capite censi See Head Count.
Capua The largest inland city of Campania. It had a long history of broken pledges to Rome, but by the time of this book, it had become the center of a huge martial industry catering to the needs of the army camps and gladiator schools scattered around it.
Carrhae Modern Harran in the extreme south of Turkey on its Syrian border. It was the site of a terrible Roman defeat, when the Parthians cut the seven legions of Marcus Licinius Crassus to pieces.
catapult At this time, a piece of artillery that shot wooden bolts or sharpened logs. The principle was the same as that of the crossbow. Small catapults were known as scorpions.
censor The most senior of all Roman magistracies, though not the most powerful, as it did not have imperium (q.v.). A censor had to have been consul first, and only famous consulars stood for the censorship. Two censors were elected for a period of five years, the lustrum. They inspected the citizen rolls, decided a man’s economic status, regulated membership in the Senate, and held a full census of all Romans worldwide. Usually they could not get on together and were prone to resign long before their lustrum was ended.
centunculus A gaudy patchwork coat of many colors worn by a clown.
centurion A regular professional officer in a Roman legion. He enjoyed his status without social denigration. Promotion was up from the ranks. Centurion seniority was graduated in a manner so tortuous that no modern scholar has succeeded in working out how many grades there were or how they progressed. The ordinary centurion was in command of a century (80 soldiers and 20 noncombatant citizens). The pilus prior commanded a cohort; the primipilus a legion.
chlamys The cloaklike outer garment worn by Greek men.
Classes There were five Classes, numbered from First to Fifth. Membership was economic and decided by the censors.
client, clientele A man of free or freed status (he did not have to be a Roman citizen) who pledged himself to a man he called his patron was a client in the patron’s clientele. The client undertook in the most solemn and binding way to obey the wishes and serve the interests of his patron in return for various favors (usually gifts of money, or jobs, or legal assistance). Whole towns could be in one man’s clientele, like Bononia and Mutina, in the clientele of Antony.
client-king A king who pledged his nation to Rome—or to a Roman.
cohort The tactical unit of the legion, comprising six centuries of troops. In normal circumstances, there were ten cohorts to the legion.
confarreatio The oldest and strictest of the three forms of Roman marriage. It was unpopular for two reasons: the first, that it gave a woman absolutely no freedom or independence; and the second, that it virtually negated the possibility of divorce.
comitium, comitia A gathering of men politically empowered to vote. A comitium might be legislative, and pass laws or plebiscites; judiciary, and hear trials; public, to deal with matters like adoption; electoral, to return magistrates; or religious, to act upon religious matters like voting for priests and augurs.
conscript fathers By this time, a courtesy title for senators. It originated under the Kings of Rome, who called their councilmen “fathers.” Later, when they were adlected by the censors, they were considered as conscripted. Thus, “conscript fathers.”
consul The most senior of regular Roman magistrates holding imperium (q.v.). Modern scholars refer to holding the consulship, as the term “consulate” is a diplomatic one. Two consuls were elected and served for one year; the man with more votes was senior to his colleague. They entered office on January 1, with the senior holding the fasces (q.v.) for January, then alternating month by month with his junior. A consul’s imperium overruled other magistrates, except in earlier days by the dictator, and at this time, by those holding imperium maius (q.v.).
consular A man who had been consul.
contubernalis A noble youth serving his obligatory year of military service as a cadet on the general’s staff. It was a step toward a political career rather than a military one.
Corcyra Island Modern Corfu or Kerkyra, off the Adriatic coast of Greece.
