by Douglas Boin
consul
A government executive who served beneath the emperor although largely a ceremonial position. It had existed during the Republican period when the two consuls of Rome acted largely as the government’s chief executives. By the later Empire, it was a political honor to hold the title.
cosmocrator
A Greek word usually used to refer to the Roman emperor’s status as “ruler of the known world.”
diocese
One of twelve super‐provinces created as part of Diocletian’s restructuring of the Roman state in the late third century CE.
domus (plural: domus)
The Latin word for “house.”
dux
The military governor of a province, as opposed to its civilian commander, the praeses.
episcopalis audientia
The Latin phrase for “bishop’s audience,” a legal option for Romans who wished to have their grievances tried by a Christian church official, not by judges in the traditional Roman legal system.
episcopos (plural: episcopoi)
Greek for “overseer,” it later became one of the terms used to designate a “bishop” in the early Christian community. There is no historical evidence for the establishment of any such office prior to the first century CE, however.
epistula (plural: epistulae)
The Latin word meaning “letter,” or piece of correspondence; in a legal context, an emperor’s letter had the force of law.
flamen (plural: flamines)
Provincial priests of Rome’s imperial cult, they oversaw sacrifices and temples for the deified rulers in the capital cities of the provinces where they lived.
gno̵sis
Greek for “knowledge,” it became associated with teachers and holy men who professed to have hidden ideas which only their disciples could understand.
haram
An Arabic word for a “sanctuary,” in general.
hijra
Arabic for “emigration,” this word is commonly used to refer to the occasion in 622 CE when Muhammad left his home in Mecca and journeyed to a new home in Yathrib (Medina).
Ioudaïsmos
A Greek word coined during the late Second Temple period, it is used for the first time in the anonymously written text known as 2 Maccabees and for a second time two hundred years later in Paul’s letter to the Galatians. Often misleadingly translated “Judaism,” it began its life as a contentious term and referred to one specific cultural way of “being Jewish.” It was not an idea with which all Jews in antiquity necessarily identified.
jihad
An Arabic word which expresses the idea of striving, or struggling, for God.
magister officiorum
Master of the Imperial Offices, a chief‐of‐staff figure in the late Roman Empire who oversaw couriers, communications, interpreters, and the emperor’s schedule.
menorah (plural: menarot)
A seven‐branched candlestick which was one of the objects used in Jewish Temple rituals. In the third century CE, it became a popular symbol for Jewish communities looking to reassert their lost connection to the Temple in Jerusalem.
mu’min (plural: mu’minum)
A “Believer,” in Arabic; in the first generations of Muhammad’s movement, the word was overwhelmingly preferred by members inside the group to refer to themselves.
Notitia Dignitatum
This “List of Offices” describes Rome’s governmental structure in both the eastern and western Mediterranean around 400 CE.
oratio
The emperor’s “speech” before the Senate, in which he could articulate new law.
paganus (plural: pagani)
A Latin word which had multiple meanings. It could refer to a “civilian,” the antonym of an “enlisted soldier,” or it could designate “country folk,” an antonym for “city dweller.” In the fourth century, militant followers of Jesus used paganus in the former way: to question the beliefs of other Christians whose cultural compromises they scorned. Only in the fifth century did Christians begin to use the word in the second sense, to refer to their non‐Christian neighbors as “rustics” or “hicks.”
paludamentum
A military cloak sported by Roman emperors in battle.
pietas
Latin noun which encapsulated the idea of devotion to the gods, to one’s family, and to the Roman state. Its Greek equivalent was eusebeia.
pontifex maximus
Latin title held by the emperors to designate their authority as “Chief Priest” of the state.
praefectus urbi
Prefect of the City of Rome, an office akin to mayor.
praeses
The civilian governor of a province, as opposed to its military commander, the dux.
praetorian prefecture
Four administrative regions which were created in the early fourth century CE; their chiefs, called praetorian prefects, functioned as the government oversight for the twelve dioceses.
proseuche (plural: proseuchai)
Greek word for “prayer hall,” it is a common term for Jewish meeting spaces in the Hellenistic and early Roman period.
proskynesis
A Greek word loosely meaning “to kneel down in an act of worship”; it became part of Roman political ritual in the second and third centuries CE and remained a feature of political and diplomatic ritual throughout Late Antiquity.
pseudepigraphic
Adjective used to designate writings which were forged, including texts in the Christian Scripture like the letters of Timothy and Titus, attributed to Paul but which were written later.
