The Golden Dice - A Tale of Ancient Rome (61 page)

Alabastron:
A small flask for perfume or fragrant oils originally fashioned from alabaster but later made from pottery, metal or glass.

Antefixes:
A stone or ceramic block that covered the end of a tiled ridge on a roof. Antefixes were ornately carved, often with mythological creatures.

Arx:
Citadel or fortified high ground within a city.

Aulos:
An ancient wind instrument similar to an oboe.

Auspices:
Before any decision of state was made, omens were observed and interpreted. This involved watching the flight of birds. To do this one needed
patrician
blood. Only certain magistrates such as a
consul
could take the public auspices, as opposed to the head of the household observing omens for private purposes.

Bondsman:
A debtor who forfeited his liberty to his creditor to satisfy his debts. He was enslaved until he paid back what he owed.

Boss:
A round or conical piece of thick metal jutting from the center of a shield to deflect blows. Bosses were sometimes molded into the shapes of animal’s heads or other decorative motifs.

Bucchero:
A type of glossy black pottery developed by the Etruscans. The color was produced by reducing the oxygen supply during the firing process.

Bulla:
A locket of gold or leather worn by a Roman boy to ward off evil spirits. It was removed when a boy reached manhood at fourteen. A girl wore a similar amulet, which was removed on the eve of her wedding.

Campus
Martius
(
Field
of
Mars):
The level ground between the low-lying flood-prone plain enclosed by a bend of the Tiber River and the slopes of the Quirinal, Capitoline and Pincian hills. It was dedicated to Mars, the god of war, and was believed to initially belong to an Etruscan king Tarquinius Superbus. Originally it was used as a pasture for sheep and horses, but was also used as a military training ground and mustering area. Political assemblies and the elections of magistrates were also held there. As it was located outside the pomerium (sacred boundary) of the city, it was permissible for tombs to be built there.

Cepen:
Common word for an Etruscan priest.

Cerate:
An unctuous preparation of wax or lard that is sometimes impregnated with resin. The cerate is applied over dressings to ward off infection. Beeswax was often used in ancient times.

Chiton:
A long robe worn by both men and women alike in Etruria and Greece. It was similar to the Roman tunic. During the classical period, Etruscan ladies wore linen chitons that clung so tightly to the body their breasts and nipples showed through the material. It was usually worn with a mantle of heavier cloth.

Cista:
A small casket, usually cylindrical in shape, used for keeping cosmetics, perfumes or jewelery.

Cithara
/
kithara:
An ancient stringed instrument in the lyre family that was played with a plectrum.

Comitium:
The open-air area in Rome where the
plebeian
and tribal assemblies met. The
speakers’
platform
was located here. The Comitium stood opposite the
Curia
or
Senate
house
.

Consul:
One of two magistrates with imperium (supreme authority) who held the highest position in the Roman Republic. Both consuls had the right of veto over each other and were entitled to take the public
auspices
that preceded every major action taken on the state’s behalf.

Consular
general:
A military tribune with consular powers. For many years in the early Roman Republic, military tribunes were elected instead of
consuls
because generals were needed on so many war fronts. As imperium (supreme authority) was not granted,
plebeians
could hold the office.

Cuirass
/
corselet:
Body armor consisting of a breastplate and backplate made from metal, leather or stiffened linen. A “muscle” cuirass was molded to appear similar to a muscled male torso. In order to protect the thighs and groin, pteruges were worn with a cuirass. Pteruges consisted of flexible strips of layered leather or linen that hung from the waist forming a “kilt.” Pteruges could also be attached at the shoulders to protect the upper arms.

Curia
(
Curia
Hostilia):
The Senate house in the Roman forum.

Decurion:
One of three knights who led ten men in a
turma
. The senior decurion commanded the
turma
with the other two decurions acting as his deputy.

Defixio:
A lead sheet upon which the gods were invoked to either curse or enchant a person. In Rome, defixios were often affixed to the walls of tombs. Under the
Laws of the Twelve Tables
of the early Republic, seeking the destruction of a man through dark magic was subject to capital punishment.

Fascinum:
A phallic-shaped amulet worn around the neck. The regenerative power of the phallus was seen as a potent force against the “evil eye”.

Fibula/fibulae:
A clasp or brooch used to secure a cloak or worn as an ornament. Simple ones were in the shape of a large safety pin.

Fillet
: Bands of wool that a Roman matron would plait into her hair. They were a symbol of a married female Roman citizen, as was the
stola
.

Fulgurator:
An Etruscan priest skilled in interpreting the will of the gods through analysis of different types of lightning and thunder.

Greaves:
Armor that could protect either the shins only or the entire leg to the thigh depending on the wealth of the soldier.

