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Roman's Vocabulary
Term | Definition |
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Republic | a state in which supreme power is held by the people and their elected representatives, and which has an elected or nominated president rather than a monarch. |
Empire | an extensive group of states or countries under a single supreme authority, formerly especially an emperor or empress. |
Legion | a unit of 3,000–6,000 men in the ancient Roman army. |
Patricians | an aristocrat or nobleman. |
Consul | an official appointed by a government to live in a foreign city and protect and promote the government's citizens and interests there. |
Praetor | each of two ancient Roman magistrates ranking below consul. |
Dictator | a ruler with total power over a country, typically one who has obtained power by force. |
Aquaeducts | an artificial channel for conveying water, typically in the form of a bridge supported by tall columns across a valley. |
Veto | an artificial channel for conveying water, typically in the form of a bridge supported by tall columns across a valley. |
Latifundia | a large landed estate or ranch in ancient Rome or more recently in Spain or Latin America, typically worked by slaves. |
Triumvirate | a group of three men holding power, in particular ( the First Triumvirate ) the unofficial coalition of Julius Caesar, Pompey, and Crassus in 60 BC and ( the Second Triumvirate ) a coalition formed by Antony, Lepidus, and Octavian |
Pax Romana | the peace that existed between nationalities within the Roman Empire. |
Currency | a system of money in general use in a particular country. |
Checks & Balances | counterbalancing influences by which an organization or system is regulated, typically those ensuring that political power is not concentrated in the hands of individuals or groups. |
Sicily | Island in southern Italy on the Mediterranean Sea, separated from the Italian mainland by the narrow Strait of Messina. Its capital is Palermo |
Apennines | a mountain range in Italy, extending over 1250 km (800 miles) from the northwest to the southernmost tip of the peninsula |
Latium | is the region of central western Italy in which the city of Rome was founded and grew to be the capital city of the Roman Empire. |
Tiber River | a river in central Italy, rising in the Tuscan Apennines and flowing south through Rome to the Tyrrhenian Sea. |
Etruria | an ancient country located between the Arno and Tiber rivers, roughly corresponding to modern Tuscany in W Italy |
Carthage | an ancient city-state in N Africa, near modern Tunis |
Cannae | an ancient town in SE Italy: Hannibal defeated the Romans here 216 b.c. |
Zama | an ancient town in N Africa, SW of Carthage: the Romans defeated Hannibal near here in the final battle of the second Punic War, 202 b.c. |
Rubicon | a river in N Italy flowing E into the Adriatic. 15 miles (24 km) long: in crossing this ancient boundary between Cisalpine Gaul and Italy, to march against Pompey in 49 b.c., Julius Caesar made a major military commitment. |
Actium | a promontory in NW ancient Greece: Antony and Cleopatra were defeated by Octavian and Agrippa in a naval battle near here in 31 b.c. |
Rhine River | a river flowing from SE Switzerland through Germany and the Netherlands into the North Sea |
Danube River | a river in central and SE Europe, flowing E from southern Germany to the Black Sea. 1725 miles (2775 km) long. |
Puteoli | a city on the coast of Campania, on the north shore of a bay running north from the Bay of Naples, at which Paul landed on his way to Rome, from which it was distant 170 miles. |
Ostia | a town in central Italy, SW of Rome: ruins from 4th century b.c.; site of ancient port of Rome |