qibla
For Muslims, the word that designates the “direction of prayer.”
quaestor sacri palatini
Chief Legal Officer in the Sacred Palace; he heard cases on the emperor’s behalf and met with citizens who petitioned the imperial house.
refrigerium
A funerary banquet at which family and friends gathered at the deceased’s tomb to pour offerings for the dead and commemorate their passing.
religio (plural: religiones)
The set of worship practices that were deemed socially and culturally acceptable to the Roman people and state; its Greek equivalent was threskeia.
saeculum (plural: saecula)
The Latin word for “sacred time” or “age”; Romans used it to refer to an Etruscan religious idea that the lifespan of the world was structured into discrete segments.The end of one unit and the beginning of the next was celebrated as an important event. The deceptively similar English word “secular” is a misleading translation of it since, in antiquity, it denoted a sacred concept.
Sasanians
Rulers who founded a new Persian empire which existed from 224–651 CE.
Second Temple Judaism
The period in Jewish history from 539 BCE–70 CE. It began after the liberation from captivity in Babylon when Jews returned to Jerusalem and began building a Second Temple. (The first had been destroyed by the Babylonians.) It ended in 70 CE when Romans destroyed the Temple.
solidus
A gold coin, also known in Greek as a nomisma. This form of currency was introduced into the Roman economy at the end of the third century CE.
superstitio (plural: superstitiones)
The Latin word which designated those worship practices, rituals, or beliefs which were stigmatized as questionably Roman and were therefore judged to be socially unacceptable.
sura
A “chapter” in the Qur’an.
Tetrarchy
The “Rule of Four” instituted by Diocletian in 293 CE, it was headed by two senior Augustuses (Latin plural: Augusti) and two junior Caesars (Latin plural: Caesares). It became obsolete with the rise of Constantine as sole emperor in 324 CE.
threskeia
The Greek word for “worship,” it held similar connotations as the Latin word religio.
titulus (plural: tituli)
A Latin legal term m
eaning “title,” or “inscription.” It was used to designate properties that had been gifted, or donated, to another person.
umma
Arabic for “community.”
vicarius
The administrative head of a super‐province, or diocese.
vir clarissimus
Gold social status, the lowest tier, among Roman senators.
vir illustris
Platinum social status, the highest achievable, among Roman senators.
vir spectabilis
Silver social status among Roman senators.
Index
‘Abd al‐Malik
Aeneid
Afghanistan
African Red Slip Ware
Agathias
Agrippa
Ahura Mazda, see Zoroastrian beliefs
Alaric
Albertini Tablets
Alciphron
Alexander of Macedon
Alexander Severus
Alexandria
Temple of Serapis
Algeria
amir
amphora
Anaximander
Anaximenes
Anicia Faltonia Proba
Anicia Juliana
Anicius Faustus
Anthemius of Tralles
anthropology
Antichrist
Antioch
Antiochus IV Epiphanes
antiquarianism
Antony
apartments
apocalyptic thinking see also Jesus, Second Coming; prophecies, doomsday angels and demons
“coming of the Hour” in Islam
end times
Last Judgment
1 Enoch
aqueducts
Aquila
Aquitaine
Arabian peninsula, see also Yemen Hijaz region
Mecca
Roman and Sasanian client kings of
Sabaeans
Yathrib (Medina)
Arabic
Aramaic
archaeology, see also Rome; Constantinople used alongside texts for social‐historical precision
Ardashir
Aristotle
Arius
Armenia, kingdom of Aghstk
Ptghni
Armenian Apostolic Church
Armenian (language)
Armitage, David
Asia
Asia Minor
Atatürk, Mustafa Kemal
Athanasius
Athens Acropolis
Agora (classical‐era)
Aristotle’s Lyceum
Late Roman walls
Plato’s Academy
Attila
Augustine of Hippo Confessions
Monica, mother
Augustus
Aurelia Allous
Aurelia Ataris
Aurelian
Avars
Avidius Cassius
Axum
Azerbaijan
Babylon
Baghdad, see also Ctesiphon
bakers
Balkans
Bamiyan Buddhas
Bangladesh
baptistries
basileos
