Download - Classical Literacy Terms
Classical Literacy TermsIntroductory
A.D./anno Domini"in the year of the Lord," designating the time
period after Christ's birth
A.M./ante meridiem"before midday," in the morning, before noon
P.M. / post meridem“after midday”
after noon
Achilles' heel: literally refers to the heel of Achilles (a character
from the Iliad who killed Hector) — his heel was the only place on his body that could be pierced, thus
killing him; figuratively, it refers to a weak spot
ad infinitum"to infinity," to continue forever, without limit
ad nauseam"to the point of sickness" - doing/saying
something over and over until everyone is sick and tired of it
Aegean Seasea to the west of Greece; named after King Aegeus after he drowned himself in the sea
thinking his son Theseus was dead
agenda"the things that must be done" - a to-do list
agora/forummarket place/business center
ambrosia and nectarthe food of the gods; some believe it kept
them immortal
Aphrodite/Venus:goddess of love
Apollo/Apollo:god of the sun, light, reason, and the lyre
apple of discordliterally, the apple that Eris (goddess of strife) threw in front of Hera, Aphrodite, and Athena
to cause a dispute over who was the fairest; figuratively, anything which causes a dispute
aqueducta system created by the Romans which
carried water over long distances
Arachnechallenged Athena to a weaving contest and
was turned into a spider for her excessive pride
Ares/Marsgod of war
Ariadnethe daughter of king Minos of Crete, who helped Theseus escape from the labyrinth
after he killed the minotaur
Artemis/Dianagoddess of the hunt
Athena/Minervagoddess of wisdom
Athens/Acropolisa polis (city-state) in Greece, center of art and
philosophy, named after Athena (its patron goddess); the Acropolis was the hill in Athens where many temples (including the Parthenon, the temple to
Athena) were located
Atlastitan who had to hold up the heavens on his
shoulders as punishment for rebelling against Zeus
ego"I"
e.g./exempli gratia"for the sake of an example" - abbreviation
used when providing an example
e pluribus unum"one out of many" - found on most US minted
coins and the back of the dollar bill
Dionysus/Bacchusgod of wine and revelry; son of Zeus and
Semele
Demeter/Ceresgoddess of grain, the harvest, and the
seasons; mother of Persephone/Proserpina
Delphic Oraclethe oracle of Apollo; people visited the oracle
for guidance and predictions of the future
Cyclopsone-eyed children of Ouranos/Uranus and
Gaea (Mother Earth); sided with Zeus during the war with the Titans; were helpers of the
smith-god Hephaestus
Cronus/Saturnone of the 12 Titans, father of Zeus/Jupiter,
who swallowed his children in an attempt to keep from being overthrown
cornucopia"horn of plenty" a symbol of food and
abundance
Why was this called the Cornucopia in The Hunger Games?
consulthe highest political office in the Roman
Republic; 2 were elected every year
Colosseum:the arena for gladiatorial games in Rome
(also known as the Flavian Amphitheater)
Circus Maximusa large horse and chariot racing track in
Rome
Charonthe ferryman for the river Styx going into the
underworld
Chaosa state of disorganized matter from which the
gods and the world were created
Cerberusthe three-headed dog that guarded the gates
of the Underworld
cave canem"beware of the dog"
Carthagethe city in Northern Africa that the Romans
fought and destroyed during the Punic Wars (264-146 BC.)
carpe diem"seize the day"
Caesarusually referring to Julius Caesar, the Roman dictator who was assassinated on the Ides of
March (March 15th) 44 BCE
Augustusfirst emperor of the Roman Empire; adopted
son of Julius Caesar; member of the 2nd Triumvirate; also known as Octavian
atriumreception hall (like the living room) in a
Roman house