Glossary of Terms:

GENERAL TERMS:

Acropolis: Citadel or upper town, usually placed on a high hill or promontory. The Mycenaean palaces were on citadels and the later polis or city state of the region was built on it as well.

Aristocracy, aristocrats. The best, aristos  and kratos  rule. Clan leaders, important men from land holding families led the tribes, phratries and clans. All aristocracies were oligarchic – rule being held by a few.

Basileus: Term for king. Comes from term found in Linear B in Mycenaean times  pasireu.

Cadmea: Ancient acropolis of Thebes. It still exists and the modern city of Thebes is built on top of it.

Amphictyonic Council: Ancient governing body consisting of poleis surrounding Delphi, the sacred oracle of Apollo on Mt Parnasus. The Amphictyony conducted the Pythian games, one of four of the athletic games in ancient Greece. Members were ethne or groups that were closely associated with the site, Thessalians, Phocians, Boeotians, Dorians and Ionians. Votes were unequally divided among the members. When Philip II acquired control of Thessaly (12) and Phocia (2) he had the majority of votes and thus control of the council

andreion or hetairia  Agelai  boys recruited into troops led by sons of leading houses of Spartans. Upon completion of training Spartan men at 19 were inducted into messhalls.

Common peace: Term applied to 4^th century treaties which guaranteed the autonomy of all subscribing states. This practice began after the Battle of Chaeronea in 338 when Philip II won.

Corinthian League: Alliance named by modern scholars which was comprised of the principal cities and ethne or groups of Greece except Sparta. It came into being after Philip II came into power. Each member was guaranteed freedom, autonomy, collective action against states who broke the peace and protection against proposals to cancel debts and liberate slaves. It worked until is was dissolved by Antipater in 322 BCE. Synedrion or representative council consisted of one representative from each member state and enthne or regions of league. The Corinthian League was responsible for upholding the Common Peace established by Phillip II. Give arbitration powers over states which were in conflict. It could also try individuals who were accused of breaking the goals of the league.

Delian League: Term for confederacy organized under Athenian hegemony after the end of the Persian Wars. Founded in 477 BCE it was used by the Athenians to build her empire. Athens punished those states which wished to leave, forced many to join, and punished severely either.

Demotic. The popular, cursive, simplified form of Egyptian hieroglyphic forms used in the Hellenistic period. Demotic was the principal Egyptian script in Ptolemaic Egypt used for both literary and nonliterary texts.

Ethnos: Terms used to describe large group of people who share territory, and language but are not necessarily united into a political whole. Athens is a polis or city state. The ethne or villages are less structured politically and under local control.

Genos (singular)  gene (plura)l or Clan. A social group of families who claimed descent from a common ancestor usually a hero. A genos was led by the most prominent male of the family and played a major part in politics particularly of the Archaic age.

Hegemon: state of individual who headed an organization of states. Athens was the hegemon of the Delian League, Sparta of the Peloponnesian League. A hegemon exercises hegemony over the other members.

Hellenes: Term for the ancient and modern Greeks. Term is based on a myth of the eponymous ancestor, Hellen, son of Deucalion the Greek Noah and the father of the eponymous ancestors of the Dorians, Ionians and Aelolians – the three tribes of Hellenes that inhabited the territory of Greece.

Hoplites: Heavily armed infantryman named after the shield, when lined up side by side the hoplites formed a wall that moved together against the enemies line. Hoplites came from the middle class as they had to provide their own equipment. If they were from a higher class they would be part of the cavalry. If from the lower class they would be rowers.

Kleros: An allotment of farmland sufficient to support a citizen and his family. Passed on through the male line. Full citizenship in oligarchic societies often were tied to having a kleros.

Megaron: Mycenaean palace form consisting of an entrance porch with two columns in antis (flush with the walls), and a second room directly behind this that probably was a waiting room, and then the main hall with a central hearth. It is described in the Odyssey and also found in Mycenaean archaeological sites. The form was used as the basis for the later Greek temple.

Metropolis or Mother city. A polis that has sent out a colony under its aegis.

Nomos. Custom or law.

Oikist; Founder and leader of a colony sent out by a metropolis. Comes from the Greek work oikos which means household.

Pederasty: Love relationship between a “boy” or younger man with an older man. In Sparta this was institutionalized. Erastes is the older “lover” and eromenos  is the younger “beloved.”

Peltasts. Lightly armed Greek soldiers who carried light throwing spears and small round shields, functioned as skirmishers. Could be used with hoplites or alone.

