Classics key terms

A list of the hoplites called up for an expedition, posted publicly in the agora (plural katalogoi).

Glory or lasting fame: the reputation for great deeds that survives a person’s death, particularly through stories and poetry.

A revel involving singing, dancing and drinking; the City Dionysia’s komos celebrated Dionysus and fertility.

A large bowl used for mixing liquids, particularly wine and water.

A shallow, two-handled ancient Greek drinking cup.

The female mistress of an ancient Greek household, responsible for organising its domestic work and supervising its servants.

A male legal guardian who represented a woman in important legal and financial matters in ancient Athens.

One of the twelve extraordinary tasks associated with Heracles’ service to King Eurystheus.

In Greek myth, the maze built by Daedalus at Knossos on Crete to contain the Minotaur.

An expression of grief for someone who has died, often through crying, wailing or mourning songs.

A shrine where members of a Roman household worshipped the household gods.

A chronological classification for the later Bronze Age of mainland Greece; its subdivisions help archaeologists organise Mycenaean pottery and archaeological remains.

The town founded by Aeneas in Italy and named after his wife, Lavinia.

A legal arrangement placing a person under a guardian’s authority; in the Laudatio, a disputed claim threatened the woman’s control over herself and her inherited property.

The officer commanding a Roman legion.

A major unit of Roman citizen infantry, divided into ten cohorts and commanded by a legate.

A soldier serving in a Roman legion.

A fortified base housing a Roman legion, with accommodation, headquarters, stores and other facilities.

Restless spirits of the dead in Roman belief, from whose name the festival Lemuria takes its name.

A Roman festival held on 9, 11 and 13 May, during which household rites aimed to drive away harmful spirits.

A woman who arranges or profits from other women’s prostitution, often described as a madam or procuress.

The name of the beloved woman in Catullus’ poetry, possibly representing Clodia Metelli.

A religious offering in which liquid, commonly wine, is poured out in honour of a deity.

A family's line of descent through successive generations.

A syllabic writing system used to record an early form of Greek in Mycenaean palace administration.

The horizontal beam or stone spanning the top of a doorway.

An ancient text studied as evidence for the past, including the values, assumptions and representations of its writer and society.