Classical Literacy

Apennines

The mountain range running North and South through Italy

Aphrodite (Venus)

goddess of love (symbols are doves roses, and swans)

Apollo

an olympian god of music and poetry; symbols are the lyre and the wreath

Appian Way

road from Rome to Italy. important.

apple of discord

a prize for the beauty contest between Hera, Aphrodite, and Athena; started the Trojan War

aqueduct

romans used it to transport water

Arachne

challenged Athena to weaving contest. Athena turned her into a spider

arachnophobia

fear of spiders

Argo / Argonaut

Mystical ship, sailors following Jason. Did Adventures

Argos (city/person)

Major Stronghold during Mycenaean war, (person) one of Zeus’ sons

Ariadne

Daughter of Minos. Helped Theseus escape Labyrinth. Other stories say she was the wife of Dionysus.

Artemis

(Diana) goddess of nature, hunt, and childbirth.

astrology

study of sun, moon, planets, stars for predictions

Atalanta

hunter of Artemis, unwilling to marry. dad threw her away to bears, reclaimed her, men raced for bride. 3 golden apples.

Athena / Minerva

(Minerva) goddess of wisdom, strategic warfare, justice, law. born from Zeus's head. Symbols are owls, olives, shield with medusa on it

Athens

city, patron goddess was Athena; Poseidon fought for it

Atlas

a titan that was forced to hold up the sky

atrium

part of roman household with a skylight and a basin

Augustus

part of 2nd triumvirate, military dictator

veni, vidi, vici

"I came, I saw, I conquered"

summa cum laude

With great praise

per annum

for each year

e.g.

'exempli gratia', means "for example"

i.e.

"id est", means 'in other words'

etc.

"and so on"

SPQR

(Senatus Populusque Romanus) The Senate and People of Rome

Ostia

port city of Rome

Brundisium

heel of Italy, port city

Orpheus

Greek mythology was a Thracian bard, legendary musician and prophet, went to underworld

Midas

has power to turn anything he touched to gold

Horatius Cocles

defended across Tber bridge single-handedly

Cincinnatus

gave up dictatorship to return to farm

Campus Martius

field of Mars, military training ground

Palatine Hill

site of imperial palaces