Phalanx Tactical formation of hoplite army. Ranks of heavy infantry men, 8 rows deep, usually with the most experienced men in the 3^rd and 4^th rows. Philip of Macedon used six brigades of 1500 men each, armed with a short sword , a small round shield and long pike sarissa 18 feet long, fighting in rectangular formations 16 men deep.

Polis City or city state. A self governing community with developed political system. City and surrounding countryside with smaller villages included in the political system.

Proskynesis- A Greek term that referred to the Persian ritual greeting gave to social superiors, particularly the Great King of Persia. Its simplest form was a blowing of a kiss. Didn’t know where that came from did you? To the King, full prostration was required. Greeks and particularly Macedonians felt it was wrong as this should only be appropriate for a deity.

Proxeny- The term used of a diplomatic arrangement in which citizens of one city state, the proxeni, looked after the interests of other states in their community.
 

Redistributive system: Term used to define economic and political systems used in Bronze Age Crete and mainland Greece. All produce of the surrounding region of a central political power was brought to that center and then redistributed back to outlying regions. Records of the produce are found in the Linear B tablets of the Mycenaean citadels and Palaces on Crete.

Rhetores: Think ancient “politicians”.

Royal Pages: Youths that were recruited to be the King of Macedon’s personal attendants, guards and hunting companions. Consider similarities of this group to the pages of the Middle Ages. This was the first step in the career for the Macedonian aristocracy.

Sacred Band: Elite Theban infantry formed about 378 BCE. The Sacred Band consisted of 150 pairs of lovers. It played a major role in the defeat of Sparta at Leuctra in 371. Its demise occurred under King Philip the II of Macedon at Chaeronea in 338BCE. He wept over their bodies.

Satrap: Title of the governors of Persia. The Satraps were expected to support the King of Persia but had considerable freedom in their own province.
 

Satrapy: Province of the Persian empire. Alexander III kept this system as it was the administrative backbone of the Persian empire. Later this term referred to the largest territorial subdivisions of the Seleucid Kingdom of Antigonus the One-Eyed, who controlled part of the original acquisitions of Alexander.

Stasis. Term used for a group of men who take the same stand. Later refers to factions within the political system which leads to civil strife. (stasis) When disruption in the political system was severe, bloodshed, murder of opponents and manipulation of political freedoms and rights to hinder or dispose of enemies to the faction’s views.

Stele. A stone slab upon which was inscribed text or decorations. Often decrees would be inscribed on stelae.

Synoikiomos  Synoecism. Term used to describe the process whereby several separate communities or villages form into a single political union. This also can refer to actual population movement from several villages into a central settlement.

Temenos During the Mycenaean period and following Transition period, traditionally called “ The Dark Ages,” this referred to a parcel of land given as due to prominent family. This group then became the later aristocrats of the Geometric, Orientalizing and Archaic periods. This term also refers to the sacred area or precinct of land around or inside boundaries of a sanctuary. The temenos could house an altar, temple or any ritual place used for worship.

Trireme. Standard Greek warship in Classical period. Three banks of oars, ability to reach 9 knots, having a bronze prow with which to ram opposing ships describe the standard trireme. Athens is most associated with triremes as theirs was a naval power. ]

Terminus post quem: The date after which some event occurs

Terminus ante quem: The date before some event occurs

Tyranny. Tyrannis  The illegal seizure and control of government in a polis by a single strong man supported by his factions. Tyranny occurred as a phase of governmental systems in many poleis. Athens swung back and forth between tyranny until if managed to set up its democratic reforms under Cleisthenes. Sometime a polis would swing from tyranny to oligarchy and then back. A military tyranny arose in Sicily during the late 5^th and 4^th centuries.  

Wanax Term coming from Linear B tablets that refer to a “lord or master. Title of a ruler of a Mycenaean kingdom. Anax appears as a title of gods and high ranking leaders in Homer’s works.

Xenos  xeni  guest friend or guest friendship.

ATHENIAN TERMS:

Academy: School founded by Plato at Athens in 380’s BCE in groves sacred to the hero Academus. Plato’s pupil Aristotle studied there. The Christian emperor Justinian had it and all other pagan schools closed in 529CE.

Agora. Market place, center of political activity in Athens and other poleis. Civic buildings were placed here.

