Humanities I - Chapter 3 - Rome - Key Terms 3

Front 1

Syncretism

Back 1

The reconciliation of different rites and practices into a single philosophy or religion.

Front 2

Gravitas

Back 2

Literally translates to “weight” but can also mean “presence” or “influence” it was seen as a virtue in Roman culture.

Front 3

Tumulus

Back 3

A round structure partially below and partially above ground and covered with earth which the Etruscans used as burial tombs. The tombs themselves would be arranged in neat rows along a network of streets within a cemetery located outside of the city.

Front 4

Sarcophagus

Back 4

A coffin. Various cultures used different materials and had unique styles and designs. The Etruscans made theirs of terra cotta and many had sculptures of husband and wife reclining together upon them

Front 5

Patrician

Back 5

Land owning aristocrats of the Roman culture. Many served as priests, lawyers, judges, and magistrates. The Senate was made up of members of this class and the class as a whole feared any loss of power or authority from the assembly.

Front 6

Plebeian

Back 6

The poor class of the Roman citizenry. They commonly worked as craftsmen, merchants, and laborers. They formed their own legislative assembly called the Consilium Plebis (Council of Plebeians) to protect themselves from the patrician controlled Senate. However, the laws passed by the Consilium, called plebiscites, were not binding to the patrician class.

Front 7

Rhetorician

Back 7

A writer, public speaker, or orator. One who studies and artistically uses the persuasive effect of language.

Front 8

Verism

Back 8

From the Latin veritas meaning “truth.” A form of realism utilized by the Romans, which was used in portrait busts. While similar to Greek realism the Romans went even further, showing every wrinkle and wart of the piece’s subject.

Front 9

Insula

Back 9

A multistoried apartment block used as a living space in Rome as a response to overcrowding beginning in the third century BCE.

Front 10

Vault

Back 10

An architectural term for an arched form above an enclosed space. They came in two main types: the barrel vault and the groin vault.

Front 11

Arena

Back 11

An oval shaped open space used to present performance. The main floor of the Colosseum was covered in sand, which is the translation of the term.

Front 12

Round Arch

Back 12

A curved architectural support element that spans an opening. The Romans used them to create bridges which spanned wider distances than their predecessors. If one were extended it would become a barrel vault.

Front 13

Voussoir

Back 13

A wedge-shaped block used to form an arch or vault

Front 14

Keystone

Back 14

A wedge-shaped stone at the top of an arch. The last element of an arch to be put in place during construction before any temporary supports (called centering) was removed.

Front 15

Arcade

Back 15

A succession of arches. The Pont du Gard, an aqueduct in France, would be an example. Many examples may be found in architecture.

Front 16

Barrel Vault

Back 16

A rounded vault formed when a round arch is extended. The interior corridors of the Colosseum were constructed of this type of vault along with the groin vault.

Front 17

Groin Vault

Back 17

A vault formed when two barrel vaults meet one another at a right angle. Along with barrel vaults they were the primary construct of the interior corridors of the Colosseum.

Front 18

Triumphal Arch

Back 18

A memorial arch composed of a simple barrel vault enclosed within a rectangle and enlivened with sculpture and decorative columns. They were named for the victorious armies whom marched through them.

Front 19

Dome

Back 19

A vaulted roof having a circular base and a generally hemispherical or semispherical shape. The one atop the Pantheon is 20 feet thick at the base but narrows to only 6 feet thick at the oculus.

Front 20

Oculus

Back 20

A circular opening at the top of a dome. The one at the top of the Pantheon was conceived of by the Emperor Hadrian as the “Eye of Jupiter.”

Front 21

Medallion

Back 21

A circular object typically made of metal, which has been rendered with an image or insignia. Various coins of ancient Greece would be examples.

Front 22

Forum

Back 22

The chief public square of Rome, the center of Roman religious, ceremonial, political, and commercial life. Though initially comparable to the agora of the Greeks it evolved gradually into a symbol of the power, peace, and prosperity of the Empire bestowed by the emperor to the citizenry.

Front 23

Pantheon

Back 23

From the Greek pan meaning “all” and theos meaning “gods.” While the word itself represents all the gods as a group, it also (and possibly more famously) refers to a temple located in Rome. The temple is dedicated to all the Roman gods and sculptures representing them were set in recesses around its interior. It is topped with a dome which until the twentieth century was the largest built in Europe.

Front 24

Domus

Back 24

A traditional Roman house or villa. Used as a measure of one’s social standing these townhouses were typically owned by the wealthier citizenry while the poorer more commonly lived in apartment blocks called isulae.