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Campania

answer

The area surrounding Pompeii and Herculaneum, dominated by Naples (Neapolis/Napoli)

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Fresco

answer

A wall painting made while the plaster is still wet.

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Mosaic

answer

A picture made out of small tiles or pieces of stone. Normally on the floor.

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Forum

answer

A large open space used for commercial, religious and political purposes.

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Fauces

answer

Entry corridor to a house generally leading into the atrium

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Hortus

answer

Garden

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Villa Rustica

answer

Country estates perhaps owned by the local aristocracy

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Dipinti

answer

Written by professional sign writers on walls. For political office.

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Thermae

answer

public baths

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Tepidarium

answer

Warm bath

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Ianconium

answer

Sweating room

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Velarium

answer

Awning over the theatre or ampitheatre to provide shade during summer.

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Sparsiones

answer

Showers of perfumed water in the theatre or ampitheatre

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Cavea

answer

Seating

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Ima Cavea

answer

Distinguished Citizen seats

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Media Cavea

answer

Men's seats

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Summa Cavea

answer

Women's seating

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Editor

answer

Sponsor of the games or theatre

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Lanista

answer

Head of a gladitorial school

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aedile

answer

town magistrate who looked after day-to-day administration

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apodyterium

answer

changing room for baths

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atrium

answer

central hall of a house

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caldarium

answer

room in bathhouse containing hot bath

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cardo/cardini

answer

street which crossed a town along the north-south axis

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compulvium

answer

central opening in the roof over an atrium

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cubiculum

answer

small room most commonly described as a bedroom

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culina

answer

kitchen

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decumanus

answer

main road on east-west axis

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denarius

answer

the Silver coin of the Roman Empire

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domus

answer

one family Roman house with rooms frequently grouped around one or two open courts

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duumvir

answer

one of two Roman officers (duoviri iure dicundo) or magistrates united in the same public functions.

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epicureanism

answer

system of philosophy following Epicurus, that the highest good in life is pleasure

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Eumachia

answer

woman with business interests in the wool trade, pottery and brick making. Also built the largest building in the forum at Pompey

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forum

answer

public square of a city

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frigidarium

answer

the cold-bath section of a Roman baths

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fullonica

answer

laundry

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garum

answer

fish sauce

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hellenic

answer

pertaining to greek culture before alexander the great

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hellenistic

answer

pertaining to greek culture after alexander the great

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hypocaustum

answer

small narrow spaces under the floor through which hot air circulated

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impluvium

answer

rainwater basin in the centre of an atrium

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insula

answer

an apartment house or a city block

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lararium

answer

household shrine to the lares

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lares

answer

deities worshipped as protectors of doorways and crossroads

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libertinus

answer

freed slave

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lupanar

answer

brothel

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mensa ponderaria

answer

measuring table found in Pompeii outside the Temple of Apollo

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necropolis

answer

cemetary

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odeon

answer

small theatre in pompeii

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officina

answer

workshop

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pistrina

answer

bakery

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plebs

answer

common people

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patricians

answer

wealthy people

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Priapus

answer

god of male procreative power and guardian of gardens and vineyards

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pyroclastic flow

answer

A hot, high-velocity mixture of ash, gas and pumice that flows like a liquid down slopes and over terrain.

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senator

answer

Someone who was elected to certain magistracies and thereafter became members of the senate. They also gave advice to the consuls'. They proposed laws to the praetors. They could also hold debate and approve building projects.

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tablinum

answer

main reception area off the atrium, originally the main bedroom but later the office

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tabularium

answer

a civic building, or room, used for storing official records

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tepidarium

answer

warm room in a bathhouse equipped for oil and massage

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thermopolium

answer

bar serving warm snacks and drinks

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triclinium

answer

dining room

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tufa

answer

volcanic ash stone

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vestibulum

answer

entrance lobby of a Roman house between the street and the front door

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viridaria

answer

garden

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equites

answer

In ancient Italy, landowners second in wealth and status to the senatorial aristocracy. The Roman emperors allied with this group to counterbalance the influence of the old aristocracy and used the equites to staff the imperial civil service.

