And she began to play.
FINIS
Acanthus (uh-kan-thuss)
(modern Dahshur) ancient city with pyramids on the west bank of the Nile; it got its name from a sacred enclosure of acanthus plants
Achilles (uh-kill-eez)
Greek hero: a fast runner and the greatest warrior of the Trojan War
Aesculapius (eye-skew-lape-ee-uss)
Greek Asklepios: he was the god of healing with a large sanctuary at Epidauros in Greece and another on the Tiber Island in Rome
Aethiopia (eye-thee-oh-pee-uh)
not modern Ethiopia, but the Roman term for the extreme southeastern region of the world; this included the Land of Nubia
Africa
the Roman term for the coastal strip of North Africa, divided into five Roman provinces; from west to east: Mauretania Tingitana, Mauretania Caesariensis, Africa Proconsularis, Cyrenaica and Egypt
Alexander the Great
(356–323 BC) Greek ruler from Macedonia in Northern Greece who conquered most of the known world by the age of thirty-two and founded the city of Alexandria
Alexandria (al-ex-an-dree-uh)
Egypt’s great port, at the mouth of the Nile Delta, founded by Alexander the Great circa 331 BC; by the first century AD it was second only to Rome in wealth, fame and importance
alpha (al-fuh)
first letter of the Greek alphabet; also the name of one of the districts of Alexandria; N.B. I have guessed the location of this district for the map
Ammon (am-on)
sometimes spelled Amun: Egyptian god of air who later merged with Zeus to become an oracle god; often shown bearded and with rams’ horns, his main sanctuary in the Ptolemaic and Roman times was at the oasis of Siwa
amphitheatre (am-fee-theatre)
oval-shaped stadium for watching gladiator shows, beast fights and the execution of criminals
ankh (onckh)
famous Egyptian symbol for ‘life’; it resembles a cross with a loop at the top
Antirrhodos (an-tee-ro-doce)
small island in the Great Harbour of Alexandria
Antonius (see Marcus Antonius)
Anubis (an-oo-bis)
jackal-headed Egyptian god, he is associated with death and mummification
Apis (ap-iss)
important Egyptian bull-god, usually pictured as bull with sun disc between horns
Apollonospolis (apollo-noss-po-liss)
(modern Edfu), a site on the west bank of the Nile with a famous Ptolemaic temple to Horus
Aramaic (air-uh-may-ik)
closely related to Hebrew, it was the common language of first century Jews
Arsinoe (ar-sin-oh-eh)
name of a city and nome (regional district) in ancient Egypt; Arsinoe was a popular Ptolemaic girl’s name, like Berenice and Cleopatra
atrium (eh-tree-um)
the reception room in larger Roman homes, often with skylight and pool
Augustus (awe-guss-tuss) AKA Octavian Augustus
(63 BC–AD 14) Julius Caesar’s adopted grand-nephew and first emperor of Rome; he defeated Marcus Antonius and Cleopatra
beta (bay-tuh)
second letter of the Greek alphabet and name of one of the districts of Alexandria; N.B. I have guessed the location of this district for the map
bows (rhymes with ‘cows’)
the front end of a boat or ship
brazier (bray-zyur)
coal-filled metal bowl on legs
Brucheion (broo-kay-on)
the Royal district of Alexandria, where most of the Greeks lived, possibly another name for the Beta District
Caene (kai-nay)
Greek name for Qena, the great bend in the river Nile just north of Thebes (Luxor)
Caesarium (kie-zar-ee-um)
a magnificent monument in Alexandria; it was begun by Cleopatra in honour of Marcus Antonius, then finished by Octavian in honour of himself
Canopic Way (kan-oh-pik way)
road from Canopus to Alexandria and the main east-west thoroughfare in that city
Canopus (kan-oh-puss)
town to the east of Alexandria; it was notorious among Romans for its corruption, especially in the first century AD (when this story is set)
Capitolium (kap-it-toll-ee-um)
temple of Jupiter, Juno and Minerva, usually located in the forum of a town
