Roman History Required Terms 3

Res Gestae Divi Augusti

The acts of the divine Augustus. This is basically an autobigraphy of Agustus. The primary purpose was to outline Augustus to all of Roman culture and poltics. The original copy was written on bronze tablets which were placed in front of the Mausoleum of Augustus. Another copy was discovered on the side of a temple that was dedicated to Rome and the deified Augustus in Turkey.

Clipeus Virtutum

This was a golden sheild that was displayed in the senate house given to Augustus. This was given to him because of his courage, clemency, justice, and loyalty.

Auctoritas

This means authority, was the unoffical power an arisocrat held because of their service to the state, it gave their opinion weight. They couldn’t order magistrates around but their general standing was higher than someone who didn’t have auctoritas.

Potestas

The power based on magistracies.

Laurel Crown

This was a circular wreath that was made using laurel leaves anf was worn by victorious generals.

Imperium Proconsulare

Imperium of an ex-consul in a specific province.

Legatus

Commander of a legion

Senatorial Provinces

2 consuls and 8 praetores, so there were 10 sentatoral provinces. These were the safest and most Romainized provinces.

Imperial Provinces

The consular provinces tended to be the most militarized, the praetorian provinces were often militarized as well but were usually more removed from the frontiers.

Tribunican Power

This was the equalent of holding the office as tribune. This was a low ranking post that didn’t grant imperium. Tribunes couldn’t be intenionally attacked, harmed or killed. There was also power within the sentate including veto power, right to convene senate meetings, and could propose laws.

Pontifex Maximus

Chief priest of Rome.

Pater Patriae

Father of my country.

Ara Pacis

This was a special altar dedicated to peace. This was used to commemorate Augustan peace.

Statio

This means position.

Aeneid

This was a book of poems written by Virgil.

Deification

This is the process where the sentate voted to make the deceased a god.

Recusatio

The refuse of power in order to be deemed worth of power

Maiestas

This is a term that means treason.

Praetorian Guard

This was the personal body guard of the emperor. Augustus created this early in this reign, orginally there were nine cohorts of 500 men each. These soliders were housed in private homes in Latium and Etruia.

Praetorian Prefect

The was the commander of the Praetorian Guard.

Imperatorial Salutation

The accumulation of imperatorial salutation was used as a gauge of how successful an emperor was in war.

Domus Aurea

This means golden house, this was a structure built after the fire in AD 64. It extended from the palatine hill to the slopes of the Equesline hill. The palace was short lived and the palace had many works of art.

Acclamation

This was part of a two step process to make emperors. Acclamation is done by the soliders. Acclmation and investure could happen almost at the same time.

Investiture

This was part of a two step process to make emperors. Investiture is done by the senate. Acclmation and investure could happen almost at the same time.

Lex de Imperio

This means the law of investiture.

Colosseum

This was an ampitheater, named after a colossusal statue of Apollo. Vespasian took personal land of the emperor and turned it into public for all Roman people.

Vesuvius

This is a volcano that erupted in AD 79 that destroyed several towns including Pompeii. This eruption happened during the reign of Titus.

Damnation Memoriae

This was the condemnation of memory. Emperor’s names would be erased from public mounments and statues would be destroyed or recarved.

Masada

This was a fortress on a clifftop used in Judaea.

Dacians

Adoptive Succession

This new ideology stressed how the successor should be chosen from the whole state.

Dynastic Sucession

This was when sucession went to someone in the current emperor’s family.

Pietas

This was the duty to become emperor. Trajan sited he became emperor out of pietas for this father who was commander-in-chief and emperor.

Panegyric

This was a speech of praise. Pliny the Younger delivered a panegryic in praise of Trajan.

Trajan’s Column

The Historia Augusta

This is a historical work, that reports many of the details surrounding the contraversy of Hadrain’s adpotion. This is problematic, howver, because it claims to be the work of a number of authors in the late 4th early 5th centuries AD. This is false, this was written by one person about a century later. There is also heavy plargraizes earlier works and invents his own facts on occaition. This is still valuable as a source since it’s based on works that no longer exist.

Hadrian’s Wall

This was a wall across the whole of northern Britian. This went against the traditional thinking of Roman policy. The wall was a great defense but it also put a limit on the empire. This was a boundary between Roman and non-Roman. Traditionally the Romans were all about expanding to new territory.