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libertus

answer

a term us to discribe a freedman; former slave who has been manumitted (given or purchased their freedom).

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ala

answer

side room off the atrium of a Pompeiian house. Its plural is alae.

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basilica

answer

A civic building for civic and court proceedings; rectangular in plan with an entrance on the long side and collonaded with an aisle; podium at one end; two storeys.

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cardo

answer

The north-south street in a Roman town, intersecting the decumanus at right angles

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cella

answer

the chief room of a Classical temple, where the statue of the god was located and, frequently, the temple's treasure was kept

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columbarium

answer

A structure, room, or space in a mausoleum or other building containing niches or recesses used to hold cremated remains.

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fauces

answer

A small entry room of a Roman house, just as one enters the front door. Leads to atrium.

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hortus

answer

Roman garden or park

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laconicum

answer

sweating room in a Roman bathing facility

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natatio

answer

The swimming pool in a Roman bathing establishment

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nymphaeum

answer

A classical building or room with fountains, statues, and plants, used for relaxation and dedicated to nymphs.

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palaestra

answer

An ancient Greek and Roman exercise area, usually framed by a colonnade

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peristyle

answer

an atrium in a roman house usually with a garden surrounded by columns

question

piscina

answer

Term loosely applied to fish ponds and swimming pools, whether heated or not.

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taberna

answer

shop at the front of the house with an opening on to the street

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amphitheatre

answer

large oval, circular, or semi circular outdoor theatre with rising tiers of seats around an open playing area

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capitolium

answer

An ancient Roman temple honoring the divinities Jupiter, Juno, and Minerva.

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client

answer

a person who owes allegiance to a more powerful citizen from whom he receives protection

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comitium

answer

a voting assembly; the place where an assembly meets

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curia

answer

town council in Roman cities

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decurion

answer

member of the municipal council, often former magistrates

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epitaph

answer

an inscription on a tombstone or monument in memory of the person buried there

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freedman

answer

a freed slave

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genius

answer

the spirit of a person, a family or a place

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gladiator

answer

A Roman athlete, usually a slave, criminal, or prisoner of war, who was forced to fight for the entertainment of the public

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graffiti

answer

words or drawings scratched or scribbled on a wall

question

lapilli

answer

Pebble sized bits of pyroclastic material that vary between 2 and 64mm in diameter.

question

latrine

answer

toilet

question

macellum

answer

public market building with a central yard surrounded by rows of shops for the daily sale of fresh perishable produce, especially meat and fish

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magistrate

answer

elected official

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municipium

answer

a city or town with its own local government

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Oscans

answer

Italic tribes occupied Italy at the time of Etruscan ruling over Rome. First to settle at Pompeii

question

papyri

answer

Comes from a reed like plant that would be split, left to dry, creating a soft smooth side on which to write.

question

pater familias

answer

Roman term for the "father of the family," a theoretical implication that gave the male head of the family almost unlimited authority.

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patronus

answer

a patron: a person who gave help and protection to others who performed services for him in return.

question

pontifex

answer

a member of the highest council of priests in ancient Rome

question

pumice

answer

a volcanic rock that is a light, sponge-like rock usually found at the surface of a lava flow with a mass of gas bubbles

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quinquennales

answer

Census takers who revised the town council roll every 5 years

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sacellum

answer

Chapel in the Basilica (great hall) , housing the Legions standard or aquila.

question

epigraphy

answer

the study of ancient inscriptions

question

regio

answer

a quarter in a Roman town composed of several blocks

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Strabo

answer

Greek geographer (64 CE-21 AD)