carnelian (kar-neel-yun)
semi-precious stone; very popular in Roman times for signet-rings; ranges in colour from orange to reddish brown, most often apricot coloured
Castor (kas-tor)
one of the famous twins of Greek mythology (Pollux being the other)
cataract (kat-uh-rakt)
from Greek ‘down rushing’, the part of a river where it changes level; Egypt’s so-called first cataract was located at Syene (Aswan)
cella (sell-uh)
innermost room of a temple, where the statue of the god usually stands
Cheops (kee-ops)
Greek version of the name Khufu; a pharaoh from Egypt’s Old Kingdom and builder of the Great pyramid at Giza
chlamys (khlam-iss)
rectangular Greek cloak, usually pinned on the right shoulder
chryselephantine (kris-el-uh-fan-teen)
Greek word meaning ‘made of gold and ivory’
Chryses (kry-sayz)
Greek name meaning ‘golden’; it was the name of a priest of Apollo in Homer’s Iliad
Chrysis (kry-seess)
Greek girl’s name meaning ‘golden’; it was the name of the daughter of a priest of Apollo in Homer’s Iliad
Cibotus (kib-oh-tuss)
Greek for ‘box’ or ‘ark’; name of the man-made harbour which was part of Alexandria’s larger western harbour, Eunostus
Circus Maximus
famous racecourse for chariots, located in Rome near the imperial palace
Cleopatra (klee-oh-pat-ra)
(69–30 BC) Cleopatra VII was the Greek ruler of Egypt during part of the first century BC; her royal palace was in Alexandria
codex (koh-dex)
the ancient version of a book, usually made with papyrus or parchment pages; plural is ‘codices’
colonnade (kall-a-nade)
a covered walkway lined with columns
Colossi of Memnon (ko-loss-ee of mem-non)
twin seated statues of Amenhotep III at Luxor; in Roman times they were thought to represent Memnon, a mythical hero of the Trojan War
Corinth (kore-inth)
prosperous Greek port and capital of the Roman province of Achaea
cornucopia (kor-noo-ko-pee-uh)
Latin for ‘horn of plenty’, a cone-shaped basket with fruit tumbling out; it represented bounty
Crocodilopolis (krok-oh-di-lop-oh-liss)
literally ‘City of Crocodiles’; at least two cities on the Nile had this name
cuirass (kweer-ass)
from the Latin corium ‘leather’; a breastplate worn by ancient soldiers
Cush (kush)
also spelled ‘Kush’; one of the ancient names for Nubia, modern Sudan
Cynopolis (kine-op-oh-liss)
literally ‘City of Dogs’; a city on the west bank of the Nile with a sanctuary to Anubis
dactylic hexameter (dak-til-ik hecks-am-it-ur)
a form of meter in poetry, used in the epics of Homer and Virgil
delta (del-tuh)
fourth letter of the Greek alphabet; it is the name given to the Jewish Quarter of Alexandria; N.B. unlike the other districts, we think we know its location
The Delta
name given to Lower Egypt because the mouth of the Nile resembles the capital Greek letter delta
Demotic (d’-ma-tik)
Egyptian language and also the script which developed from hieroglyphic scripts
Dido (die-doh)
Mythical Queen of Carthage who features in Virgil’s Aeneid
Dinocrates (die-nok-ra-teez)
architect f
rom Rhodes who helped Alexander the Great design Alexandria circa 331 BC
Dionysus (dye-oh-nie-suss)
Greek god of vineyards and wine; he was a favourite of Marcus Antonius
Diospolis (dee-oss-po-liss)
literally ‘City of Zeus’; another name for Thebes (modern Luxor)
Diospolis Parva (dee-oss-po-liss par-vuh)
(modern Hiw), a site on the west bank of the Nile on the Caene Bend; it was called parva (little) to distinguish it from Diospolis (Thebes)
dom-fruit
fruit from the dom palm, a type of palm that used to grow in Upper Egypt and Nubia
Domitian (duh-mish-un)
the Emperor Titus’s younger brother, and officially his co-regent
drachma (drak-ma)
(plural: drachmae) a silver coin roughly equal in value to a sestertius, it was the main unit of currency in Roman Egypt
ehem! (eh-hem)
Latin exclamation, meaning ‘Well, well!’
