| Palatine Hill | Most famous
of the seven hills of Rome, where Romulus is said to have
first founded his city. |
| Pantheon | Mammoth
temple in Rome dedicated to all of the Roman gods and
goddesses. Originally built by Agrippa, it was restored and
expanded by Hadrian. |
| Patrician | Class made up
mostly of wealthy landowners and businessmen. Originally,
only patricians could hold governmental office. Then, only
patricians could be consuls. Finally, patricians agreed to
share all governmental offices (until the empire, of
course). |
| Pax Romana | "Peace of
Rome." It began with Augustus Caesar and lasted about 200
years. During this period, Roman conflicts with outsiders
were few and far between. It was a time of prosperity all
through the Empire, as culture, law, and economic growth
flourished. |
| Picts | Fierce,
warlike people who inhabited what is today called Scotland.
The Romans saw the Picts as ever encroaching on Roman
territory. The Picts fought with the Scots against the
Romans, a struggle ending with the Roman victory under
Agricola at Mons Graupius in 79. Hadrian's Wall was built in
part to keep the Picts in Scotland. |
| Plautus | Roman
playwright famous for his comedies. His plays were popular
mainly because he wrote for the masses, not for select
audiences. His humor was earthy and broad, not politically
motivated, like the Greek comedians. Plautus's targets were
soldiers and businessmen. He especially liked puns and
alliteration. Twenty-one of his plays survive. |
| Plebeians | Class made up
mostly of commoners. At first, they had no power or
representation. Then, the Twelve Tables gave them laws and a
voice in government. The class struggle never really went
away in Roman society. |
| Pluto | God of the
Underworld, which also bore his name. Known as the Greek god
Hades. |
| Pompey | Roman general
and member of the First Triumvirate who fought against
Julius Caesar and was killed in this struggle. He was known
as "Pompey the Great" for his famous victories before this
civil war, including the defeat of Sulla. Pompey also played
a leading role in the defeat of the slave revolt begun by
Spartacus. |
| Poseidon | God of the
sea and earthquakes. His sea kingdom is unlike any other.
Creatures of his own making swim freely all around the
world.
|
| Praetorian Guard | Emperor's
personal bodyguard. They numbered 9,000 and received better
pay than other soldiers. They became so powerful that they
killed a few emperors. |
| Punic Wars | Series of
three wars between Rome and Carthage that resulted in the
utter destruction of Carthage. The First Punic War was
fought over colonization rights in the Mediterranean. The
Carthaginian commander was Hamilcar Barca, whose son
Hannibal took up the cause in the Second Punic War. Hannibal
crossed the Alps and invaded Italy. He won several amazing
victories, including ones at Trebia River, Lake Trasimene,
and Cannae; but he was defeated in the end at Zama. Many
years later, Rome provoked an attack by Carthage, igniting
the Third Punic War. Rome was vicious in victory, burning
Carthage to the ground and sowing salt into the ground. |
| Remus | Twin brother
of Romulus, the founder of Rome. Legend says that the two
quarreled about where to found a large city and that Romulus
killed Remus. |
| Republic | The first
large government of ancient Rome. Based on the Twelve
Tables, the government of Rome was representative. Senators
were elected by the people. |
| Roads | All roads led
to Rome. The Romans built roads everywhere they went, making
it easier for goods and soldiers to get from place to place
within the Empire. The Roman roads were sturdier than any
roads up to that time. |
| Romulus | The legendary
founder of Rome. Legends say that he fought with his twin
brother, Remus, about where to build a large city. Romulus
killed Remus and founded Rome, naming it after himself. He
was the city's first ruler. |
| Sardinia | Island west
of Italy that was a Roman colony and the location of some
fierce battles for Mediterranean supremacy. |
| Scots | People who
inhabited the northern part of the island the Romans called
Britannia. They came from Ireland and were called the
Scotti. They mingled with the Picts in what is today called
Scotland and were a source of concern for the Roman troops
stationed in northern Britain. Rome completed its conquest
of Scotland under Agricola at the Battle of Mons Graupius in
79. However, Scotland did not stay conquered. About 40 years
later, Hadrian's Wall was built in part to keep the Scots in
Scotland. |
| Second Triumvirate | Second
three-man ruling group to rule Rome, formed to fill the void
in government left by Julius Caesar's death. The members
were Octavian, Marc Antony, and Lepidus. When Antony became
involved with Cleopatra (Egypt's pharaoh) and decided to
fight Rome, Octavian played a part in defeating Antony's
forces. Once Antony was out of the way and Lepidus was
forced to retire, Octavian was free to become Augustus
Caesar. |
| Senate | Government
body made up of Senators who represented the interests of
the people. In reality, the Senators were largely wealthy
landowners who tended to represent their own interests and
those of people like them. |
| Seneca | Roman
playwright and philosopher. He gave a decidedly Roman slant
to the famous tragedies of the Greeks, including
Oedipus and The Trojan Women. He was also a
leader of the Stoic movement in Roman philosophy. |
| Sicily | Island west
of Italy that was the focus of much fighting through the
years, especially during the First and Second Punic Wars.
