Download GCSE Classical Civilisation Glossary Glossary: of terms

GCSE Classical Civilisation
Other Guidance
• Glossary of Terms
Teacher Resource Bank / GCSE Classical Civilisation / Glossary of Terms / Version 1.0
Contents
Introduction
3
Topic 1A – Homer, Odyssey
4
Topic 1B – Livy, Stories of Rome
5
Topic 1C – Athens and Sparta
7
Topic 1D – History of Roman Britain
9
Topic 2A – Greek Tragedy and Drama Festivals
10
Topic 2B – Plautus, The Pot of Gold and The Brothers Menaechmus
12
Topic 2C – Mycenaean Civilisation
14
Topic 2D – Social Life in Rome in the First Century AD
16
Topic 3A – Herodotus, The Persian Wars
19
Topic 3B – Virgil, Aeneid
21
Topic 3C – The Ancient Olympic Games and the Panathenaia
23
Topic 3D – Pompeii and Herculaneum
25
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Teacher Resource Bank / GCSE Classical Civilisation / Glossary of Terms / Version 1.0
Introduction
This glossary provides definitions of some of the key specialist vocabulary in each of the topics in
Units 1–3 of the new GCSE Classical Civilisation specification. About 20–30 terms are listed for
each topic. Specialist vocabulary may include technical terms used in the study of literature,
history, archaeology or politics, as appropriate to the topic. It may also include Greek or Roman
names or Greek or Latin terms relevant to the topic in question.
This glossary can be used teachers and students. It is neither prescriptive nor exhaustive.
However, the terms included may be used in exam papers where appropriate. Furthermore, one of
the three strands of quality of written communication which must be assessed in all GCSEs
requires students to use specialist vocabulary where appropriate. Students who are familiar with
the vocabulary in this glossary and who are able to use it correctly may therefore gain higher
marks for quality of written communication.
Topics from Unit 4 (Greece and Rome: An Evaluative Study) are not included in this glossary. This
unit is assessed by controlled assessment, and students will be expected to look up definitions of
relevant specialist vocabulary for themselves as part of their research.
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Topic 1A, Homer, Odyssey
Term
Definition(s)
Achaeans
Greeks
Aeaea
The island where Circe lived
Aegis
A shield
Aeolia
The land where Aeolus, god of the winds, lived
Antidote
Something which stops poison/spells working
Ambrosia
The food of the gods
Charybdis
A whirlpool
Cyclopes
A race of one-eyed giants
Divine
God-like
Epithet
A fancy name for an adjective. It usually describes qualities Homer
wished to emphasise.
Flashback
A technique used to report past events
House / Halls of Hades
The Underworld
Ithaca
The island which Odysseus ruled
Lamentation
Signs of grief and sorrow
Nectar
The drink of the gods
Nymph
A fairy-like minor goddess
Oath
A solemn promise
Phaeacia
The land ruled by Alcinous (the father of Nausicaa)
Prophecy
A prediction of the future given by a prophet
Scylla
A six-headed monster which lived in a cave and ate sailors
Simile
A comparison usually introduced by the words ‘as’ or ‘like’
Sirens
Birdlike monster with the heads of women. They sang to lure sailors
to their deaths.
Sorceress
A witch
Suitors
Men hoping to marry a lady
Telepylus
The land of the Laestrygonians
To sack
To plunder and destroy
Xenia
The custom of guest friendship
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Topic 1B, Livy, Stories of Rome
Term
Definition(s)
Capitol
The Capitoline Hill (one of the seven hills of Rome). It was the site of the
temple to Jupiter, Juno and Minerva and was a defensive position.
City prefect
A temporary deputy of the king or consuls when they were absent from Rome
Cloaca Maxima
A sewer built by King Tarquin the Proud
Consuls
The two top magistrates in Rome. They served for one year.
Dictator
A magistrate appointed for 6 months in an emergency. He had absolute
authority.