Cornelia the Mother of the Gracchi Few Republican women earned fame, but Cornelia was worshipped as an unofficial goddess. She was the daughter of Scipio Africanus and Aemilia Paulla, and married Tiberius Sempronius Gracchus. By him she had twelve children, of whom only three survived. The two males were the famous Brothers Gracchi, one murdered, the other forced to commit suicide. Her daughter married a Fulvius, and produced Fulvia, wife to Clodius, then Curio, and finally Mark Antony. Throughout her very long life, Cornelia was never heard to complain, despite her plethora of tragedies. It was this exemplary fortitude that earned her goddess status, as she was seen as all that a Roman woman should be, yet rarely was.
cunnus, cunni A choice Latin obscenity: cunt.
curator annonae The magistrate in charge of the grain supply.
curule chair Curule magistrates sat on a chair carved out of ivory, the curule chair. When extended, its legs formed a broad X. It had no back but low arms and could be folded up. Only consuls and praetors definitely used it, though there is debate about curule aediles.
denarius, denarii The most commonly used Roman coin, made of silver, and about the size of a dime. There were 4 sesterces to the denarius; 6,250 denarii made up one talent.
diadem The Hellenistic symbol of sovereignty. It was a white ribbon about an inch wide, worn around the head and tied on the occiput. Its two ends were fringed and strayed down upon the shoulders.
Dionysus or Dionysos A Greek deity, originally of Thracian origin and having bloodily orgiastic rites. By this time, a much milder god who was patron of wine and revelry.
domine, domina Latin for my lord, my lady. Vocative case.
domus A man’s urban dwelling if a house rather than apartment. It also meant a man’s home or household whole and entire.
Druidism The major Celtic religion, mystical and animist. It was frowned on by Romans, who deplored its bizarre qualities, in particular, human sacrifice as a part of augury.
duumvir One of two magistrates in charge of a Roman town or municipium.
Eagle When Gaius Marius enlisted paupers in his army, he gave each of his legions a silver eagle carried aloft by an aquilifer, and introduced worship of the Eagle to give these propertyless troops something tangible to fight for. The ploy worked brilliantly.
Ecastor! The socially acceptable epithet used by women: akin to “Darn!”
Ecbatana Modern Hamadan, in Iran.
Edepol! The socially acceptable epithet used by men: akin to “Damn!”
Elysian Fields Romans had no real belief in the intact survival of an individual after death, though they did believe in an underworld populated by shades, characterless and mindless effigies of the dead. The Elysian Fields contained the most virtuous shades, who could enjoy a brief return to life after they drank human blood.
Epirus On the west coast of Greece—more or less modern Albania.
Euxine Sea The modern Black Sea.
Fabian tactics Named after Fabius Maximus Cunctator, who dogged Hannibal’s army through Italy for seventeen years without ever offering pitched battle. It still means avoiding battle.
Fannian paper A Roman businessman named Fannius invented a cheap way to turn poor-grade papyrus paper into something akin to the most expensive kinds. He made a huge fortune.
fasces A cylindrical bundle of red-dyed birch rods tightly bound together in a criss-cross pattern by red leather thongs. Carried by a man called a lictor, it indicated a magistrate’s degree of imperium (q.v.)—six for a praetor, twelve for a consul. Within Rome, the fasces contained only the rods, indicating the magistrate’s power to chastise, but outside the city it also held a single-bladed axe to indicate that the magistrate had the power to decapitate. Mussolini revived the term for his party, hence the modern “Fascist.”
fasti A list of days, as in the Roman calendar, or a list of consuls.
feliciter “Good luck!
” or “Much happiness!”
fiscus A purse of money or a moneybag: it referred to State moneys.
“five” Slang for the quinquereme (q.v.).
flamen A Roman priest having a specific job. There were three major flamines: Dialis (Jupiter); Quirinalis (Quirinus); and Martialis (Mars). He and his wife were shackled with taboos, particularly the flamen and flaminica Dialis; he was forbidden to see death, touch iron, have knots or buckles on his person, and much more. The flamen wore a circular, poncholike cape, the laena, and the apex, a close-fitting ivory helmet surmounted by a spike on which was impaled a disc of wool.
forum The Roman public meeting place, also applied to major markets—fish, meat, fruit, and vegetables, etc.
freedman A manumitted slave. He was obliged to wear a conical skullcap, the “cap of liberty.” If his former master was a Roman, then he was automatically in his master’s clientele and had little right to exercise his franchise. However, he could make money and so rise high in the Classes.
Gades Modern Cadiz, in Spain.
