The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Roman Empire (68 page)

Appendix C
 
Lights, Camera,
Actio!
A Short List of Rome and Romans in Film

You'd be amazed at the number of films in which Rome or Romans play a direct or indirect role. I've included a short list of some of the more famous here for your next trip to the video store. For a more complete list, including foreign titles, check out Hal Halsall's
Ancient History in the Movies
(
www.fordham.edu/halsall/ancient/asbookmovies.html
) and his
Medieval History in the Movies
(
www.fordham.edu/halsall/medfilms.html
). Both of these sites feature descriptions and links to the
Internet Movie Database
(
us.imdb.com/
).

The Sign of the Cross
(Cecil B. DeMille, 1932; with Fredric March, Elissa Landi, Claudette Colbert, and Charles Laughton). Not as famous of a Nero as the
Robe
, but the uncut version is
spectacula
.

Quo Vadis
(Mervin Leroy, 1951; with Robert Taylor, Deborah Kerr, and Peter Ustinov). This “Christians vs. the Evil Empire” epic features Peter Ustinov's famous portrayal of the dilettante Nero as the anti-Christ.

The Robe
(Henry Koster, 1953; with Richard Burton). The soldier who wins Christ's garment at the crucifixion is transformed by his acquisition.

Sign of the Pagan
(Douglas Sirk, 1955; with Jeff Chandler and Jack Palance.) Rome, love, and Christianity fend off Atilla the Hun.

Ben-Hur
(William Wyler, 1959; with Charlton Heston). The cinematic epic of a Jewish prince who is sold into slavery and comes back to Rome for revenge. Some of the most famous chariot-racing scenes in cinema!

Spartacus
(Stanley Kubrick, 1960; with Kirk Douglas and Laurence Olivier). A star-studded Cold War epic about Spartacus's slave rebellion.

The Fall of the Roman Empire
(Anthony Mann, 1964; with Sophia Loren, Stephen Boyd, Alec Guinness, James Mason, and Christopher Plummer). Roman general tries to follow Marcus Aurelius only to be faced with Commodus; a precursor to
Gladiator.

Gladiator
(Ridley Scott, 2000; with Russell Crowe). A Roman general sold into slavery becomes a gladiator and keeps the Empire from going into the Commodus. Both praised and condemned, this movie has rekindled interest in Rome as spectacle.

Carry on Cleo
(Gerald Thomas, 1964; with Kenneth Williams, Sid James, and Amanda Barrie). Two captured Britons become slaves and caught in a comic love triangle between Caesar, Antony, and Cleopatra.

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum
(Richard Lester, 1966; with Zero Mostel and Phil Silvers). This movie is based on the musical, which was in turn based on Plautus's play
Miles Gloriosus.

Satyricon
(Federico Fellini, 1969; with Martin Potter, Hiram Keller, Max Born, Salvo Randone, and Mario Romagnoli). Dark humor, brooding satire, and rich cinema mark Fellini's version of Petronius's picaresque novel.

Up Pompeii
(1971). A slave comes into possession of a document giving the names of Nero's proposed assassins. You'll note that Pompeii blew up well
after
Nero's death and that the jokes predate Rome itself, but then this is
that
sort of British comedy.

The Life of Brian
(Graham Chapman, 1979; with John Cleese and Graham Chapman). Monty Python's send-up of messianic hysteria. One particular scene, in which a centurion teaches the Jewish rebel Brian how to paint a protest sign in proper Latin, is a favorite with Latin students everywhere.

Cleopatra
(Cecil B. DeMille, 1934; with Claudette Colbert). A rich DeMille portrayal of Cleopatra as seductress of Roman men. The dialogue isn't Ciceronian (Caesar responds “nope” to the senators), but fun to watch.

Julius Caesar
(Joseph L. Mankiewicz, 1953; with Marlon Brando, James Mason, John Gielgud, and Louis Calhern). A terrific adaptation of Shakespeare's classic drama.

Cleopatra
(Joseph L. Mankiewicz, 1963; with Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton). A star-studded poetic drama featuring the dynamic duo of the silver screen of the time.

I, Claudius
(Herbert Wise, 1976; with Derek Jacobi, Siân Phillips, Brian Blessed, and John Hurt). Ten-episode BBC television series based on the novels of Robert Graves (and Suetonius). One of the best you'll find.

Caligula
(Tinto Brass and Bob Guccione, 1980; with Malcolm McDowell, Helen Mirren, Peter O'Toole, and John Gielgud). A big-budget and big-name rendition of Caligula's rise and fall that has some pornographic sequences.

