The Roman Mysteries Complete Collection

by Lawrence, Caroline

  He looked around at them. Mordecai and Gaius still had their heads bowed. But Flavia, Nubia and Lupus were watching him with shining eyes, and this gave him strength.

  ‘Her death is a tragedy,’ continued Jonathan, ‘but also a triumph. A triumph of faith and love. For she made the ultimate sacrifice. She gave her life so that her babies would live. And just as the nine months they spent in her womb were their preparation for this life, so the fifteen years Miriam spent on earth were her preparation for the next. She has run her race and soon she will claim her reward.’

  Jonathan looked around at the mourners. ‘Some of you do not believe in our God,’ he said, ‘or in our faith, or in the resurrection of the dead. But many of you admire the great Roman philosopher Seneca. Perhaps his words will comfort you. He said, Only after our death do we know if we’ve had a good life.’

  Jonathan paused, then took a deep breath. ‘Miriam’s life was not just a good life,’ he said, and although tears were now running down his cheeks, he smiled, ‘it was the best life.’

  The Slave-Girl

  from Jerusalem

  Acrocorinth (uh-krok-oh-rinth)

  dramatic mountain which rises above Corinth; it was the site of a sanctuary and the notorious temple of Aphrodite, with its beautiful priestesses

  aedile (eye-deel)

  in Ostia two aediles were chosen each year to oversee upkeep of public buildings like temples and markets; they also supervised weights and measures

  amphitheatre (am-fee-theatre)

  oval-shaped stadium for watching gladiator shows, beast fights and the execution of criminals

  amphora (am-for-uh)

  large clay storage jar for holding wine, oil or grain

  atrium (eh-tree-um)

  the reception room in larger Roman homes, often with skylight and pool

  Augustus (awe-guss-tuss)

  Julius Caesar’s adopted nephew and first emperor of Rome, died in AD 14

  basilica (ba-sill-ik-uh)

  large public building in the forum of most Roman towns, it served as a court of law and meeting place for businessmen; you can still see remains of Ostia’s basilica

  Brundisium (brun-dee-zee-um)

  (modern Brindisi) a port on the heel of Italy

  capsa (kap-sa)

  cylindrical leather case, usually for holding scrolls or medical implements

  captator (kap-tat-or)

  word coined by the poet Horace to mean a legacy-hunter; literally means a fisher or hunter

  carruca (ka-roo-kuh)

  four-wheeled travelling carriage, usually mule-drawn and often covered

  Cassandra (kass-and-rah)

  mythological princess and prophetess of Troy; she was cursed by Apollo so that she could always forsee the future, but nobody would ever believe her

  Castor (kas-tor)

  one of the famous twins of Greek mythology (Pollux being the other)

  Ceres (seer-eez)

  goddess of agriculture and especially grain, Ostia’s lifeblood

  Cicero (sis-sir-row)

  famous Roman orator and politician who lived in the time of Julius Caesar, about a century before this story takes place

  Circus Flaminius (sir-kuss fluh-min-ee-uss)

  racecourse and marketplace opposite the Tiber Island in Rome

  Circus Maximus (sir-kuss maxim-uss)

  famous racecourse for chariots, located in Rome, between the Palatine and Aventine Hills not far from the Tiber

  clepsydra (klep-see-dra)

  ancient water clock for timing speakers; also a unit of time (about twenty minutes)

  codicil (kode-iss-il)

  written addition – usually to a will – making a modification or change

  Corinth (kor-inth)

  one of the most important cities in the Roman province of Achaea (Southern Greece), notorious for its lax morals and beautiful priestesses of Aphrodite

  decurion (day-kyoor-ee-on)

  Ostia’s city council was composed of 100 men called decurions; they had to be freeborn, rich and over twenty-five years of age

  defendant (dee-fen-dant)

  person accused in a court of law, opposite of plaintiff

  Demosthenes (d’-moss-thin-eez)

  Greek orator who lived about 400 years before this story takes place, he was Cicero’s great idol and inspiration

  Dives (dee-vaze)

  a cognomen (surname) which means ‘rich’ or ‘wealthy’

  domina (dom-in-ah)

  Latin word meaning ‘mistress’; a polite form of address for a woman

  Domitian (duh-mish-un)

  son of Vespasian and younger brother to the Emperor Titus

  duovir (doo-oh-veer)

  one of the two most important magistrates in Ostia, he served for a year and could preside as the chairman at trials

  ecce! (ek-kay)

  Latin word meaning ‘behold!’ or ‘look!’

