by Ben Kane
Praetorians:
historically the escort of an army commander during the Roman Republic. Augustus established a permanent force in 27 BC. Some of the soldiers were stationed in Rome to protect him, but the majority were posted in nearby towns, perhaps because of the political sensitivity of having troops in the capital.
primus pilus:
the senior centurion of the whole legion, and possibly – probably – the senior centurion of the First Cohort. A position of immense importance, it would have been held by a veteran soldier, in his forties or fifties. On retiring, the primus pilus was entitled to admission to the equestrian class. (See also the entry for legion.)
principia:
the headquarters in a Roman camp, to be found at the junction of the via principalis and the via praetoria (see relevant entry). The administrative centre, it was also where the standards of the units in camp were kept. Its grand entrance opened on to a colonnaded and paved courtyard which was bordered on each side by offices. Behind this was a huge forehall with a high roof, which contained statues, the shrine for the standards, a vault for the soldiers’ pay and perhaps more offices. It is possible that parades took place here, and that senior officers addressed their men in the hall.
Rhenus:
the River Rhine.
Rura:
the River Ruhr.
Sala:
the River Saale.
Saltus Teutoburgiensis:
the Latin term for the Teutoburg Forest. It’s possible that the first word may mean other things, such as ‘narrows’.
Samian ware:
the standard glossy red pottery of ancient Rome.
sestertius (pl. sestertii):
a brass coin, it was worth four asses, or a quarter of a denarius, or one-hundredth of an aureus. Its name, ‘two units and a half third one’, comes from its original value, two and a half asses.
shield:
the Roman army shield, or scutum, was an elongated oval, about 1.2 m tall and 0.75 m wide. It was made from two layers of wood, the pieces laid at right angles to each other; it was then covered with linen or canvas, and leather. The shield was heavy, weighing between 6 and 10 kg. A large metal boss decorated its centre, with the horizontal grip placed behind this. Decorative designs were often painted on the front, and a leather cover was used to protect the shield when not in use, e.g. while marching.
signifer (pl. signiferi):
a standard-bearer and junior officer. This was a position of high esteem, with one for every century in a legion. Often the signifer wore scale armour and an animal pelt over his helmet, which sometimes had a hinged decorative face piece, while he carried a small, round shield rather than a scutum. His signum, or standard, consisted of a wooden pole bearing a raised hand, or a spear tip surrounded by palm leaves. Below this was a crossbar from which hung metal decorations, or a piece of coloured cloth. The standard’s shaft was decorated with discs, half-moons, representations of ships’ prows and crowns, which were records of the unit’s achievements and may have distinguished one century from another. (See also the entry for legion.)
spatha:
the Roman cavalry sword, a much longer blade than the gladius.
Styx:
the river in the underworld across which the dead had to travel, paying the ferryman a coin for the passage. The ritual of placing a coin in deceased people’s mouths arose from this myth.
Tamfana:
an ancient German goddess of the trees.
tesserarius:
one of the junior officers in a century, whose duties included commanding the guard. The name originates from the tessera tablet on which was written the password for the day. (See also the entry for legion.)
Tres Galliae:
three of the four Gaulish provinces were ruled by the imperial governor of Germania: Belgica, Lugdunensis and Aquitania.
tribune (in Latin, tribunus):
a senior staff officer within a legion. During Augustus’ rule, the number (six) of tribunes attached to each legion remained the same, but one was more senior than the rest. This tribune, the tribunus laticlavius, was of senatorial rank, and was second-in-command of the legion, after the legate. He was often in his late teens or early twenties, and probably served in the post for one year. The other tribunes, the tribuni angusticlavii, were a little older, and of equestrian stock. They tended to serve in their posts for longer, and to have more military experience. (See also the entry for legion.)
triumph:
the procession in Rome of a general who had won a large-scale military victory. It travelled from the plain of Mars outside the city walls to the temple of Jupiter on the Capitoline Hill.
turmae (sing. turma):
thirty-man cavalry units. In the early principate, each legion had a mounted force of 120 riders. This was divided into four turmae, each commanded by a decurion. There were also 500-man-strong auxiliary cavalry units, called alae, which were commanded by prefects, equestrian officers. (See also the entry for legion.)
Vetera:
Xanten.
via praetoria:
one of the two main roads in any Roman camp. It joined the gateways in the longer sides of the rectangular fort. The other main road was the via principia, which led from the front gate to the principia, in the camp’s centre.
vicus:
the Roman term for a settlement without the status of a town.
Vindonissa:
Windisch.
virtus:
a desired characteristic in ancient Rome. It embodied bravery, excellence and manliness.
Visurgis:
the River Weser.
vitis:
the vine stick carried by centurions. It was used as a mark of rank and also to inflict punishment. See the author’s note for reference to the centurion who was nicknamed ‘Bring me another’.
Vulcan (in Latin, Vulcanus):
a Roman god of destructive fire, who was often worshipped to prevent – fire!
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Epub ISBN: 9781409052227
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Copyright © Ben Kane, 2016
Ben Kane has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988, to be identified as the author of this work.
First published in Great Britain in 2016 by Preface
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