Appendix D
 
Glossary

adoption
(
adoptio
) A legal action whereby a Roman citizen enters another family under the
potestas
of its head. In the Republic, both men and women could adopt.

aedile
An official in charge of urban affairs, including weights and measurements, public works, public games, and public safety. Aediles had to be at least 36 years old.

Alexander the Great
(356–323
B
.
C
.
E
.) The great Macedonian king and commander, who conquered Egypt and Asia Minor before he died at the age of 33.

alimenta
Public funds instituted by the Emperor Trajan used to subsidize education and food for needy families and children.

Augustus
The honorary name given to Ocatavian (
see
Octavian) by the senate in 27
B
.
C
.
E
. and used to refer to him after this time.

autocracy
Rule by one person, whose power is unlimited and who rules subject to no higher power or authority.

Byzantium
The civilization that developed from the eastern Roman Empire following the death of the emperor Justinian (
C
.
E
. 565) until the fall of Constantinople in 1453.

censor
An appointed magistrate who determined voting and property lists, the make-up of the senate, and acted as auditor for public works.

centurions
The Roman army's highest professional officer, originally the leaders of the centuries (units of 100 men) furnished by the
comitia centuriata
.

charismatic
From the Greek
charis
, “grace,” “charm,” or “gift.” Refers to religious practices whose key element is participants' experience of spiritual or physical abilities (speaking in tongues, for example) that are understood to be divine manifestations.

Chi-Rho
A Christian symbol made up of a combination of the Greek letters
Chi
and
Rho
.

Christendom
The collected lands ruled by Christians or in which Christianity prevails.

client
A person of inferior standing who officially engages a patron (a person of superior standing) for a mutual relation of support and protection.

coloni
Tenant farmers who lived on the lands of the rich and worked them for a share of their crops.

comedy
A genre of Greek drama that came into full development in fifth century
B
.
C
.
E
. Athens. A play about the humorous interaction of people, events, and ideas.

comitia centuriata
(centuriate assembly) This assembly was created by the kings and organized originally by fighting units of 100 men (hence, a “centuriate” organization). It developed into the general assembly in the Republic, electing magistrates and hearing appeals. The centuries were organized according to property classification, and the classes voted as a block. Unfortunately for the lower classes, the voting was such that if the two richest property classes voted in agreement (which they often did), the vote was decided.

Concilium Plebis
Plebeian assembly. This was the assembly that the plebs set up for themselves as a part of their succession in the “Conflict of the Orders.” Only plebeians participated although patricians often influenced it through its ties with the wealthy plebeians and the tribunes. Occasionally, a patrician had himself adopted by a pleb to become eligible. The
comitia plebis
operated on the principle of “one man, one vote.” It passed legislation, called
plebescita
(plebiscites), and elected officials (aediles) and their powerful representatives, the tribunes. The validity of plebiscites waxed and waned through the Republic depending on the strength of the senatorial party and the cohesion of the
nobiles.

concordia ordinum
(“the harmony of the orders”) Cicero's phrase for the ideal cooperation between political and economic orders (nobles, equites, and so on) for the good of the state.

Constitutio Antoniniana
In
C
.
E
. 212, all Roman citizens regardless of birth, economic status, or ethnic background, had equal civic status.

consul
The chief executive official of the Roman Republic. Consuls held
imperium
.

crusades
Holy wars (particularly of the eleventh through the thirteenth centuries) in which Christians from Europe attempted to conquer territories (especially in the Middle East) that were held by Muslims or people holding beliefs that the crusaders considered heretical.

cursus honorum
Young aristocrats sought to follow a career path from quaestor to consul that was, in fact, called the “path of offices,” or the
cursus honorum.

cynics
Emphasized a frank practical morality which confronted pretentious shallow morality and custom. The most famous Cynic, Diogenes (ca 340
B
.
C
.
E
.), lived in a dog house to repudiate the “civilized” customs for which he had contempt. (
Cyn
is the root for “dog” in Greek, and Diogenes's famous home may be what gave the Cynics their name.)

Dark Ages
C
.
E
. 476–1000.

Delatores
Informers who accused others of treason or other offenses against the state. By law,
delatores
received one quarter of the property of the accused upon conviction (kind of like turning someone in for tax evasion today). Tiberius, contrary to some accounts, did not institute a reign of terror with this law, but his precedent-setting uses of it and the
delatores
became infamous.

Diaspora
“Dispersal.” At times it refers to groups of people living outside of the homeland, at others it refers to the forced displacement of people from their lands. I refer to the period after 135, when Rome banned the Jews from living in Jerusalem or Judaea.

dictator
A supreme commander. Dictators were nominated by a consul and approved by the senate for a set period of time. The dictator was the chief official under a state of emergency and military law. He had complete control of all civil and military affairs.

dominate
From Latin
dominus
, “lord and master.” The dominate covers the period from Diocletian (293) forward.

