GLOSSARY

Aba, Abaya	The abaya "cloak", sometimes also called an aba, is a simple, loose over-garment, essentially a robe-like dress, worn by some women in parts of North Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. Traditional abayat are black and may be either a large square of fabric draped from the shoulders or a long caftan. The abaya covers the whole body except the face, feet, and hands.
Ablutium	Bathroom
Aedicula	An aedicula (plural aediculae) is a small shrine.
Al siq	al-Siq (translated: the shaft) is the main entrance to the ancient city of Petra in southern Jordan. The dim, narrow gorge (in some points no more than 3 m wide) winds its way approximately 1.2 km (about one mile) and ends at Petra's most elaborate ruin, Al Khazneh (The Treasury).
Al Uzza	Al-‘Uzzá was the chief goddess worshipped by the Nabataeans, who (eventually) equated her with the Greek goddess Aphrodite Ourania (Roman Venus Caelestis).
Alae	Roman auxiliary cavalry.
Alkanet	Root used in Roman cosmetics for a bright red stain on the lips.  It was also used as an abortifacient.
Arab el-Hajaya	Jordan - Area - Tribal area
Ares	Greek god of war. Roman Mars.
Atrebati	Celtic tribe - The Atrebates of Southern Britain. Inhabiting a region now contained within the modern county of Berkshire, and including the northern parts of Wiltshire, Hampshire and Surrey. Their tribal capital was situated at Calleva Atrebatum, today known as Silchester in Hampshire
Aureus	The aureus (pl. aurei "golden") was a gold coin of ancient Rome valued at 25 silver denarii.
Auspex	Army chaplain/priest.
Auxiliary	Non-Roman troop conscripted and attached to Legions
Bab al-sirr	Traditional Arabic houses sometimes have a "Bab Al-Sirr": a secret door used as an emergency exit built into the walls and hidden with a window sill or a bookcase. The name comes from one of the six gates cut through an ancient wall in Aden (in modern-day Yemen), which was opened only in the event of a state security emergency.
Bean Shidhe	Or ‘woman of the fairy mounds’ is a female spirit in Scottish  mythology, usually seen as an omen of death or a messenger from the Otherworld. (also spelled bean- shìth). Banshee.
Bétyle	The Nabataeans venerated their deities in betyls (aniconic stone slabs). The betyl indicates the divine presence of whatever deity is being represented, and is not restricted to Dushara and Al-Uzza.
Bilbilis	Roman city near modern Calatayud
Bisht	A bisht is a traditional Arabic men’s cloak. It is essentially a flowing outer cloak made of wool, worn over the thobe. Unlike the thobe, the bisht is soft, and it is usually black, brown, beige, cream or grey in colour. As winters are warm in this region, the bisht is usually only worn for prestige on special occasions such as weddings, or festivals.
Brecks	Trousers.
Buccina	A buccina is a brass instrument used in the ancient Roman army similar to the Cornu. An aeneator who blew a buccina was called a "buccinator" or "bucinator". The buccina was used for the announcement of night watches and various other purposes in the camp.
Caesaraugusta	Roman city.  Celtiberian capital of the Lusone tribal area.  Modern Zaragoza.  Built on the Ebro River at the confluence of the Huerva and the Gallego.
Caledonia	Roman Scotland
Caligai.	Roman army shoes/sandals
Calleva Atrebatum	Silchester, Hampshire (territory of the Atrebati).
Caracca	Iberian city, modern Guadalahara
Carpentum	Covered wagon, wooden or curtained, used mainly by women.  Because wheeled vehicles were unlawful in many areas of Roman cities, the smaller of these vehicles could be detached and carried as a litter.
Carra	Small wagon popular with Celtic people. Small carriage.
Casa	Residence.
Castrum	The Latin word castra, with its singular castrum, was used by the ancient Romans to mean buildings or plots of land reserved to or constructed for use as a military defensive position.
Cenarium	Small dining room
Centuria	Approximately 80 men.
Cingulum	Roman army sword belt, made from brass and leather shingles, two straps.
