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Glossary
Below is a a list of terms with a description.
 
 Term  Description
Aesculipius Greek god of healing, commonly worshipped by the Romans.
Amphora A distinctive pottery storage vessel exported throughout the Roman empire. They usually contained wine or olive oil.
Ballista A Roman military machine like a large crossbow that fired iron-tipped bolts.
Basilica The main administrative building of a Roman town, located on one side of the forum. It is where the town council (curia) met.
Bastion A defensive tower projecting from the wall.
Catuvellauni One of the largest and most powerful British tribes in the late Iron Age, based north of the river Thames.
Civitas The basic administrative unit in Roman Britain. They were derived from existing British tribes, and were governed by a council drawn from the local landowners, who used a local town (the civitas capital) as their centre of government.
Coarseware Cheaper pottery vessels usually for use in the kitchen and locally-made.
Cursus publicus Literally meaning 'public passage', it was the system for sending official messages throughout the empire, started by the Emperor Augustus. Along all major road routes inns (Mansiones) were provided for the official travellers.
Decurion A member of the civitas council (ordo) who looked after affairs within the local region.
Dendrochronology A method of archaeological dating using tree rings.
Diocese A later Roman regional administrative unit, comprising a series of adjacent provinces. They were each governed by a vicarius who reported to the caesar or emperor of the prefecture.
Dressel 1b A type of amphora that contained wine from central Italy. It dates from the mid 1st century BC to the 1st century AD.
Early Saxon The period of time after the Romans, when the Anglo-Saxons settled across much of Britain, from the 5th to 7th century AD.
Exposure A burial rite whereby dead bodies were left to decompose in the open before the bones were disposed.
Fineware More expensive pottery vessels, often decorated, used for dining purposes. Often imported, either from the continent or production centres in Britain.
Flavian The emperors of the Flavian dynasty, starting with Vespasian in AD 69 and ending with Domitian in AD 96.
Fortuna Roman goddess of luck and good fortune.
Forum The main public square at the centre of a Roman town, which acted as the main meeting place and shopping area.
Gaul The Roman name for what is now France, Belgium and Holland.
Graffito A personal and informal style of writing, usually scratched onto pottery or stone by individuals.
Hillfort A hilltop settlement surrounded by defensive earth ramparts and ditches. Common in the early and middle Iron Ages.
Hipposandal Thought to be a temporary horseshoe, perhaps used when an unshod animal was bought onto metalled road.
Hypocaust A Roman underfloor heating system. Hot air would pass from a furnace through spaces under the floor and up through hollow tiles within the walls, before being released through a chimney.
Iron Age The period of time before the Roman invasion, from about 700 BC to AD 43. It is traditionally divided into early, middle and late.
Juno A Roman goddess of women and childbirth. She was the wife of the god Jupiter.
Jupiter The chief Roman god, equivalent to the Greek god Zeus. He was also the god of thunder and is often seen with thunderbolts in his hand.
Lararium A household shrine usually taking the form of a raised platform or shelf. Small statues of household gods (Lares) may have stood in the shrine.
Legion (Latin Legio) A military unit recruited from Roman citizens and usually around 5000 men in strength.
Ligula An instrument with a narrow cup-shaped scoop, which may have been used as a medical probe, an ear scoop or for picking up small quantities of ointment.
Mansio An inn and administrative station that provided for official travellers on the main roads throughout the empire.
Mausoleum A building erected to house the dead. They could often be quite substantial structures.
Mercury The messenger of the Roman gods. He was also the god of trade.
Minerva Roman goddess of wisdom and crafts
Mithraism An oriental cult of the god Mithras, popular with the army.
Mosaic A decorated floor made up of many small pieces of coloured stones called tesserae.
Neptune Roman god of the sea.
Notitia Dignitatum A list of military and civil officials from the late empire, dated to between the late 4th century and early 5th century AD.
Oppidum A term used to describe large late Iron Age settlements with some urban-qualities.
Ordo A council in charge of administration within the civitas (a region within a Roman province) made up of about 100 decurions, who were wealthy local landowners.
Pagi A sub-district within the civitas. Almost nothing is known about them in Britain.
Prefecture A later Roman division of the empire. The four prefectures were governed by two emperors and their two deputies (caesars). This sytem was disolved under emperor Constantine I in the early 4th century AD.
Prehistoric A period of time before written sources of evidence are available. In Britain, this is before the Roman period, which began in AD 43.
Procurator A high ranking official in the Roman province, who dealt with matters of finance such as taxes. He also looked after the emperor's estates and was directly responsible to the emperor.
Roundhouse A traditional circular Iron Age house made of timber, thatch and wattle and daub.
Samian A glossy red-slip fineware pottery, originally made in Arezzo, Italy, and later in Gaul. Exported in large quantities across the Roman empire in the 1st - 2nd centuries AD.
Saxon People from northern Germany who settled in Britain after the Romans.
Stane Street A Roman road built by the army in the mid 1st century AD, connecting Chichester with London.
Stylus A thin metal rod used to write on wax tablets. When the information on the tablets was no longer needed, it could be rubbed out with the flat end of the stylus.
Togidubnus A British king who ruled over the client kingdom of the Regni in central southern Britain from AD 43 to around AD 80.
Venus Roman goddess of love and beauty
Verica A British King who ruled over the Atrebates tribe in central southern Britain, from around AD 10 to 42.
Villa A Roman style house in the countryside, often the centre of a large agricultural estate.
Votive offering An offering made to the gods, either to ask the god for help, or to pay him for help given. Coins and personal items (e.g. Jewellery) were often given.
Weald A hilly region of East Sussex, Surrey and Kent, where many reserves of iron ore have been found.
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