1218 Glossary tribunal The raised platform at one end of a basilica from where a judge or other magistrates presided over a hearing or tried legal cases tribune An elected representative of the plebeians of Rome tribute Goods, labor, or payment offered to the ruling classes, usually by obligation, in exchange for their rulership triclinium A Roman dining room containing three couches on which men reclined to eat trilithon A megalithic structure made of two large vertical stones supporting a horizontal stone laid across the top trireme An ancient ship with three rows of oars on each side trittys Political division in Athens consisting of several contiguous demes trypanosomiasis A disease caused by parasitic single-celled organisms generally transmitted by insect bites; the form popularly known as “sleeping sickness” is transmitted by tsetse flies tsetse fly A fly that spreads diseases among cattle and humans, including sleeping sickness tsunami A giant wave or series of waves created by earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, or other major impact to an ocean tubers Rounded roots, such as the potato, that grow underground tufa Soft volcanic rock that was frequently used as a fi ller or as facing stone in Roman buildings tumbaga An alloy of gold and copper used by the ancient Peruvians tumulus (pl tumuli) An artificial mound built, in ancient Europe, usually over the remains of the dead; also called a barrow tundra A vast, cold, treeless plain characteristic of arctic and subarctic regions tunic A T-shaped garment with openings at the top for the head and arms turf Sod; a mat of grass and its roots tuyere Nozzle through which air is delivered into a furnace twill Fabric threads interwoven to give the cloth a parallel diagonal, diamond shape or herringbone ridges on the surface typhoon A hurricane occurring in the western Pacific region typology Within the discipline of historical linguistics, the characteristic of surface structural similarity tyrannos (pl tyrannoi) In ancient Greece, sole ruler without hereditary claim to the throne; the word sometimes has negative connotations but less so than the English word tyrant Tyrian purple An ancient dye made from the secretions of marine snails and very highly valued throughout the ancient Mediterranean world Tzolkin Mayan sacred calendar based on a 260-day ritual cycle unguent A medicinal or cosmetic ointment univira A matron who had the honorable distinction of having married only once in her life and not having divorced untouchables People without caste in India, the lowest social group urbs Latin word for “city.” ushabtis In ancient Egypt, small figurines that were buried with the dead to accompany them into the underworld and work for them in the afterlife uttariya A scarf that covered the upper body, worn by ancient Indians vallus Ancient Roman reaping machine pulled by an animal and used to cut off the heads of wheat stalks and drop them in a container varna Associated with Hinduism; the name in India for the original social division of people into four main groups, which in turn contain thousands of subdivisions vassal A person, nation, or group that is dependent on or subordinate to another vault An arched brick or stone ceiling or roof Vedic laws Legal codes based on religious texts, such as the sacred writings of Hinduism vela A linen awning covering a Roman theater; sometimes called a velarium vellum A special kind of leather used to make sheets for writing In general this was more prestigious and expensive than papyrus venatio Beast hunts that were conducted as a spectator sport in ancient Roman amphitheaters venator Hunter in a staged wild-animal hunt in the Roman arena veneer Thin strips of decorative wood applied to the surface of an object to hide a wood of less aesthetic value or to mask imperfections vestal virgins The priestesses of the Roman hearth goddess, Vesta, who were required to be virgins and entrusted with keeping a sacred flame burning in Vesta’s temple vigesimal Referring to a number system based on 20 vihara In Indian architecture, a small building consisting of cubicles arranged around a central courtyard, used by monks and visitors to meditate and penance villa A self-sufficient community, including a residential building, gardens, workshops, and cultivated fields viticulture The science of growing grapes vivisection The cutting open of a living being for the investigational or diagnostic purposes vizier In ancient Egypt, the highest-ranking government official after the pharaoh volute A type of spiral scrollwork votive Given or done in fulfi llment of a vow or pledge wabet The workshop in which bodies were embalmed before burial in ancient Egypt warp In weaving, the threads that run lengthwise