G

Galba - (3 BCE-69 CE) Roman emperor; he was a good soldier and moved through the Roman political ranks, becoming praetor and consul; he became emperor after the death of Nero, but was never very popular with the soldiers or the Roman people; he was murdered in 69 CE, after which Otho became emperor.

Galen - Greek physician born in Pergamum in Asia Minor ca. 129; at 16 Galen began his study of medicine and continued his studies on Alexandria in Egypt at the age of 20; he returned to Pergamum ten years later and became a surgeon to gladiators; in the year 162, at the age of 34, Galen went to Rome as physician to the court of the Emperor Marcus Aurelius; Galen returned to Pergamum for three years but in 169 he became a permanent resident of Rome; Galen's research included the studies of physiology, pharmacology, and most notably anatomy; his study of antatomy led him to conclude that arteries contain blood, not air as Aristotle had taught; he studied the works of Erasistratus, Plato, Herophilus, and Hippocrates and his teachings were accepted as authoritative by the Church; Galen wrote over 400 books, 100 are now known; Galen's work remained virtually unchalleged by other scientific theory until the Renascence.

• Galen: a Biographical Sketch

Ganymede - also known as Aquarius; an adolescent boy who was said to be the most beautiful of all mortals; while guarding his father's flock, Zeus saw Ganymede and fell in love with him; Zeus carried Ganymede off to Olympus where Ganymede served as his cup-bearer pouring nectar for Zeus, a position formally held by Hebe; to compensate his father for taking his son, Zeus gave Ganymede's father divine horses.

garum - (Latin) a fish sauce that has been fermented.

Gaul - a portion of western Europe nearly identical in its geography to modern France; the founding of the colony of Massalía (Marseille) by the Phocaean Greeks in 600 BCE is the first historic mention of Gaul; according to Julius Caesar's Gallic Wars, Gaul was divided into three parts, inhabited by the Belgae in the north, the Aquitani in the south, and the Galli or Celtae in the area in between; the three groups used different languages, customs, and laws, and the Aquitani were ethnically distinct from the Belgae and Celtae; the Romans divided Gaul into two sections: Gallia Cisalpina and Gallia Translapina; in 387 BCE, the Senons from Gallia Cisalpina (modern day northern Italy) sacked Rome easily defeating the frightened Romans and their warriors; Rome bought its freedom from the Senons back with gold but eventually defeated the Senons driving them from Rome under the leadership of the Roman general Camillo; Julius Caesar invaded Gaul in 58 BCE; in 52 BCE the rebellion of Vergcingetorix, "king" of the Gauls, takes place but is put down by Roman forces; following the defeat of Vergcingetorix, Rome ruled Gaul as its province; in 49 BCE, Caesar conferred Roman citizenship on the inhabitants of Gallia Cisalpina.

• History of the Gauls
• Gauls Sack Rome and Rome's Allies in Italy Revolt
• Caesar's Campaigns in Gaul (58-50 BCE)
• Rebellion of Vercingetorix in Gaul

Geb - an ancient Egyptian god of the earth, Geb’s laugh was said to be the cause of earthquakes; his sister and wife was Nut, the goddess of the sky; Geb was the son of Shu and Tefnut; with Nut he produced four children, Osiris, Isis, Seth, and Nephthys.

Ancient Egyptian Gods - Geb

gelu - (Latin) frost, chill.

genialis - (Latin) enjoyable, fun, easygoing.

genre - class or category of art or literature in accordance with characteristic form, technique and content; examples of literary genres are tragedy, comedy, and epic.

gens - (Latin) a family group in Rome; members of the same gens shared common property, the right to inherit, a common burial place, religious rites, and the same name.

geographical context - the locational circumstances of an event.

georgicus - (Latin) having to do with agriculture; Vergil’s Georgics dealt with pastoral matters

Germania - (Latin) Germany also known in Latin as Alemannia; the territory located between the Rhone, Vistule, Danube and the sea; it was divided by the Romans into two sections – Upper and Lower Germania.

