Classics key terms

The elevation of a mortal to divine status; Heracles’ life on Olympus in the hymn presents the outcome of this transformation.

The visible physical characteristics of an object or structure, including its material, shape, size and decoration.

The eagle standard of a Roman legion, representing its identity and honour.

The ‘Greatest Altar’ associated with Hercules’ worship at Rome; the Cacus story explains why the community established this worship.

The location and associations of an archaeological find, including nearby objects and its relationship to buildings or deposits.

The surviving objects, buildings and physical remains used to investigate past societies.

The central performance and fighting area of an amphitheatre. Its name comes from the Latin word for sand, which helped absorb blood and made cleaning easier.

An Athenian court before which Agnodice is tried in the story preserved in Hyginus’s Fabulae.

A warrior’s period of outstanding battlefield achievement, such as Diomedes’ sequence of victories in Iliad Book 5.

An exaggerated belief in one’s own importance or ability, often shown through boasting or dismissing advice.

An object made, adapted or used by people, which can provide evidence about past activities.

A container used to hold cremated remains.

A large circular shield carried by a Greek hoplite on his left arm.

The political meeting in Athens at which male citizens debated and voted on public decisions; women could not normally participate.

Short comic farces associated with Atella in Italy, using masks and recurring stock characters.

The gathering of Athenian male citizens who debated public business and voted on decisions; also called the ekklesia.

One of ten officials, representing Athens’ ten tribes, who served for four years and organised the Great Panathenaia’s musical, athletic and equestrian contests.

A principal hall in a Roman house, often containing a rainwater pool beneath an opening in the roof.

An identifying object or feature associated with a deity, such as Neptune’s trident.

The people who hear, read or watch a work; their experiences and values can influence their interpretation.

The ways in which readers or listeners interpret and respond to a work; responses can differ according to their experiences, interests and values.

The way listeners or readers interpret and react to a work, influenced by their experiences, knowledge and values.

A Roman religious official who interpreted signs such as birds’ flight and lightning to establish divine approval or disapproval of proposed actions.

Interpreting signs, especially the appearance or behaviour of birds, to discover the will of the gods.

Members of a local organisation associated with honouring the emperor through the imperial cult; these positions offered opportunities for prominent freedmen.

A priest associated with the worship of Augustus; Trimalchio displays this religious status in his household.

Relating to Augustus and his period of rule in Rome; this is the political setting of Virgil’s Aeneid and Horace’s Odes.