  Eleazar (el-az-ar)

  one of the most famous leaders of the Jewish revolt against Rome, he died at Masada in AD 73

  Ennius (en-nee-uss)

  author of tragedies, satires and the famous epic Annales, he lived about 300 years before this story

  Esquiline (ess-kwil-line)

  one of the seven hills of Rome, east of the Forum Romanum

  euge! (oh-gay)

  Latin exclamation meaning ‘hurray!’

  exordium (ex-or-dee-um)

  introduction or beginning, especially of a speech

  Faunalia (fawn-al-ya)

  ancient Roman festival of Faunus or Pan; held in the country rather than the city

  Felix (fee-licks)

  Pollius Felix was a rich patron and poet who lived near Surrentum

  Flavia (flay-vee-a)

  a name, meaning ‘fair-haired’; Flavius is the masculine form of this name

  formula (for-myoo-la)

  an official statement setting out the legal issues of a case; it gave the judge authority to declare the defendant guilty or not guilty

  forum (for-um)

  ancient marketplace and civic centre in Roman towns

  garum (gar-um)

  pungent sauce made of fermented fish entrails, not unlike modern Worcestershire sauce; it was extremely popular among Romans

  genius (jeen-yuss)

  Latin for guardian spirit, usually of the home but also of a person

  gladiator (glad-ee-ate-or)

  man trained to fight other men in the arena, sometimes to the death

  gladius (glad-ee-uss)

  short stabbing sword used by Roman soldiers and some gladiators

  Great Revolt (also known as Jewish Revolt against Rome)

  began in AD 66 and ended with the destruction of

  Masada in AD 73

  Halicarnassus (hal-ee-car-nass-uss)

  (modern Bodrum) ancient city in the region of Caria in the Roman province of Asia, it was the site of the famous Mausoleum

  haruspex (ha-roo-specks)

  priest who tells the future by examining entrails of sacrificed animals

  Hercules (her-kyoo-leez)

  very popular Roman demi-god, the equivalent of Greek Herakles

  Herod (hair-od)

  Herod the Great (c.74 BC–c. AD 3) fortified Masada and built a palace there; he was the Herod who killed the babies of Bethlehem in Matthew’s gospel

  honestiores (on-ess-tee-or-rays)

  Roman term for the nobler class of people

  humiliores (hyoo-mill-ee-or-rays)

  the lower classes and those who indulge in shameful occupations like acting

  Isola Sacra (eye-sol-uh sack-ra)

  a burial ground in Ostia, north of the Tiber river

  Janus (jan-uss)

  Roman god of doorways and beginnings

  Jerusalem (j’-roo-sah-lem)

  capital of the Roman province of Judaea, it was destroyed in AD 70

  Jewish Revolt (also known as Great Revolt against Rome)

  began in AD 66 a
nd ended with the destruction of

  Masada in AD 73

  Josephus (jo-see-fuss)

  Jewish commander who surrendered to Vespasian, became Titus’s freedman and wrote The Jewish War, an account of the Jewish revolt in seven volumes

  Judaea (joo-dee-uh)

  ancient province of the Roman Empire; part of modern Israel

  Juno (joo-no)

  queen of the Roman gods and wife of the god Jupiter

  Jupiter (joo-pit-er)

  king of the Roman gods, husband of Juno and brother of Pluto and Neptune

  jurist

  in Roman times ‘lawyers’ (orators who pleaded a case) and ‘judges’ (the magistrates who handed down judgement) were ordinary citizens and not experts on the law; when they needed help they went to men who specialised in legal advice: the jurists

  kohl (coal)

  dark powder used to darken eyelids or outline eyes

  lararium (lar-ar-ee-um)

  household shrine, often a chest with a miniature temple on top or a niche in the wall

  Laurentum (lore-ent-um)

  village on the coast of Italy a few miles south of Ostia and site of a villa belonging to Pliny the Younger

  lex (lecks)