Duumvirs
A committee of two men
Etruscans
The people who lived in Etruria, an area north of Rome
Forum
The market place in Rome. The senate house was here.
Games
Shows held in honour of a god. Most commonly they featured gladiators.
Gauls
People from Gaul, which is modern day France
Lictors
The magistrates’ attendants. They carried bundles of rods and axes to
symbolise the power a magistrate had.
Military tribunes
Officers of a legion. They were elected by the people.
Oracle
A place where people could consult Apollo about the future. Answers were
given by a priestess called a sibyl.
Patricians
Members of the upper class of Rome. They were related to the men who
had originally settled in Rome with Romulus.
Plebeians
The ordinary people of Rome
Republic
The system of government in Rome in which magistrates were elected
annually. The people were sovereign and the senate was an advisory body.
Senators
The noble men of Rome who worked with the king and helped to run the
Republic
Siege
The blockade of a town to stop people leaving and supplies coming in. The
aim was to force the town to surrender when its people faced starvation.
Spoils of war
The treasure and weapons captured from the enemy
Tribunes
Magistrates who were elected to protect the rights of the common people
Vestal Virgin
A priestess who kept the sacred flame of Vesta alight
Yoke
Two spears were put upright into the ground and a third was put on top of
them. A defeated army had to walk under the yoke which was humiliating
and showed they had been conquered.
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Topic 1C, Athens and Sparta
Term
Definition(s)
Agoge
The school Spartan boys attended from the age of seven
Agora
The market place
Andron
The men’s area of the house
Attica
The area of Greece where Athens is situated
Chiton
A tunic worn by men and women
Dowry
The money given by a girl’s father to her husband when she got married
Grammatistes
A primary school teacher
Gynaikon
The women’s area of the house
Helots
The slave population of Sparta. They had no legal or political rights.
Hetairai
High class prostitutes who attended dinner parties
Himation
A cloak
Hoplite
A Greek infantry soldier
Kerameikos
The pottery quarter in Athens
Kitharistes
A music teacher
Krypteia
A secret police force which spied on the Helots and killed any they thought
might cause trouble
Kottabos
A drinking game in which men flicked wine at a target
Kyrios
The male head of the house and family
Laconia
The area of Greece where Sparta is situated
Metics
Foreigners who lived in Athens
Oikos
The house and the people who lived in it
Paidagogos
A slave who acted as a tutor for the boys of the household and supervised their
behaviour
Paidonomos
A man appointed by the city who ran the agoge. He had absolute authority
over the boys and their behaviour and could punish them if they misbehaved.
Paidotribes
A physical education teacher
Perioeci
The people of the local towns and villages around Sparta. They governed
themselves and fought with the Spartans in battle.
Phalanx
A rectangular formation of soldiers, normally eight rows deep
Rhetoric
The art of making speeches
Skolia
Drinking songs
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Spartiatai
Spartan citizens
Sophists
Professional teachers who charged for higher education lessons. They taught
rhetoric and challenged traditional beliefs.
Stylus
A pen with a sharp end used to write on wax tablets
Symposium
An elaborate dinner party with drinking and live entertainment
Syssition
A group of 15 Spartan men who always ate dinner together. The system
helped to promote a feeling of comradeship in the army.
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Topic 1D, History of Roman Britain
Term
Definition(s)
Ala
A cavalry unit in the Roman army
Auxiliaries
A unit of the Roman army made up of 500 or 1,000 men. They were not
Roman citizens and were less well equipped than legionaries. They
provided cavalry and specialist types of troops.
Caledonia
Modern day Scotland
Celts
A race of people who were the native population of Britain at the time of the
Roman conquest
Centurion
An army officer who commanded a century of 80 men
Cohort
A subdivision of a Roman legion. There were ten cohorts in a legion.
