Glossary

 

adventus—originally a ceremony in which an emperor was formally welcomed into a city either during a progress or after a military campaign; adapted as a ceremony to formally welcome religious relics such as saints’ bones to a new city/resting place

agentes in rebus—imperial spy and messenger network controlled by the Master of Offices

Alans—an Iranian nomadic pastoral people; when the Huns invaded their ancestral lands, north of the Black Sea, many of the Alans migrated westwards, along with various Germanic tribes; they settled in the Iberian Peninsula and helped the Vandals invade North Africa in AD 428

Amores—Ovid’s first completed book of poetry; written in elegiac couplets (first used by the Greeks for funeral epigrams), it set the standard for erotic poetry; first published in 16 BC

Arian Heresy—a non-trinitarian Christian sect that believed Jesus Christ to be the Son of God, created by God the Father, distinct from the Father and therefore subordinate to the Father; named after Arius (c. AD 250–336), a Christian presbyter in Alexandria, Egypt; many of the barbarian tribes were converted to Christianity by Arian missionaries under the Arian Emperors Constantius II (337–361) and Valens (364–378); the Council of Nicaea of 325 declared Arius a heretic, but he was exonerated, then denounced again at the Ecumenical First Council of Constantinople of 381

archimandrite—a title of honor, with no connection to any actual monastery, bestowed on clergy as a mark of respect or gratitude for service to the Church

bigae—two-horse chariots

casula—a priest’s large poncho-like garment covering ordinary clothing at mass; developed from the ordinary Roman attire of a farmer, who wore the large poncho as protection from the elements; associated with Christians starting in the 3rd century

comes rerum privatarum—person who administered the estates and managed the private revenues of the emperor; similar to Minister of the Privy Purse in later monarchies

comes sacrarum largitionum—head of the office that collected taxes and duties, supervised the mints and other imperial workshops and paid out salaries and donatives to civil servants and troops

consistory—the anglicized form of sacrum consistorium (sacred assembly), a council of the closest advisors of the Roman emperors from the time of Constantine the Great; also, the room where the council meets

constitution—formal law or commandment signed and approved by the Roman Emperor

diadem—“band” or “fillet”; originally, in Greece, an embroidered white silk ribbon, ending in a knot and two fringed strips often draped over the shoulders, that surrounded the head of the king to denote his authority; later made of precious metals and decorated with gems; evolved into the modern crown

fibula (singular), fibulae (plural)—an ornamental clasp designed to hold clothing together; usually made of silver or gold, sometimes bronze or some other material; used by Greeks, Romans, and Celts

forum (singular), fora (plural)—a rectangular plaza surrounded by important government buildings at the center of the city; the site of triumphal processions and elections; the venue for public speeches, criminal trials, and gladiatorial matches; the nucleus of commercial affairs

garum—a fermented fish sauce used as a condiment in the cuisines of ancient Greece, Rome, Carthage and, later, Byzantium

Gaul—a region of Western Europe inhabited by Celtic tribes, encompassing present day France, Luxembourg, Belgium, most of Switzerland, parts of Northern Italy, as well as those parts of the Netherlands and Germany on the west bank of the Rhine; Rome divided it into three parts: Gallia Celtica, Belgica and Aquitania

Hagia Sophia, Church of—the second church on that site, next to the imperial palace; ordered by Theodosius II, who inaugurated it in 415; a basilica with a wooden roof, built by architect Rufinus; a fire burned it to the ground in 532

hippodrome—an arena for chariot races and other entertainment; the U-shaped Hippodrome of Constantine was about 450 m (1,476 ft) long and 130 m (427 ft) wide; its stands could hold 100,000 spectators

Goths—an early Germanic people, possibly originating in southern Sweden; mentioned by Roman authors as living in northern Poland in the 1st century AD; in later centuries they expanded towards the Black Sea, where they replaced the Sarmatians as the dominant power on the Pontic Steppe and launched a series expeditions against the Roman Empire

Hebdomon—a seaside retreat outside Constantinople where emperors built palaces and two churches; emperors were acclaimed by the army on the Field of Mars there; the imperial court came often to attend military parades and welcome the emperor returning from campaigns

