Definitions Flashcards
Pater familias
Man - Head of the household
Which story shows Pomerium?
Romulus and Remus
Pomerium
Sacred nature of safety of the city
How does Romulus and Remus show Pomerium?
Remus taunts Pomerium by jumping over the city wall Romulus is building. Romulus needed to be understood as pater familias so had to kill Remus for defiling the sacred nature of the city
Imperium
Legal authority over Roman citizens
Euergetism
The wealthy/ elite would gift the town monuments etc in return for public honour
Forum Boarium
The first market for Rome, the cattle market
What did Pliny the Elder write?
The natural history of Rome
Who was Pliny the Elder?
A senator and statesman
How does Pliny the Elder describe Rome?
As a series of monuments
Domus
Elite houses built on hillsides on top of Rome
Insulas
Apartment like complexes for less wealthy to live in - not independent structures
What did the less wealthy live in?
Insulas
What did the more wealthy live in?
Domus
What did the less wealthy have to build in their houses?
Hearths
Who is Vitruvius?
A roman architect who wrote about design
Tablinum
A room next to the atrium and opposite the entrance to a house - essential to presentation of elite hosuehold
What room was essential to the presentation of an elite household?
Tablinum
Gens
Roman word for a kinship group
Patricians
Traced their history all the way back to Romulus
Plebians
Roman but not historical
What is the new man concept?
The idea that slowly the wealthiest of the plebians become members of the aristocracy
Imagines
wax death masks of the deceased
Who typically wore imagines?
Slaves
Columbarium
A mock household that represents the burial site for the family
What do families do at the columbarium?
Offer sacrifices
Necropolis
Ancient burial ground “city of the dead”
Where does columbarium take place?
At the necropolis
Pietas
Respect for your family (Including dead family members)
Marcus Tullius Cicero - what is each part of the name?
Tullius - family name of the gens
Marcus - praenomen
Cicero - cognomen
Praenomen
A person’s first or personal name
Cognomen
A nickname/ third personal name passed down from father to son
Cnaeus Cornelius Scipio Africanus - name parts
Cnaeus - praenomen
Cornelius - gens name
Africanus - he was a commander during a campaign in North Africa
Scipio - his father had created a name for himself
Pietas
Religious respect of one’s family
Which story shows Pietas?
Aeneas fleeing Troy with his dad over one shoulder and household Gods under one arm, his son clings to his robe. His wife is separated and killed - leads to him remarrying
Who is given the title Pater Patriae?
Augustus
Pater Patriae
Father of the country
Alumnus
Adopting children from other families
Patria Potestas
Wives follow the rules of their fathers, not their husbands
Marriage in Manus
Rare marriage where husband is given authority over the wife rather than the father
Dowry
Transfer of property/ status from wife’s family to husband at time of marriage
Usufruct
Allowed someone to benefit from someone else’s property/ wealth for a period of time
Husband’s usufruct ownership of land
Husband is allowed to benefit from wife’s property/ slaves/ land, but she retains ownership of it all incase he dies or divorces.
Patron
Wealthy elite member of society who mentors less wealthy
Client
Follows and learns from the more wealthy in society
Matrona
When men are absent from the household, women take over their clients and fill in as a patron
What is the chief value that women represented in society?
Pudicitia
Pudicitia
Sexual chastity of a woman
Virtus
The concept of manliness - bravery on battlefield and internal excellence
Tarpeia
The woman who opens the gates to the Sabine soldiers during Livvy’s early Roman history
Ius Osculum
“Polite kiss on the cheek”
Alia Potestas
Authority of the matrona - women are involved in management of the family household, property and clients - celebrated in society
Lex oppia
A wealth tax that restricted women on what they could wear
What were women restricted to wear/ do through Lex Oppia?
More than half an ounce of gold, purple and blue robes, also couldn’t ride horses through the city
Bona Dea
The good goddess - a set of religious rituals enacted by elite women - no men allowed
Where was the Bona Dea held?
The Pontifex Maximus
Pontifex maximus
The priests house
Meretrix
Prostitute
Infamais
Degraded status because of their occupation
Examples of Infamais
Prostitutes
Slaves
Anyone with no legal personality in Roman law
Coriolanus
Roman general from 5th century BC
Volumnia
Wife of Coriolanus - actress and dancer
Galen
Professional physician
Amanuensis
A specialised slave, like a personal secretary
What does Amenuensis highlight?
The difference between the free and slaves
Res Mortalis
Slaves are property with a life span/ talking tools
Familia
Slaves are described as familia - a group of people who descend from the same place
Pedanius Secundus
Murdered by one of his slaves during the reign of Nero
Peculium
An allowance that domestic slaves get from their masters that they would typically save up to buy their freedom
Latifundia
Plantation style estates run by slaves that most slaves outside of the city were a part of
Delos
Island in the Greek east where there was a lively slave market - slaves from eastern Europe gather here to be shipped off to larger cities.
Mos maiorum
The habits you have are a reflection on your ancestry
What proportion of slaves are male?
2/3
Paedogogus
A typically male slave that was educated enough to take on the role of tutor for children (free and slaves) in the household.
Amanuensis
Highly trained literate and educated slave that was like a personal assistant
Temperantia
Your ability to self control
Quote which shows Temperantia
“A philosopher should own slaves because it is a test of your restraint”