classics war and warfare

Helots

Enslaved inhabitants of Sparta who worked for their masters

Perioeci

Merchants and artisans of Sparta

Agoge (Sparta)

The Spartan training school that all boys attended from the age of 7

Krypteia

A test in which the teenagers of the agoge were set out to go kill a helot undetected

Syssitia

15 Spartans who lived and ate together every evening.

Hoplite

A Greek infantry soldier who fought in the phalanx. Carried a shield, spear and sword.

Phalanx

A greek rectangular formation , in which the ranks tried to force their way through the enemy.

Mora

A name for a Spartan army regiment

Enomotia

The smallest unit in a Spartan army

Taxiarch

A senior commander in the Spartan

Tresantes

Spartans who had deserted battle and had brought shame on themselves and their family.

Xerxes

The Persian king and leader of the invasion in 480 at the Battle of Thermopylae

Leonidas

The Spartan king who led the Greeks at the Battle of Thermopylae

Demaratus

The former Spartan king betrayed them by defecting to the Persians

The Battle of Thermopylae

480 BCE. The most famous battle in Spartan history. Herodotus was the primary source for this battle, who took some of his sources from the passing of words

Ephialtes

A local greek who told Xerxes about the about the mountain path to the other side of the pass at Thermopylae

Dienekes

Spartan soldier that was remembered for his brave comments before the battle began.

Tribes

One of 10 political constituencies in Athens.Every Athenian belonged to a tribe which made up a regiment of the Athenian army

Lochoi

Units of a tribal regiment in the Athenian army.

Strategos

An elected general in the Athenian army. Every tribe selected one every year.

Frieze

Horizontal decoration depicting a number of scenes

Trireme

A greek warship with 3 banks of rowers on each side

Liturgy

A super-tax on the wealthiest citizens in Athens to fund civic projects

Trierach

A wealthy Athenian who captained and paid for the upkeep of a trireme for 1 year

Diekplous

A naval manoeuvre whereby a trireme sailed through the enemy line of ships and turned at pace to ram the side of an enemy ship

Hypozomata

2 stretched cables that were tied from one end of trireme to another and keep it in shape

Relief

A carving that projects from and is a part of, the same background material and has the effect of shading and being in 3D

The battle of Salamis

Greek victory over the Persian navy during the Second Persian War

Themistocles

The Athenian leader who convinced the Athenians who convinced the Athenians to abandon their city for Salamis. He then brilliantly commanded the Greek navy in the sea battle against the Persians.

Artemisia

Queen of the Greek city Halicarnassus, which fought on the side of the Persians

Imperial

The period of Roman history from 30BC, when Rome was ruled by emperors.

Contubernium

A unit of 8 men in a Roman legion, who shared the same tent and dealt with their own mess arrangements

Century

A unit of 80 men in a Roman legion

Cohort

The largest unit of a roman legion; the first cohort of a legion had 5 double centuries (160 soldiers each); coorts 2 to 10 each consisted of 6 centuries (80 soldiers each.)

Legion

The largest unit of the roman army

Centurion

The commander of the century in a roman legion

Primi Ordines

The collective name for the 5 centurions of the first cohort of a Roman legion

Primus pilus

The most senior centurion in the legion

Signifer

The roman soldier responsible for the century's standard

Standard

A roman war flag, the emblem of a century, a set of medallions hoisted on a pole.

Optio

The centurions deputy in a Roman legion

Tesserarius

The roman soldier in charge of guards and communication of passwords

Cornicen

The horn-player who sounded orders to the soldiers

Legatus

The commander of the Roman legion

Tribunes

The 6 senior officers of a Roman legion

Tribunes laticlavius

The senior tribune of a Roman legion

Tribuni angusticlavi

The five tribunes of equestrian rank in a Roman legion

Camp Prefect

The right hand man to the legatus of a Roman legion

Aquilifer

The legionary soldier responsible for carrying the aquila

Aquila

The emblem of the legion and an eagle made of gold on a pole

Via Praetoria

The road from the main gate to the principia in a roman fortress

Principia

The headquarters of a Roman fortress

Via principlais

The road crossing the fortress in front of the principia in a roman fortress

Via quintana

The road crossing the fortress behind the principia in a roman fortress

Basilica

The large hall used for assemblies

Praetorium

The private quarters of a legatus in a roman fortress

Ala

A cohort of roman cavalry (around 512)

Turma

aA roman cavalry squadron of 32 horsemen

Praefectus

The commander of Roman naval fleet

Navarch

The captain of a squadron of Roman naval ships

Testudo

A group of Roman soldiers advance with shiels in fron of and above their heads.

Ballista

A roman crossbow that fired iron darts

Onager

A roman catapult that fired rocks and large stones at the enemy

Libumae

Swift roman military ships which were used for scouting

Oral Culture

A society where people rely on word of mouth rather than writing

Homer

The name given to the poet who was thought to have composed the Iliad and the Odyssey

Bard

A public storyteller who recited vast amounts of poetry to the accompaniment of the lyre, often during banquets

Hexameter

A poetic metre that has 6 units to a line

Epic poetry

Poetry focused on good deeds, composed in hexameter verse

Epithet

An adjectival word or phrase added to show a personal or physical quality

Achilles

The greatest Greek warrior who refuses to fight after he feels dishonoured in book 1 of the Iliad

Agamemnon

The leader of the greek army who dishonours Achilles

Hector

The greatest Trojan warrior, the son of King Priam

Prfiam

The king of Troy

Hecabe

The wife of Priam and queen of Troy

Andromache

The wife of Hector

Patroclus

A Greek warrior, Achilles' closest comrade

Time

The honour a Homeric warrior hopes to win

Aidos

The shame or respect a Homeric charachter feels towards someone who has great time (honour)

Kleos

The reputation a Homeric warrior hopes to win

Aeneas

A trojan warrior who is the son of Aphrodite