Terms

Tribune Roman magistrate who represented the plebeians, created in 493 BC after the plebeians abandoned the city in protest against debt and the oppression of the patricians. He could veto the actions of the other magistrates and of the Senate, and his person was... Triumph Ceremony by which Rome publicly honored a victorious general after a campaign of great success; only the Senate could grant it. The procession left the Campus Martius, passed along the Sacred Way and through the Forum, and climbed the Capitol to the temple of... Lupercal Roman festival celebrated every year on February 15 to purify the city and promote health and fertility. Priests called Luperci sacrificed goats and a dog, dressed themselves in the animals' hides, and ran around the hill whipping the people, especially... Senate Assembly made up mostly of former magistrates which, in the Roman Republic, controlled public finances, religious affairs, justice, and foreign and military policy. It had 300 members at the beginning of the Republic, and Julius Caesar enlarged it to 900. It... Capitol Hill in Rome where the temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus stood, built in 509 BC and almost as large as the Parthenon. It was the religious center of the city and a symbol of Rome, and triumphal processions ended there. The Romans saw it as indestructible, an... Augury Sign by which the Romans believed they could read the will of the gods before deciding something. Augurs observed the flight of birds, thunder, and lightning; haruspices examined the entrails of sacrificed animals, and the absence of an important organ was a... Forum Central square of Rome, in the valley between the Capitoline, Palatine, and Quirinal hills, the center of the city's public life. Triumphal ceremonies, elections, assemblies, public speeches, and funerals of nobles were held there; the Rostra, the platform of... Drachma Ancient silver coin of Greek origin, issued by many cities, the Athenian one being the most prestigious, and spread throughout the Hellenistic kingdoms after the conquests of Alexander. It weighed a little over four grams and, at the height of Classical... Proscriptions Official condemnation of people regarded as enemies of the state, who were publicly named on lists and sentenced to death or exile, with their property confiscated. It was used by Sulla, in 82 and 81 BC, and by the Second Triumvirate, in 43 BC, when Octavius,... Eagle Standard of each Roman legion, a silver or bronze eagle with raised wings, associated with Jupiter and carried into battle by an officer, the aquilifer. It had an almost religious importance for the soldier, and losing it was considered grave, shameful, and...