Sefer Torah (Hebrew) literally Book of the Torah, a handwritten copy of the Torah
Septuagint (Latin), literally the Translation of the Seventy, the Greek version of the Hebrew Bible
Shabbat (sing.), Shabbatot (pl.) (Hebrew) the Sabbath, the seventh day of the Jewish week, a day of rest observed from a few minutes before sunset on Friday to a few minutes after three stars appear in the sky on Saturday night
Sh’ma (Hebrew) the Hebrew prayer in which Jews declare their faith in the One G-d; the first word of that prayer, which means “Hear!”
spoliarium (Latin) the pit below the arena, where the bodies of slain beasts and gladiators are dragged to await mass burial
stoa (Greek) a long, low building of shops with a columned porch facing the center of the agora
Sukkot (Hebrew) the Festival of Booths, a seven-day Biblical holiday beginning on the fifteenth day of Tishri
Tishri (Hebrew) the first month of the civil year and the seventh month of the ecclesiastical year in the Hebrew calendar
Torah (Hebrew) the Pentateuch, the Five Books of Moses, the foundation of all Jewish legal and ethical precepts
tunica interior (Latin) a knee-length undergarment women wore under a chiton
Early Roman Emperors
Tiberius — 14 CE to 37 CE
Caligula — 37 CE to 41 CE
Claudius — 41 CE to 54 CE
About the Author
Photograph by Michael Gold
June Trop (Zuckerman) is associate professor emerita of science education at the State University of New York at New Paltz. The Deadliest Lie is her first novel. She is working now on its sequel.