Greek colonists settled the island originally but were soon
overrun first by Carthage and then by Rome. |
| Silk Road | Ancient
network of road and trip travel that brought goods like silk
from China to the Roman Empire and then to the rest of the
Western world. The Silk Road was important because it helped
cultures and traditions (not to mention precious goods) flow
back and forth between the West and the East. And once the
rich Romans got a feel for Chinese silk, they couldn't get
enough. |
| SPQR | Abbreviation
meaning "the Senate and the People of the Rome." In Latin,
it was Senatus Populusque Romanus. It meant that the
symbol of Rome was the Senate and the people, not the
emperor. The slogan was carved into the walls of many public
buildings and on the battle flags of the Roman
legions. |
| Sulla | Powerful,
rich consul who eventually became dictator. He was the head
of one army during a power dispute. Gaius Marius was head of
the other army. A dispute over military command escalated
into a full-blown civil war. In 83, Sulla won the civil war,
defeating soldiers and followers of Gaius Marius. He became
dictator and ruled with an iron hand for four years before
retiring. One of the things he did was declare that his
enemies were to be hunted down and killed. When that was
done, their lands were seized and given to Sulla's
supporters. The slaves who had been bound to those lands
were then freed. These people (not surprisingly) became
strong supporters of Sulla. He ruled for four years before
retiring, probably because of advanced age. In 78 B.C., he
died. Among his followers were Pompey and Crassus. |
| Tarquin | Last king of
Rome. He ruled for 24 years and conquered several
neighboring territories. He also established colonies,
paving the way for Roman expansion under the Republic and
the Empire. |
| Terence | Comic
playwright from Carthage who was originally a slave. His
plays were more refined than those of his contemporary,
Plautus. He preferred to rework Greek classics, like those
of Menander. He also preferred gentle humor, not the coarse,
broad humor of Plautus. Few of his plays survive. |
| Theodosius | Roman emperor
who had two smashing victories to his credit. First, he
stopped the Visigoth invasions of the Empire, mainly by
offering them positions within the army. Secondly, he
virtually eliminated the rights of pagan worshippers and
solidified Christianity as the official religion of the
Empire. |
| Tiberius | Second Roman
emperor who proved to be much less successful at government
than he was at warfare. He was a great general but didn't
really ever get a feel for being emperor. His main
achievement was to bring more money into the government
treasury. |
| Tiber | River nearest
city of Rome. Played part in defense of city on more than
one occasion. |
| Trajan | Roman emperor
who solidified the northern borders, mainly by building a
great wall near the Rhine River, and built great and
beautiful buildings in Rome itself. He had built his own
Forum, which is dominated by Trajan's Column, which shows
scenes from his reign. He also oversaw a great increase in
commerce, art, and learning. His wall-building philosophy
was continued by his successor, Hadrian. |
| Trebia River | Hannibal's
first great victory in the Second Punic War. He had crossed
the Alps and invaded Italy. The Romans caught up with at the
Trebia River, where he had hidden a sizable portion of his
army. When the Romans attacked, Hannibal's main force fought
off the charge for awhile until the hidden Carthaginian
forces descended on the rear of the Roman army. Roman losses
numbered almost 20,000; Carthaginian losses were
slight. |
| Twelve Tables | An early set
of laws that guaranteed rights to the people of Rome. These
rights and laws formed the basis of the Roman
Republic. |
| Tyrrhenian Sea | Body of water
to the west of Italy, diving the mainland from the islands
of Sardinia and Sicily. |
| Venus | Goddess of
love and beauty. She was known to the Greeks as Aphrodite,
wife of Hephaestus/Vulcan. She is said to have caused the
Trojan War by promising Helen of Troy to Paris, hero of the
Achaeans, in exchange for a golden apple. Among her children
are said to have been Aeneas, a Trojan hero and a legendary
founder of Rome, and Eros, who made quite a name for himself
with his arrows of love. |
| Vulcan | God of fire
and workers. Husband of Aphrodite. He was ugly to look at
but good at his work. Known as the Greek god
Hephaestus. |
| Welsh | People who
live in Wales. The Romans found it very difficult to conquer
Wales and concentrated the bulk of their efforts elsewhere.
Thus, Wales was able to maintain a good part of its
independent culture. |
| Zama | Last battle
of the Second Punic War. Fought a few miles from Carthage.
Hannibal's first and only defeat. The Romans, under General
Scipio Africanus, allowed Hannibal's war elephants to charge
right through suddenly empty columns between the Roman
troops. Then, it was a matter of Roman discipline
overpowering Carthaginian determination. The Romans won,
ending the war. Hannibal went into exile shortly
thereafter. |