  Latin for ‘law’, it refers especially to the written law and statutes of Rome

  Marcus Antonius (mar-kuss an-tone-ee-uss)

  soldier and statesman who lived during the time of Julius Caesar, a century before this story takes place; he was an enemy of Cicero and had him killed

  Marsyas (mar-see-ass)

  mythological satyr who challenged the god Apollo to a musical contest; when Marsyas lost, his punishment was to be flayed (skinned) alive

  Masada (m’-sah-duh)

  famous Jewish stronghold in the Judean desert near the Dead Sea

  Mazal tov (mah-zel tav)

  Hebrew for ‘congratulations’; literally ‘good luck’

  Medusa (m’-dyoo-suh)

  mythical female monster with a face so ugly she turned people to stone

  Minerva (min-erv-uh)

  Roman equivalent of Athena, goddess of wisdom, war and weaving

  modus operandi (mo-duss-op-er-an-dee)

  Latin for ‘way of operating’ or ‘method of doing something’

  mulsum (mull-sum)

  wine mixed with honey; spices like pepper and saffron were sometimes added

  munus (myoon-uss)

  the Latin word for ‘duty’ or ‘responsibility’

  nefas (neff-ass)

  prohibited, unholy, profane; a dies nefas was a day on which no legal business could be transacted

  Neptune (nep-tyoon)

  god of the sea and also of horses; his Greek equivalent is Poseidon

  Nero (near-oh)

  Emperor who ruled Rome from AD 54-68

  Nones (nonz)

  7th day of March, May, July, October; 5th day of the others, including December (when this story is set)

  Ostia (oss-tee-uh)

  port about 16 miles southwest of Rome; Ostia is Flavia’s home town

  Paestum (pie-stum)

  Greek colony south of the Bay of Naples, site of a Greek temple

  palaestra (puh-lice-tra)

  exercise area of public baths, usually a sandy courtyard open to the sky

  palla (pal-uh)

  woman’s cloak, could also be wrapped round the waist or pulled over the head

  paterfamilias (pa-tare-fa-mill-ee-as)

  father or head of the household, with absolute control over his children

  patina (pa-teen-uh)

  Latin for ‘dish’ or ‘pan’: a kind of flan with eggs, either savoury or sweet

  peculium (p’-kyool-ee-um)

  gifts or allowance given to a slave by his master or to a child-in-power by the paterfamilias; technically, these gifts and/or money still belonged to the owner or father

  peristyle (perry-style)

  a columned walkway around an inner garden or courtyard

  peroration (purr-or-ray-shun)

  the summing up or conclusion, usually of a speech

  persimmon (purr-sim-on)

  a soft orange fruit; according to the historian Josephus, the Jews burned the persimmon groves around Jerusalem to stop the Romans enjoying the fruit

  plaintiff (plane-tif)

  person who brings suit into a court of law, opposite of defendant

  plebeian (pleb-ee-un)

  from Latin ‘plebs’; one of the common people or ‘lower classes’, as opposed to those of the equestrian and patrician class

  Pliny (plin-ee)

  now known as Pliny the Younger, Gaius Plinius Secundus was the nephew of Pliny the Elder, who died in the eruption of Vesuvius

  Pollux (pol-luks)

  one of the famous twins of Greek mythology (Castor being the other)

  Pontus (pon-tuss)

  kingdom near the Black Sea, by Flavia’s time it was part of the province of Cappodocia

  portico (por-tik-oh)

  roof supported by columns, often attached as a porch or walkway

  posca (poss-kuh)

  well-watered vinegar; a non-alcoholic drink favoured by soldiers on duty

  praeco (pry-ko)

  herald, town crier or auctioneer

  praenomen (pry-no-men)

  the first name of a male Roman citizen, there were only about twenty to choose from

  praetor (pry-tore)

  imperial administrator who often acted as chairman in the law-courts

  quadrans (kwad-ranz)

  small bronze coin worth one sixteenth of a sestertius

  Quintilian (kwin-til-yun)

