| A | B |
|---|
| epic | long poem that tells the story of a hero |
| myth | story handed down through the years that explains something |
| polytheistic | many gods |
| democracy | government in which the people hold the ruling power |
| monotheism | belief in one god |
| republic | form of government where citizens have the right to select their leaders |
| patricians | the noble families in Ancient Rome |
| plebians | ordinary citizens or "middle class" of Rome |
| consuls | the 2 men who led the government in Rome |
| dictator | an official who had all powers of the king but could only hold office for 6 months |
| Romulus & Remus | founders of Rome who supposedly were raised by a wolf |
| Julius Caesar | a dictator that became permanent & was murdered because of his power |
| Rome | the capital city of Italy |
| Italy | boot shaped country in southern Europe |
| forum | marketplace, and where the senate of Rome met |
| Tiber River | a river that goes through Italy leading to Rome |
| aqueducts | structures that carried water over long distances |
| Greece | a country in the south eastern part of Europe |
| Colosseum | Rome's greatest building (arena) |
| Circus Maximus | an arena in Rome where races were held |
| Constantine | emperor of Rome from 312A.D. to 337 A.D. Made Christianity the offical religion of the Roman Empire |
| Constantinople | ancient city of Byzantium; present-day city of Istanbul |
| polis | city-state, or the city and it's surrounding countryside |
| Classical | term referring to the ancient civilizations of Greece and Rome |
| Emperor | king |
| Pope | head of the Catholic Church |
| Missionary | a person who tries to spread his or her religion |
| oracles | Greek priests or priestesses who were believed to be spoken to by the Gods |
| muses | goddesses of inspiration, art, learning and creativity |
| Homer | Greek poet who wrote the Illiad and The Odyssey |
| Sparta | Greek polis that valued courage, strength and bravery in war |
| Athens | Greek polis that valued reading, writing, and music |
| Pheidippides | messenger that ran from Marathon to Athens to warn about a Persian invasion |
| Socrates | greek philosopher who believed evil came from ignorance and virtue could be taught. |
| Plato | a student of Socrates; greek philosopher who started the Academy |
| Aristotle | student of Plato; philosopher and scientist; studied astronomy, physics, anatomy |
| Alexander the Great | King of Macedonia, student of Aristotle. Great military commander |
| "Eternal City" | nickname for Rome |
| Veto | means "I forbid" in Latin |
| Spartacus | a Roman slave who build an army and led a revolt against Rome |
| Dictator | a ruler with complete control |
| Cleopatra | an Egyptian queen who was removed from power by her brother. Went to Rome with Julius Ceasar and bore him his only son. Married Marc Antony after Ceasar died. Killed by the bite of an asp. |
| Octavian | grandnephew of Julius Ceasar, named Augustus meaning "respected one" by the people of Rome. |
| Pax Romana | two hundred year period that began with the rule of Caesar Augustus. Meaning “Peace of Rome.” |
| Gladiators | were usually slaves or criminals who fought with swords against animals or one another for the entertainment of crowds. |
| bicameral | a government system that has two houses or parts (like Congress and the House of Representatives) |
| Byzantine Empire | Historians name for the eastern half of the Roman empire that was set up by Constantine. |