Cohort	Approximately 480 men.
Compluvium	A space left unroofed over the court of a Roman dwelling, through which the rain fell into the impluvium or cistern.
Contubernium	Modern squad or octet.  Eight men.
Curia	A curia, plural curiae, is an assembly, council, or court, in which public, official, or religious issues are discussed and decisions made. In ancient Rome, the councils met in order to confirm the election of magistrates, witness the installation of priests, the making of wills, and adoptions. The word curia also came to be applied to meeting places where various assemblies gathered, especially the meeting house of the senate.
Decimation	A form of military discipline used by senior commanders in the Roman Army to punish capital offences such as mutiny or desertion. The word decimation is derived from Latin meaning "removal of a tenth". The procedure was a pragmatic attempt to balance the need to punish serious offences with the practicalities of dealing with a large group of offenders A cohort selected for punishment by decimation was divided into groups of ten; each group drew lots (Sortition), and the soldier on whom the lot fell was executed by his nine comrades, often by stoning or clubbing. The remaining soldiers were often given rations of barley instead of wheat for a few days, and required to camp outside the marching camp. Because the punishment fell by lot, all soldiers in the group were eligible for execution, regardless of the individual degree of fault, or rank and distinction, unless rigged to eliminate the mutiny ringleaders. The leadership was usually executed independently of the one in ten deaths of the rank and file.
Deva	Chester, Cheshire
Durocornovium	Dunstable, Bedfordshire.
Dushares	Also transliterated as Dusares, a deity in the ancient Middle East worshipped by the Nabataeans at Petra and Madain Saleh (of which city he was the patron). He was mothered by Manat the goddess of fate. In Greek times, he was associated with Zeus because he was the chief of the Nabataean pantheon as well as with Dionysus. His sanctuary at Petra contained a great temple in which a large cubical stone was the centrepiece.
Dux	Latin equivalent in this sense as Duke.  High ranking nobility.
First File Centurion	The rank of centurion was an officer rank that included many grades, meaning centurions had very good prospects for promotion. The most senior centurion in a legion was known as the primus pilus (first file or spear), who directly commanded the first century of the first cohort and commanded the whole first cohort when in battle. Within the second to tenth cohorts, the commander of each cohort's first century was known as a pilus prior and was in command of his entire respective cohort when in battle. The seniority of the pilus prior centurions was followed by the five other century commanders of the first cohort, who were known as primi ordines.
Flagrum	A scourge is a whip or lash, especially a multi-thong type, used to inflict severe corporal punishment or self-mortification on the back.
Flammeum	Bride’s red veil.
Gallego	Major river of the Ebro valley, flowing from the north at Zaragoza
Gallia Belgica	(Sometimes given as Belgica Prima) was a Roman province located in what is now the southern part of the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, northeastern France, and western Germany. According to Julius Caesar, the border between Gallia and Belgica was formed by the Marne and the Seine and that with Germania by the Rhine. The area is the historical heart of the Low Countries, a region corresponding roughly to the current Benelux group of states, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg as well as the French Flanders and some part of the Rhineland.
Gaul	Modern France, Belgium, Luxembourg and western Germany.  The southernmost province was Gallia Aquitania which bordered Hispania along the Pyrenees.
Gens Togata	People, or men of the toga. The implementation of the toga, with its capacity to change, demonstrates rank and status and the ways in which elements of adornment could be used to assert, defend, and manipulate identities in response to changing political and social circumstances. As a tool for maintaining order by demonstrating legitimacy, the changeable toga was adopted by Augustus as he and members of Rome's elite each negotiated his own place in the Roman world.
Germania	Traditionally the area west of the Rhine toward Russia, in the first century the active and volatile front was closer to the modern border of Belgium and France.
Ghutrah	The keffiyeh/kufiya, also known as a ghutrah, is a traditional Arab headdress fashioned from a square, usually cotton, scarf. It is typically worn by Arab men. It is commonly found in arid regions to provide protection from direct sun exposure, as well to protect the mouth and eyes from blown dust and sand.