basilicas (Roman law courts) erroneously described as “secular”
models for Christian churches
Bassa
baths and bathing
Beck, Roger
Behistun
“Believers,” the early military campaigns
early prayer towards Jerusalem
fighting for God (jihad)
Berytus
Bible (Christian), see also Revelation (book) Biblical canon
calculation of earth’s age from
differing interpretations of
“Gnostic” gospels
gospel writers
“Mark”
non‐canonical texts
Birmingham, University of
Bishapur
bishop (episkopos), office of bishop of Rome as “pope”
use of the word in Paul vs. later writers
Black Sea
books, see also codex “People of the Book”
supposed preferences for among Christians
Brittain
Brown, Peter
Brumalia
Bryan, Ari
Buddha, followers of, see also Siddhārtha Gautama King Ashoka
“Buddhism” dharma
burials
Byzantine Art and Architecture
Byzantine Empire
Byzantion, see Constantinople
Cadbury, Charles
Cairo
caliph (khalifa)
calligraphy Furius Dionysius Filocalus
Caracalla
Carthage
Caspian Sea
Cassiodorus
Cassius Dio
catacombs
Caucasus Mountains
cemeteries
Cenchreae
“cento” poem
Central Asia
ceramics
Chadwick, Henry
Chalcedon
chariot races and racers
China Chang’an (Xi’an)
Tang dynasty
Christianity, rise of Christianismos (“being openly ‘Christian’”)
mystery cults, alleged influence on
“Christianization,” recommendation to avoid using the word
Christians adapting to Roman values
anxiety about political control of Jerusalem
Christian law
demographics
evangelization
identity disputes among, social
identity disputes among, theological
invention of “New Rome”
Jewish‐Christian‐Muslim relations
Jewish‐Christian relations
militant identity, development of
political activism
visibility of
wealthy status after Constantine
wealthy status before Constantine
Chrysostom, John
church and state
churches, see also basilicas; Jerusalem; titulus Holy Peace (Hagia Eirene), Constantinople
Holy Wisdom (Hagia Sophia), Constantinople
New St. Peter’s, Rome
Old St. Peter’s, Rome
St. Agnes, Rome
St. Polyeuktos, Constantinople
St. Prisca, Rome
St. Sabina, Rome
Sts. Cosmas and Damian, Jerash
St. Sebastian, Rome
Sts. John and Paul, Rome
St. Vitalis, Ravenna
church history
cities urban decay
citizenship, Roman Italian rights
Latin rights
Claudian
Claudius (emperor)
Claudius Ptolemy
Clovis
codex (codices) Ashburnham Pentateuch
codex‐calendar
Vienna Dioscurides
coins
collegium
Collins, John
Colosseum, see Rome, Flavian Amphitheater
communitas
Constantine Arch in Rome
Basilica (law court) in Rome
decision not to built on Temple Mount
Constantinople see also churches Annonae Natalis festival
aqueduct
bakeries
Baths of Zeuxippos
captured by Turks
Constantine’s Forum
hippodrome
houses
palace
prophets of doom
removal of bodies from plague
senate
Temple of Jupiter, Juno, Minerva
Theodosius’ Forum
Constantius II
constitution, Roman
construction industry, metaphor for good governance
contradictions, source
Copperfield, David
Coptic
Coptic Orthodox Church
Cordoba
Corinth
Corripus
Cosmas Indicopleustes Christian Topography
Croatia
Ctesiphon
Cumont, Franz
Cyprian
Crypta Balbi Museum, see Rome
Cybele (Magna Mater)
Cyril
Damascus
Damasus
damnatio ad bestias
Daniel (Jewish prophet)
Danube River
Darius
Decius
Demetrias
democracy, misplaced modern notions of
Diocletian birth and background
edict against followers of Mani
persecution of Christians
Dionysius Exiguus
disease
Donatus
drinking
Dura Europos
earthquakes
economy coins as potential evidence for
leather trade
pawn tickets
trade corridors
edicts, see also legal culture of Galerius
on Maximum Prices
of Milan
of Thessaloniki
Egypt, see also Alexandria Antinoöpolis
Deir el‐Bahari
Fayyum
Ghebel Dokhan
Jeme
Mt. Porphyrites
Oxyrhynchus
Thebes
Egyptomania
Eleusis
Elvira
Emerita
engineering
Ephesos Slope Houses
epigraphy
Ethiopia
eunuchs
Eusebius
Evagrius
extremism, religious militant Christianity
Exuperantius
facts, historical
“Fall of Rome”
Faltonia Betitia Proba
farming metaphor for good governance
