Classics vocabulary

    Cards (26)

    • What is the acropolis in a Greek city?
      The acropolis is the highest point in a Greek city, usually reserved for religious buildings.
    • What is Actium?
      Actium is a port on the west coast of Greece, now called Preveza.
    • What does aegis refer to?

      The aegis is the breastplate or shield of Athena that contained an image of a gorgon.
    • What are Bacchanalia?
      Bacchanalia are Roman festivals in honour of Bacchus.
    • What is a caduceus?
      A caduceus is a traveller's staff most closely associated with the god Hermes/Mercury.
    • What is Cerealia?
      Cerealia is a major festival in honour of Ceres, held in Rome every year between 12 and 19 April.
    • What does chthonic mean?
      Chthonic relates to the gods that were connected with the earth and the underworld.
    • What is a cornucopia?
      A cornucopia is a horn shell that contained an endless supply of food and drink.
    • What is a diadem?
      A diadem is a crown often associated with gods or kings.
    • What is an epithet?

      An epithet is an adjectival word or phrase regularly added to a name to denote a physical or personal quality.
    • Who were the Etruscans?
      The Etruscans are believed to have inhabited Italy from at least the ninth or eighth century BC and were well established by the time Rome was founded.
    • What does Hellenes refer to?

      Hellenes is a collective name for the Greeks, a group of people who shared the same social and religious customs and language.
    • What does hiera mean?
      Hiera is a Greek word meaning "holy affairs," used as a term for religion.
    • What is iconography?

      Iconography refers to the symbols attached to a particular character when represented in an image.
    • What is a lararium?
      A lararium is a small shrine to the household gods (lars) that was found in Roman homes.
    • What is a lyre?

      A lyre is a small Greek harp consisting of a sound box with two curved arms connected by a crossbar from which strings are attached.
    • Who are the Maenads?

      Maenads are female followers of Dionysus.
    • What does Magna Graecia refer to?

      Magna Graecia refers to the region of southern Italy and Sicily where there were many independent Greek cities.
    • What is an oracle?
      An oracle is an utterance, often ambiguous or obscure, given by a priest or priestess said to be speaking the words of a god.
    • What does pantheon refer to?
      Pantheon refers to the term given to the gods when we speak of them collectively, not to be confused with the Pantheon in Rome.
    • Who are the plebs?

      Plebs are the lowest social class of Romans, making up the majority of the Roman population.
    • What does polytheism mean?
      Polytheism is the belief in many gods.
    • What does religio mean?
      Religio is a Latin word meaning 'the correct worship of the state gods,' used as a term for religion.
    • What is a sarcophagus?
      A sarcophagus is a stone coffin, especially one bearing sculpture and inscriptions.
    • What are the roles of the major Greek gods mentioned in the study material?
      • Zeus: God of skies, keeper of Justice, also god of the fate of men.
      • Poseidon: God of the sea and horses, important for sea journeys.
      • Hades: God of the underworld.
      • Hera: Goddess of marriage, women, childbirth, and family.
      • Athena: Goddess of war, craft, and wisdom, linked with Nike, goddess of victory.
      • Demeter: Goddess of agriculture and harvest, linked with the town of Eleusis.
      • Hestia: Goddess of home and hearth (fireplace).
      • Hephaistos: Lame god of blacksmiths and fire, worshipped by craftsmen.
      • Aphrodite: Goddess of love and beauty, born from the sea.
      • Artemis: Goddess of the moon, hunting, wildlife, and childbirth.
      • Apollo: God of the sun, music, education, archery, and prophecy.
      • Hermes: God of travel and trade, messenger of the gods.
      • Ares: God of war, giving men courage to stand firm in battle.
      • Dionysus: God of countryside, wine, and theatre.
    • Who is Persephone?
      Persephone is a figure mentioned in the text, often associated with the underworld and agriculture.
    See similar decks