Gladius  Gladii	Relatively short, sharply pointed sword of the roman infantry. Particularly efective as a stabbing weapon in close combat where longer swords cannot be swung.
Glevum	Gloucester, Gloucestershire.
Gnaeus Julius Agricola	Gnaeus Julius Agricola (June 13 40 – August 23 93) was a Roman general responsible for much of the Roman conquest of Britain. Born to a noted political family, Agricola began his military career in Britain, serving under governor Gaius Suetonius Paulinus. His subsequent career saw him serve in a variety of positions; he was appointed quaestor in Asia province in 64, then Plebeian Tribune in 66, and praetor in 68. He supported Vespasian during the Year of the Four Emperors (69), and was given a military command in Britain when the latter became emperor. When his command ended in 73 he was made patrician in Rome and appointed governor of Gallia Aquitania. He was made consul and governor of Britannia in 77. While there, he conquered much of what is now Wales and northern England, and ventured briefly into lowland Scotland.
Hera	Hera is the wife and one of three sisters of Zeus in the Olympian pantheon of Greek mythology and religion. Her chief function is as the goddess of women and marriage. Her counterpart in the religion of ancient Rome was Juno. The cow, lion and the peacock are sacred to her. Hera's mother is Rhea and her father Cronus. Portrayed as majestic and solemn, often enthroned, and crowned with the polos (a high cylindrical crown worn by several of the Great Goddesses), Hera may bear a pomegranate in her hand, emblem of fertile blood and death and a substitute for the narcotic capsule of the opium poppy. Hera was known for her jealous and vengeful nature, most notably against Zeus's lovers and offspring, but also against mortals who crossed her, such as Pelias. Paris offended her by choosing Aphrodite as the most beautiful goddess, earning Hera's hatred.
Hispania Tarraconensis	Northernmost of three provinces in first century Spain, covering the area from the Pyrenees Mountains, and south in a rough line from Vigo to Toledo down to Almeria.
Hookahs	A hookah, also known as a waterpipe, is a single- or multi-stemmed instrument for smoking in which the vapor or smoke is passed through a water basin (often glass-based) before inhalation. When a waterpipe is used to produce smoke (as is common in the Arab States of the Persian Gulf), it is usually referred to as a hookah, which means "jar" in Arabic.
Huerva	Major river of the Ebro valley, flowing from the south at Zaragoza.
Iberia	Greek name for Spain/Portugal.  Latin Hispania.
Iberus	Ebro River, Aragon, Spain.
Ilerda	Iberian city.  Modern Lleida.  Centre of a separate autonomous municipium.
Isis-Al Uzza	Isis as the goddess Al Uzza
Isis-Mut	Isis as Mutt, the all mother goddess.
Jabal Habees	Al- Habees Fortress in Petra
Jalon	Major river off Ebro, running from the south.
Khameez	A traditional dress worn by both women and men. Shalwar are loose pajama-like trousers. The legs are wide at the top, and narrow at the ankle. The kameez is a long shirt or tunic. The side seams, left open below the waist-line, give the wearer greater freedom of movement.
Khat.	Khat (Catha Edulis) is a flowering plant native to the Horn of Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. Among communities from these areas, khat chewing has a long history as a social custom dating back thousands of years. Khat contains a monoamine alkaloid called cathinone, an amphetamine-like stimulant, which is said to cause excitement, loss of appetite and euphoria.
Ksirakakoli	Latin name: : Fritillaria roylai The bulb is antiasthmatic, antirheumatic, febrifuge, galactogogue, haemostatic, ophthalmic and oxytocic. The plant is used to massage people with swelling of the joints caused by arthritis. It reduces the inflammation and injury, relieves and reduces swelling, bruises and pain in joints. Cools the skin, revitalizes circulation and stimulates oxygenation.
