- abacus
- [AB-buh-KUS} Beads on a wire or wood frame used for counting and doing sums.
- Acropolis
- [a-CROP-olis] The Acropolis is a large hill in the centre of Athens. On top of it were many temples and other buildings, the remains of which can still be seen today
- archaeologist
- Expert in studying the past from remains left by people.
- archer
- Person who used a bow and arrow.
- architect
- A person who designs buildings.
- Aristophanes
- [aris-TOF-a-neez] Lived from about 450 to 385 BC. He wrote comedy plays comedies for the theatre in Athens.
- Aristotle
- [aris-TOT-ull] Lived from 384 to 322 BC. A scientist and philosopher.
- artefact
- Anything made by people. Artefacts found by archaeologists include broken pottery, bits of wood and metal, brick and stone.
- Athena
- The patron goddess of Athens, and goddess of wisdom. A huge statue of Athena stood inside the Parthenon in Athens.
- Athens
- The capital city of modern Greece. In ancient times Athens was a powerful city-state with its own government, laws, army and navy.
- Attica
- [A-tik-a] The region around Athens.
- cavalry
- Soldiers riding on horses.
- centaur
- Mythical creature with a horse's lower body and legs, but the chest, arms and head of a man. Centaurs were wild and unruly, but one named Chiron was wise and skilled in healing.
- citizen
- In Athens a citizen was a person with the right to take part in the assembly, serve on juries and take a turn as a member of the ruling council. Only male Athenians were allowed citizen rights.
- city-state
- Ancient Greek cities had their own governments, laws and armies. The city and the land it controlled around it made up the city-state.
- colony (colonies)
- An overseas settlement. The Greeks set up colonies around the shores of the Mediterranean Sea.
- column
- A tall cylinder-shaped support for the roof or doorway to a building. There were three styles of columns in Greek architecture: Doric, Ionic and Corinthian.
- comedy (comedies)
- A play written to make the audience laugh. In the Greek theatre comedies poked fun at the foolishness of people and especially politicians.
- Corinth
- [COH-rinth] A city-state in southern Greece, famous for its pottery and overland ship-track. Someone or something from Corinth is known as Corinthian.
- crest
- Raised decoration on a soldier's helmet, like a ridge. On Greek helmets, the crest was made of stiff horsehair.
- death penalty
- Punishment for a serious crime, such as murder. The person found guilty was executed (killed).
- Delphi
- [DEL-fee] A city to the west of Athens, withthe famous Oracle of Delphi. People went to consult the Oracle for advice from the gods.
- democracy
- A system of government in which citizens can vote to decide things. Athens had democracy from 510 BC.
- discus
- Flat dish-shaped object thrown by an athlete, a bit like a Frisbee only smaller and heavier.
- ferryman
- A boatman who takes people across a river or lake in a boat called a ferry.
- diphtheria
- Decoration around the top of a wall or building.
- gorgon
- Monsters with wings and hair made of snakes. The gorgon Medusa could turn people to stone.
- factory
- Building with machines for producing goods in large numbers.
- factory commission
- A group of men who travelled around Britain to investigate the working conditions of children in both factories and mines.
- fire grate
- The metal part of a fire and fireplace.
- globe
- A map of the world drawn on a sphere, useful in geography lessons.
- governess
- A woman who taught rich girls and young boys in their homes, as a paid, live-in servant.
- grammar school
- Boys' schools, started in the Middle Ages as an alternative to Church schools and giving free education to some boys.
- Helot
- A slave who worked for a Spartan master.
- historian
- Someone who writes about, and studies, the past, especially from writings left by earlier people.
- hoplite
- [HOP-light] A Greek foot soldier. Hoplites carried round shields and long spears and had bronze helmets and leg guards.
- Homer
- Said to be the author of the two long poems, The Iliad and The Odyssey, but nothing is really known about him.
- isthmus
- Narrow strip of land with sea either side.
- javelin
- A long spear for throwing.
- jury
- In a law court, the people who listen to evidence and decide whether an accused person is guilty or not.
- kiln
- Oven heated by wood, charcoal or some other burning fuel for 'firing' (heating and hardening) clay pots.
- Macedonia
- State in the north of Greece, birthplace of Alexander the Great.
- Marathon
- Battle between the Greeks and Persians.
- mosaic
- Picture-decoration made from small coloured tiles.
- Olympic Games
- A religious festival held in honour of Zeus, attended by people from all over Greece.
- oracle
- A religious custom where people asked the Oracle questions or sought advice. The Oracle was supposed to give the answers of the gods.
- pankration
- [pan-KRAT-ion] A type of wrestling with almost no rules; one of the Olympic events.
- Parthenon
- [PARTH-en-on] A huge temple on top of the Acropolis hill in Athens.
- Pericles
- [PER-i-kleez] A popular leader of Athens from 458 - 429 BC. Pericles was famous for his stirring public speeches.
- Persia
- An empire to the east of Greece, ruled by kings. Persia tried to invade Greece. Ancient Persia is modern Iran.
- phalanx
- Greek fighting formation, made up of ranks of foot soldiers.
- philosopher
- A person who thinks and writes about the meaning of life and how people live.
- pirate
- Sea robber. There were many pirate ships in the Mediterranean and Aegean seas at the time of the Ancient Greeks.
- Plato
- Lived from about 428 to 348, he was a philosopher and teacher in Athens.
- politician
- Person active in politics - the business of governing a city or country.
- pottery
- Useful containers such as bowls, dishes, plates and mugs made from soft clay that is baked hard in an oven called a kiln.
- ram
- In warfare, a pointed weapon for battering holes in walls or ships. Greek warships had rams fixed to their front ends or prows.
- Roman
- Roman means "of Rome" or a person from Rome. The Ancient Romans conquered Greece around 146 BC, but admired and copied Greek civilization.
- sacrifice
- A gift made to the gods. For example, pieces of meat could be burned on an altar as a sacrifice.
- scholar
- Someone who studies - and often writes books too.
- sculptor
- Artist who makes statues and other works of art from stone, wood or metal.
- Scythia
- Ancient kingdom, north of the Black Sea in a region now inside Ukraine and Russia.
- slave
- A person with no freedom, owned by someone else.
- shield
- Large piece of wood, leather and metal held in front of a soldier's body to protect him in battle. Most Greek shields were round.
- Socrates
- [SOK-rat-TEES] Lived from about 470 to 399. A philosopher and friend of Plato, he was famous for asking questions, but was forced to kill himself because Athens' rulers feared his teachings.
- Sophocles
- [SOF-o-kleez] A writer of plays who died in 406 BC. He was also a general, in the army of Pericles. Sophocles wrote tragedies.
- Sparta
- [SPAR-ta] A city-state in southern Greece. The Spartans were famous for their strict military training and powerful army.
- temple
- A building used for religious worship and ceremonies. The Greeks put statues of gods and goddesses inside their temples.
- tomb
- The burial place for a dead person. Ancient people often put food, pottery, weapons and other possessions in a person's tomb.
- tragedy
- In theatre, a play with a sad or serious ending, and a moral lesson or teaching.
- trireme
- [TRY-reem] A Greek warship with three banks or rows of oars.
- Troy
- City in what is now Turkey, in which people called Trojans lived. They fought a 10-year war with the Greeks.
- tunic
- Typical clothing of Greek men and boys, a loose-fitting garment like a long shirt with short sleeves.
- Xerxes
- [Zerksees] King of Persia. Son of Darius. Led the Persian army at the Battle of Salamis.
- Zeus
- [zz YOOS] The king of the gods. Zeus was the most powerful of the ancient Greek gods.