Germanicus - Germanicus Julius Caesar; Germanicus was very popular and a good soldier; in 4 CE, Augustus chose Tiberius to be his heir, but arranged that Tiberius would select Germanicus to follow his rule; Germanicus was consul in 12 CE and was left behind to continue the war in Germany by Tiberius that same year; Germanicus died in 17 CE under suspicious circumstances in Egypt; he had several children with his wife Agrippina the Elder, among whom were Caligula and Agrippina the Younger, the mother of Nero.

gladiator - the term comes from the Latin word meaning 'sword', gladius; gladiators were condemned criminals, prisoners of war, or slaves bought for the purpose of gladiatorial combat by a lanista, or owner/trainer of gladiators; gladiators could also be free men who voluteered fight; for more on the history, origins, and daily life of gladiators, see the link below.

• The Roman Gladiator

Glaukon - brother of Plato and one of the interlocutors of the Republic.

Glaucus - helped Paris abduct Helen and the Trojan ally who meets, but does not fight Diomedes (Iliad); (13) son of Sisyphus who became king of Corinth, dies at the funeral games of Pelias when he loses a chariot race and is eaten by his horses.

gloria - (Latin) fame, glory.

glorificus - (Latin) glorious.

glorior - (Latin) to glory, to boast.

gorgon - one of three sisters, Stheino, Euryale, and Medusa; Medusa's monstrous hair was comprised of writhing snakes and her eyes turned people to stone when they look into them; for an example, see Munich 2312 (image).

gorytos - a combination quiver and bow case from the Persians; for an example, see Philadelphia 31-19-2 (image).

Gracchus, Gaius Sempronius - brother to Tiberius Sempronius Gracchus; tribune in 123 and 122 BCE; Gaius Gracchus promoted laws to help the poor of Rome; he also wanted to make the Latins (the original inhabitants of Latium) Roman citizens, a suggestion which was not popular; in 121, after he was not re-elected, Gaius Gracchus led an armed revolt that caused the senate to use the senatus consultum ultimum for the first time; after this revolt, he and his supporters were killed.

Gracchus, Tiberius Sempronius - politician, brother to Gaius Sempronius Gracchus; Tiberius Gracchus became tribune in 133 BCE and carried out controversial legislation that ultimately caused his murder in the same year; Tiberius Gracchus wanted to take care of two of Rome's problems: (1) small land-owners who had lost their land and (2) the possibility of not having enough food for the city; he suggested the enforcement of a law that did not permit estates of more than 500 iugera; the extra land would then be given to poor citizens; the more wealthy senators did not support the restrictions on their property and rejected Tiberius' proposal; Tiberius Gracchus was murdered by a group of senators led by the Pontifex Maximus P. Cornelius Scipio Nasica Serapio in 133 BCE.

Graces - the three daughters of Zeus and Eurynome; their names are Aglaia (Splendor), Euphrosyne (Festivity), and Thalia; they brought happiness to whomever they visited.

gramen - (Latin) any plant or grass.

grammaticus - (Latin) a teacher of literature and language; upper-class Roman boys, following primary school, were taught by a grammaticus who instructed them in Greek and Roman literature; this system of education was adopted from the Greeks.

gratia - (Latin) on account of.

grave stele - a grave monument standing upright with an inscription and/or sculpted picture on it; a grave stone or marker; for an example, see Berlin 1465 (image).

gravitas - (Latin) "gravity", a greatly valued Roman characteristic; gravitas meant that one took seriously public and private responsibilities and realized their importance.

greave - a piece of a soldiers armor wore on the shin and calf between the knee and the ankle; for an example, see Berlin F 2331 (image).

Greek alphabet - Greek letters, English transliterations of the Greek letters, and names of the Greek letters appear in the chart below.

griffin - a mythical being with the head and wings of an eagle of body of a lion; for an example, see Boston 96.665 (image).

groma - Roman engineers used a groma as a surveying device to build roads, aqueducts and buildings; a groma consisted of a wooden stand with crossbar from which weights were hung; the weights on the end of each crossbar assured that the groma was kept perpendicular to the ground.

• Birmingham Roman Roads Project: Roman Roads in Britain

gustatio - (Latin) an appetizer or hors d’oeuvre; Romans might serve eggs, shell fish, or vegetables as a gustatio.

gymnastes – in ancient Greece, a high paid, athletic exercise trainers.

• The Ancient Olympics

 gyrus - or vivarium; in the Roman legionary camp, the gyrus with the training ring and animal corral. The structure was formed from fifty semicircular cut timbers set upright in a circular trench, probably supporting a framework of cross-timbers. A single entrance passage adjoined the structure on the north-east and had gates at both ends, presumably to control the entrance and exite of animals. It is probable that both horses and men were trained within the gyrus.