Colony
A Roman town originally lived in by retired Roman soldiers
Client kingdom
A kingdom which was allowed self-government but had to follow Roman
foreign policy and provide troops when needed
Druids
British priests who had their headquarters on Anglesey
Gaul
Modern day France
Governor
The Roman senator in charge of running the province
Imperial freedmen
Ex-slaves who worked for the Emperor
Legion
A unit of the Roman army made up of about 5,300 Roman citizens.
Legionaries were infantry soldiers.
Prefect
An officer in the Roman army
Procurator
The emperor’s agent in the province. He collected taxes and kept an eye
on the governor.
Province
A country which formed part of the Roman Empire
Rampart
A bank of earth used as part of fortifications. It usually had a ditch in front
of it.
Standard
A pole displaying the emblems of legion giving its name, number and any
honours it had won
Tribute
Tax paid by a province to Rome
Triumph
A procession held by a victorious Roman general. He and his soldiers
paraded through Rome and showed off the prisoners and treasures they
had captured.
Veterans
Roman soldiers who had served for a long time in the army or had retired
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Topic 2A, Greek Tragedy and Drama Festivals
Term
Definition(s)
Medea:
Aegeus
King of Athens
Agon
Debate between Medea and Jason
Chorus
Composed of Corinthian women
Creon
King of Corinth
Dialogue
Conversation, in one or more lines between characters
Dramatic irony
Use of language in the play that has different or concealed meanings or
interpretations for the speaker and the listener
Glauce
Daughter of Creon
Jason
Greek hero famous for returning the Golden Fleece
Medea
Jason’s ‘wife’ who helped him in his quest for the Golden Fleece
Messenger speech
Vivid description of deaths of Creon and Glauce
Prologue
Introduction of play delivered by Nurse of Medea
Theatre of Dionysus:
Aeschylus
Earliest extant Greek Tragic Poet, whose works include the Oresteia
Archons
Annually elected officials at Athens
Chief Archon
Highest ranked Archon, responsible among other things for the Dionysia
Choregoi
Financial sponsors for the plays
Chorus
Band of singers and dancers performing in front of the stage, reacting to
the events that unfold within the play
Comedy
Dramatic play designed to make audience laugh using a wide range of
devices finishing with a celebration and happy ending
Dionysia
Dramatic Festival held in honour of Dionysus at the end of March
Ekkuklema
Low platform used for wheeling out the carnage that has occurred within
the palace
Ephebes
Newly trained soldiers, honoured at the Dionysia
Euripides
Tragic poet, author of Medea
Judges
One chosen from each of ten tribes to vote for the winning play
Logeion
Stage from which actors performed
Mechane
Crane used to lift actors into the air, when representing gods for
example
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Orchestra
Area in front of the stage from where the chorus performed
Priest of Dionysus
Man responsible for religious aspects of the festival, given special
throne of honour in theatre
Proagon
Procession of actors, chorus, playwrights and choregoi a few days
before the festival
Satyrs
Light-hearted plays performed after the trilogy of tragedies to provide
light relief
Skene
Back drop for the action of the plays
Sophocles
Tragic poet, whose works include Oedipus the King
Theatron
The seating space for the audience, capable of holding 17,000
Tragedy
Drama of elevated theme in verse that describes unhappy events and
finishes with sad consequences
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Topic 2B, Plautus, The Pot of Gold and The Brothers Menaechmus
Term
Definition(s)
Anthrax
A cook
Cook hired by Strobilus for the wedding between Megadorus and
Phaedria
Congrio
Cylindrus
Cook in Erotium’s house
Dialogue
Spoken interaction between characters of the play
Erotium
Mistress of Menaechmus
Euclio
Mean-spirited old man who obsessively guards the gold he has
found
Eunomia
Megadorus’ sister
Lyconides
Eunomia’s son
Megadorus
Rich neighbour of Euclio
Menaechmus
Twin abducted as a child from Syracuse to Athens
Messenio
Slave of Sosicles
Peniculus
Cadging friend of Menaechmus
Phaedria
Euclio’s daughter
Prologue
Speech at beginning of the play that explains the situation of the
play
Sosicles
Twin in search of his long lost brother
Staphyla
Maid of Euclio
Stock characters
