Key Terms: Imperial Rome

Second Triumvirate

The group created by Octavius Caesar and Mark Antony to punish Caesar’s murderers.

Deeds of the Divine Augustus

The text written by Octavius Caesar describing all the things he has accomplished for the Roman Republic. It was found in his tomb.

Augustus

A title that Octavius Caesar gave himself meaning “the revered one”.

Princeps civitatis

A title that Octavius Caesar gave himself meaning “the first citizen”. He was always the first on the Census list.

Pontifex Maximus

A title that Octavius Caesar gave himself meaning “highest pontif”.

Imperator

A title that Octavius Caesar gave himself, meaning a soldier who reports to the Senate, or commander in chief.

Praetorian Guard

Elite units of the Imperial Roman army that Octavius used to enforce his rules.

Julia Augusti

Octavius’ only daughter, who was known for being a sex fiend. He exiles her to an island and is never allowed back in Rome.

Pax Romana

A phrase meaning “Roman Age”, this was a golden age for the Roman Empire.

Mare nostrum

The Roman name for the Mediterranean Sea, meaning “our lake”.

Peutinger Map

A 22 foot long copy of the map of the Roman world during the Pax Romana, where the Mediterranean Sea was depicted as a river used for trade.

Ovid

A poet who did not preach the ideals of Augustus. He is exiled by Augustus.

What were the three texts that Ovid wrote?

“Art of Love”, the “Metamorphosis, and “Robigalia”.

Horace

A poet who was a friend of Augustus. The idea that Cleopatra was a seducing woman comes from this poet.

Livy

A historian who was a patron of Augustus. Only a quarter of his works survive.

Virgil

The most famous patron of Augustus. He wrote the Aeneid, which was essentially the Roman version of the Iliad.

Caligula

An emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty who ordered his army to pick up seashells, and tried to appoint his horse to Senate.

Nero

An emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty who burnt down Roman cities to build his palace. He blames Christians for this.

Colosseum

A large gathering place built during the Flavian Dynasty. It is called this because there was a colossal statue of Nero next to it.

Five Good Emperors

A group of emperors who ruled during the Antonine Dynasty, notably Marcus Aurelius.

Caracalla

An emperor during the Severi Dynasity who declares all people are citizens of the Roman Empire.

Elagabalus

An emperor born of Arabic parents, becoming emperor at 14 years old. He violated sexual taboos and married 4 times. He had male and female lovers, possibly being a transgender woman.

Barracks Emperors

The dynasty that featured emperors fighting each other to gain power.

Imperial Cult

Groups that would practice worship of their imperial leaders.

Vestal Virgins

Women who worshiped the Goddess of the Hearth, Vesta. They were bound by a strict code of chastity.

Pantheon

A massive dome with a hole at the top, a place to celebrate all the gods worshiped.

Seneca

A stoic philosopher who questioned slavery and worked as a tutor for Nero. Nero sentenced this man to slit his wrists, ending his life.

Galen

A roman physician who grew up in Anatolia, working as a caretaker in a gladiator school. He believed in the theory of the Four Humors, adding his theory of the Three Breaths

Tacitus

A patrician historian who had a great ability to be self-critical.

Herod the Great

A Roman king of Judea, who was essentially a puppet. He was an Arab and was seen as “not Jewish enough.” He aggrandized the Second Temple, naming it after himself.

Caesarea

A city built by Herod the Great in Judea.

Zealots

Jewish people who endorsed violence against Gentiles, killing people who did not agree with them.

Essenes

Jewish people who endorsed non-violence. They did not marry or have sex, and cared more about the next world. They practiced their religion in caves around the Dead Sea.

Dead Sea Scrolls

Remnants of the Hebrew Bible and other Apocrypha found in caves around the Dead Sea.

Pharisees

A Jewish sect that advocated for independent roles in Jewish faith. They were frequently shown in the Bible constantly questioning Jesus.

Hillel the Elder

A Jewish leader who summarized the Torah as a text telling to be good to others.

First Jewish Rebellion

A Jewish revolt against the Romans. The Romans march upon Jerusalem and utterly destroy the city, destroying the Second Temple a second time.

Josephus

A historian who is a Roman citizen, but is also a devoted Jew.

Wailing Wall

The only remaining piece of the Second Temple left after the First Jewish Rebellion

Arch of Titus

A monumental arch built by Titus to commemorate his conquering of Jerusalem, featuring a Menorah.

Simon Bar Kokhba

A warlord who claims to be the chosen Messiah. The Christians did not accept him because they knew Jesus was the Messiah.