Hannibal Enemy of Rome (73 page)

Rhodanus: the River Rhone.

Saguntum: modern-day Sagunto.

Saturnalia: a festival which began on 17 December. During the week long celebrations, ordinary rules were relaxed and slaves could dine before their masters; at this time, they could also treat them with less deference.
The festival was an excuse for eating, drinking and playing games. Gifts of candles and pottery figures were also exchanged.

saunion
: also called the
soliferreum
. This was a characteristic Iberian weapon, a slim, all-iron javelin with a small, leaf-shaped head.

scutarii
(sing.
scutarius
): heavy Iberian infantry, Celtiberians who carried round shields, or ones very similar to those of the Roman legionaries. Richer individuals may have had mail shirts; others may have worn small breastplates. Many
scutarii
wore greaves. Their bronze helmets were very similar to the Gallic Montefortino style. They were armed with straight-edged swords that were slightly shorter than the Gaulish equivalent, and known for their excellent quality.

scutum
(pl.
scuta
): an elongated oval Roman army shield, about 1.2 m (4 ft) tall and 0.75 m (2 ft 6 in) wide. It was made from two layers of wood, the pieces laid at right angles to each other; it was then covered with linen or canvas, and leather. The
scutum
was heavy, weighing between 6 and 10 kg (13-22 lbs). A large metal boss decorated its centre, with the horizontal grip placed behind this. Decorative designs were often painted on the front, and a leather cover was used to protect the shield when not in use, e.g. while marching. Some of the Iberian and Gaulish warriors used very similar shields.

Scylla: a mythical monster with twelve feet and six heads that dwelt in a cave opposite the whirlpool Charybdis, in the modern Straits of Messina.

socii
: allies of Rome. By the time of the Punic Wars, all the non-Roman peoples of Italy had been forced into military alliances with Rome. In theory, these peoples were still independent, but in practice they were subjects, who were obliged to send quotas of troops to fight for the Republic whenever it was demanded.

stade: from the Greek word
stadion
. It was the distance of the original foot race in the ancient Olympic games of 776
BC
, and was approximately 192 m (630 ft) in length. The word ‘stadium’ derives from it.

strigil
: a small, curved iron tool used to clean the skin after bathing. First perfumed oil was rubbed in, and then the
strigil
was used to scrape off the combination of sweat, dirt and oil.

suffete: one of two men who headed the Carthaginian state. Elected yearly, they dealt with a range of affairs of state from the political and military to judicial and religious issues. It is extremely unclear whether they had
as much power as Roman consuls, but it seems likely that by the third century
BC
they did not.

tablinum
: the office or reception area beyond the
atrium
. The
tablinum
usually opened on to an enclosed colonnaded garden, the peristyle.

Tanit: along with Baal Hammon, the pre-eminent deity in Carthage. She was regarded as a mother goddess, and as the patroness and protector of the city.

Taurasia: modern-day Turin.

tesserae
: pieces of stone or marble which were cut into roughly cubic shape and fitted closely on to a bed of mortar to form a mosaic. This practice was introduced in the third century
BC
.

Ticinus: the River Ticino.

Trebia: the River Trebbia.

tribune: senior staff officer within a legion; also one of ten political positions in Rome, where they served as ‘tribunes of the people’, defending the rights of the plebeians. The tribunes could also veto measures taken by the Senate or consuls, except in times of war. To assault a tribune was a crime of the highest order.

trireme: the classic ancient warship, which was powered by a single sail and three banks of oars. Each oar was rowed by one man, who on Roman ships was freeborn, not a slave. Exceptionally manoeuvrable, and capable of up to eight knots under sail or for short bursts when rowed, the trireme also had a bronze ram at the prow. This was used to damage or even sink enemy ships. Small catapults were also mounted on the deck. Each trireme was crewed by up to 30 men and had around 200 rowers; it could carry up to 60 infantry, giving it a very large crew in proportion to its size. This limited the triremes’ range, so they were mainly used as troop transports and to protect coastlines.

triarii
(sing.
triarius
): the oldest, most experienced soldiers in a legion of the third century
BC
. These men were often held back until the most desperate of situations in a battle. The fantastic Roman expression ‘Matters have come down to the
triarii
‘ makes this clear. They wore bronze crested helmets, mail shirts and a greave on their leading (left) legs. They each carried a
scutum
, and were armed with a
gladius hispaniensis
and a long, thrusting spear.

tunny: tuna fish.

turmae
(sing.
turma
): a cavalry unit of thirty men.

velites
(sing.
veles
): light skirmishers of the third century
BC
who were recruited from the poorest social class. They were young men whose only protection was a small, round shield, and in some cases, a simple bronze helmet. They carried a sword, but their primary weapons were 1.2 m (4 ft.) javelins. They also wore bear- or wolf-skin headdresses.

Vespera: the first watch of the night.

vilicus
: slave foreman or farm manager. Commonly a slave, the
vilicus
was sometimes a paid worker, whose job it was to make sure that the returns on a farm were as large as possible. This was most commonly done by treating the slaves brutally.

Vinalia Rustica: a Roman wine festival held on 19 August.