Roman Terms for Beginners | Classical Abbreviations | Classical Abbreviations in Literature | Roman Terms Glossary
The following 101 terms are among the important names and concepts related to ancient Roman history. Many of them should already be familiar to you. If they're not, you should try to figure out not just who/what they are, but also when and how or why they are important in Roman history.- For instance: Agrippina
It isn't enough to say Agrippina is Agrippa's daughter, although because Roman fathers generally named their daughters after themselves, that would be true. Agrippina the Elder was also the granddaughter of Augustus and the wife of Germanicus. When Augustus agreed to adopt Tiberius, one condition was that Tiberius would adopt the popular Germanicus. Although Tiberius honored his obligation, Germanicus soon died suspiciously. Because she was causing trouble, Tiberius eventually sent Germanicus' widow into exile. Agrippina's daughter, Agrippina the Younger, was thought to have poisoned her husband, the Emperor Claudius. Upon his death, the son of Agrippina the Younger became the Emperor Nero.
The 101 terms below are linked to related pages on this site. Some of the links will provide definitions or biographical information; others will provide a context for the use of the term. Many of the terms appear on several pages of this site. Please use the search box to locate other related pages. There are a few terms that appear only in passing..
- Actium
- Aeneas
- Agrippa
- Agrippina
- Alaric
- Ammianus Marcellinus
- Antony
- Arian Controversy
- Ascanius
- Attila
- AUC
- Augustine
- Augustus
- Boudicca
- Brutus
- Caligula
- Camillus
- Cato
- Catullus
- Censor
- Cicero
- Claudius
- Clodius
- Cleopatra
- Client
- Codex
- Commodus
- Constantine
- Consul
- Diocletian
- Domitian
- Domus
- Donatists
- Elagabulus
- Equites
- Etruscans
- Eusebius
- Familia
- Flavian
- Forum
- Gracchi
- Hadrian's Wall
- Hamilcar
- Hannibal
- Hanno
- Haruspex
- Herculaneum
- Horace
- Ides
- Julian
- Julius Caesar
- Juvenal
- Legion
- Livy
- Lucretia
- Maecenas
- Manumission
- Marcus Aurelius
- Marius
- Martial
- Mithridates
- Nero
- Nicene Council
- Odoacer
- Pater Familias
- Patricians
- Pater Patriae
- Pax Romana
- Plautus
- Plebs
- Pliny
- Polybius
- Pompeii
- Pontifex Maximus
- Praetorian
- Principate
- Quintilian
- Romulus
- Romulus Augustus
- Rubicon
- Scipio
- Sejanus
- Seneca
- Septimius Severus
- Spartacus
- Stilicho
- Suetonius
- Sulla
- Tacitus
- Tarquinius Superbus
- Tetrarchy
- Theodosius
- Tiber
- Tiberius
- Toga Praetexta
- Triumvirate
- Twelve Tables
- Varro
- Vercingetorix
- Vergil
- Vestal Virgin
