History key terms

Athena as guardian of the city, worshipped through an ancient wooden image distinct from the statue of Athena Parthenos.

Athena ‘who fights in the front line’, represented by Pheidias’ large bronze statue on the Athenian Acropolis.

A simplified model linking European manufactured goods sent to Africa, enslaved Africans transported to the Americas, and plantation products shipped to Europe.

A device used to throw darts or javelins with greater force.

A political group in central southern Britain whose rulers developed trading and political relationships with Rome; Verica was one of its kings.

An act of extreme cruelty, such as the massacre of civilians or prisoners.

The countryside and territory surrounding the city of Athens.

Beliefs and feelings held within a population, including acceptance, suspicion or hostility towards particular groups.

A judgement that an unsigned artwork was probably made by a particular artist or workshop, rather than certainty established by a signature.

A strategy intended to wear down an enemy by inflicting continuing losses until it can no longer fight.

A royal court in the Spanish Empire whose judges administered justice.

A Roman religious official who interpreted signs, particularly those involving birds, to judge whether the gods approved an action.

The practice of interpreting signs, especially the appearance or behaviour of birds, to discover the will of the gods.

The period and political culture associated with Octavian after he became Augustus. Augustan writing often celebrated his victory and Rome's renewed strength.

The longstanding alliance between France and Scotland, which threatened England with enemies to its south and north.

The god whose support Persian kings invoked to present their kingship as divinely authorised.

Government measures intended to reduce spending relative to income, including spending cuts and tax increases.

Economic self-sufficiency: producing the food and resources a country needs without relying on imports.

A system of government concentrating power in a leader or small group rather than allowing effective democratic accountability.

Organisations or officials exercising public power, including central government, local councils and the police.

The right and ability to govern, command obedience and enforce decisions.

German motorways whose construction formed part of Nazi public works programmes.

A system of government in which a ruler holds supreme power without being accountable to an elected parliament.

Self-government within a larger state, rather than complete independence.

Troops serving alongside Roman legions, generally recruited from peoples without Roman citizenship.

A female domestic servant or nursemaid from India who worked for a European household.

The memoirs of Babur, the founder of the Mughal Empire, which include his descriptions and judgements of Hindustan.

The rise in births in the United States between 1946 and 1964.

Unofficial or private communication between governments, used to negotiate away from public pressure.

Private negotiations and political scheming among influential advisers and politicians; in late Weimar Germany, these centred on persuading President Hindenburg to appoint their preferred Chancellor.