BC / AD System

Denotes years before and after Christ's birth; AD is written before the year number.

BCE / CE System

Secularized equivalent to BC/AD using Before Common Era and Common Era.

AUC (Ab Urbe Condita)

Roman dating system meaning 'from the city having been created,' starting from Rome's founding.

Base 10 (Decimal) System

Based on ten fingers; used in most modern Western cultures.

Base 12 (Duodecimal) System

Ancient system based on counting finger joints with the thumb.

Founding of Rome (753 BC)

Mythical founding by brothers Romulus and Remus; Romulus became the first king.

The Roman Republic

Established in 509 BC after overthrowing the monarchy, featuring annually elected leaders.

The Twelve Tables (450 BC)

Rome's first written law code, created after a popular rebellion to make laws accessible.

The Punic Wars

Three wars between Rome and Carthage (264-146 BC) resulting in Roman Mediterranean dominance.

Livius Andronicus

First Roman author who translated Homer's Odyssey into Latin using Saturnian meter.

Terence (Publius Terentius Afer)

African-born Roman comic playwright and former slave who influenced modern sitcom archetypes.

"The Brothers" (Adelphi)

A play by Terence exploring Roman-Greek cultural clashes and parenting styles.

Apuleius

An ancient novelist from North Africa famous for writing The Metamorphoses (The Golden Ass).

Saint Augustine

A 5th-century Christian theologian whose Confessions shaped Western views on original sin.

"Western Intellectual Tradition"

Encompasses philosophy, history, and literature from ancient Greece, spread by Rome and Christianity.