Loosely, in short, the term “Roman” is a political term; the term “Greek” a social, ethnic or linguistic one—and that is how the terms are used in the series.
Places
Adulis:
a city on the western coast of the Red Sea; the kingdom of Axum’s major port; later, the capital city of the Ethiopians.
Ajmer:
the major city of Rajputana.
Alexandria:
the major city of Roman Egypt, located on one of the mouths of the Nile.
Amaravati:
the former capital of the Empire of Andhra, located on the Krishna river in south India; sacked by the Malwa; Shakuntala taken into captivity after her family is massacred.
Anatha:
an imperial villa in Mesopotamia; site of the first major battle between Belisarius and the Malwa.
Axum:
the name refers both to the capital city in the highlands and the kingdom of the Ethiopians.
Babylon:
ancient city in Mesopotamia, located on the Euphrates; site of a major siege of the Persians by the Malwa.
Barbaricum:
the major port in the Indus delta; located near present day Karachi.
Begram:
the major city of the Kushans.
Bharakuccha:
the major port of western India under Malwa control; located at the mouth of the Narmada river.
Charax:
Persian seaport on the Persian Gulf.
Chowpatty:
Malwa naval base on the west coast of India; located at the site of present day Mumbai (Bombay).
Constantinople:
capital of the Roman Empire; located on the Bosporus.
Ctesiphon:
capital of the Persian empire; located on the Tigris river in Mesopotamia.
Deccan:
southern India.
Deogiri:
a fortified city in central Majarashtra; established by Shakuntala as the new capital of Andhra.
Gwalior:
location of Venandakatra’s palace in north India where Shakuntala was held captive.
Hindu Kush:
the mountains northwest of the Punjab. Site of the Khyber Pass.
Kausambi:
capital of the Malwa empire; located in north India, at the junction of the Ganges and Jamuna rivers.
Majarashtra:
literally, “the Great Country.” Land of the Marathas, one of India’s major nationalities.
Marv:
an oasis city in Central Asia; located in present day Turkmenistan.
Mindouos:
a battlefield in Mesopotamia where Belisarius fought the Persians.
Muziris:
the major port of the kingdom of Kerala in southeastern India.
Nehar Malka:
the ancient canal connecting the Euphrates and Tigris rivers; scene of a battle between Belisarius and the Malwa.
The Pass:
a pass in the Zagros mountains separating Mesopotamia from the Persian plateau; site of a battle between Belisarius and Damodara; called The Battle of the Mongoose by the Rajputs.
Peshawar:
located in the Vale of Peshawar, between the Punjab and the Khyber Pass.
Punjab:
the upper Indus river valley.
Rajputana:
the land of the Rajputs, one of India’s major nationalities.
Sind:
the lower Indus river valley.
Sukkur:
a major city on the Indus; north of the city is the “Sukkur gorge” which marks the boundary between Sind and the Punjab.
Suppara:
a port city on India’s west coast, to the north of Chowpatty.
Tamraparni:
the island of Ceylon; modern day Sri Lanka.
Vindhyas:
the mountain range which marks the traditional boundary between northern India and southern India.
Terms
Anvaya-prapta sachivya:
members of the Malwa royal clan.
Aqabe tsentsen:
literally, “keeper of the fly-whisks.” The highest ranked official in the Axumite government.
Azadan:
literally, “men of noble birth.” Refers to a class of people in the Persian empire roughly analogous to medieval European knights.
Cataphract:
the heavily armed and armored mounted archer and lancer who formed the heart of the Roman army. Developed by the Romans as a copy of the dehgan.
Dawazz:
a slave assigned as adviser to Ethiopian princes, specifically for the purpose of deflating royal self-aggrandizement.
Dehgan:
the Persian equivalent of a cataphract.
Dromon:
a Roman war galley.
Kushans:
originating as a barbarian tribe from the steppes, the Kushans became civilized after conquering Central Asia and were the principal support for Buddhism in the early centuries of the Christian Era; later subjugated by the Malwa.
Negusa nagast:
“King of Kings.” Ruler of Axum, the kingdom of the Ethiopians.
Nika:
the name of the insurrection against Justinian and Theodora engineered by the Malwa.
Peshwa:
roughly translates as “vizier.” Top civilian official of the Empire of Andhra.
Sahrdaran:
the highest ranked nobility in the Persian empire, next in status to the emperor. Traditionally consisted of seven families, of which the “first among equals” were the Suren.