  Marcus Fabius Quintilianus, c. AD 35-100; great orator who wrote a treatise on rhetoric called Institutio Oratoria (The Education of an Orator)

  rhetor (ray-tore)

  orator or public speaker, or a teacher of rhetoric

  rhetoric (ret-or-ik)

  the art of persuasive speaking or writing

  scroll (skrole)

  papyrus or parchment ‘book’, unrolled from side to side as it was read

  sedan chair

  mode of conveyance carried by strong men or slaves, like a litter, but the passenger sits instead of reclining

  Seneca (sen-eh-kuh)

  Stoic philosopher who wrote about life and especially about death, he lived from c. BC 4-AD 65

  sesterces (sess-tur-seez)

  more than one sestertius, a brass coin; about a day’s wage for a labourer

  sicarius (sik-kar-ee-uss)

  type of Jewish assassin who used a curved dagger (sica)

  soter (so-tare)

  Greek word meaning ‘saviour’; also used in Latin

  stola (stole-uh)

  a long tunic worn by Roman matrons and respectable women

  stylus (stile-us)

  metal, wood or ivory tool for writing on wax tablets

  sub modo (sub mo-do)

  Latin legal term meaning ‘for a special purpose’

  Surrentum (sir-wren-tum)

  modern Sorrento, a harbour town on the Bay of Naples south of Vesuvius

  tablinum (tab-leen-um)

  room in wealthier Roman houses used as the master’s study or office, often looking out onto the atrium or inner garden, or both

  Tenth Legion

  The Legio X Fretensis besieged Jerusalem and Masada during the Jewish Wars of the late first century AD

  Tiber (tie-bur)

  the river that flows through Rome and enters the sea at Ostia

  Tiberinus (tie-bur-ee-nuss)

  deity of the River Tiber; his festival celebrated on 8 December

  tiro (teer-oh)

  novice or beginner

  Titus (tie-tuss)

  Titus Flavius Vespasianus has been Emperor of Rome for a year and a half when this story takes place

  triclinium (trik-lin-ee-um)

  ancient Roman dining room, usually with three couches to recline on

  tunic (tew-nic)

&nbs
p; piece of clothing like a big T-shirt; children often wore a long-sleeved one

  usufruct (yoo-zoo-frookt)

  literally ‘using the fruit’; the right to use or sell the fruits of a property without harming or wasting the property itself, eg. eating or selling the harvested grapes without destroying the vines.

  vadimonium (va-dim-oh-nee-um)

  document stating a person’s promise to appear at court, often naming an amount payable if they fail to appear; like modern bail

  Venus (vee-nuss)

  Roman goddess of love, Aphrodite is her Greek equivalent

  Vespasian (vess-pay-zhun)

  also known as Titus Flavius Vespasianus, Roman Emperor who reigned between AD 69–AD 79; he was the father of Titus and Domitian

  Vesta (vest-uh)

  goddess of the hearth; remains of her temple in Rome can still be seen today

  Vesuvius (vuh-soov-yuss)

  famous volcano near Naples, which erupted on 24 August AD 79

  Via Ostiensis (vee-uh-os-tee-en-suss)

  the road from Rome to Ostia

  vigiles (vig-ill-aze)

  Roman policemen/firemen; the word literally means ‘watchmen’

  wax tablet

  wax-coated rectangular piece of wood used for making notes

  Zealot (zel-ut)

  Greek translation of a Hebrew word meaning ‘jealous’; in first century Rome, Zealots were the most militant of the four main Jewish sects, believing they should oppose Rome the oppressor by any means, including violence

  Our legal system and many of our laws originate in ancient Rome. However, ancient Roman law courts were different from today’s in many respects. Today, if someone commits a crime, the police arrest him and the state pays a lawyer to prosecute him. In Roman times there was no state prosecutor. A criminal would only be tried if a private individual summoned him to court. People who were not Roman citizens could not file suit; they had to find a patron to do this on their behalf.

  Today, lawyers are usually very well paid. In Roman times, lawyers did not receive payment. They were upper-class men who studied rhetoric and then argued cases in order to gain a reputation and advance themselves politically.

  Today, witnesses must take an oath, swearing to tell the truth. In Roman times such oaths were optional. Witnesses were often bribed or threatened in order to make them lie. The lawyer himself sometimes insulted and slandered his opponent.