Lectus	Whilst eating their meals wealthy Romans reclined on sumptuous couches of a semicircular form, around a table which was of the same shape. This type of chair, or couch was called a lectus. The lectus, or couch, or bed, was perhaps the most important item of Roman style furniture which was used for sleeping, sitting, relaxing or eating. The lectus had a wooden frame with leather straps that held a mattress stuffed with straw or wool or feathers. At one end of the lectus there was always an arm although many of theses couches also had backs and two arms. The lectus was made even more comfortable by the addition of pillows, cushions and a coverlet made using the finest fabrics. The legs of the lectus were often expensively decorated with  precious metals and made of ivory. Mention is made even of frames of solid silver. The meal time custom of reclining was introduced from the nations of the east, and was at first adopted only by the men, but afterwards allowed also to the women. For the poor, or informal meals, food was eaten from normal tables and chairs.
Locus Consularis	The place appointed for the chief person of the company.
Londinium	London.
Lupae	Prostitute.  One of forty names for prostitute, each describing the service.  Rumoured to have strange nocturnal powers and particularly gifted in oral stimulation. Justicia’s travelling priestesses are a complete fiction, not typical of lupae at all. Luc actually points this out to Maia, but the question has been raised with me by readers.
Lupercalia	The Lupercalia festival was celebrated on February 15th, partly in honour of Lupa, the she-wolf who suckled the infant orphans, Romulus and Remus, the founders of Rome, explaining the name of the festival, Lupercalia, or "Wolf Festival."
Lutetia	Paris.
Mandvessedum Manumission	Mancetter, Warwickshire. Freeing of a slave.
Mediolanum	Whitchurch, Shropshire
Messalina	Valeria Messalina, sometimes spelled Messallina, (c. 17/20–48) was the third wife of the Roman Emperor Claudius. She was also a paternal cousin of the Emperor Nero, second cousin of the Emperor Caligula, and great-grandniece of the Emperor Augustus. A powerful and influential woman with a reputation for promiscuity, it was claimed that she conspired against her husband and was executed when the plot was discovered. Her notorious reputation is arguably the result of political bias. It has been perpetuated by works of art and literature into modern times. With her accession to power, Messalina enters history with a reputation as ruthless, predatory and sexually insatiable. Her husband is represented as easily led by her and unconscious of her many adulteries until informed that she had gone so far as to marry her latest lover, the Senator Gaius Silius in 48. The Roman Senate then ordered that Messalina's name be removed from all public or private places and all statues of her taken down (damnatio memoriae).
Milites Gregarii	Non-noble men-at-arms. General soldiers.
Nafud	An Nafud or Al-Nefud is a desert in the northern part of the Arabian Peninsula, occupying a great oval depression. It is 290 km (180 miles) long and 225 km (140 miles) wide, with an area of 103,600 km² (40,000 square miles). The Nafud is an erg, noted for its sudden violent winds, which account for the large crescent-shaped dunes. The sand in the Nafud is a brick reddish color. Rain comes once or twice a year. In some lowland areas, namely those near the Hejaz Mountains, there are oases where dates, vegetables, barley, and fruits are raised. The Nefud is connected to the Rub' al Khali by the Dahna, a corridor of gravel plains and sand dunes, 800 miles long and 15 to 50 miles wide.
Natione	Foriegn soldiers enlisted or conscripted to Rome. Awarded citizenship for service.
Nertobriga	Roman city near modern Almunia., Spain.
Nightshade	BELLADONNA.  Toxic plant in the familySolanum, fatal even in small doses.
Numantia	Celtiberian capital of the Arevaci tribal lands.  Near modern Garray.
Nymphaeum	The Nymphaeum was a grand public fountain along Petra's Colonnaded Street. Only the foundations remain today, but in antiquity it was a splendid building with an interior, recessed half-dome.
Okilis	Celtiberian city, now Mediacelli.
Ordovices	Tribes in Cambria (Wales).
Palla	Large loose shawl worn by women
Pallas Athene	"Did Hera stop her own son when she was queen of heaven?”“No, she had Pallas Athene stop him for her." The Iliad book 5, lines 430-910.
