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Glossary
AGORA A large open space used for a market. An agora was also a place where the citizens could discuss anything about city affairs that they wished (we now call this a forum).
ALEXANDER THE GREAT The most powerful ruler of the ancient Greeks and the person who, with his father, Philip, brought all of the Greeks together as a single people. He lived from 356 bc to 323 bc.
ARCHAEN PERIOD The archaen period (800 bc to 500 bc) represents those years when artists made larger free-standing sculptures in stiff poses with dreamlike ‘archaic smiles’.
BRONZE AGE The time between the Stone Age and the Iron Age, when people were beginning to work with soft metals but could not get fires hot enough to extract iron from rocks. Soft metals have a limited range of uses.
CELLA This is actually a Roman word (from Latin for small chamber) for the inner chamber of a temple in classical architecture. It usually contained a statue of the god to whom the temple was dedicated, and a table on which offerings were placed.
CHITON A piece of clothing made of a single sheet and worn directly over the body, with brooches and a belt to hold it in place.
CLASSICAL PERIOD In this period (500 bc to 323 bc) artists perfected the style that since has been taken as the best in Greek art, with more natural-looking sculptures and buildings such as the Parthenon.
DORIC The Doric order was one of the types of classical architecture. The Greek Doric order was the earliest and least decorated of these, known from the 7th century BC. Its style can be seen in the columns of the Parthenon.
FABLE A short story or folk tale containing a moral.
GALLEY A ship which is partly propelled by oars. Galleys usually also had sails and used the oars only for battle, when speed and swift turns were needed.
GREEK DARK AGES The time after the collapse of the early civilisations that lived in Greece and the rise of the people we now call ancient Greeks. It was between about 1000 bc and 800 bc. During this time no written records were kept.
HELLENE, HELLENISTIC PERIOD The name we now use (Hellenic) for the Greeks. It was used in late ancient Greek times to refer to all people living in the Greek empire. Do not confuse it with Hellenistic period, which was a period from the end of the time of Alexander the Great to the Roman occupation.
HIMATION A kind of cloak worn over a chiton and made of a heavier material than a chiton.
HOPLITE The word hoplite comes from hoplon, meaning an item of armour. The armoured soldiers (hoplites) probably first appeared in the late 8th century, first as spearmen. They were mainly middle class citizens, who could afford the cost of the armour.
IONIC The Ionic order is one of the types of classical architecture. The Ionic order began in the mid-6th century BC in Ionia and then spread to mainland Greece in the
5th century BC. Its style is seen on buildings such as the Erechtheion.
MYTH A myth is a sacred story concerning the origins of the world or how the world and the creatures in it came to have their present form. The active beings in myths are generally gods and heroes.
OLYMPIAD A period of four years, and now connected with the Olympic Games. In ancient Greek times, an Olympiad started with the games, which were held at the beginning of the new year, which fell on the full moon closest to the summer solstice.
OLYMPIAN The 12 Olympians in Greek religion were the principal gods who lived on Mount Olympus. There were, at various times, 17 different gods recognised as Olympians, though never more than 12 at one time. One of the Olympians, Hades, never actually lived on the mountain, for he was the god of the underworld.
PENINSULA A long finger of land jutting out to sea from the mainland. Greece juts down into the Mediterranean Sea.