Archon: Official or magistrate of city state. Each archon had a specific duty to perform. In the 6^th century Athens had nine. The powers of the king were shared by three officials.  The basileus archon was responsible for religious duties, the archon became the civilian head of state, and the polemarchus, or commander of the army. Six thesmothetai or statute setters were added later. The Eponymous magistrate/archon gave his name to the year.

Areopagus: Hill of Ares at Athens north west of the Akropolis. The Areopagus was the ancient council which met there. The Council in early Athens would have consisted of aristocrats. In Solons’ time it comprised all ex-archons and who remained in the Areopagus until death. Usually there were about 150 members. The Areopagus probably formulated the legislation submitted to the Assembly prior to Solon. After he created the Boule, the importance of the Areopagus fell. By 462 the Areopagus had practically nothing to do. The only right left to it was the right to trial homicide cases. See the Oresteia for reference to this.

Assembly: In Athens, its make up was all free male citizens. Athens Assembly is termed the Ekklesia and met on Pnyx hill near acropolis around 40 times per year.

Attica tribes: Four ancient Ionian tribes associated with Attica. Aigikoreis, Hopletes, Geleontes, and Argadeis.

Boule; Small group of chosen citizens which worked with Assembly in forming laws. Boule consisted of 500 men chosen by lot. Prepared business for the ekklesia and tried certain cases.

Classes of citizens in Athens. The reforms of Solon in early 6^th century divided the citizens into propertied classes based on their ability to produce a certain amount of produce from their land. The pentakosiomedimnoi, 1^st class, each man could produce 500 measures or medimnoi (bushels) of produce from their land, or the equivalent. 2^nd class hippies, were able to support horses for the cavalry, their income was more than 200 medimnoi and less than 500. 3^rd class was the  zeugtai who were the hoplites, they could afford to own a team of oxen with 200 – 299 bushels of produce. The lowest class was the thetes which were men who owned nothing, probably were day laborers. The slaves were below these and of course had no rights at all.

Demagogos. “Leader of the people” Term used by Athenians of politicians who came into power after the death of Pericles. It is a derogatory term that means the individual is more interested in his own power, ideology and well being that a true statesmen who cares for the overall good of the state.

Democracy: Form of government that permitted free men varying levels of participation in several states. Athens frequently forced city states to change to her brand of democracy against the will of the inhabitants.

Demos. Territory as well as the people who live within it. Origin in Linear B tablets, damo, means a village and free inhabitants. Aristocrats and oligarchs use the term derisively as it refers to ‘the people” or “the masses”. Technically it means “ the people – all of them”

Dicasteries (dikasteria) People’s courts at Athens.

Dokimasia: Scrutiny Athenian officials had to undergo before assuming a position in the government. Political enemies used this procedure as a means of keeping a man out of public office.

Drachma: One of the coinages used by Athenians. Obol, drachma, mina and talent. Six obols made a drachma, one hundred drachmans made a mina, sixty minas or 6000 drachmas were a talent. Anyone with a talent was considered rich.

One silver drachma a day was good wages for a laborer in 5^th century Athens. A trireme cost a talent a month to maintain.

Epikleros: A brotherless Athenian girs who was compelled to marry her nearest male relative able to procreate so that her son, who was slated to inherit her father’s property, would be descended from his grandfather through the male line. Sometimes you see this referred to as heiress, but she could not inherit anything. She was simply the tool through which the inheritor could be created.

Graphe paranomon Athenians used this legal procedure against individuals who were making an illegal proposal in the Assembly. The Athenians had no written constitution hence it was easy for a man to be subjugated to a graphe paranomon by his enemies. After three convictions a man was unable to offer further proposals.

Hektemoroi. A term used in Solonian Athens meaning “sixth partners”. This refers to poor farmers who had fallen into debt to wealthy landowners and had to give 1/6^th of all produce to the landowner. If they did not they would be subject to slavery.

Heliaia. Body of prospective jurors from which dikasteria were selected. Any adult male citizen who wished could present himself for participation.

Hetaira. Female companions. Term used for female courtesans of Classical Athens. Hetairai, usually were from the metic class, they were more cultivated and educated than the Athenian woman of the higher class. Pericles’ citizenship laws of 451-50 declared it impossible for a man to marry a metic woman and still have his children be citizens. Ironically, Pericles lost his two natural sons and begged to have his one son, child of a metic, allowed citizenship. That was accorded to him. Athenian men frequently had a wife and an hetaira for long term relationships. Depending on circumstances, they could live the life of a well kept woman or a common prostitute.

Kore; Maiden; Sculpture of clothed females. Group most known comes from the acropolis of Athens. Popular during the Archaic age.