Pallium	A heavy woolen cloak. There are many different opinions concerning the origin of the Papal pallium. Some trace it to an investiture by Constantine I; others consider it an imitation of the Hebrew ephod, the humeral garment of the High Priest. Others again declare that its origin is traceable to a mantle of St. Peter, which was symbolical of his office as supreme pastor. A fourth hypothesis finds its origin in a liturgical mantle, which, it is asserted, was already used by the early popes; a fifth says its origin dates from the custom of folding the ordinary mantle-pallium, an outer garment in use in imperial times.
Pennocrucium	Water Eaton, Staffordshire.
Peplos	Grecian dress unlike the Roman tunic, gathered and divided from shoulder to waist.
Peristylium	Private or courtyard garden.
Pilus Prior, Pilus Posterior	The rank of centurion was an officer rank that included many grades, meaning centurions had very good prospects for promotion. The most senior centurion in a legion was known as the primus pilus (first file or spear), who directly commanded the first century of the first cohort and commanded the whole first cohort when in battle. Within the second to tenth cohorts, the commander of each cohort's first century was known as a pilus prior and was in command of his entire respective cohort when in battle. The seniority of the pilus prior centurions was followed by the five other century commanders of the first cohort, who were known as primi ordines.
Pompa	Joyous march of guests to see the new couple safely to their new home.
Pompaelo	Roman city, modern Pamplona
Pontes	Staines, Surrey
Portus Itius	An ancient Roman name for a port in Picardy, France. Probably Wissant and Boulogne, more usually called Gesoriacum.
Praefectus Castrorum	Highest ranking officer in a given area, sitting in the absence of any higher ranking officer.
Princep	From Latin term for ‘First Citizen’, the root and modern equivalent in this sense as Prince.
Princeps Prior	Princeps Prior was a high ranking Roman Centurion. Each of the ten cohorts, that made up a Legion, had at its head the rank of primus prior followed by the princeps prior.
Pronuba	Maid/ matron of Honour.
Rekeem	Nabataean name for Petra
Rub’ al Khali	The Rub' al Khali or Empty Quarter is the largest sand desert in the world, encompassing most of the southern third of the Arabian Peninsula, including Saudi Arabia and areas of Oman, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. The desert covers some 650,000 square kilometres (250,000 sq mi).
Rutupiae	Richborough, Kent.
Sabrina River	River Severn.
Samhain	Celtic festival held traditionally at the full moon between October and November.  The Roman calendar occasionally corrupted such festivals, so it became possible for a moon-based festival to fall at any time in the lunar cycle.
Saragossa	Modern Zaragoza.  Corrupted pronunciation of the Latin Caesaraugusta.
Schenti	Short kilt-like garment in leather worn by Egyptian men.
Sotto voce	In soft tones, so as not to be overheard; in an undertone.
Stola	Over tunic worn by married women. Often the decorative part of an outfit.
Tabernas	(also taberna diversoria)  Inn, roadside hostel, service station.
Tabilae Nuptiales	Certificate of marriage
Tablinum,	In Roman architecture, a tablinum (or tabulinum, from tabula, board, picture) was a room generally situated on one side of the atrium and opposite to the entrance; it opened in the rear on to the peristyle, with either a large window or only an anteroom or curtain. The walls were richly decorated with fresco pictures, and busts of the family were arranged on pedestals on the two sides of the room.
Tagum	Major river in central Spain
Tallowblocks	Early soap.  First made in Germanic Gaul early C1st.
Tamesis River	River Thames.
Thagiyah	Arab men also wear a 3-piece head cover. The bottom piece of this head covering is a white cap that is sometimes filled with holes. This cap, called "Thagiyah", is used to hold the hair in place. On top of the Thagiyah is a scarf-like head cover that comes in two types: a light, white head cover called Gutrah. These head covers protect the head from direct sunlight and can be used to cover the mouth and the nose during sand storms or cold weather. On top of the Thagiyah and the Gutrah is the Agal, which is a band surrounding the top of the head to hold everything else in place. When male children reach puberty they are taught to wear the head covering as a sign for entering manhood. Inside the house, the head covering is not needed; when someone has guests in his house he wears it as a sign of respect.