Huns—a nomadic group of people who lived in Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, and Central Asia between the 1st and 7th centuries AD; may have stimulated the Great Migration, a contributing factor in the collapse of the Western Roman Empire; they formed a unified empire under Attila the Hun, who died in 453; their empire broke up the following year

imperium—“power to command”; a man with imperium, in principle, had absolute authority to apply the law within the scope of his magistracy; he could be vetoed or overruled by a colleague with equal power (e.g., a fellow consul) or by one whose imperium outranked his

kithara—eight stringed instrument of the lyre family; kitharode—kithara player

latrones (a.k.a. ludus latrunculorum or latrunculin)—“the game of brigands,” a two-player strategy board game played throughout the Roman Empire resembling chess or draughts; generally accepted to be a game of military tactics

magister militum—“Master of the Soldiers”; a top-level military command used in the late Roman Empire, referring to a senior military officer, equivalent to a modern war theater commander

magister utriusque militia—“Master of both branches of the soldiery”; the highest rank a general can achieve

Mary Theotokos—Mary, Mother of God

nobilissima puella, nobilissimus puer—“Most Noble Girl/Boy”; title conferred on imperial children by a sitting Augustus, before given a higher title

paludamentum—the purple military cloak used only by Emperors and Empresses, who were often portrayed wearing it in their statues and on their coinage; originally a cloak or cape fastened at one shoulder, worn by military commanders

parabalans—”persons who risk their lives as nurses”; members of a brotherhood who, in early Christianity, voluntarily undertook care of the sick and burial of the dead, knowing they too could die; generally drawn from the lower strata of society, they also functioned as attendants to local bishops who sometimes used by them as bodyguards and in violent clashes with their opponents

pater familias (singular), patres familias (plural)—”father of the family” or the “owner of the family estate”; traditionally the oldest living male in a family; he held legal rights over family property, and varying levels of authority over his dependents: wife, children, certain other relatives through blood or adoption, clients, freedmen, and slaves. In theory, he held powers of life and death over every member of his extended family, but in practice, this right was limited by law

Patrician—a personal title which conferred on the person to whom it was granted a very high rank and certain privileges; it was given to such men as had for a long time distinguished themselves by good and faithful services to the empire or the emperor

porphyry—from Ancient Greek, means “purple,” the color of royalty; “imperial porphyry” was a deep purple igneous rock

praetorian prefect—the chief minister of territories (city, province, etc.), equivalent to mayors in cities and governors in provinces

quadriga (singular), quadrigae (plural)—four-horse chariot

sarcophagus—a box-like funeral receptacle for a corpse, most carved in stone, and usually displayed above ground, though it may also be buried

scholae—an elite troop of soldiers in the Roman army created by Emperor Constantine the Great to provide personal protection of the emperor and his immediate family

siliqua (singular), siliquae (plural)—the modern name given to small, thin, Roman silver coins produced in the 4th century A.D. and later; a term of convenience, as no name for these coins is indicated by contemporary sources; when the coins were in circulation, the Latin word siliqua was a unit of weight defined by one late Roman writer as one twenty-fourth of the weight of a Roman solidus

Solidus (singular), solidi (plural)—a gold coin introduced by Emperor Diocletian in 301 as a replacement for the aureus; entered widespread circulation under Constantine I after 312

spatha—a type of straight long sword, measuring between 0.75 and 1 m (29.5 and 39.4 in), with a handle length between 18 and 20 cm (7.1 and 7.9 in), in use in the Roman Empire during the 1st to 6th centuries AD

spina—a row of obelisks, statues and art decorating the middle of the hippodrome, around which charioteers raced

stola—a long, pleated dress, worn over a tunic, generally sleeveless, fastened by clasps at the shoulder called fibulae, usually made of fabrics like silk, linen or wool, worn as a symbol representing a Roman woman’s marital status

stylite—a type of Christian ascetic who lived on pillars, preaching, fasting and praying; they believed mortification of their bodies would help ensure salvation of their souls

tisane—herbal teas; beverages made from the infusion or decoction of herbs, spices, or other plant material in hot water.

Vandals—an East Germanic tribe, or group of tribes, believed to have migrated from southern Scandinavia to the area between the lower Oder and Vistula rivers during the 2nd century BC; pushed westwards by the Huns, they crossed the Rhine into Gaul along with other tribes in AD 406; in 409, the Vandals crossed the Pyrenees into the Iberian Peninsula; in 429, under King Gaiseric, the Vandals entered North Africa; by 439 they had established a kingdom which included the Roman province of Africa as well as Sicily, Corsica, Sardinia, Malta and the Balearic Islands; they fended off several Roman attempts to recapture the African province and sacked the city of Rome in 455

vigiles or vigiles urbani—“watchmen of the city”; firefighters and police of Roman cities; usually made up of freemen and paid by the city