ESSENTIAL VOCABULARY UNIT 11

AD

Meaning “Anno Domini”, is an indication that a date is later than the birth of Christ.

AMPHITHEATRE

A large circular building, where Roman gladiator fights took place.

ATRIUM

An indoor courtyard in a Roman house.

BARBARIAN

In Roman culture, a barbarían was a foreigner who had not adopted Roman culture and was therefore considered uncivilised.

BASILICA

A Roman public building, where justice was administered

BC

Meaning “Before Christ”, is an indication that a date is before the birth of Christ.

CARDO

One of the two main streets in a Roman city, running from North to South.

CATACOMBS

Underground passageways where the Christians buried their dead and practised their religion when they were persecuted in Roman times.

CENAE

The evening meal, which for the Romans was the most important one.

CIRCUS

An oval-shaped stadium, where Roman chariot races took place.

CLASSICAL CULTURE

The lasting influence of Greek and Roman civilisation.

COLONY

A settlement that was established by a Greek polis or by the Romans in a different region for military and trading purposes.

COMITIA

Roman assemblies, where all citizens participated.

DECUMANUS

One of the two main streets in a Roman city, running from East to West.

DOMUS

A house belonging to a wealthy Roman family.

FORUM

The central square in a Roman city, where political, social and economic activity took place.

HERO

In mithology, a person of great strength and courage, who was the child of a god and a human being, like Hercules.

INSULAE

Apartment buildings in Roman cities, where most of ordinary people lived.

LATIN

The language of the Roman Empire, which later became the basis of many modern European languages.

LIBERTUS: (plural: liberti)

A freed Roman slave.

LIMES

The frontier of the Roman Empire, which was defended by long lines of fortifications.

MAGISTRATE

An important oficial, in Greece and Rome.

MARE NOSTRUM

The name the Romans gave to the Mediterranean Sea, which they controlled. It means “our sea”.

MERCENARY

A soldier who fought in an army for economic reasons alone. As the Roman empire declined, Roman emperors hired Germanic mercenaries and paid them in land.

MONOTHEISM

The belief that there is only one God, a doctrine held in Judaism and Christianity, and later in Islam.

MOSAICS

A picture or design made with tiny pieces of stone or glass, that decorated Roman houses.

PATRICIAN

A member of a powerful, aristocratic Roman family.

PAX ROMANA

Meaning “Roman peace”, refers to the period of stability in the Roman Empire in the 1^st and 2^nd centuries AD.

PLEBEIAN

In Ancient Rome, all free people who did not come from a patrician family were plebeians.

POLYTHEISM

The belief in many gods, goddesses and natural forces, which was held in Ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome.

PROVINCE

An administrative and territorial division of the Roman Empire, ruled by a governor.

PUBLIC BATHS

Roman baths were popular meeting places, as well as a place to bathe.

RELIEF (art)

A scene carved into a large Stone to give the impression the sculpted material was raised slightly above the background.

REPUBLIC

A system of government without a monarchy.

ROMAN LAW

The legal system under the Romans, whih formed the basis of many later legal systems.

ROMANISATION

The adoption of Roman customs, language and beliefs by the people in the lands the Romans conquered, such as those of the Iberian Peninsula.

SENATE

A powerful institution that contolled many areas of Roman society.

SLAVE

A person with no rights, who was the property of somebody else.

SLAVE ECONOMY

An economy in which slaves were the labour force in agriculture, mining, public buildings and domesic service.

TEMPLE

A religious building, where gods and goddesses were worshipped and where prayers and offerings were made.

THEATRE

 An open-air construction with terraces, where Greek and Roman performances took place.

TRIUMVIRATE

Rule by three Roman generals.

VILLA

A Roman country house for the wealthy class, surrounded by orchards and agricultural land.