| Word |
Meaning |
| beneficiarus |
A long-serving soldier in the Roman army seconded for special duties, including customs and tax collecting, policing or acting as a kind of district officer. |
| Cornovii |
The British tribe who occupied the area now covering most of Chester and Shropshire and parts of Staffordshire and Wales during the period of Roman occupation, 1st-5th century AD. Apart from the destruction of the Wrekin hillfort, there is little evidence of armed resistance to the Roman invaders; the growth of Viroconium seeming to indicate a prosperous accomadation with their new rulers. The tribal lands were eventually subsumed into the Mercian kingdom in the eighth century. |
| cursive |
Writing written in a running hand, the letters flowing into each other. |
| epigraph |
An inscription, especially on a building. Also a citation at the beginning of a book. |
| forum |
A Latin word referring to a Roman building usually in the centre of a city which included a large colonnaded market, a meeting hall (a Basilica), law courts and administratve offices. |
| Hadrian |
Publius Aelius Traianus Hadrianus. Roman Emperor 117-138 AD. A distant relative of his predesser Trajan, Hadrian preferred to fortify the extremities of the empire rather than engage in aggressive conquest. Hadrian's Wall (Vallum Hadriani) is a famous example of this policy. Known as the 'tourist emperor' because of his extensive travelling around the empire. |
| lapidary |
Derived from the Latin lapis meaning stone, lapidary can refer to the writing on a stone surface, e.g. the inscription on a plinth or tombstone. |
| Roman Square Capitals |
Type of script (font) in use by the imperial period of Roman history. Usually used on monumental inscriptions, it is charactorised by its the varying thickness of its lettering, the use of elegant serifs, and its legibility. |
| serif |
The additional cross lines at the end of the stroke of a letter. |
| Trajan's Column |
Famous marble column surviving in Rome. Erected during the period AD 106-113 by the emperor Trajan as the centre piece of his forum. Standing 38m high and made from 18 blocks of Carrara marble, the column is famous for the intricate spiral frieze (carving) covering its entire surface area. Depicting the narrative of Trajan's two wars of conquest against the Dacions, the carvings are perhaps the greatest example of Roman masonry skill. |
| tria nomina |
The three names; Praenomen, Nomen and Cognomen, usually given to a Roman citizen. They appear with his birthplace, tribal affiliation and father's name in official documents and on tombstones. Some citizens, particularly rich ones, gave themselves more than three names. |
| Vindolanda Tablets |
The oldest surviving handwritten documents in Britain. Discovered from 1973 at the ruins of the Roman fort of Vindolanda, one mile south of Hadrian's Wall, the tablets are comprised of wooden leaves with carbon ink lettering. The finds included personal correspondence as well as military and administerial memoranda. Dating from c.AD 100, the documents offer a unique insight into the day to day lives of the Roman soldiers and families stationed at this northerly outpost. |
| Viroconium Cornoviorum |
The Roman name for the settlement at Wroxeter.
The name literally means 'the settlement of Virico of the Cornovii tribe'. Virico is the Cornovian king who is believed to have founded the city. The often used phrase "Roman City" is somewhat misleading, the city was a Cornovian settlement which continued to flourish after the departure of the Romans. Developed by the Romans as a fortified base for the attempted conquest of the territory now known as Wales. |