Haruspex:
An Etruscan priest skilled in the art of haruspicy, i.e., dissecting a sacrificial animal’s liver for the purpose of divination. A haruspex wore a distinctive hat that twisted to a point. He also wore a sheepskin cloak fastened by a
fibula
at the throat and carried a
lituus
staff.

Honored Way (Cursus Honorum):
The method by which a man rose to the supreme office of
consul
; a political ladder whereby a man was elected to certain magistracies in prescribed order and only after reaching a particular age.

Hoplite:
A citizen soldier in the heavy infantry who fought in a
phalanx
formation and was recognizable by his round “hoplon” shield.

Kline:
A couch with headrests used in banquets.

Lapis Niger:
There is still conjecture among historians as to what constituted the Lapis Niger, or “black stone,” in the sanctuary in the
Comitium
. It may refer to a black stone stele inscribed with what is believed to be a dedication to a king. Even in imperial times, various writers disputed the origins of the site, with some claiming it was the spot where King Romulus was murdered. The sanctuary was destroyed during the sacking of Rome by the Gauls in 387 bc. During the Julio-Augustan period, the area was buried under slabs of black marble and this paving also came to be known as the Lapis Niger. The site can still be seen today.

Laws of the Twelve Tables:
The legislation that formed the basis of the constitution and customary law (mos maiorum) of the Roman Republic. The laws were inscribed on twelve bronze (or ivory) tablets that were displayed in the Forum.

League of the Twelve:
Economic and religious confederation of major Etruscan cities. There is conjecture as to exactly which cities formed the League, but I have shown those considered most likely to have been included in the league on the map, using their Etruscan names.

Lemur/lemures:
Wandering and vengeful spirits who have been denied proper burial or funeral rites.

Leno:
A pimp who ran a brothel (
lupanaria
). Lenos usually kept prostitutes as slaves, although free- and freedwomen were also employed as whores.

Levis
/
Leves:
Skirmishers in the army of the early Republic who were only armed with small, round shields and spears. They were among the poorest of soldiers in the military class structure.

Lictor:
In Rome, one of twelve civil servants who protected the kings, and later those magistrates holding imperium (supreme authority). They carried a bundle of rods called the fasces, the symbol of power and authority.
Consuls
were entitled to twelve lictors. The tradition of the lictor and fasces was believed to derive from the Etruscan kings.

Lituus:
Crooked staff used by augurs to mark out a ritual space for the purpose of divination.

Lucumo:
An Etruscan king who was elected by aristocratic colleges rather than all citizens. He remained in office until his death. However, the exact nature of the Etruscan political power structure and its mechanisms has not yet been determined.

Lupanaria:
Literally meaning “wolf den.” Brothels were so called because one name for a prostitute was “lupa”, or she wolf. There are various explanations for the derivation of the name including the belief that whores were as rapacious as wolves.

Maenad
: A priestess who followed the god Dionysus (Greek), Bacchus (Roman) and Fufluns (Etruscan) and was reputed to dance in an ecstatic trance during Dionysian rites, and who wore distinctive clothing such as leopard-skin cloaks.

Molles:
The pejorative Latin name given to men who were exclusively homosexual rather than bisexual.

Palla:
A long, rectangular-shaped cloak worn by Roman women, it could be wrapped around the body and thrown over one shoulder or drawn over the head. It was particularly associated with Roman matrons.

Patera:
A shallow dish used to make libations to the gods.

Patrician
/
s:
Wealthy landowners of noble birth who traced their ancestry to the original founders of Rome and claimed to have “divine” blood. They held the highest positions of power during the time of the early Roman Republic.

People’s tribune/s (tribune of the plebs):
Ten officials elected to protect the rights of
plebeians
as they held the power to veto elections, decrees of the
Senate
and actions of magistrates. As such they could hinder the levy and funding of troops. It was the only political position a
plebeian
could hold in the early Roman Republic. Their position was sacrosanct and inviolate, and, as such, the death penalty could be inflicted on those who interfered with the exercise of their power.

Phalanx:
An infantry battle formation in which three rows of soldiers held overlapping shields and long spears. As one row fell, the next one took its place. The phalanx formation was originally developed by the Greeks, copied by the Etruscans, and then adopted by the Romans.

Phersu:
A masked man who performed blood sacrifices during Etruscan funeral games. He was the precursor to a Roman gladiator.

Plebeian
/
s:
Roman citizens that were not
patricians
. They were denied the right to hold magistracies during the time of the early Roman Republic.

Puls:
A boiled wheat porridge that was similar in texture to polenta.

Quern:
A hand-operated mill for grinding corn.

Red-figured pottery:
A style of pottery developed in Athens that came to replace the earlier form of Corinthian black-figured pottery. The red figures on a black background were produced through a sophisticated three-phase firing process.