Galatia In the third century B.C., an enclave of Gauls settled in the rich grassy regions of Anatolia between the Sangarius and Halys Rivers. Its ancient capital, Ancyra, is now Ankara.
garum A highly esteemed flavoring obtained from fish; as far as we know, it stank a treat. The best garum was from Spain.
Gaul, Gauls Any region inhabited by Celtic peoples was a Gaul. Romans did not call these people Celts: they were Gauls.
gens humana The human family.
Gerrae! Utter rubbish, nonsense.
gig A Roman conveyance with two wheels. It was drawn by mules, in any number from one to four.
glans, glandes An acorn, acorns. Also used of the acorn-shaped lead bullet flung from a sling, so it also meant bullet.
gorgon a mythical monster, female in sex. She had hair of living snakes and a glance that turned men to stone. There were three gorgons, sisters, but only Medusa’s gaze was stony.
Halys River The modern Kizil Irmak River of central Turkey.
harpy A mythical monster, female in sex. She had the body of a bird of prey and the head of a woman.
Head Count The capite censi. Those Romans too impoverished to belong to the Fifth Class. When holding a census, the censors simply counted their heads. They could vote and could wear the toga.
Hellespont The straits between Europe and Asia, flowing from the Sea of Marmara to the Aegean Sea. The modern Dardanelles.
herm A pedestal adorned with male genitalia. In Christian times hermed pedestals were defaced, portrayal of the genitals being considered obscene.
hostis An enemy of the Roman State. If declared hostis, a citizen was stripped of his property and citizenship, perhaps also his life.
Ides One of the three enumerated days in a Roman month. It fell on the thirteenth of January, February, April, June, Sextilis (August), September, November, and December. In March, May, Julius, and October, it fell on the fifteenth.
Ilium The Roman name for Troy.
Illyricum The upper, eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea and extending well inland. Istria, Liburnia, and Dalmatia were a part of it.
imperator Properly, the commanding general of a Roman army. By this time, it had come to mean only those commanders hailed “imperator” on the battlefield. It entitled a man to celebrate a triumph (q.v.).
imperium The degree of authority vested in a curule magistrate. If he went on to hold a promagistracy, it was extended, though not necessarily to the same degree. The number of lictors preceding a man denoted his imperium—six for a praetor, twelve for a consul.
imperium maius Unlimited imperium, so high that its holder was superior to all save a dictator, whether in Rome or in a province. Until this time it was relatively rare, but during the last decades of the Republic, the Senate awarded it to quite a number of men.
inepte A fool, idiot, someone mentally dull.
insula It meant an island, but also a tall apartment building, which was always surrounded by alleyways.
irrumator A mortal insult! The man performing fellatio on another man, thus on his knees before him.
Italia The leg and foot of the Italian boot. It terminated at the rivers Arnus and Rubicon.
Italian Gaul The haunch of the Italian leg: everything between the Alps and the two rivers of the Italian boundary. Watered by the Padus (Po) River, it was extremely rich and fertile. However, its bounty could not be exported to Italia proper because of the Apennine mountain chain and perverse winds on the sea.
iugerum, iugera The Roman unit of land measurement. One iugerum was equal to 0.623 of an acre, or 0.252 of a hectare.
Julius The old Roman month of Quinctilis became Julius after Julius Caesar was assassinated and deified.
Kalends One of the three enumerated days of the Roman month. It was the first day.
knights The Ordo Equester, or equestrian order. When Rome was very young, some men formed the cavalry, and because horses were expensive, the State bought their mounts. However, by the time of this book, a knight was merely a prominent businessman, a member of the First Class. Thus it was a social and economic distinction.
Lares and Penates The Roman household gods or gods of the field—of granaries and storage cupboards, all things that enabled a family to live safely and comfortably.