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Cumae

answer

Campanian town, founded by the Greeks who migrated from Chalcis from Euboea; a legendary entrance to the underworld, its cavern the favourite haunt of Sibyl

question

inscription

answer

something written, carved, or engraved on a surface such as a monument, statue, pottery shard, gravestone or coin

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Samnium

answer

mountainous region of south-central Italy east of Campania

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Socius

answer

Latin for 'ally'

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Social War

answer

War 91-89 BCE between Rome and most of the Italian allies. As a result of this civil war, the Senate granted citizenship to Rome's Italian allies.

question

Sulla

answer

Roman general, consul and dictator (138-78 BC)

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tribus Menenia

answer

Pompeians were enrolled in this voting tribe at the end of the Social War

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Tacitus

answer

Senator and historian of the Roman Empire, wrote the Annals and the Histories.

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Herakles

answer

Son of Zeus and Alcmena, he performed many deeds (twelve labours of Hercules) and won immortality among the gods on Olympus. Patron deity of Herculaneum

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Archaeology

answer

The study of human cultures through the recovery and analysis of material remains and environmental data

question

Stratigraphy

answer

Study of the sequential layering of geological and cultural deposits.

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nuee ardente

answer

a superheated, incandescent cloud of gas and volcanic ash that flows swiftly down a volcanic slope as an avalanche.

question

Suetonius

answer

A Roman historian of the early second century C.E., best known for a multi-volume work giving biographies of the Roman emperors, The Lives of the Caesars.

question

Haraldur Sigurdsson

answer

volcanologist who analysed the eruptions of Vesuvius and Mt. Saint Helens

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Fiorelli

answer

Pompeii Superintendent 1863-77; used plaster casting for body cavities

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regio

answer

areas or districts for dividing the sites of Pompeii and Herculaneum

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insulae

answer

Tenements for middle and lower class Romans constructed of wood and rubble.

question

radiocarbon dating

answer

a chemical analysis used to determine the age of organic materials based on their content of the radioisotope carbon-14

question

thermoluminescence

answer

A chronometric dating method that uses the fact that certain heated objects accumulate trapped electrons over time, which allows the date when the object was initially heated to be determined

question

Vitruvius

answer

Great Roman architect of the time of Augustus (27BC - 14 AD) who wrote 10 books on architecture de Architectura

question

Pliny the Younger

answer

AD62 -118. Wrote letters to Tacitus about the eruption of Vesuvius and uncle, Pliny the elder. Suffect-consul in 100.

question

Pliny the Elder

answer

Roman author of an encyclopedic natural history. Died during eruption of Vesuvius which was recorded by his nephew, Pliny the Younger.

question

Seneca

answer

Roman statesman, writer and philosopher who was an advisor to Nero

question

Prosopography

answer

The study of persons or characters, especially their appearances, careers, personalities within a historical, literary, or social context.

question

scriptores

answer

professional scribes who wrote wall notices

question

programmata

answer

political advertisements painted on walls

question

edicta munerum

answer

painted notices of games, shows and events given by magistrates and the Augustales (priests of the Imperial cult).

question

Augustales

answer

Priests of the imperial cult, usually made up of freed men

question

megalogography

answer

pictorial genre featuring monumental figures within architectural spaces including doors and windows

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tesserae

answer

the small piece of stone, glass, or other object that is pieced together with many others to create a mosaic

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manumission

answer

A grant of legal freedom to an individual slave.

question

ingenui

answer

freeborn Roman citizens

question

plebs humilis

answer

the most humble strata of plebeian

question

plebs media

answer

the well-off strata of plebeian

question

Amici

answer

friends and social equals

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salutatio

answer

visit of client to patron's house usually during the morning

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lex Iulia Municipalis

answer

The law establishing the constitutions of towns and cities in Italy.

question

ordo decurionum

answer

those eligible to be elected to the town council.

question

Praefectus iure dicundo

answer

Magistrate with praefectural authority appointed by the Curia in an emergency for a short and temporary period.