Range of similar types of characters that appear in each of the
plays of Plautus; e.g. the ‘cunning slave’ whose actions bring about
the solution of the play
Strobilus
Steward in the house of Megadorus
Roman Customs:
Arranged marriage
Custom of father deciding who and when his daughter should marry
Cooks for hire
Hired men to provide food at home e.g. for marriage feast
Dowry
Sum of money given by the father of the bride to the bridegroom at
the time of the marriage
Lar Familiaris
Household spirit that looks after the affairs of the household
Patron/client relationship
Richer man providing poorer man with support by way of money or
food to ensure the poorer man’s support in whatever way the richer
man requires
Public handouts
Gifts of money given to poorer citizens by politicians or officials,
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often as a bribe for political support
Shrines
Small temples set up in the streets for worship
Slavery
Owning of slaves who do their master’s bidding
Comic Effects:
Absurdity
Ridiculous situations designed to make audience laugh
Exaggerated
characterisation
Larger than life or extreme examples of human nature
Interaction with audience
Involving audience with actions of the play by either asides or direct
speech
Mistaken Identity
Confusion over characters or events
Mock violence
Threatening behaviour
Lack of morality:
Adultery
Having a relationship with someone other than your spouse
Deceit
Pretending something is what it is not
Illegitimacy
Having a child outside marriage
Kidnap
Taking another person and keeping them against their will
Threatening behaviour
Declaring the intent to hurt or punish
Violence
Use of physical force
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Topic 2C, Mycenaean Civilisation
Term
Definition(s)
People and places:
Achaeans
The name given to the Mycenaean Greeks
Achilles
Champion of the Greek forces at Troy
Agamemnon
King of Mycenae who was leader of the Greek Forces at Troy
Dorians
The name given to the Greeks who overthrew the Mycenaeans,
instigating a Dark Age for Greece
Dörpfeld
German architect who helped Schliemann with his excavations at
Troy
Homer
Author of the Iliad and Odyssey
Ithaka
Homeland of Odysseus
Lion Gate
Magnificent gateway to the palace at Mycenae
Minoans
Race of Greeks whose empire stemmed from Crete and whose
influence predated that of the Mycenaeans
Mycenae
City at the centre of the Mycenaean world, ruled by Agamemnon
Odysseus
Cleverest of the Greeks who fought at Troy whose journey home
took him a further ten years after the end of the Trojan War
Peloponnese
Area of the whole of Southern Greece, named after the mythical
hero Pelops
Priam
King of Troy
Pylos
Site of Mycenaean palace on the south west of the Peloponnese
Schliemann
German archaeologist who excavated Troy and Mycenae
Tiryns
Site of Mycenaean palace close to Mycenae
Troy
City on North west coast of Turkey besieged by Greeks for ten
years
Other useful terms:
Archaeology
The study of ancient cultures through excavating their artefacts
Bards
Minstrels who by singing the songs of past heroic deeds kept those
events alive
Beehive tombs
Royal tombs built into the side of a hill, so called because of their
shape
Citadels
Fortress that guards and dominates a city
Frescoes
Paintings on walls, often showing scenes of hunting and warfare
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Iliad
Homer’s epic poem centring on the Trojan War and, in particular,
the wrath of Achilles and the death of Hector
Linear B
Type of early Greek writing found on tablets in a range of
Mycenaean sites
Megaron
Central hall that was the core of a Mycenaean palace
Metalwork
Archaeological items made of metal, in particular bronze, in the
form of weapons and jewellery
Migration
Movements of people, for example the movement of the Dorians
that contributed to the overthrow of Mycenaean influence
Odyssey
Homer’s epic poem recounting the journeys of Odysseus at the end
of the Trojan War
Oral poetry
The tradition of performing traditional songs from memory recalling
the great events of the past, usually at the end of a feast by way of
entertainment
Palaces
Royal fortresses built on easily defendable locations which became
the centres of Mycenaean society
Shaft graves
Graves that were sunk vertically into rocky ground, grouped inside
a circular wall
Tholos
Greek name for the beehive tombs
