Roman History, Latin, and Classical Mythology Certamen Review

A set of vocabulary flashcards covering Roman political terms, official titles, legal measures, religious offices, vestments, and key historical terms from the Certamen transcript.

Teutoberg Forest

The battle in 9 AD in which the Germanic leader Arminius annihilated three Roman legions commanded by Quinctilius Varus.

Cherusci

The Germanic tribe to which the leader Arminius belonged.

Caligae

The sturdy footwear or boots worn by Roman soldiers.

Mullei

The distinctive red or purple shoes worn by Roman magistrates.

Perones

A type of simple Roman shoe crafted from a single continuous strip of leather.

Ancile

The sacred shield of Mars that fell from heaven during the reign of Numa Pompilius, who had eleven identical copies made to protect it.

Toga Pulla

A dark mourning toga worn by an individual grieving the death of a relative.

Toga Picta

An ornate, embroidered toga worn by a victorious Roman general during a triumph.

Paludamentum

A distinctive military cloak or cape worn by a Roman commanding general.

Alea Iacta Est

The Latin phrase meaning 'the die is cast,' famously uttered by Julius Caesar when crossing the Rubicon in 49 BC according to Suetonius.

Elegabalus

The Roman emperor who transported a sacred black conical stone representing his deity from the Syrian city of Emesa to Rome.

Horatius Cocles

The one-eyed Roman soldier who defended the Pons Sublicius against the advancing army of Lars Porsenna.

Cloelia

A Roman hostage who escaped the camp of Lars Porsenna by swimming across the Tiber River.

Edict of Toleration

An edict issued in 311 AD by the eastern Augustus Galerius ending the imperial persecution of Christians.

Treaty of Apamea

The treaty concluded following Roman victories at Thermopylae and Magnesia that brought an end to the war with Antiochus III of the Seleucid Empire.

Licinian Rogations

A series of laws passed in 367 BC (also known as the Lex Licinia Sextia) that opened the Roman consulship to plebeians and required one consul to be plebeian.

Lex Hortensia

The law passed in 287 BC that made plebiscites binding upon all Roman citizens, effectively concluding the Conflict of the Orders.

Lex Ogulnia

A law passed in 300 BC that opened Roman priesthoods to the plebeian class.

Didius Julianus

The wealthy senator who purchased the Roman Empire from the Praetorian Guard at an auction for 25,000 sesterces per guardsman in 193 AD.

Adlectio

The formal nomination process used by Vespasian under censorial power to directly enroll new members into the Roman Senate.

Proscriptions

Publicly posted lists of political opponents condemned to death and property confiscation under the dictatorship of Sulla.

Praefectus Annonae

The Roman prefect responsible for administering and supervising the grain supply of the city.

Praefectus Fabrum

The Roman military official appointed in charge of military engineers and artisans.

Byrsa

The central citadel of Carthage, named after the ox hide that Queen Dido cut into thin strips to encircle the territory.

Dominus et Deus

The autocratic imperial title meaning 'Lord and God,' assumed by the emperor Domitian.

Damnatio Memoriae

The official senatorial condemnation of an individual's memory, resulting in their name and likeness being erased from all public monuments and accounts.

Colonia Commodiana

The Latin name given to the city of Rome by Emperor Commodus when he renamed the city after himself.

Aelia Capitolina

The Roman colony founded by Hadrian at the site of Jerusalem, which served as a major catalyst for the Bar-Cochba revolt.

Pact of Brundisium

The agreement concluded in 40 BC between Octavian, Mark Antony, and Lepidus that renewed the Second Triumvirate.

Treaty of Misenum

The pact concluded in 39 BC between the Second Triumvirate and Sextus Pompey to cease the naval blockade of Italy and restore grain shipments.

Sporus

The servant boy whom Nero had castrated and married as an empress, who was later inherited by Nymphidius Sabinus and Otho.

Acta Est Fabula

The Latin expression meaning 'the story is finished,' traditionally reported as the final deathbed words of Augustus.

Suovetauralia

An ancient sacred purification sacrifice consisting of a pig, a ram, and a bull, instituted by King Servius Tullius at the close of the census.

Flamen Dialis

The senior high priest of Jupiter at Rome, distinguished by wearing a spiked cap (apex) and strictly forbidden from riding a horse.

Salii

The archaic collegium of twelve 'jumping priests' dedicated to Mars who performed ritual armed dances carrying the ancilia.

Quindecimviri

The Roman priestly college of fifteen men charged with guarding, consulting, and interpreting the Sibylline Books.

Antinous

The Bithynian youth and favorite companion of Hadrian who drowned in the Nile River, prompting Hadrian to deify him and found a city in his name.

Mons Graupius

The site of the 84 AD battle in northern Britain where the Roman governor Agricola defeated the Caledonian confederacy led by Calgacus.

Platorius Nepos

The Roman governor of Britain during the reign of Hadrian who supervised the construction of the 80-mile stone wall stretching from the Solway Firth to the River Tyne.

Camilla

The Volscian warrior maiden in Vergil's Aeneid who was suckled by a mare, dedicated to Diana, and slain by Arruns in Book XI.