by Ben Pastor
Diodorus Siculus—Greek historian
Herodotus—Greek historian
Marius Maximus—Roman historian
Pliny the Younger—Roman governor and writer, friend of Emperor Trajan
Romulus—legendary founder of Rome; he kidnapped women from the nearby Sabine tribe as wives for his men
Tranquillus Suetonius—Roman historian
Xerxes—ancient Persian king, believed to have buried an immense treasure
Zenobia—Middle-Eastern warrior queen, first an ally, then an enemy of Rome
The Ranks
Domine—imperial form of address, from Dominus = Lord
Epistrategos—governor general (of Egypt)
Legatos—a Greek term with many meanings: envoy, commander, lieutenant-general, ambassador
Princeps—Latin for army leader, head of a specific unit, but also prince, and nobleman
Strategos—Greek for commander, general; in Roman Egypt, also an administrator
Tribune—Roman army colonel, regimental commander
Comes—Roman generalissimo; precursor of the medieval “count”
The Places
Antinoopolis/Antinoe——vanished city along the Nile, named after Hadrian’s favorite
Aspalatum—today’s Split, city in Croatia
Baiae—resort town near Naples, where Hadrian died
Bithynia—a Roman province in what today is northern Turkey
Brigetio—Szony, a city in today’s Hungary
Commagene—ancient province in today’s southern Turkey, toward Syria
Crocodilopolis—Egyptian town, named after the sacred crocodiles
Cynopolis—Egyptian town, named for sacred hounds
Dacia Malvensis—Roman province, covering parts of today’s Romania and Hungary
Dalmatia—Roman province, today’s Croatian coast
Heptanomia—“the seven provinces,” a Roman subdivision of Egypt
Leontopolis—Egyptian town, named after the lion
Moesia—Roman province, occupying part of today’s eastern Romania
Nicomedia—Diocletian’s eastern capital, in today’s Turkey
Oxyrhynchus——Egyptian town, named after a bony fish of the Nile
Pannonia—Roman province, more or less covering the area of today’s Hungary
Parthia—Land south of the Caspian Sea, due east of today’s Iraq
Praeneste—today’s Plaestrina, historical town near Rome
Tibur—today’s Tivoli, near Rome, where are the much-visited ruins of Hadrian’s great villa
Zeugma—a city in Commagene
The Ships’ Names
Fortuna Isiaca—Isis’s Luck
Felicitas Annonae—Prosperity of Provisions
Felicitas Augustorum Nostrorum—Our Emperors’ Welfare
Penthesilea—Queen of the Amazons
Pietas Augustorum Nostrorum—Our Emperors’ Mercy
Lamprotate—The Shining One
Thetis—A sea nymph
Tyche—Fortune
The Measures
artaba—Egyptian dry measure unit, about 1 1/6 bushels
denarius—in Roman Egypt, a coin worth 4 drachmas
drachma—a Greek silver coin, 3.5 grams in weight, used in Roman Egypt
modius—grain measure, equivalent to a peck
Greek and Roman Expressions
Anamnesis—Greek for “recollection”
Chios—a high quality Greek wine
gravitas—severity
lousorion—midsized cargo ship
Ludus Magnus—principal gladiators’ training school in Rome
Mundus Patet, Supplicia Canum—holidays: Opening of the Afterworld; Execution of the Hounds
nome—one of thirty Egyptian administrative divisions, each headed by a strategos
plintheion—briCk house or city block
restitutor exerciti—imperial title, “He who rebuilt the army”
Sacrificatus, Thurificatus, Libellaticus—terms indicating those who recanted Christianity during persecution: by offering a sacrifice to the gods, by burning incense to them, and by recanting in writing
Selecti Alae Ursicianae—Chosen Unit of the Bear-Standard Regiment, Aelius's bodyguard
salus Imperii—safety and well-being of the empire
servus villicus—a slave employed in a country estate
si monumentum quaeris, circumspice—saying, “If you seek something large, look around”
tranquillitas nostra—Diocletian’s definition of his reign, as “our age of tranquility”
P R I N C I P A L R O M A N E M P E R O R S
b.c.e.— before common erac.e.— common era
(The dates indicate years of reign)
Aaugustus 31 b.c.e.–14 c.e.
Tiberius 14–37 c.e.
Caligula 37-41 c.e.
Claudius 41-54 c.e.
Nero 54-68 c.e.
Vespasian 69-79 c.e.
Titus 79-81 c.e.
Domitian 81-96 c.e.
Trajan 98-117 c.e.
Aelius Hadrian 117-138 c.e.
Antoninus Pius 138-161 c.e.
Marcus Aurelius 161-180 c.e.
Commodus 180-192 c.e.
Septimius Severus 193-211 c.e.
Caracalla 211-217 c.e.
Helagabalus 218-222 c.e.
Severus Alexander 222-235
Gordian I, II, III 238-244 c.e.
Valerian 253-260 c.e.
Aurelian 270-275 c.e.
Carus, Carinus, Numerianus 282-285 c.e.
Diocletian 284-305 c.e.
Maxentius 306-312 c.e.
Constantine 306-337 c.e.
BEN PASTOR was born in Rome, but her career as a college teacher and writer requires that she diivide her time between the United States and Italy, where she is now doing research. Author of the internationallly acclaimed Martin Bora war mysteries, she begins with Aelius Spartianus a new series of thrilling tales. In addition to the United States, her novels are published in Italy, Germany, Spain, Poland, and the Czech Republic.