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Topic 2D, Social Life in Rome in the First Century AD
Term
Definition(s)
Birth:
Bulla
Lucky charm worn by children around their necks to ward off evil
spirits
Naming ceremony
Held nine days after a boy / eight days after a girl was born; a child
was given his / her name along with a lucky charm (bulla)
Daily routine:
Cena
Main meal of the day
Garum
Fish sauce popular throughout the Roman world
Laticlavium
Tunic with purple stripe worn by senators
Lentaculum
Simple breakfast
Prandium
Light lunch
Solae
Sandals / slippers
Toga
Distinctive heavy garment made of wool
Deaths and Funerals:
Cypress/pine
A branch of this was placed outside a house to indicate a death in
the family
Funeral procession
After publication of death these took place with musicians, torchbearers, professional mourners and members of the family
Education:
Forum
Business, legal, administrative, religious and judicial centre of
Rome
Grammaticus
Teacher at secondary level
Ludi magister
Teacher at an elementary school
Ludus
Elementary school
Paedagogus
Greek slave who accompanied a boy to school
Rhetor
Teacher of art of public speaking
Toga Virilis
The toga a boy was given at the age of 15 indicating the end of his
childhood and the start of manhood
Entertainment:
Amphitheatre
Arena for gladiatorial fights
Apodyterium
Changing room in the baths
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Bestiarius
Type of gladiator who fought against a range of wild animals
Caldarium
Hot room in the baths
Campus Martius
Open area across the Tiber where Romans exercised and trained
Circus Maximus
Arena for chariot racing
Colosseum
Large amphitheatre in Rome started by the emperor Vespasian
Frigidarium
Cold plunge bath room
Gladiators
Men who fought in the arena, strictly with a gladius, a short sword
Ludi circenses
Gladiatorial contests
Metae
Turning points on spina of chariot tracks
Murmillo
A type of gladiator
Ova
Wooden eggs which were used as lap counters in chariot races
Retiarius
Gladiator who fought with a net and trident
Samnite
A type of gladiator
Spina
Central partition of Circus Maximus
Strigil
Implement used for scraping and cleaning oil and dust from athletes
after exercise
Tepidarium
Warm room in the baths
Thermae
The baths
Thermopolia
Shops or inns that serve food and drinks
Thracian
Gladiator who fought with small shield and curved sword
Marriage / Weddings:
Pronuba
Bridesmaid who officiated at a wedding
Sponsalia
Engagement party
Religion:
Augurs
Priests whose duty was to ensure that everything undertaken by the
state had the gods approval, which they did by interpreting signs
and omens
Augustus
First Roman emperor, 31BC to 14AD
Bacchus
Greek god Dionysus whose worship inspired ecstatic followers
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Christianity
Religion that was first drawn to attention of Romans when its
followers were persecuted by Nero as scapegoats for the Great
Fire of Rome in 64AD
Colleges
Different divisions of priests
Egyptian gods
Isis, Osiris and Serapis were generally accepted in the Roman
world
Emperor worship
Means of promoting unity and focal point throughout the empire
Etruscans
Race whose influence over the Romans led to the building of their
first temple and the importance they had towards the art of
divination, auspices and augury
Lararium
Shrine inside the atrium, dedicated to the household spirits the
Lares
Manes
Spirits of the ancestors
Mithras
God from Persia whose cult became popular with the armies
Paterfamilias
Head of the Household, responsible for, among other things, the
religious observance of the household
Pontifex Maximus
High priest of the Pontiffs
Stoicism
Philosophy that promoted the pursuit of highest moral standards
while accepting misfortune in an extremely calm way
Sybilline Books
Books thought to be sent by gods which told Roman priests how to
keep Rome safe in dangerous times
Vesta
Goddess of the Hearth
Vestal Virgins
Guardians of the flame of Vesta
Slaves:
Freedman
Title of an ex-slave, libertus in Latin
Peculium
Money saved by a slave to purchase his or her freedom
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Topic 3A, Herodotus, The Persian Wars
Term
Definition(s)
Acropolis
A citadel or defendable high part of a Greek city. Especially the Acropolis
of Athens
Aegina
A Greek island state off the west coast of Attica. Aegina was an important
naval power.
