Culture, Unit 1 Flashcards
lararium
shrine to household gods, usually in the atrium
mosaics
floor decorations made up of tiny tiles, common in fancy Roman houses
frescoes
wall paintings, common in fancy Roman houses
forum
center for business, government, and religion
palaestra
exercise area in the thermae, the imperial baths. An open area surrounded by a colonnade.
amphitheater
arena for gladiatorial games
Campania
region of Italy where Pompeii is located
toga
long wool cloth, draped over the body. Togas are only worn by male citizens and their children
tunica
short-sleeved woolen garment reaching to the knees worn by men, women, and children
stola
long dress worn by married women
comitium
town council of 100 men, self-electing. Serve for life
duoviri
two senior officials of a roman town; served as judges in the basilica, elected annually.
basilica
a court house
aediles
town officials who supervised the public markets, the police force, the baths, arenas, water supply, and sewers. Made sure taxes were spent wisely
balnea
Roman baths. public bathing houses
toga candida
special toga worn by Romans seeking election. These togas were rubbed with chalk to make them very white. Toga candida literally means “bright toga.”
hypocaust
underfloor heating found in the baths. The floor was built raised on “pilae” (beams) and a furnace heated air that circulated in the space under the floor. The heat was then drawn up the walls because of carefully placed vents on the roof
strigil
metal scraper used to remove dirt and oil from the skin
tepidarium
warm room at the baths. Bathers typically began in this room to warm up gently
apodyterium
changing room. Bathers left clothes in niches, usually guarded by slaves
frigidarium
cold room in the baths were bathers cooled down
caldarium
hot room in the baths where bathers were cleaned by oil and strigils
ludi magister
teacher of 7-10 year olds; taught reading, Greek, arithmatic. Literally means “master of the school”
grammaticus
teacher of 11-15 year olds; taught Roman and Greek literature
Homer
Greek epic poet studied by Roman school boys
Horace
Roman poet studied by school boys. He invented the term “carpe diem”
paedagogus
a slave who accompanied boys to school and made sure they behaved. Also made sure they completed their homework at home. Ideally, paedagogi were Greek and well-educated so that they could help teach Roman boys Greek, but this wasn’t always the case.
rhetor
teacher for 16-18 year olds, taught the art of public speaking
Vergil
Roman poet who wrote the Aeneid, a national epic of Rome, about the Trojan prince Aeneid who escapes from Troy and travels to Italy, where he settles the area that would later become Rome
stilus
writing implement. It had a pointed end for writing in the wax of a wax tablet and a flat end for smoothing the wax back over