Liturgies. An indirect system of taxation in Athens whereby the rich were required to spend their own money in the service of the state. Liturgies included financing the training of a chorus for dramatic performances or financing religious festivals or for the most expensive, the trierarchy, which required a man to maintain a trireme for a year and pay for the training of its crew. This would be asking to asking the top 2% of the individuals in the US to each support a battle ship or submarine. What an idea!

Lyceum. The school founded by Aristotle in 335 in Athens. Center for scientific studies and collection of constitutions of 158 states.

Metics: Resident aliens of a Greek state. In Athens they had to pay taxes but had no citizen rights. To be represented in court or in any legal matter they needed to be represented by a xenos or guest friend who was a citizen. They were very supportive of Athens in wartime.

Nomothetia. Athenian officials set up after the restoration of the democracy in Athens in 403 BCE. The nomothetai reviewed and ratified the laws of Athens

Phratry  Subdivision of a tribe or phyl, usually kin. Phratries in Classical period were well defined social groups concerned with descent and citizenship. Every citizen family in Athens belonged to a phratry.

Phylai Ther for the large ancient descent groups into which a demos was divided. Ionian communities had four such tribes another term for them. The tribes functions as organizational units in the city states. Cleisthenes changed the Athenian system into 10 new phylai.  

Prytaneis  Title of presiding magistrates in a city state. In Athens in 508 when the Boule was reorganized, ten boards of fifty prytaneis each who were chosen by lot from the ten new tribes, phylai,  created by Cleisthenes took turns as the officials of the daily business of the state. They were in office for 1/10^th of the year. Each group of fifty men comprised a prytany.

Probouleutic – Term used for the Boule’s function of preparing state business to present to Assembly/Ekklesia.

Probouloi- In Athens referred to a committee of 10 men sest  up to direct the government in 413 BCE. This came about due to the disaster of the Sicilian expedition.

Regions and land distribution  of Attica around Athens: (See map *). During the 10^th century Athens/Attica, think of Attica as the state and Athens as the capital. Three districts of Attica were based on topography; the plain land/pediake ,(this was the land around Athnes and Eleusis; ‘the coast land’, paralia coastal lands ending at the promontory around Sunium; and ‘ the hill-land’, diacria, the northern portion of Attica dominated by mountains Parnes and Pentelicus. The entire population was enrolled in four tribes. Each of the tribes, was subdivided into three brotherhoods (phratriai). The land owned by members of a phratry was specific and inalienable and each phratry was named in the geographical sense, trittys –a third. Prior to the Cleisthenic reforms of 508, this is the political organization of Attica.

PEDIAKE                                              PARALIA                                              DIACRIA

The geographic names were used to designate phratries.

The population was divided into four tribes and each tribe subdivided into three phratries.

The composition is the same for the paralia and the diacria.

Second Athenian Confederacy. Athens reconstituted itself in another bid for empire when she began this voluntary organization which was started in 377 BCE. Member states sent delegates to a common deliberative body termed the synedrion. The members had far greater say in the affairs of the 2^nd Confederacy than the first Delian league led by Athens. Because of conflicting interests in the member states dissatisfaction soon set in and when Philip came upon the scene it was dissolved in 338 with the establishment of the Corinthian League in 338 BCe.

Seisachtheia  The disburdening of debt under Solon’s economic reforms of 592

Sophists. Intellectuals who traveled around teaching philosophic and rhetoric, Peripatetics. Often they challenged the accepted norm. Plato saw them as disingenuous, as he perceived them to be using showy rhetoric rather than being concerned about the truth of a matter.

Symposium. Particularly popular in Athens though not exclusive to her. In Archaic periods began as an after dinner “drinking party,” consisting of like minded men 14-30 who discussed politics, art, women and drank. Read Plato’s Symposium

Theoric Fund. A fund of money reserved by Athens, probably started in 350 by Eubulus. Its use was intended to help impoverished citizens to attend public festivals, also used for work on dockyards and public arsenal. In wartime this fund was used but often after bitter dissension. Most Athenians believed it must be preserved.

Thes Term of a free man who was forced to hire out as a laborer for wages. In Athens they were in the lowest of the classes. See thetes

Thirty tyrants. Pro-Spartan government installed in Athens by Lysander in 404 after the loss to Sparta in the Peloponnesian War. “The thirty” as they were called, were most interested in lining their own pockets. Used their position of power to take lives, land and possessions from whomever they deemed an enemy of the state. They were overthrown in 405.