Elephantine (el-uh-fan-tee-nay)
island in the River Nile at Syene (Aswan) just before the first cataract
Ephesus (eff-ess-iss)
important town in the Roman province of Asia (modern Turkey)
Epidauros (ep-id-ow-ross)
Greek site of a sanctuary to Aesculapius, the healing god
epsilon (ep-sill-on)
fifth letter of the Greek alphabet and name of one of Alexandria’s districts; N.B. we do not know the location of this district
Etesian (ee-tee-zhyun)
Greek for ‘yearly’: the name of a strong dry trade wind in the Mediterranean; blowing in summer from the northwest, it cooled the streets of Alexandria and enabled boats to sail up the Nile
euge! (oh-gay)
Latin exclamation: ‘hurray!’
Eunostus (yoo-noss-tuss)
Greek for ‘safe return’ and the name of Alexandria’s natural western harbour
eunuch (yoo-nuk)
a boy or man whose physical development has been halted by castration
exedra (ek-zeed-ra)
semicircular seating area, like a small theatre, usually for talks and lectures
Fayum (fie-yoom)
fertile lakeside region in Egypt which had a thriving population in ancient times; many famous Roman ‘mummy portraits’ come from this region
festina lente (fess-tee-nuh lent-eh)
a famous Latin saying: ‘hurry slowly’, in other words ‘quickly but carefully’
Flavia (flay-vee-uh)
a name, meaning ‘fair-haired’; Flavius is the masculine form of this name
gamma (gam-uh)
third letter of the Greek alphabet and name of one of Alexandria’s districts; N.B. I have guessed the location of this district for the map
Geb (geb)
Egyptian god of the Earth; his hieroglyph was the goose and he was sometimes called the Great Cackler
gladiator (glad-ee-ate-or)
man trained to fight other men in the arena, sometimes to the death
gratis (grat-iss)
Latin for ‘free’ or ‘no charge’
Hades (hay-deez)
Greek word for the land of the dead; also the name of the god of the dead
hallelujah (hal-eh-loo-ya)
Hebrew for ‘praise the lord’
Haroeris (har-oh-air-iss)
Egyptian god Horus in the aspect of a wise god who heals
Helios (heel-ee-oss)
Greek for ‘sun’
Heptastadium (hep-ta-stade-ee-um)
Greek for ‘seven stades’; the causeway and aqueduct leading from mainland Alexandria to the island called Pharos; it divided Alexandria’s two great harbours, but ships could pass beneath it
Hercules (her-kyoo-leez)
very popular Roman demi-god, the equivalent of Greek Herakles
Hermes (her-meez)
Greek god of travel, commerce and messages; he is the equivalent to the Roman god Mercury and shares characteristics with the Egyptian god Thoth
Hermonthis (her-mon-thiss)
(modern Armant) a town on the west bank of the Nile about 12 miles south of Thebes (Luxor)
Hermopolis (her-mop-oh-liss)
literally ‘City of Hermes’; an Egyptian town on the west bank of the Nile with a Roman garrison and toll station, as well as a sanctuary to Thoth
Hero (here-oh)
Hero of Alexandria was a Greek mathematician who studied in the Museum in the first century AD; he invented the first recorded steam engine and other things
herpestes (her-pest-teez)
herpestes ichneumon is the Latin term for Egyptian mongoose
hieroglyph (high-ro-glif)
Greek for ‘sacred carving’; the famous Egyptian ‘picture writing’
Homer (ho-mer)
Greek poet who is credited with composing the Iliad; he lived about eight centuries before Christ
Horus (hore-uss)
Egyptian god of the sky, son of Isis and the resurrected Osiris; he is often shown as a baby in Isis’ arms, a falcon, or a man with a falcon head
hypostyle (high-po-stile)
a space with a flat roof supported by pillars, usually in multiple rows
ichneumon (ik-noo-mon)
herpestes ichneumon is the Latin term for Egyptian mongoose
Ides (eyedz)
thirteenth day of most months in the Roman calendar; in March, May, July and October the Ides occur on the fifteenth day of the month
inundation (in-un-day-shun)
the yearly flood of the Nile (in the days before the Aswan dam)
Isis (eye-siss)
Egyptian goddess often shown with her baby son Horus and a sacred rattle, or sistrum; she was the sister of Osiris, Seth and Nephthys
Italia (it-al-ya)
Latin word for Italy, the famous boot-shaped peninsula