question

lectio

answer

A census of the Senatorial or decurional rolls by a Roman magistrate called a Censor or Quinquennales

question

Tribunus militum a populo

answer

A military tribune appointed by the people through its town council

question

Patronus coloniae

answer

A leading citizen who represented the town in dealings with Rome.

question

carbonization

answer

Process of fossilization wherein the original organic material in a fossil has been reduced to a film of carbon looking like a black drawing

question

amphorae

answer

pottery vessels used to store liquids such as wine, oil, and garum.

question

Isis

answer

She was the wife of Osiris and the mother of Horus; the most famous family in Egyptian mythology.

question

sistrum

answer

Ancient musical instruments like rattles. They were often used in religious ceremonies by followers of Isis

question

sacrum/sacellum

answer

Sacred triangular space within a Roman home or temple for religious worship and veneration.

question

ureaus

answer

an egyptian cobra, one of the emblems of pharaonic kingship and Isis

question

cella

answer

a temple sanctuary

question

Doric order

answer

the oldest and simplest of the Greek orders of architecture, defined by fluted columns, smooth capitals and no base

question

Ionic order

answer

classical Greek architectural style that features a fluted column shaft, capitals with volutes (spiral scroll-like ornaments) and a large base

question

Corinthian order

answer

the most decorative of the classical Greek architectural styles, featuring a fluted column shaft, capitals with flowers and leaves below a small scroll, and a large base

question

purgatorium

answer

a place in a Roman shrine for ritual cleansing

question

podium

answer

a platform raised above the surrounding level to give prominence to the temple placed upon it

question

Bacchus

answer

Earlier called Dionysus. Greek and Roman god of vegetation, wine and revelry

question

situla

answer

a bucket containing Nile water and used for ritual purposes in the cult of Isis

question

Osiris

answer

Egyptian god of the underworld, husband of Isis and judge of the dead

question

Harpocrates

answer

Isis and Osiris's son conceived after the resurrection of Osiris by Isis

question

inventio Osiris

answer

Cult of Isis festival to celebrate the resurrection of Osiris

question

Navagium Isidis

answer

Roman religious festival in honor of the goddess Isis associated with the beginning of the sailing season

question

Apollo

answer

God of light and the sun; truth and prophecy; medicine, healing, and plague; music, poetry, and the arts. Depicted with a lyre and a python.

question

Jupiter

answer

Roman supreme ruler among the Olympians; lord of the skies (Zeus)

question

Imperial cult

answer

the practice in ancient Rome of offering sacrifice to the Emperor to express loyalty to him and Rome

question

Olitorium

answer

granary and market for cereals located close to the forum in Pompeii

question

caupona

answer

wineshop or tavern that also serves food; also correlated with drinking, gambling, prostitution

question

hospitium

answer

hospitality; metonymically, a guest-chamber, inn, quarters.

question

Herm

answer

sculpture with a head, and perhaps a torso, above a plain, usually squared lower section, on which male genitals may also be carved at the appropriate height.

question

oecus

answer

The main living room of a Greek house, introduced to Roman architecture along with the peristyle. Often used for dining.

question

gartibulum

answer

Table often placed at rear of a Roman atrium

question

arca

answer

Strongbox often placed in a Roman atrium

question

andron

answer

Narrow passage between Atrium and Peristylium. (for the Greeks it was a separate dining room only for men)

question

posticum

answer

A house's second, or tradesman's entrance, often at the rear leading out of the peristylum

question

exedra

answer

A recess, usually semi-circular or rectangular in shape, which is usually set into a building's facade or at the rear of a peristyle garden

question

cryptoporticus

answer

covered passageway that often supports palladio structure above ground

question

penates

answer

Roman divinities of the cupboard in a Roman house; protect food and implements of the household.

question

munera

answer

public works or games financed by private weathy individuals in contrast to ludi which are financed by the state

Pompeii and Herculaneum Latin Vocabulary HSC – Flashcards

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