Tribute lists: Records of tribute paid by members of the Delian League after the treasury was moved to Athens from Delos in 454/3 BCE. This offering was given to Athena and when on Delos may have been given to Apollo.

SPARTAN TERMS:

Agela, agelai, pack of Spartan youths. Also termed ile

Agiads. The Agiads were the senior royal house at Sparta. They descended in mythic traditions from the elder of the Heraclid twins as mentioned in Herodotus 6.52. The junior twin was known as the Eurypontids. This appears to have been in part the origin for the dual kingship of the Spartans.

Agoge. Standard name for Spartan public educational system. Paidonomos boy-herdsman supervisor. Three stages of training, paides 7-17, this group trained in rigorous austerity, obedience, and mock battles by older youths within each company or ilia. The big boys get to beat up on the little ones basically. The herds or agelai were subdivided into sub groups based on age. (7-10, 11-14, 15-17 possibly). Each group had its own structure of leadership. At 12 the boys entered an institutionalized pederastic relationship with a young adult.9 See above for definition of pederasty.) The paidiskoi were army reservists and participants in the krypteia, (see below). The Hebontes  joined a dining group – syssitia  and army, could marry, but remained in the barracks. Each competed for the 300 hippeis – or king’s bodyguard. The little boys left their homes at age 7 to join their age group.

Apella. Term for Spartan Assembly as it is stated in the Great Rhetra or constitution of Sparta given by its lawgiver Lycurgus.

Ephor: Magistrate in the Spartan governmental system, similar in function to the archons of Athens and other democratic states. Means “overseer”. Sparta had a board of five ephors elected annually by the assembly. The senior ephor gave his name to the year. The ephors had great power over the kings.

Gerousia, (geron  old man). Aristocratic council of Sparta and other oligarchic governments. Composition of Spartan gerousia was 2 kings and 28 men over the age of 60 who served for life.

Helots: Term used to describe groups of conquered people who were forced by their conquerors to work as serfs on their own land. Sparta is most associated with this practice. The helots outnumbered the Spartans 7 to 1 and each year the Spartans proclaimed war against them to ensure their subjugation.

Hetaireiai, Military systems of the Dorians, especially those of Crete and Sparta grouped the men into bands of hetaireiai or bands of companions. In Macedonia the hetairoi were an elite band of warriors and advisors who formed the retinue and personal bodyguard of the kings. “The King’s Companions”

Hebon hebontes  pl Spartan young men between the ages of 20-29.

Homoioi Peers or equals, term for Spartan citizens.

Hypomeiones  Inferiors in Spartan society.

Klarotai; Earliest conquered peoples around Sparta, tied to land could not leave it, similar to serfs.

Krypteia Secret duties performed by select young Spartans.

Mora one of the six divisions of Spartan army in the fourth century.

Mothax (pl mothakes), A new class that arose in Sparta during the Peloponnesian War. Children of Spartan fathers and helot mothers or impoverished Spartans who could no longer keep their status as equals in the “corps” by contributing to the common meals. An inferior class.

Nothoi Illegitimates

Obe Territorial division at Sparta, often means a village and area around it.

Oligarchy – Oligarchia (rule by a few). Sparta was an oligarchy, power held in the hands of a few.

Peloponnesian League: Name for the organization of which Sparta was hegemon. Dates from 6^th century. Sparta and a few lesser states of importance swore to have same friends and enemies and help defend one another Tied to Sparta but not in any real way connected to one another.

Perioikoi Dwellers around. Neighboring peoples who were subordinate in any way to the dominating polis of the area. Sparta was the most well known for her association with her perioikoi. The inhabitants of the villages of Laconia and Messenia were half citizens in that they were allowed local autonomy but obligated to Sparta for military service. Original settlers around Sparta. Means those living around. They paid tribute to the Spartans. Could own and inherit property

Spartan division of citizens: startoi, similar to phrartries of Athenians. The three Dorian tribes subdivided into these Startoi

Syctale Stick used for decoding official messages while on campaigns

Syssition  syssitia pl. Dining group of which membership was a condition for full Spartiate status. Certain “mess halls” or syssition were more prestigious than others.

Tresantes  “Tremblers” or cowards. Spartans who were guilty of cowardice in battle.

Trophimoi Nurslings or pupils

Xenelasia  Expulsion of foreigners. Sparta was not a welcoming state. You could not immigrate to Sparta.