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
Kalends
the Kalends mark the first day of the month in the Roman calendar
Khufu (koo-foo)
pharaoh credited with building the Great Pyramid of Giza; in Greek his name is Cheops
kohl (coal)
dark powder used to darken eyelids or outline eyes
kyria (kir-ya)
Greek for ‘lady’ or ‘madam’, the polite form of addressing a married woman
lapis lazuli (lap-iss laz-oo-lee)
a dark blue semi-precious stone much prized by the ancient Egyptians; this was what the ancient Romans called ‘sapphire’
Library
the great library of Alexandria was probably part of the Museum
Lochias (low-kee-ass)
A promontory on the far east of Alexandria’s Great Harbour, this is where the Ptolemaic royal palaces were located
Lower Egypt
the Delta and northern part of Egypt; its symbol was the bee
Lycopolis (lie-kop-oh-liss)
literally ‘City of Wolves’; city on the west bank of the Nile which held the Egyptian jackal sacred
Macedonian (mass-uh-doe-nee-un)
anyone from the part of Northern Greece called Macedonia; Cleopatra’s ancestors were from Macedonia, so she was Macedonian not Egyptian
mammon (mam-on)
Aramaic word for ‘wealth’
Marcus Antonius (mar-kuss an-tone-ee-uss)
(82–30 BC) AKA Mark Anthony, a soldier and statesman who lived during the time of Julius Caesar; he was an enemy of Augustus and a lover of Cleopatra
Mareotis (merry-oh-tiss)
a huge lake just south of Alexandria
Mauretania Tingitana (more-uh-tane-ya tin-gee-tah-nah)
(modern Morocco) was the westernmost Roman province of North Africa; one of its capitals was Volubilis
megillot (m’-gill-ot)
Hebrew for ‘scrolls’; usually refers
to five books of the Hebrew Bible which were grouped together: Song of Songs, Ruth, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes, Esther
Memnon (mem-non)
Mythological African warrior whose mother was the goddess of the dawn; the Colossi of Memnon did not depict him, but rather an Egyptian pharaoh
Memnonium (mem-non-ee-um)
term applied by the Greeks to the whole Theban necropolis in the Valley of the Kings: the so-called Colossi of Memnon were nearby
Menelaus (men-uh-lay-uss)
Mythical king of Sparta who fought with the Greeks against Troy; his sojurn in Egypt is related by Homer in the Iliad IV:351–397
modius (mo-dee-uss)
basket used for measuring grain
modus operandi (mo-duss op-er-an-dee)
Latin for ‘way of operating’ or ‘method of doing something’
Moeris (mo-eer-is)
lake in the Fayum oasis, it was much bigger in Roman times than it is today
mulsum (mull-some)
wine sweetened with honey, often drunk before meals
Museum (myoo-zee-um)
shrine to the Muses in Alexandria; it had courtyards, lecture theatres, gardens, zoos, living quarters and half a million scrolls which comprised the Library
Naucratis (now-kra-tiss)
town on the Canopic branch of the Nile
Nephthys (nef-thiss)
goddess in Egyptian mythology, she was the sister of Isis, Osiris and Seth
Neptune (nep-tyoon)
god of the sea; his Greek equivalent is Poseidon
Nero (near-oh)
Emperor who ruled Rome from AD 54–AD 68
Nicopolis (nik-op-oh-liss)
town on the Egyptian coast between Canopus and Alexandria; it was founded to commemorate Octavian’s victory over Marcus Antonius
Nile
The great river of Egypt, flowing 750 miles without obstruction from Syene (Aswan) to Alexandria; in ancient times it flooded every summer, bringing the silt and irrigation needed for the following year’s harvest
nilometer (nile-om-it-ur)
a device for measuring the rise and fall of the waters of the Nile; on the island of Elephantine at Syene (Aswan) the nilometer was a flight of stairs with markings on the wall beside it but other nilometers were marked pillars
nome (nome)
administrative district of Egypt; there were twenty-two nomes in Upper Eygpt and twenty in Lower Egypt
Nones (nonz)
Seventh day of March, May, July, October; fifth day of all the other months
Nubia (noo-bee-uh)
Roman term for the area beyond the first cataract at Syene (Aswan); now known as Sudan, in Roman times it was also known as Cush or Aethiopia
The Roman Mysteries Complete Collection Page 237