Key Terms

annona

the Roman government’s distribution of grain to the population, which was also a political tool for the emperor

centuriation

the Roman practice of dividing land into a grid in preparation for development and agriculture

clients

less well-off Romans who relied on a patron’s gifts for subsistence

Colosseum

a large structure in Rome that was the site of gladiatorial matches and other entertainments

domus

the name for a typical Roman house, as well as the family unit

gladiator

an enslaved professional fighter paid to battle before an audience, sometimes to the death

Hellenism

a high regard for the cultural institutions of Greece including its religion, philosophy, and system of education

imperial cult

the religious cult that venerated the Roman emperors as gods

lanista

the trainer and manager of a group of gladiators

latifundia

large agricultural estates in the countryside, worked by enslaved people to produce profit for the owner

legion

the basic unit of the Roman army, made up of around five thousand soldiers

manumission

the process of releasing a person from slavery, usually in front of a magistrate or via a slaveholder’s will, or through a person’s purchasing their own freedom

paterfamilias

the patriarch of an extended Roman family, with authority over his wife, children, and any other dependents

patron

a wealthy Roman aristocrat sought by clients in need of assistance

publicani

provincial contractors who bid for the right to collect taxes and profited from the excess money they gathered

vestal virgins

the priesthood of six women who took a vow of chastity and maintained the sacred fire in Rome