Page 184 - A Walk to Caesarea / Joseph Patrich

170 Glossary

Metropolitan Bishop of a metropolis in Church administration.
mime A light play with text (monologue or dialogue) from daily life or from mythology
that was performed by a single actor or presented by a group of actors, without
mole masks. The play contained social satire and parody on mythological topics and
mysteries religion. Its components: dance, acrobatics, and music.
A large structure extending into the sea and used as a jetty or breakwater.
niello Religious rite that was dramatized with resurrection scenes as well as rising
nymphaeum from the grave.
odeum Fill mixture inlaid in engraved metal.
officium A luxurious fountain.
opus pavonaceum A hall for poetry readings, which was also used for other municipal needs.
opus sectile Office of the governor and his clerical staff.
A decorative pattern imitating colorful peacock feathers.
orchestra Roman technique for decorating floor and walls with colorful cut pieces of
orthogonal grid plan stone or marble, that form different patterns: geometric, floral, or figurative.
Semi-circular surface in the Roman theater between the seating and the stage.
pantomime Streets running at right angles to each other, creating a grid. This was the
arrangement of the streets followed in Herodian Caesarea.
patrikios A one-man play; a single dancer who changed masks and appeared accompa-
nied by a chorus and an orchestra.
polis Honorary title for a person of high rank in the Byzantine imperial administra-
pompa tion and army.
City (Greek).
praetorium An elegant ceremonial procession of competitors and combatants in the arena,
propylon with their equipment, before the competition or combat.
riba¯.t Governor’s palace.
Gate house.
sacellum Fortified coastal outpost in the Muslim array against the Byzantine naval
sakia threat.
solidus, solidi A small shrine used by competitors or combatants in an arena.
A water wheel (Arabic).
sphendone Golden coin; the hard currency at the foundation of the Byzantine economy,
spina such as the dollar today.
stadium The curved section of the seating arrangement in the stadium or hippodrome.
stibadium The median strip dividing an arena lengthwise.
An elongated arena used for athletic competitions.
tabula ansata Dining room arranged in a semi-circle and containing a reclining couch in
the same shape.
temenos A rectangular, horizontal frame with dovetailed handles in the shape of
territorium triangles encompassing an inscription.
tetrapylon A sacred precinct in which a temple was standing.
The rural area surrounding a city and administratively subordinated to it.
Tiberieum An urban monument built on the crossroads of the main streets of the Roman
city; it has four gates or passages.
Vitruvius A cultic structure in honor of Emperor Tiberius, such as was located in
Caesarea.
vomitoria A Roman architect active in the time of Augustus; he wrote De Architechtura,
in which water mills are also described (Book 10, chapter 8).
Vaulted entry passages to blocks of seats in a theater and any other enter-
tainment structure.