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Latin words (1 Viewer)

senso

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Hey, i keep having trouble remembering all of the different latin words for my Rome topic. All the dignitas, amicitia and all of them.
Has anyone got a list of words and their meaning? That would be so great.
Thanks
 

tina_goes_doo

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Ok i'm probably missing heaps but there's this sheet of latin terms next to me and well....:)

Roman positions (in terms of rank - highest to lowest)

Consul - Were the supreme magistrates of the Republic. Two consuls were elected to hold office with 'imperium' for a year. They were elected via the 'commitia centuriata'.

Praetor - Second highest officer in the cursus honorum. They held 'imperium' and administered the justice between Roman citizens. Were judges and governors.

Aediles - Civil administrators.

Quaestor - The lowest office in the cursus honorum and was usually held by young men to gain entry into the senate. This body had mainly to do with finance.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Comitia Centuriata - An assembly of the Roman people voting in their military centuries.

Imperium - Supreme administrative power usually involving command in war and the execution of law.

Imperator - the title given for victorious generals. Later a regular title for emperors.

Imperium infinitum - a grant of imperium. Most powerful title in Rome.

Senatus Consultum Ultimum - A declaration of public emergency by the senate. Basically if there's a guy threatening the senate they employ every means to try and repress him.

Lex - laws.

Novus Homo - Literally meaning a "new man". It is a man who enters the tiers of the cursus honourum but was not from a noble class family. They are the first to 'enoble' their family.

Patricians - the ruling class of the early Republic.

Plebians - The name given to the general body of Roman citizens.

Pontifex Maximus - high priest

Tribune - The representative body of the plebians in the political system.

Triumph - a great parade for a victorious general.

Ovation - a smaller triumph for a lesser victory.

Optimates - Political faction that favoured oligarchy and rule by the senate. Conservatives.

Populares - Political faction in the late Republic that used assemblies to gain political power. They were opposed to the optimates.

Dignitas - Pride or self-worth of a Roman general.

Amicitia - political alliances.

I'm sure there's heaps more.
 

senso

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thanks! that's a great start
If anyone still has any more it'd be appreciated
 

AsyLum

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mos maiorum - lit. "as they [the forefathers] did" ...."what was done in the past will continue to be done"

"Senatus Consultum Ultimum - A declaration of public emergency by the senate. Basically if there's a guy threatening the senate they employ every means to try and repress him."

Whilst that is the "sugar coated" response, in essence the issuing of the SCU during this period basically meant that a Roman citizen could be killed without a trial
 
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The Bograt

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Here are some important ones that may not have been said:
Ambitio - a going around, campaigning for votes
Amici - (amicitas) 'friends' of nobiles who could be useful in winning political authority. A political friendship, basically.
Auctoritas - personal authority
Dignitas - worth or dignity held within a family
Gratia - gratitude, gratefulness
Imperium - the right to command an army, the right over life and death
Intercessio - the tribunes right to veto the Senate's actions
Legates - lieutenants
Mos Maiorum - the deep respect for tradition
Nobilitas - acquired when a family member reaches consul
Novus Homo - a man who has no consular ancestors
Ovatio - round of applause, less than a triumph
Populares - politicians who base their power on popularity
Triumph - victory procession through streets of Rome on the return of a general from a very successful campaign (had to kill a disputed number of people)

They are all good ones to use in essays
 
X

xeuyrawp

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jesus christ.
Don't learn all of them, what a waste of time.
Just look at a few textbooks for your chosen themes/people then include the latin in your notes. Don't learn them by rote, you could be learning better quotes or ideas.
 

shelley

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Yep look its good to be able to throw in some latin words like auctoritas, and u will be expected to know terms like pater familias and princeps which u should have encountered heaps, but dont go over the top stressing, their worth pionts but not at the expensive of quality content, its better u know ur topic well (even just in english) the throw in a whole bunch of latin and have no pionts!
 

senso

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PwarYuex said:
jesus christ.
Don't learn all of them, what a waste of time.
Just look at a few textbooks for your chosen themes/people then include the latin in your notes. Don't learn them by rote, you could be learning better quotes or ideas.
No one said to learn all of them..
I only wanted a few common ones to throw in.
Getting a bigger list means you have more choice for the few words you plan to remember, that's all.
 

Caratacus

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Agreed, Senso - plus you can use a list of the words as a glossary when you're reading historians like Scullard or Salmon or Syme, who often use the Latin terms in their discussions. PwarYuex, no one's suggesting you learn them all by heart or base your HSC answers around them: they are a useful accessory that can make your answer seem better informed and more sophisticated - other things being equal.

When writing about the Second Settlement you might want to refer to tribunicia potestas. When addressing the power of the princeps and his family you might speak of the Domus Caesaris, or mention the role of the Amici Caesaris as advisers. You might discuss Augustus's emphasis of Pietas in his propaganda and particularly the official art and building program. And so on.

In fact I reckon it's actually easier to discuss many of these issues using the Latin terms and concepts - if you have a handle on them. Otherwise, use the English versions. But you do need to know the basic key terms and concepts in either Latin or English - presumably your teacher has gone through them with you.
 

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