Areopagus
A rocky hill next to and smaller than the Acropolis in Athens
Athenian general
These annually elected magistrates were politicians as well as leaders of
the army and navy
Attica
The territory around Athens which it ruled
Barbarian
The Greeks called anyone who did not speak Greek and whose language
could not be understood ‘barbarian’. It does not mean ‘uncivilised’.
Carneia
One of Sparta’s most important religious festivals held in honour of Apollo.
The Spartan army was not allowed to leave Sparta during this festival.
Cithaeron
Thebes’ mountain. Thebes is north of the Isthmus of Corinth.
Contingent
A group of soldiers from a particular city, state or province
Hellespont
The narrow stretch of water separating Europe from Asia
Helots
The state-owned slaves of the Spartans
Hoplite
The Greek foot soldier armed with a large round shield (Hoplon) and spear.
He carried a sword to use once the spear broke. He wore a helmet that
often restricted visibility and hearing. Body and leg armour might be worn.
Isthmus
A narrow strip of land, with water on both sides, connecting two larger
areas of land. Particularly the Isthmus of Corinth
Italy
Much of the southern coast of Italy, and around half the coast of Sicily had
been inhabited by Greek settlers in new city-states.
Lacedaemon
Area controlled by Sparta. The name is sometimes used instead of
‘Sparta’.
Laurium
The site of Athens’ silver mines in southern Attica
Magi
Wise men who interpret signs for Xerxes
Peloponnese
The southern part of mainland Greece; the peninsula below the Gulf and
Isthmus of Corinth. Sparta was its major city-state.
Salamis
The island just offshore from Athens’ port city Piraeus
Satrap
Ruler of each of the twenty provinces of the Persian Empire
Talent
approximately 26-27 kg
Trireme
The standard warship of the fifth century BC, rowed by 150-170 oarsmen
arranged on three levels
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Topic 3B, Virgil, Aeneid
Term
Definition(s)
Alba / Long Alba
The city founded by Aeneas’ son Ascanius or Iulus. Alba was the city of
Romulus and Remus’ mother.
Amazon
Famous race of warrior-women
Barce
The old nurse of Dido’s husband. The name is also that of Hannibal’s
family’s home city – he is the avenger that Dido calls to fight the Romans
in the future.
Diana
Goddess of hunting, usually carrying a bow and a quiver to hold her
arrows
Epithet
A fancy name for an adjective, it usually describes qualities Virgil wished
to emphasise
Etruscan sea
The Mediterranean Sea off the west coast of Italy
Exiles
People who have been forced to leave their home cities
Fate
Destiny cannot be changed. Jupiter explains it and often has to stop
other gods from trying to alter it.
Flashback
A technique used to report past events
Gates of war
The gates of Janus were closed only when there was peace throughout
the Roman world. This happened rarely in Roman history but was done
several times by Augustus showing he had restored peace after a long
period of civil wars.
Iarbas
Son of Jupiter and the African king who gave Dido the land to build her
city on. He wanted to marry her.
Judgement of Paris
Paris, a Trojan prince, chose Venus (Aphrodite to the Greeks) as the
most beautiful goddess ahead of Juno (Greek Hera) and Minerva (Greek
Athena).
Latium
The area of Italy around the site of Rome; modern Lazio. Its king was
Latinus, his daughter was Lavinia. The people spoke Latin.
