Acies – Battle order: e.g. in triplex acies a legion was deployed as four cohorts at the front, three in the second row and three in the third row.
Ad locutio – Address by a commander to his assembled troops.
Aedilis – Aedile, magistrate in charge of public works, regulating state festivals and enforcing public order.
Aes – ‘Copper’, a coin worth one half dupondius (asses pl.).
Agmen – Column of troops.
Ala – ‘Wing’, legionary cavalry on wings of battle formation (alae pl.).
Amphora – Tall jar in which olive oil, fish sauce, wine and other products were carried and stacked in the holds of ships.
Annona – Personification of the grain supply of Rome.
Apex – Spiked cap worn by a flamen.
Aquila – ‘Eagle’, the eagle standard of a legion.
Aquilifer – Standard bearer carrying the aquila.
Ara – Altar.
As – ‘Copper’, Roman coin worth half one dupondius (aes, asses pl.).
Auctoritas – Influence from having prestige, personal authority.
Augur – Soothsayer specializing in interpretation of bird flight.
Augustus – ‘Revered One’, honourific title voted to Imp. Divsi f. in 27 BCE.
Aureus – ‘Gold’, highest denomination gold coin worth twenty-five denarii (aurei pl.).
Auspex – Soothsayer specializing in interpreting flight of birds.
Auspicia – Auspices.
Auxilia – ‘Helpers’, support troops of allied or non-Roman citizens.
Ballista – Artillery weapon throwing bolts or stones.
Bellator – ‘Warrior’, Roman war-fighter (bellatores pl.).
Caligatus – ‘Boot wearer’, ordinary soldier of a legion (caligati pl.).
Campus Martius – ‘Field of Mars’, a large park and recreation ground in northwest Rome.
Capitolinus – Hill in Rome on which was built the Temple of Iupiter Optimus Maximus.
Carru triumphali – Decorated chariot used in a triumph.
Catapulta – Artillery weapon throwing bolts.
Censor – Magistrate in charge of the census.
Census – Assessment of taxable assets carried out every five years (lustum).
Centuria – ‘Century’, unit of eight contubernia eighty men; sixty centuries formed a legio.
Centurio – ‘Centurion’, officer in charge of a centuria.
Clementia – ‘Clemency’, the Roman virtue of showing mercy.
Cohors – ‘Cohort’, unit of six centuries, or twelve in a First Cohort (cohortes pl.).
Cohors Praetoria – ‘Praetorian Cohort’, Praetorian Guard (Cohortes Praetoriae pl.).
Cohorts Voluntariorum – Levy of citizens serving in cohort of volunteers (cohortes voluntariorum pl.).
Colonia – ‘Colony’, city founded for retired legionaries.
Commilitio – ‘Fellow soldier’, a form of address to legionaries usually by a senior officer (commilitiones pl.).
Confarreatio – Traditional form of wedding.
Concilium – Advisory committee of the senior commanding officer formed of his immediate reports.
Consulis – One of the two highest magistrates of the res publica, elected annually.
Contio – ‘Meeting’, an address by a magistrate to the people or the commander to his troops to present a proposal.
Cuneus – ‘Wedge’, attack formation used by Roman army.
Curator viarum – Manager of roads (curatores pl.).
Curia Iulia – Senate House.
Currus – two-wheeled chariot used during triumphal parades.
Cursus honorum – ‘Race of honour’, the career ladder leading to the consulship.
Decursio – Military exercise performed as a pageant on special occasions.
Denarius – Silver coin, worth four sestertii (denarii pl.).
Dilectus ingenuorum – Levy of civilians into cohortes voluntariorum.
Dupondius – Bronze coin, worth two asses or one half a sestertius (dupondii pl.).
Editor – Sponsor of the ludi or munera.
Equites – ‘Knights’, the middle or business class of Roman society.
Evocatus – ‘Summoned one’, reservist, an honourably discharged miles gregarius available for recall on the orders of a consul or military commander (evocati pl.)
Exercitus – Army.
Fasces – The tied bundle of rods around an axe carried by lictores as a symbol of the consul’s or praetor’s high office.
Fercula – Placard carried on a pole with painted words to explain the exhibit in a triumph.
Feria – Public holiday and festival day (feriae pl.).
Flamen – Priest (flamines pl.).
Framea – Germanic spear or javelin (frameae pl.).
