Glossary

Apotheosis Divinization of a Roman emperor. auspicium (‘‘look at the birds”) Religious procedure consisting in examining the signs given by birds, in order to question the divine agreement before each public decision. First step of the augural science, which approves the inauguration of a templum.

Euocatio Religious procedure consisting of an invitation to the main god of the enemy to join the Roman side before a decisive battle; in return for the victory, a temple to the new Roman divinity is vowed (e. g., Consus from Tarent on the Aventine (272), Vertumnus from Volsinii (264), Minerva from Falerii (241), etc). evergetism Social practice consisting, for a rich private citizen, in paying, theoretically voluntarily, for the development, the maintenance and the improvement of his city. In return for his expenses, he received honor, public gratitude, and the popularity necessary for being elected to the highest public offices. forum Central place for public and private business. Originally a market place (moved to the forum boarium, holitorium, and piscarium, for the trade of livestock, vegetable and fish), the forum Romanum was the first forum of Rome, symbol of the Republic, but in use throughout the history of Rome. The five imperial forums were new places built directly to the north of the forum Romanum for propaganda of the Emperors (Cesar, Augustus, Vespasian, Nerva, Trajan). horreum Monumental and usually multistoried structure designed for the storage of goods (especially grain). The port on the Tiber River in Rome comprised huge horrea like the horrea Galbana.

Imperial ustrina On the Campus Martius, the place where the funerary pyres of Roman emperors were erected. patricians/plebeians The patricians were hereditary aristocrats coming from the first consuls of the Republic, holding the exclusive power until the middle of the fifth century BC. The

Plebeians were Roman citizens who were not patricians: rich and poor, progressively organized as a political force seeking to obtain almost the same rights as the patricians. pom(o)erium Area defining the spatial, religious, and legal limits of the city, inside the pomerial line, drawn by a founding furrow. Tombs and army were normally not accepted in it. templum Inaugurated space, usually squared, from where each public decision must be taken. The temple building was a templum consecrated to a god: it was normally divided into a cella (where the cult statue was stored), a vestibule and a colonnade, above a high podium with stairs; the sacrifices were fulfilled on an altar in front of the temple.