Lavinium
City in Italy founded by Aeneas and named after his Italian wife Lavinia
Mars
God of War and father of Romulus
Omen
A sign from the gods predicting future or explaining past events
Personification
The representation of an abstract quality or idea, or the description of an
inanimate object as a god or goddess, e.g. Rumour (Book IV), Civil War,
Hunger (Book VI).
Phoebus
Another name of Apollo
Phoenicia
Modern Lebanon. Tyre was a Phoenician city
Priam
King of Troy. His headless body lying by the shore in Book II reminded
Roman readers of Pompey the Great’s death in Egypt.
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Pygmalion
Brother of Dido and King of Tyre
River Simois
One of Troy’s rivers
Romulus
Son of Mars and Ilia, priestess-queen of Long Alba, who founded the city
of Rome. Remus was his brother.
Sceptre
A rod that is the symbol of power of a king
Sicily
The island between Italy and Carthage where Aeneas buried his father
and spent time with other Trojans who had escaped from Troy’s
destruction
Sidonian
From Sidon, another Phoenician city
Simile
A comparison usually introduced by the words ‘as’ or ‘like’
Sychaeus
Richest of the Phoenicians, husband of Dido, murdered by Pygmalion
To sack
To plunder and destroy a city
Trojans
The people of Troy
Tyrians
The people of Tyre; also used to refer to Dido’s Carthaginians
Westland
The name given to Italy by the Greeks; it lies to the west of Greece
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Teacher Resource Bank / GCSE Classical Civilisation / Glossary of Terms / Version 1.0
Topic 3C, The Ancient Olympic Games and the Panathenaia
Term
Definition(s)
Acropolis
The defendable, high rocky hill of Athens which was later developed as the
religious and cultural heart of the city
Altis
The religious area of Olympia that contained the temples and surrounded
by a wall that marked it off from the rest of the site
Athena Polias
The name given to Athena in her role as protector of the city (polis) of
Athens. The sacred wooden statue of Athena Polias was housed in the
Erechtheion
Aulos
A musical instrument consisting of a single pipe
Bouleuterion
A building that housed the council. Examples are to be found at both
Olympia and Athens.
City state
Ancient Greeks lived in small city states, independent cities that ruled the
area of land around them. The largest in population was Athens with an
estimated total population in the fifth century BC of between 250,000 and
600,000. Only around 30-40,000 of these were adult male citizens.
Events such as the Olympic Games were some of the few things that
united Greeks from different city-states.
Colonnade
A corridor covered by a roof which is supported on one side by a solid wall
and on the other by columns so that it is open to the air. In this way it
shelters people underneath from heat and rain.
Erechtheion
A temple on the Acropolis of Athens completed in 405 BC which was a
shrine to numerous gods worshipped by the Athenians, especially Athena
Polias
Great Panathenaia
A festival held in Athens every fourth year. It included sporting and other
competitions.
Gymnasium
The larger practice area at Olympia that was long enough to contain a full
length running track, the open area was surrounded by colonnades.
Halteres
Weights used in the long jump
Hellanodikai
‘The Judges of the Greeks’, usually ten of them supervised the Olympic
Games
Hippodrome
An enclosure for horse and chariot-racing
Hoplitodromos
The ‘race in armour’. Athletes ran in the equipment of a hoplite soldier:
helmet, greaves (leg armour), and the large circular hoplite shield (hoplon)
Kithara
A musical instrument; a seven-stringed lyre
Leonidaion
The hotel at Olympia for visiting VIPs. Leonidas of Naxos paid for its
construction in fourth century BC
Olympia
The site of the Ancient Olympic Games and Pheidias’ statue of Olympian
Zeus. Olympia is in the Peloponnese in southern Greece and is not to be
confused with Mount Olympus, the home of the gods, which is in northern
Greece.
