Classics key terms

A Roman heating system in which hot air and furnace gases circulated beneath a raised floor and could pass through wall flues.

An underground network of passages and holding spaces beneath an arena, used to organise performers, animals and stage equipment.

Tensioned strengthening cables used to reinforce a trireme's hull and help it withstand the stresses of ramming.

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

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

A written sign representing an item or category, such as a sheep or a vessel, rather than its spoken name.

Language that creates sensory impressions, such as the sight of shining armour or the sound of battle.

Wax portrait masks of deceased ancestors, preserved by Roman families and worn by performers representing ancestors at elaborate funerals.

The elite Persian troops whom Herodotus calls the ‘Immortals’. They attacked the Greek position at Thermopylae and later used the mountain route to outflank it.

The worship of Roman emperors, including Augustus, through religious honours and institutions.

A pool in the floor of an atrium that collected rainwater entering through the roof opening, called the compluvium.

A Roman condition of dishonour that involved loss of reputation and restrictions on some legal rights; prostitution and procuring could bring this status.

A socially dishonoured person. Gladiators could be considered infames despite being admired by spectators.

A judgement about what evidence suggests, rather than something directly stated or conclusively proved.

Influence exercised outside an official governmental role, for example through personal connections, persuasion or public pressure.

A shaped mass of metal suitable for storage, transport or further manufacture.

The burial of a dead person’s body in the ground, rather than burning it.

Decoration made by setting a different material, such as a stone or another metal, into an object's surface.

Writing carved or otherwise placed on an object or structure, which may identify people, record a dedication or explain its purpose.

In its original position. An archaeological object or feature preserved in situ retains its spatial relationship to its surroundings.

A Roman apartment building containing several dwellings, often with shops at street level. The plural is insulae.

A judgement about what evidence means, supported by its features and relevant context.

Forceful verbal attack or denunciation of a person, behaviour or social practice.

A list recording items and their quantities, often used to manage supplies or possessions.

An appeal to a divine power for help or inspiration; an epic poet may invoke a Muse to assist the telling of the story.

A continuous band of decoration, unlike a Doric frieze divided into metopes and triglyphs.

A contrast between an apparent meaning or expectation and what is actually meant or happens.