Classics key terms

A gladiator armed with a sword and shield who fought the retiarius; his smooth helmet lacked ornaments that could catch the net.

The way a writer presents their character, values and achievements to readers, shaping the image by which they wish to be known.

A column partly embedded in a wall rather than standing independently.

An influential Roman council composed of elite men, many of them former magistrates, which debated public affairs and advised serving magistrates.

A wealthy member of Rome’s governing elite who belonged to the Senate. Pliny’s senatorial career gave him influence and access to powerful social networks.

Horace’s name for his satires, meaning ‘talks’ or ‘conversations’, reflecting their conversational manner.

A Roman unit of money used to express wealth and property values.

The place, time and surrounding circumstances in which an episode occurs.

Judging comparable behaviour differently according to whether a woman or a man performs it.

A spirit of a dead person.

A burial chamber reached through a deep, vertical pit or shaft.

Concern about losing the respect of others by failing to meet the standards expected of a warrior or leader.

A cloth used to wrap or cover a dead person's body before burial.

A collection of sacred writings attributed to a Sibyl, consulted by authorised Roman officials on the Senate’s orders during religious crises.

Small figurines given as gifts during Saturnalia; the associated market and final festive day were called the Sigillaria.

A comparison using words such as ‘like’ or ‘as’, which can make a character’s qualities or situation more vivid.

Marriage without manus: the wife's legal family status remained as it had been before marriage.

A rattling musical instrument associated with Egyptian worship. In Virgil’s Actium scene, Cleopatra uses one to signal to her forces.

A person legally owned by another person and required to work under their authority.

A society organised through unequal levels of status, authority and power.

An expectation about acceptable behaviour within a particular society or group.

A male Spartan citizen belonging to the privileged citizen group, whose obligations included military training and participation in communal dining.

The long central dividing barrier around which chariots raced in a Roman circus.

Property taken from a defeated enemy during warfare, including weapons, armour and treasure.

A person who financed public games, such as an emperor or local politician, gaining opportunities to display generosity, wealth and authority.

A gift given by a Roman patron to a client; originally associated with a basket of food, it was normally money by the end of the first century AD.

A military emblem carried on a pole, helping soldiers identify their unit, maintain formation and preserve morale.