Donation of Constantine
One of the most famous forgeries in history. It was probably produced to bolster Pope Stephen II's claims on Italy with Pepin. The new king and pope each needed something from one another. Pepin needed to be recognized as king, and the pontiffs needed an enforcer to rid them of the Lombards
and
a recognized claim to their territories. Pope Stephen II made the journey over the Alps (he barely got through the Lombards) and crowned Pepin in 754; Pepin came back over the Alps and “restored” the papal lands to Rome in 756. In the Renaissance, Lorenzo Valla, using philological and historical analysis, proved that the Donation of Constantine was a forgery. We do not know if either Pepin or Pope Stephen knew this document was false.

ecstatic
Greek for “being stood outside of one's self.” It refers to the experience of emotions or sensations so strong that they overwhelm and drive out one's normal faculties and self-possession.

Edict of Maximum Prices and Wages
In 302, Diocletian set price ceilings on over 1,000 goods and services. But prices continued to rise to the point where official production became unprofitable. In the face of declining production and a growing black market, the law was relaxed and finally canceled by Constantine, who nevertheless increased the burden of some of Diocletian's economic reforms.

Edict of Toleration
Allowed Christians to practice their faith and for their churches to operate legally.

Empire
Generally refers to the period after the Principate of Augustus (
C
.
E
. 14) when it is clear (at least to us) that the Roman empire was ruled by an emperor, whether he was officially recognized as a
princeps
or
dominus
.

fasces
When looking at things Roman, you might spot the fasces—bundles of wooden rods bound around a double axe with a red ribbon. Fasces were symbols of command authority, or
imperium,
which included punishment (rods) and execution (the axe). Mussolini, who hoped to establish a new Roman Empire, chose this symbol to express his political philosophy. He called his party fascist (but he apparently forgot the bit about being subject to the law).

fides
Means “faith” or “trust” and indicated living according to one's responsibilities, agreements, and pledges.

Gaul
The term “Gaul” is a catchall term for the Celtic and Germanic tribes that fought and migrated their way back and forth over Europe for centuries. In other places, you will find some of these people differentiated as Celts, Germans, or by their specific tribal names.

gnostic
A term that applies to sects that believe in a kind of secret knowledge (Greek
gnosis
) that depends on revelation. There were gnostic aspects to many Hellenistic religions and philosophies, and gnostic sects were an influential element of early Christianity. The gospel of John appears to have been written, in part, to contradict some of their claims.

Golden Age
The Golden Age is a period of Roman Literature roughly from 100
B
.
C
.
E
to
C
.
E
. 14.

Gracchi
Refers to the brothers Tiberius (d. 133) and Gaius (d. 121) Gracchus, the tribunes who promoted land and voting reform in opposition to the senate. You can read more about them in Chapter 7.

Hellenistic
Refers to Greek civilization and culture throughout the Mediterranean and Asia Minor after the death of Alexander the Great in 323
B
.
C
.
E
. to the Roman conquest of Egypt in 31
B
.
C
.
E
.

hypostasis
The condition wherein Christ's two natures (human and divine) remained separate and distinct in the substance of one person.

Imperium
Latin for “power of command,” which included the power of life and death.

keystone arch
The Romans' primary load-bearing architectural form. The keystone, which was shaped like a “V,” was set at the top of an arch, banded, and cemented into place.

Latin League
A confederation of Latin cities neighboring Rome; each member held equal rights in the coalition. Rome conquered the Latins, broke up the League, and federated individual towns with itself.

liquid fire
More commonly known as Greek Fire, it was the secret weapon of the Byzantine Empire that turned the tide of battle for Byzantium against the Muslim fleets in 678 and 718. A Syrian refugee to Constantinople, Calinicus, created a chemical mixture that could be shot from a tube on a boat at an enemy warship. The gelatinous mixture would burst into flames like napalm, stick to boat and enemy, and burn fiercely even in water. The recipe was a state secret—so secret that the formula was eventually lost and never recovered. We still don't know what it was made of or how it was ignited when deployed.

Lombards
A Germanic people from west-central Germany who invaded over the Alps in the sixth century, settled, and established a kingdom along the northern part of modern Italy (still called Lombardy).

Magister Militum
“Master of the Soldiers,” this was the military title for a supreme commander (under the emperor) of both infantry and cavalry.

Maiestas
Prosecutable treason, it came to include, by Julius Caesar's time, affronts to the dignity of the state. This law could become a capricious and dangerous political weapon in the hands of emperors (who were the state) and in the hands of unscrupulous accusers called
delatores.