Frater – ‘Brother’, a form of address used by soldiers (fratres pl.).
Forum Romanum – Roman Forum in central Rome.
Gladius – Short stabbing and thrusting weapon used by legionaries (gladii pl.).
Haruspex – Soothsayer specializing in interpreting animal entrails.
Hasta – Javelin used by Roman auxilia and cavalry.
Honesta – ‘Honesty’, the Roman virtue of respectability.
Hostis publicus – ‘Public enemy’, enemy of the state.
Humanitas – ‘Humanity’, the Roman virtue associated with being cultured from having a good education.
Ianus – ‘Arch’, portal or triumphal arch.
Imago – Mask of wax made during the lifetime of a Roman citizen; military standard bearing a small statue bust of the princeps.
Impedimenta – Baggage train.
Imperator – ‘Commander’, a title shouted by troops to a victorious leader after a victory.
Imperium – Legal power vested in certain Roman magistrates to give absolute orders and enforce obedience.
Imperium proconsulare – Legal power to govern territories beyond Italy, including the right to wage war.
Imperium proconsuare maius – ‘Supreme power’ to govern territories beyond Italy, which was superior to that of all other consuls and proconsuls.
Industria – Roman virtue of working hard.
Kalendae – ‘Calends’, first day of the month.
Laudatio – Eulogy.
Legatus Augusti Pro Praetore – Governor of one of the Provinces of Caesar (propraetorian provinces), ‘delegated’ the imperium by Augustus.
Legatus Legionis – Commander of a legio, ‘delegated’ the imperium by Augustus.
Legio – Unit of ten cohortes, approximately 6,000 men (legiones pl.).
Libertas – Roman virtue of independence, freedom of speech.
Liburna – ‘Liburnian’, type of ship, usually with two rows of oarsmen.
Lictor – Bodyguard of a senior magistrate: a consul had twelve, a praetor six, a pro praetor five and an aedile two (lictores pl.).
Lituus – Crooked staff used by an augur when interpreting bird flight.
Lorica hamata – Body armour made of chain or ring mail.
Lorica squamata – Body armour made of scales attached to a backing of cloth or leather.
Lorica segmentata – Body armour made of articulated metal plates (a non-Roman term coined in the sixteenth century).
Ludi – Roman blood games, held for religious observance and increasingly used to further political ends.
Lustrum – Period of five years.
Medicus – ‘Medic’, doctor.
Miles – Common soldier, miles gregarius (milites pl.).
Moderatio – ‘Moderation’, Roman virtue of restraint from excess, self-control.
Modius – Measure of grain equivalent to a third of an amphora.
Mos maiorum – ‘The ways of the elders’, traditional values and forms of worship.
Munera – Roman blood games held for political and entertainment purposes.
Municipium – Chartered provincial Roman city.
Navis longa – ‘Long ship’, warship.
Nobiles – Group of men who had served as consul or came from a consular family, a status not an official class.
Novus homo – ‘New man’, a man not of the nobiles.
Officium – ‘Service’, the staff – office – responsible for record keeping.
Oppidum – Town or defensible settlement, often on a hill.
Onager – ‘Wild ass’, artillery weapon throwing stones.
Optimates – Conservative bloc of the Roman senators seeking to preserve the status quo.
Ornamenta – Ceremonial trappings of a lower grade triumph.
Ovatio – Lower form of triumph awarded to a victorious commander who was permitted to ride on a horse or walk through the streets of Rome.
Palatinus – Hill in Rome, location of homes originally of the Roman élite.
Palatium – Augustus’ house on the Palatinus Hill.
Paludamentum – Cloak worn by a high-ranking officer.
Parazonium – Weapon with a leaf shaped blade (approximately 15@–19@ long) carried by a high-ranking officer.
Paterfamilias – Legal master of the household.
Pietas – Roman virtue of respect for the natural order of things.
Pilum – Roman javelin used by legionaries (pila pl.).
Pompa – Procession in a religious rite or funeral.
Pompa triumphalis – Full triumph in which the triumphator rode in a chariot followed by floats displaying the captive and spoils of war.
Pontifex Maximus – ‘Chief road builder’ (from pont, Etruscan for ‘road’?), chief priest.
Populares – Progressive bloc of Roman senators seeking to change the status quo. Praefectus – ‘Prefect’, senior officer or magistrate.
