Saturnus: a puzzling god, who may have been connected with the sowing of seed, or with an older Etruscan god. The word ‘Saturday’ derives from his name.
Saturnalia: in the first century BC this was a seven-day festival held in mid-December and one of the most important celebrations in the Roman calendar.
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 three 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).
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.
Scythians: a fierce, nomadic people who lived to the north of the Black Sea. They were tattooed, warlike and superlative horsemen, who were widely feared, and whose women are reputed to have given rise to the legend of the Amazons. By the first century BC, however, their heyday was long gone.
Senate: a body of six hundred senators (historically, it had been three hundred, but Sulla doubled its number), who were prominent Roman noblemen. The Senate met in the Curia, and its function was to advise the magistrates – the consuls, praetors, quaestors etc. – on domestic and foreign policy, religion and finance. By the first century BC, its position was much weaker than it had ever been.
Sertorius, Quintus (c.126–73 BC): a prominent noble who allied himself to Cinna. He was given control of Spain in 83 BC, but proscribed a year or so later. His campaign against Rome was initially very successful, but his own defeats and those of his lieutenants in 76 BC cost him dearly, reducing his activities from then on to guerrilla warfare.
sestertius (pl. sestertii): a silver coin, it was worth two and a half asses; or a quarter of a denarius; or one hundredth of an aureus. By the time of the late Roman Republic, its use was becoming more common.
sica: a large curved sword used by Thracian cavalry in the first century BC. Sadly, little is known about the sica; it may have been similar to the kopis, a Greek weapon, or the traditional Thracian curved sword.
signifer (pl. signiferi): a standard-bearer and junior officer. This was a position of high esteem, with one for every century in a legion. Often the signifer wore scale armour and an animal pelt over his helmet, which sometimes had a hinged decorative face piece, while he carried a small, round shield rather than a scutum. His signum, or standard, consisted of a wooden pole bearing a raised hand, or a spear tip surrounded by palm leaves. Below this was a crossbar from which hung metal decorations, or a piece of coloured cloth. The standard’s shaft was decorated with discs, half-moons, ships’ prows and crowns, which were records of the unit’s achievements and may have distinguished one century from another.
Silarus, River: modern-day River Sele.
Sulla Felix, Lucius Cornelius (c.138–78 BC): one of the most famous Roman generals and statesmen who ever lived. He was a ruthless man who made himself dictator, caused civil wars and ultimately helped to weaken the Republic, yet he also strengthened the position of the Senate, and retired from public life rather than remain in power.
tablinum: the office or reception area beyond the atrium in a Roman house. The tablinum usually opened on to an enclosed colonnaded garden.
tesserarius: one of the junior officers in a century, whose duties included commanding the guard. The name originates from the tessera tablet on which was written the password for the day.
Teutones: a Germanic tribe who in the second century BC migrated with the Cimbri to southern Gaul, where they encountered the Romans. In 102 BC, they suffered the same fate as the Cimbri.
Thrace: an area in the ancient world spanning parts of Bulgaria, Romania, northern Greece and south-western Turkey. It was inhabited by more than forty warlike tribes.
Thurii: modern-day Sibari.
tribune: a 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.
triplex acies: the standard deployment of a legion for battle. Three lines were formed some distance apart, with four cohorts in the front line and three in the middle and rear lines.
trireme: the classic Roman warship, which was powered by a single sail and three banks of oars. Each oar was rowed by one man, who 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. Triremes had very large crews in proportion to their size. This limited their range, so they were mainly used as troop transports and to protect coastlines.
triumph: the procession to the temple of Jupiter on the Capitoline Hill of a Roman general who had won a large-scale military victory.
Venus: the Roman goddess of motherhood and domesticity.
Vestal Virgins: the only female priesthood in Rome, who served Vesta, the goddess of the hearth. During their thirty years of service, they had to remain chaste. Their main ceremonial duties were the preparation of the grain mixed with salt used during public sacrifices, and the tending of the goddess’s sacred flame.
Via Aemilia: a road in northern Italy that ran from Ariminum to Placentia, and then on to other towns.
Via Annia: a road in northern Italy; also an extension of the Via Appia, which ran from Capua to Rhegium.
Via Appia: the main road from Rome to Brundisium in the far south of Italy.
Via Labicana: a road leading south-east from Rome to Labici.
Vinalia Rustica: a Roman wine festival held on 19 August.
virtus: a much-respected Roman virtue, associated with courage, honour and manliness.
Vulcan (or Vulcanus): a Roman god of destructive fire, who was often worshipped to prevent – fire!
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Ben Kane, Spartacus: Rebellion
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