Key terms & definitions

The peninsula containing modern Spain and Portugal, where Carthage developed territories and military resources before the Second Punic War.

The jinn who arrogantly refused Allah’s command to prostrate before Adam; also called Satan or Shaytan.

A prophet whose willingness to sacrifice his son is remembered at Id-ul-Adha.

An intercontinental ballistic missile: a long-range missile capable of carrying nuclear warheads between continents.

The International Classification of Diseases: the World Health Organization’s system for classifying health conditions, including mental disorders.

Applying a wrapped cold pack to an injured area to help reduce pain and swelling.

A cylinder of ice drilled from an ice sheet, containing a sequence of ice layers and trapped ancient air.

A fish-shaped Christian symbol expressing the statement ‘Jesus Christ, God’s Son, Saviour’.

A fish symbol whose Greek name supplies the initials of the confession ‘Jesus Christ, God’s Son, Saviour’.

A sacred image of Christ, a saint or a religious event, used to express Christian belief and support prayer and devotion.

A recognisable cultural or social representation with lasting significance or influence.

The deliberate destruction or removal of religious images.

A person who opposes the religious use of sacred images; historically, Christian iconoclasts sought to remove icons from church life.

The images and symbols used on an object to communicate identities, beliefs or claims.

The objects, symbols and other visual features used to represent and identify a figure in art.

Religious images and the symbols used within them to express beliefs.

Recognisable images, objects or symbols associated with a particular theme or genre, such as raised fists in protest imagery.

Recognisable visual signs associated with a genre, including characteristic objects, costumes and settings.

A screen or stand bearing icons in an Orthodox church, positioned between the congregation and the altar area.

Information and communication technology: systems used to store, process and exchange information, including computers and mobile networks.

Information and communication technology: the computers, networks and software used to store information and communicate.

The waiting period a Muslim woman observes after divorce before she can remarry. It helps establish whether she is pregnant and can allow time for reconciliation.

Supernormal powers described in Buddhist tradition, often associated with advanced meditation, such as walking on water or passing through solid objects.

An ending commonly used for a compound containing two elements, such as sodium chloride or magnesium oxide.

A thought or message communicated by a text, such as the idea that providing shelter does not necessarily mean treating people humanely.

Presenting someone with enhanced or perfect qualities rather than necessarily showing their ordinary appearance or behaviour.

Presenting someone as especially admirable or perfect, often because affection influences the observer’s judgement.

A representation that emphasises desirable qualities or presents people and events as better, more orderly or more successful than reality necessarily was.

Presenting something as better or more harmonious than it is, while overlooking its problems.

A portrayal that emphasises how people or institutions ought to behave rather than recording the full variety of actual experiences.