Classics key terms

A special contribution levied on wealthy Athenians and metics to help pay for war.

The funeral procession carrying a deceased person's body to the place of burial.

An alloy of gold and silver, used for the only death mask discovered in Grave Circle B at Mycenae.

Ancient poetry composed in elegiac couplets, each pairing a hexameter line with a pentameter line. Its subjects can include warfare and political advice as well as grief.

The most powerful or privileged group in a society, often possessing exceptional wealth and authority.

A story told within another story; the surrounding narrative provides the circumstances in which the inner story is told.

Language chosen to arouse feelings such as pity, fear, admiration or outrage.

The ability to understand or share another person’s feelings, including those of an enemy.

The verbal marriage agreement made between an Athenian bridegroom and the bride’s father or guardian.

An officer responsible for a small unit of Spartan soldiers and for communicating orders to it.

A small unit of Spartan soldiers, commanded by an enomotarch; its plural is enomotiai.

The internal organs of an animal, examined during some Roman sacrifices for religious signs.

The celebrations held on the day after an Athenian wedding, including the presentation of wedding gifts.

One of five annually serving Spartan officials who exercised oversight of government and had responsibilities for military mobilisation.

A long narrative poem about heroic actions, often involving gods and the fate of a community.

An extended comparison that develops a separate picture in detail to illuminate an action, appearance or feeling in the main story.

The study of inscriptions: writing engraved or otherwise marked on materials such as stone or metal.

An Athenian daughter without legitimate brothers who transmitted her father's estate through the family line, rather than inheriting it with the independent control available to a male heir.

The Titan who accepted Pandora despite Prometheus’ warning. His name means ‘hindsight’.

Writing in the form of letters, addressed by a writer to a recipient; letters may also be collected and published for wider readers.

An inscription commemorating a dead person, usually on a grave monument.

A descriptive word or phrase attached to a character’s name, such as ‘godlike Eurymachus’. An epithet is not necessarily a judgement that every action of that character is good.

An Athenian public official whose name identified the year and who organised the City Dionysia’s dramatic competition, including selecting playwrights and appointing financial sponsors.

Members of a wealthy Roman social order ranked immediately below senators; also called equestrians.

The dark realm below the earth associated with the dead; in the Homeric Hymn to Demeter, Hermes travels there to retrieve Persephone.

The young Athenian women who wove Athena's peplos.

A speech praising someone who has died, usually emphasising their virtues and achievements.