Marcus Agrippa: Right-hand Man of Caesar Augustus by Lindsay Powell Read Free Book Online Page B

govern territories beyond Italy.
    Imperium proconsulare maius – ‘Supreme Power’, originally given to consuls and praetors, including the right to wage war.
    Industria – Roman virtue of working hard.
    Kalendae – ‘Calends’, first day of the month.
    Laudatio – Eulogy.
    Legatus – ‘Deputized’, a handpicked representative of Augustus authorized to carry out his instructions.
    Legatus Legionis – Commander of a legio delegated the imperium by Augustus.
    Legio – Unit of 10 cohortes , approximately 6,000 men ( legiones pl.).
    Libertas – Roman virtue of independence, freedom of speech.
    Libertus – A slave freed by legal process.
    Liburna – ‘Liburnian’, type of ship, usually with two rows of oarsmen.
    Lictor – Bodyguard of a senior magistrate: a consul had 12, a praetor 6, a propraetor 5 and an aedile 2 ( lictores pl.).
    Lituus – Crooked staff used by an augur when interpreting bird flight.
    Lorica hamata – Body armour made of chain or ring mail.
    Lorica squamata – Body armour made of scales attached to a backing of cloth or leather.
    Lorica segmentata – Body armour made of articulated metal plates (a non-Roman term coined in the sixteenth century).
    Ludi – Roman blood games, held for religious observance and increasingly used to further political ends.
    Lustrum – Period of five years.
    Medicus – ‘Medic’, doctor.
    Miles – Common soldier, miles gregarius ( milites pl.).
    Moderatio – ‘Moderation’, Roman virtue of restraint from excess.
    Modius – Measure of grain equivalent to a third of an amphora .
    Mos maiorum – ‘The ways of the elders’, traditional values and forms of worship.
    Munera – Roman blood games held for political and entertainment purposes.
    Municipium – Chartered provincial Roman city.
    Navis longa – ‘Long ship’, name of a bireme or trireme.
    Nobiles – The old families forming Rome’s aristocracy having a member who had served as consul.
    Novus homo – ‘New man’, a man born of non-Roman aristocracy.
    Officium – ‘Service’, the staff – office – responsible for record keeping.
    Oppidum – Town or defensible settlement often on a hill.
    Optmates – Conservative bloc of the Roman senators seeking to preserve the status quo .
    Ovatio – Lower form of triumph awarded to a victorious commander who was permitted to ride on a horse through the streets of Rome.
    Palatinus – Hill in Rome, location of homes for the Roman élite.
    Paterfamilias – Legal master of the household.
    Pietas – Roman virtue of respect for the natural order of things.
    Pilum – Roman javelin used by legionaries ( pila pl.).
    Pompa – Procession in a religious rite or funeral.
    Pompa triumphalis – Full triumph in which the triumphator rode in a chariot followed by floats displaying the captive and spoils of war.
    Pontifex Maximus – ‘Chief bridge builder’ (from pont, Etruscan for ‘road’ * ), chief priest.
    Populares – Progressive bloc of Roman senators seeking to change the status quo.
    Praefectus – ‘Prefect’, senior officer or magistrate.
    Praefectus Castrorum – ‘Camp Prefect’, third in command of a legio.
    Praefectus Equitum – ‘Prefect of Horse’, senior officer in command of a turma.
    Praefectus Praetorio – Commander of the Cohors Praetoria.
    Praepositus – ‘Overseer’, special envoy or governor general.
    Praetor – Senior magistrate responsible for administering law, the ludi and feriae.
    Praetor Urbanus – Chief praetor in charge of administration of law in Rome.
    Praetorium – ‘Praetor’s building’, house of the senior officer of a legio.
    Primus Pilus – ‘First javelin’, the most senior centurio of a legio.
    Princeps – ‘The First One’, the title adopted by Augustus to describe his leadership position.
    Princeps Praetorii – Officer in charge of the army unit’s officium.
    Principalis – Non-commissioned officer of a centuria, e.g. cornicen, signifer ( principales pl.).
    Principia – ‘Front