672Glossarythe censor acquired substantial authority over public morals and
religious observances as well.
Consul. The highest office in the Roman state. Consuls served
one-year terms and could succeed themselves only after the
passage of ten years. They commanded the army and, in civil
matters, their edicts had the force of law.
Familia. In Roman Law, the entire household headed by a
Paterfamilias,or father, including his nuclear family, dependent
relatives, and slaves.
Partible Inheritance. The legal requirement that all property
be distributed equally among an individual’s heirs. It is the
opposite of Nonartible Inheritance,which permits all of the
property in an estate to be passed to a single heir, often the
eldest son.
Patricians. The hereditary aristocracy of the Roman Republic.
Only they could hold office as magistrates or serve in the
Senate.
Plebeians. The lower class of Roman citizens. They could
vote and, after the so-called struggle of the orders, served in the
Plebeian Assembly and were represented to the Senate by
Tribunes.
Proconsul. A consul whose authority was extended for the
duration of a military campaign, normally in a distant province.
Chapter 5
Pax Romana. The Roman Peace. A long period of peace
within the empire established by Augustus. It did not preclude
revolts within individual provinces or conflicts with the
Germanic tribes and other outsiders.
Latifundia. Large, self-sufficient estates that dominated the
economic life of the western Roman empire. In the late Republic
they were usually worked by slaves, who were gradually
replaced by tenants (coloni) under the empire.
Codex. A manuscript volume of pages, usually bound in
leather. It began to replace the scroll in the first centuryA.D.Coloni. Tenants on a Roman estate or latifundia.Under the
early empire coloniwere normally free citizens who leased their
land and returned a percentage of their yield to the estate.
Equestrians. A new social class that emerged after the Punic
Wars. Most were merchants or financiers who, while rich
enough to fight on horseback (hence the term “equestrian”),
lacked the political privileges of the Patricians.
Imperator. Originally a military title, it was adopted by
Vespasian as a symbol of ultimate power. The origin of the title
“emperor.”
Insulae. The large, tenement-like apartment houses in which
most urban Romans lived.
Publicani,or Publicans. Tax farmers who purchased the right
to levy provincial taxes at auction in return for a percentage of
the funds to be raised.
Chapter 6
Arianism. The doctrine, advanced by Arius and accepted by
many of the Germanic tribes, that Christ was a created being,
neither fully God, nor fully man. The orthodox view in both the
Eastern and Western churches is that Christ is both fully God
and fully man.
Cataphracti. Armored heavy cavalry first commonly used
under Diocletian. They became the dominant branch of the
Roman army after the battle of Adrianople in 378.
Command Economy. An economic system in which the
government sets wages and prices and attempts to regulate
production.
Decurians. In the late Roman empire, members of the urban
elite who monopolized most city offices, but who also paid
many of the costs of government.
Forced Requisitions. The practice of confiscating food, draft
animals, and other private property to support the army in a
particular region.
Monasticism. The practice of living in a secluded community
under the rule of religious vows.
Paganism. A generic term for all those who had not been
converted to Christianity. It is derived from the Latin word
pagani,a slang term for rustics.
Predestination. The doctrine, advanced by Augustine, that
God selects those who will be saved.Double Predestination
holds that God also selects those who will be damned. (see also
Chapter Fourteen)
Tetrarchy. The system introduced by Diocletian under which
the empire was ruled by two caesars and two augusti.Chapter 7
Epiboli. The Byzantine system whereby all of the members of
a community were required to pay the taxes of those unable to
do so.
Iconoclasm. The belief that images should be destroyed
because they are contrary to God’s commandment.
Shahada. The Muslim profession of faith: “There is no God
but God and Mohammed is his prophet.”
Shar’ia. A way of life wholly commanded by God. The
religious goal of pious Muslims.
Jihad. A holy war fought against the enemies of al-Islam.
Caliph. The chief civil and religious ruler in Islamic society.
Allod. A freehold property, normally unencumbered by feudal
dues or other obligations.
Carolingian Minuscule. A style of handwriting developed in
the Carolingian renaissance that became the basis of most
modern hands.
Salic Law. The law of the Salian, or “salty” Franks that became
the basis of succession in the Frankish kingdoms and later in