August AD 79
Virgil (vur-jill)
a famous Latin poet who lived about 100 years before this story takes place wax tablet a wax-covered rectangle of wood used for making notes
Sometime in the spring of AD 80 Titus opened a huge new amphitheatre with one hundred days of games. Now known as the Colosseum, the new amphitheatre was built with money and slave labour obtained by the conquest of Judaea ten years earlier. We know about Titus’s games from several Latin authors, one of whom was actually present. Martial, as he is now known, was probably commissioned to write his Book of the Spectacles in order to glorify Titus.
Among the highlights mentioned by Martial are the parade of informers, the lion and the rabbit, the beast fighter Carpophorus, the female beast fighters, and the elaborately staged execution of criminals dressed as Orpheus, Laureolis, and Leander, the last of whom escaped his intended fate and was pardoned by Titus. We also know there were aquatic displays in the Colosseum, which means the complicated cells beneath the arena were not put in until later.
Gladiators from all over the Roman empire must have participated in Titus’s games. Scholars believe they used Nero’s Golden House as their base while the games were underway. (The Ludus Magnus gladiator school was not yet built).
Titus, Domitian, Domitia, Julia, Sabinus and Martial were all real. So were the two conspirators whom Titus invited to sit with him at the games, though we don’t know their names. The rest of the characters in this book are fictional.
To Faith and Al
for their philoxenia
ITHACA
When you set sail for Ithaca
Pray that the journey will be long
Full of adventure, full of discovery.
Don’t be afraid of Scylla and Charybdis.
The Sirens and the Harpies
And even the Cyclops hold no danger for you.
You won’t find such creatures on your journey
If your thoughts are high and you have a noble motive.
You won’t find such monsters
Unless you erect altars to them in your heart.
Pray that the voyage will be a long one
With many a summer’s evening when,
With such pleasure, such joy,
You enter harbours you have never seen before.
May you visit Phoenician markets and Egyptian ports
To buy pearls, coral, amber, ebony and gems of wisdom.
As you sip heady wines from the west
And inhale sensual perfumes from the east
Always keep Ithaca in mind.
Arriving there is what you are destined for.
Better if the journey lasts for years
So that you are old by the time you drop anchor there,
Wealthy with all you have learned on the way.
Ithaca will not make you rich.
She gave you your marvellous journey.
She has nothing more to give you.
Without her you would never have set out.
So if you find her poor, it’s not because she fooled you.
You will be so rich with experience
That you will finally understand
What Ithaca really means.
written by Constantine Cavafy (1863–1933)
paraphrased by Caroline Lawrence
* * *
This story takes place in ancient Roman times, so a few of the words may look strange.
If you don’t know them, ‘Aristo’s Scroll’ at the back of the book will tell you what they mean and how to pronounce them. It will also explain some of the ship terms used in this book.
The maps will show you the Delphina’s route.
* * *
Lupus stared in amazement at the little bronze pendant hanging from its linen cord.
It was shaped like a part of the body.
Part of a boy’s body.
A very private part of a boy’s body.
Lupus glanced up at his three friends standing beside him in the early morning sunshine on Ostia’s marina pier. Each of them had just been handed a similar pendant.
Flavia Gemina, the highborn daughter of a Roman sea captain, had already put hers on. Her former slave-girl Nubia – dark-skinned and golden-eyed – was hiding her pendant in cupped hands and giggling. And Jonathan ben Mordecai stared at his with mouth wide open in mock astonishment. When Lupus saw the expression on Jonathan’s face, he barked with laughter.
‘Stop it, you three!’ hissed Flavia, touching her light-brown hair to make sure it hadn’t come unpinned. ‘You’ll hurt Alma’s feelings. You know very well these aren’t rude. And they’re not funny, either.
They’re powerful good-luck charms.’
Flavia’s house-slave Alma folded her plump arms and nodded. ‘That’s right. They’re amulets to ward off the evil eye.’
‘Thank you, Alma,’ said Flavia. ‘It was very thoughtful of you to get these for us.’ She shot the others a significant look.
‘Er . . . yes. Thank you, Alma.’ Jonathan slipped the amulet over his head so that it hung beside the herb pouch which gave him relief from asthma. He grinned. ‘I’m sure these will be very protective.’
‘Thank you, Alma.’ Nubia was still giggling. ‘Mine has little wings on it,’ she said to the others.
Alma nodded and beamed. ‘Wings make them extra lucky. So do bells.’
Lupus grinned and gave his pendant a shake, so that it tinkled. His amulet was obviously the best because it had wings and bells.
‘They’re apotropaic,’ said the children’s tutor, slinging his leather satchel over one shoulder. Aristo was a good-looking young Greek with sad eyes and curly hair the colour of bronze.
‘What is apple tropic?’ asked Nubia. She had been in Italia for less than a year and her Latin was not yet fluent.
He smiled at her. ‘Apotropaic is a Greek word,’ he said. ‘It means something that turns bad luck away from you.’
Alma nodded. ‘That’s right. They’re tapo . . . pota . . . they’re what he said. Seeing as what you four have been through recently – mad dogs, volcanoes, pirates, assassins, plague, fire, wild beasts and I don’t know what else – well, I thought it was time you had something to protect you.’ Alma spat and made the sign against evil. ‘After all, a sea voyage is far more dangerous than any of those other things!’
‘Oh, Jonathan! It will be dangerous? You need go?’
Lupus and the others turned. Jonathan’s mother Susannah was picking her way through the bags and satchels on the wooden pier. When she reached Jonathan she pulled the blue veil away from her lovely face, and Lupus saw that her eyes were red and swollen.
‘Mother!’ hissed Jonathan. ‘I just said goodbye to you and father at home. I told you that you didn’t need to come to the docks.’
‘Your father says bring medicine, in case of emergency or sick.’ Jonathan’s mother handed him a linen shoulder bag. Then she pulled a handkerchief from the long sleeve of her light-blue tunic. She murmured something in Hebrew, spat gently on the handkerchief and rubbed it on his chin.