Praefectus Aegypti – ‘Prefect of Egypt’, the governor of province Aegyptus.
Praefectus Castrorum – ‘Camp Prefect’, third in command of a legio.
Praefectus Equitum – ‘Prefect of Horse’, senior officer in command of a turma.
Praefectus Praetorio – Commander of the Cohors Praetoria.
Praemia – Cash lump-sum paid to a soldier upon honourable discharge from the army.
Praeda – Booty captured from a defeated enemy in war.
Praepositus – ‘Overseer’, special envoy or governor general.
Praetor – Senior magistrate responsible for administering law, the ludi and feriae.
Praetor Urbanus – Chief praetor in charge of administration of law in Rome.
Praetorianus – Soldier in the Praetorian Cohorts (praetoriani pl.).
Praetorium – ‘Praetor’s building’, house of the senior officer of a legio.
Pridianum – Report of troop numbers as at 31 December, prepared annually by a legate’s officium (pridiana pl.).
Primus Pilus – ‘First javelin’, the most senior centurio of a legio.
Princeps – ‘The First One’, the title adopted by Augustus to describe his leadership position.
Princeps Praetorii – Officer in charge of the army unit’s officium. Principalis – Non-commissioned officer of a centuria, e.g. cornicen, signifer (principales pl.).
Principia – ‘Front line’, headquarters building in a Roman fort.
Proconsulis – ‘Former consul’, governor of a senatorial province.
Propraetor – ‘Former praetor’, governor of an imperial province.
Quaestor – Junior magistrate in charge of law courts and public financial accounting.
Res Gestae – ‘Things Done’, the title of Augustus’ autobiography.
Res Publica – ‘Public Thing’, the commonwealth of the Roman state.
Rostra – Tribunal, speaker’s platform in Forum Romanum.
Rostrum – Bronze ram fitted to the front of a warship.
Sacerdos – Priest (sacerdotes pl.).
Saeculum – A period estimated to be the lifetime of a man, approximately 100 years.
Salutatio – Morning visit by clients to the patron.
Sarcina – Backpack of clothing, equipment, rations and supplies carried by a legionary on the march (sarcinae pl.).
Scutum – Roman shield (scuta pl.).
Semis – Roman coin worth half one as.
Senatus Consultum – Decree of the Senate.
Sestertius – Brass coin, equal in value to one-quarter denarius (sestertii pl.).
Signifer – Standard bearer carrying the centurial signum.
Signum – Unit standard (signa pl.).
Socius – Ally, associate (socii pl.)
Spolia opima – Prized spoils taken from a deceased commander after armed one-to-one combat, usually by a senior Roman officer.
Suffectus – A consul replacing another who had resigned during his term in office.
Suovetaurilia – Religious rite to Mars involving the sacrifice of a pig, sheep and bull.
Summum imperium auspiciumque – Military power permitting the holder to primacy over another when two commanders held the same rank.
Testudo – ‘Tortoise’, battle formation using shields raised over the heads.
Toga praetexta – White toga with a broad purple stripe along the curved edge.
Toga pura – ‘Manly gown’, the all-white toga worn by Roman adult men.
Toga virilis – ‘Manly gown’, the all-white toga worn by Roman adult men.
Tresvir – ‘Three Man’, a member of a board responsible for a state function, e.g. tresviri monetales who were responsible for managing the coin supply.
Tribunus – Tribune: tribunus plebis, a representative of the people elected annually;
Tribunus laticlavius, the second in command of a legio, was accompanied by five junior tribuni angusticlavii.
Tribunicia potestas – Legal power and personal immunity of a plebeian tribune.
Triennium – Period of three years.
Triumphator – The military commander awarded an ovatio or pompa triumphalis. Triumvir, IIIvir – Member of a commission of three political leaders (triumviri pl.).
Tropaeum – ‘Trophy’ made of captured weapons (tropaea pl.).
Tumulus – Cenotaph shaped like a raised circular dome (tumuli pl.).
Veteranus – ‘Veteran’, honourably discharged soldier having served his full term.
Vexillum – Flag standard.
Vexillarius – Detachment.
Via Praetoria – Cross road in a Roman camp leading to principia.
Via Principalis – Main street of a Roman camp.
Via Sacra – ‘Sacred Way’, the main road running through the Forum Romanum.
Virtus – ‘Manliness’, Roman virtue of courage.