Lares Permarini The Lares who presided over Romans voyaging on the sea.
laserpicium A substance obtained from a north African shrub called silphium. It was used to relieve indigestion after over-indulgence and was extremely expensive.
latifundium, latifundia A large tract of land, usually public, leased for grazing rather than growing. Latifundia were the chief reason why Italia was not able to feed itself wheat, as they deprived the small farmer of his land. They reduced employment and encouraged urban drift.
lectus medius Roman dining couches were arranged facing each other in a U that might contain as few as three or as many as fifteen. The host’s couch, the lectus medius, formed the bottom of the U.
legate Deputy generals or commanders in a Roman army, as used herein.
legion The smallest unit in a Roman army capable of fighting a war on its own; that is, it was complete within itself in terms of manpower, equipment, and function. A full-strength legion contained 4,800 soldiers divided into 10 cohorts of 6 centuries; it also held 1,200 noncombatant Roman citizen servants and 60 centurions, plus artificers and artillerymen. It had 600 mules as pack animals, and 60 ox-drawn wagons for bulk supplies.
lemur, lemures Shades. Creatures from the underworld.
lex, leges A law, laws. Feminine gender. The name of the man who promulgated a law was usually attached to it, as lex Ogulnia, lex Annia, etc.
lex Voconia de mulierum hereditatibus Passed in 169 B.C., it severely limited a woman’s right to inherit a large fortune. However, the Senate could override it by decree.
Liburnian A ship so called because the pirates of Liburnia used it. Its exact dimensions are hard to surmise, but as Agrippa used Liburnians in sea battles, it must have been about the size of a trireme, or “three.” Which meant it was decked and able to carry marines in goodly number. Certainly it was swift and easy to maneuver.
Liguria The mountainous maritime region between Italian Gaul and the Gallic Province. A poor area, it was famous for its greasy wool, tamped into felt and waterproof ponchos.
locus consularis The right-hand end position on the host’s couch, the most important.
Long-haired Gaul So called because its inhabitants wore their hair very long, a mark of barbarity. It was, roughly, most of modern France and Belgium excluding the Rhone Valley and the Mediterranean coast. Its people were tribal, divided into Celtae and Belgae.
Macedonia It bordered the eastern Adriatic below Illyricum, went east across the mountains of Candavia, and ended at the Strymon River. In ancient times it was much larger than it is today. Its main artery was the Via Egnatia (q.v.).
maiestas “Little” treason. “Big” treason,
perduellio, mandated a uniquely cruel death, whereas maiestas might see a man let off with exile from Rome and confiscation of all his property.
maniple In earlier times, the tactical unit of the legion. It comprised two centuries of troops. Gaius Marius made the cohort supreme, relegating the maniple to a parade ground phenomenon.
Massilia Modern Marseilles.
Mauretania Modern Morocco.
medicus A pun on “medius” (middle) and “medicus” (doctor) that called the middle finger, used for rectal examinations, the “medicus” when the intention was a rude gesture: “Up yours!”
mentula A choice Latin obscenity: prick.
mentulam caco A particularly obscene phrase: “I shit on your prick!”
meretrix A harlot.
meum mel A Latin endearment: “my honey.”
modius, modii The customary Roman measure of grain. It weighed 13 pounds and was sufficient to make one large loaf a day for six days. The free grain dole gave a recipient five modii a month. The Greek measure, a medimnus, consisted of five modii.
mos maiorum Almost indefinable for us. It was the established order of things: the way things had always been and always would be. It represented an unwritten constitution of sorts.
municipium A district that did not have full autonomy in Roman eyes.
Mutina A town on the Via Aemilia in Italian Gaul. Modern Modena. It lay in the clientele of Mark Antony.
Narbo Modern Narbonne, in France.
nefas Unholy, sacrilegious.
nemes An Egyptian headdress made of cloth bound across the forehead, joined at the nape of the neck, and flaring out like wings on either side behind the ears.
Nones One of the three enumerated days in a Roman month. If the Ides fell on the thirteenth, it fell on the fifth; if the Ides were on the fifteenth, it fell on the seventh.
numen, numina, numinous Truly Roman gods were faceless, sexless, and best described as forces rather than entities. They governed everything from the opening and closing of a door to rain and wind, to war and public prosperity. They had no mythology. The pathways of these forces were a push-pull relationship between the universe of men and that of the gods, hence the Roman habit of making contracts between gods and men.
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