Thoub	A man’s long sleeved one piece dress that covers the whole body.This garment allows the air to circulate, which helps cool the body during the hot summer days. During summer, it is usually made of white cotton to reflect sunlight. In winter, it is made from heavier fabric such as wool and comes in darker colors.
Toletum	Roman city, modern Toledo.
Tribune Augusticlavius	One of five.  High ranking officer in a legion
Tribune Laticlavius	Senatorial officer, second in command of a legion.  Most commonly the sons of wealthy aristocratic Romans who took a five year conscription before ascending to the senate.
Triclinium	The dining-room itself was called triclinium, even when it contained several dining-tables. Romans of distinction in later times had several such rooms for different times of the year; in the winter they dined in the interior of the house by lamp-light, in summer in an arbour attached to the house or in the upper story. The lecti, arranged for three persons each, were broad, cushioned places, lower towards the outside and sloping upwards with a side support; on each of the three places was a pillow, on which the diners, as they lay at table, supported themselves with their left arm, their feet being towards the outside. The allotment of the nine places was made in accordance with strict rules of etiquette. The middle couch, lectus medius, and the one on its left, lectus summus (the highest), were appointed for the guests, the former for the most distinguished guests; that on its right, lectus imus (the lowest), was for the host, his wife, and a child or a freedman. On the lectus summus and imus, the place of honour (locus summus) was on the left side, on which was the support of the couch, and consequently the most convenient seat. The place appointed for the chief person of the company, the locus consularis, was, however, on the lectus medius, and not on the left, but on the right and unsupported side, next that of the host, who took the first place of the lectus imus.
Trireme	A trireme was an ancient vessel and a type of galley that was used by the ancient maritime civilizations of the Mediterranean, especially the Phoenicians, ancient Greeks and Romans. Under sail it had three banks of oarsmen.
Turmae	A turma (Latin for "swarm, squadron", plural turmae) was a cavalry squadron in the Roman army of the Republic and Empire.
Tutulus	Complex hair style favoured by first century brides.
Tutus Caverna.	Safe/secure/protected cave/room.
Valentia	Roman port, modern Valencia.
Verulamium	St Albans, Hertfordshire
Via Nova Traiana	New Road of Trajan, originally The King’s Highway, was a trade route of vital importance to the ancient Middle East. It began in Egypt, and stretched across the Sinai Peninsula to Aqaba. From there it turned northward across Jordan, leading to Damascus and the Euphrates River.. The Via Traiana Nova (previously known as the Via Regia) was an ancient Roman road built by the emperor Trajan. It was specifically known as the Via Traiana Nova in order to distinguish it from the Via Traiana in Italy. It is occasionally also referred to simply as the 'Via Nova' or 'Via Nova Traiana' and was completed under Hadrian.
Villa Urbana	Luxury residence or estate kept near to the convenience of the city.
Vinalia Rustica	The Vinalia rustica were celebrated on August 19th.  Originally sacred to Jupiter and later was conducted at the temples of Venus in her honour. It was not a festival esteemed by women.  Due to the intense drinking and loss of control as a result, upper-class Roman women were supervised during this festival and sometimes given lower alcoholic content beverages.
Viroconium	(Also Uriconium) Wroxeter, Shropshire.
Vitis	Vine cane carried by cneturions. Made from a stick of grape vine.
Wadi Musa	The main river valley running through Petra.
White torches	Carried to the bride’s new home to take the spirit of the family hearth from her father’s home to her own.
XXthLegio Valeria Victrix	(Twentieth Victorious Valerian Legion) was a Roman legion,  raised by Augustus sometime after 31 BC. It served in Hispania, Illyricum, and Germania before participating in the invasion of Britannia in 43 AD, where it remained and was active until at least the beginning of the 4th century. The emblem of the legion was a boar.

Make note prenomen, nomen cognomen agnomen – use sextius father the governor, and use sethos to show slave nomenclature.

Notes on Roman Army

Twentieth Legion

Roman houses

Roman dress/ clothes examples