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Teacher Resource Bank / GCSE Classical Civilisation / Glossary of Terms / Version 1.0
Palaestra
The smaller practice area used for combat sports and jumping
Panathenaia
The annual Athenian festival held on the 28th Hekatombaion which was
considered to be Athena’s birthday. The Great Panathenaia was a bigger
festival held every fourth year.
Pankration
A combat sport where upright and ground wrestling was permitted along
with punching and slapping
Parthenon
Temple to Athena Parthenos (the Virgin goddess), dedicated in 4437BC
Parthenon frieze
160 metre long sculpture depicting scenes from the Panathenaic
procession
Pediment
The triangular section below the roof at each end of a Greek temple. It
was usually filled with sculpture telling a story relating to the site of the
temple or the god to whom the building was dedicated.
Pentathlon
Athletic event made up of five individual events
Peplos
The robe made each year for the statue of Athena Polias
Pheidias
The sculptor responsible for the statues of Athena in the Parthenon and
Olympian Zeus
Rhapsode
A person who recites epic poetry
Stade
A distance of 600 Greek feet
Stadium
An ancient Greek running-track. The one at Olympia measured 600
Olympic feet (600 of Herakles’ feet). The original event, the stade race,
was a single length of the stadium.
Treasuries
Small buildings that looked like little temples; built by individual Greek
cities at religious sanctuaries such as Olympia and Delphi. They contained
objects of value.
Zeus
King of the Greek gods in whose honour the Ancient Olympic Games were
held
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Teacher Resource Bank / GCSE Classical Civilisation / Glossary of Terms / Version 1.0
Topic 3D, Pompeii and Herculaneum
Term
Definition(s)
Baths:
Apodyterium
Changing room
Caldarium
Hot room
Frigidarium
Cold room with a cold plunge bath
Palaestra
Exercise area
Tepidarium
Warm room
Colonnade
Covered walkway with roof supported on the open side by means
of columns
Eruption of Vesuvius:
Pyroclastic flow/surge
Fast-moving and highly destructive flow of gas and rock resulting
from the collapse of the eruption column of a volcanic eruption
Forum and Businesses:
Aediles
The two officials responsible for law and order in the town, as well
as the supervision of baths, water supply and places of
entertainment
Basilica
Large hall attached to the forum where law courts were held and
which was also a meeting place for businessmen
Duoviri
The two officials responsible for judging law cases
Forum
Large open space that was the commercial, administrative and
religious centre of Roman towns
Macellum
Food market
Graffito, graffiti
Writing or pictures drawn, painted or scratched onto surfaces such
as walls
Houses:
Atrium
Central hall around which other rooms of the house were
arranged. (No real equivalent in modern northern European
houses)
Compluvium
Hole in roof of atrium to let in light and collect rainwater
Hortus
Walled garden
Impluvium
Pool for rainwater
Lararium
Shrine of the household gods
Peristylium
Garden surrounded by a colonnade
Tablinum
Study/main reception room used by the head of the family
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Teacher Resource Bank / GCSE Classical Civilisation / Glossary of Terms / Version 1.0
Triclinium
Dining room named after the standard arrangement of three
couches on which Roman diners reclined
Temples:
Lares
Guardian spirits of a town or family
Podium
High platform on which Roman temples stood. Temples were
normally reached by climbing a flight of steps at the front of the
podium.
Precinct
The area around a temple where public worship took place
Theatre and
Amphitheatre:
Arena
Area in which performance took place in a Roman amphitheatre.
‘arena’ is the Latin word for ‘sand’
Bestiarius, bestiarii
People who both looked after animals before the show and then
hunted them in the arena
Cavea
The curved and banked seating area of Roman theatres and
amphitheatres
Murmillo, murmillones
Gladiator equipped with sword, shield and helmet decorated like a
fish. Often fought the retiarius
Orchestra
The semi-circular space between the stage and seating in a
Roman theatre
Retiarius, retiarii
A lightly equipped gladiator who fought with a net and threepronged trident. Often fought the murmillo
Scaenae
The high stage building of a Roman theatre
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