a prophetic sign

the formation or use of words that imitate the sounds associated with the objects

a shrine dedicated to the worship and consultation of a prophetic deity; also refers to a person through whom the gods speak

an educator of young people; a teacher, usually Greek; it literally means 'the one who leads the children'

a direct vote in which the entire electorate is invited to accept or refuse a proposal

the worship or belief in more than 1 god

readily taking on different shapes, forms or meanings; able to change quickly; from a Greek god of the sea who easily changed shapes

false or counterfeit; comes from the Greek word meaning 'false'

to find fault or to criticize for petty reasons; comes from the ablative plural of the Latin relative pronoun

mountain located on the island Sicily; Typhon is trapped underneath

mountain range that separates Italy from Europe

Quote from Vergil's Aeneid after the Wooden Horse is discovered on the shore near Troy

The third Roman Emperor; ruled from 37-41 AD; known for his cruelty; his name means 'Little Boot'

Island located just west of Italy on the southern side of the Bay of Naples; the emperor Tiberius secluded himself here during last decade of his reign

Series of vaults with recesses for tombs in an underground burial place

Roman Dictator who defeated the Aequi within 15 days and then gave up power and became a normal citizen again

Political Alliance between Julius Caesar, Pompey the Great, and Crassus

The safe prudent path between extremes

80-mile long wall across northern Britannia, completed in 128 AD

Roman historian during the Golden Age of Literature under Augustus

Poem by Ovid with stories of mythological change

Quote from the final scene of William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, spoken by Marc Antony over the corpse of Brutus

Roman poet during the Golden Age of Latin Literature who composed the Metamorphoses

The title of the priestess of Apollo at Delphi who offered prophecies inspired by the god

Member of the First Triumvirate killed by Ptolemy XIV; his nickname was 'Magnus'

The event where the Romans stole the women from neighboring cities to get wives is called the Rape of:

Ancient Roman festival, in late December, to honor the Roman god of harvest and crops

in classical times, it referred to any priestess of Apollo; now, it means 'a witch'

A group of three people in power

Greek tragedy writer who wrote the 'Oresteia' trilogy, which includes the 'Agamemnon'

Greek word for marketplace

Greek mathematician who discovered how to determine the density of materials

Greek 'Old Comedy' writer

Greek Philosopher who was the tutor of Alexander the Great

Victory of the Athenians over the Persians in 490 BC

Strait of water between the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara; its name literally means 'cow crossing'

Island south of Greece and the Aegean Sea; its ancient civilization is called 'Minoan,' from legendary King Minos

Island located in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, associated with the goddess Aphrodite and known for its copper mines

Phrase meaning imminent danger, from the story of a banquet and a horse hair

Most famous Greek orator

Greek philosopher who wrote about seeking a life of calm pleasure; the 1^st century BC Latin poet Lucretius composed De Rerum Natura (On the Nature of Things), which explained his philosophy.

Greek Mathematician who wrote 'Elements,' which has the basic tenets of geometry and math.

one who does not believe the God of the Bible, a person without religious beliefs - it comes from the Latin word for 'villager'

Ancient region north of Greece and Thessaly, on the northwest side of the Aegean Sea. Both Philip and his famous son Alexander the Great were from this place.

Tragedy by Sophocles where the main character makes the horrific discovery that he - unknowingly - killed his own father Laius and married his own mother Jocasta.

Son of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra who avenged the murder of his father by killing his own mother.

The large peninsula south of the Gulf of Corinth which makes up about half of mainland Greece.

A military formation of infantry in which soldiers overlapped their shields and employed long spears. Used by the army of Alexander the Great.

General under Alexander the Great who became the ruler of Egypt. All Egyptian rulers who followed him were given his name in his honor. The last Egyptian ruler with this title was the brother of Cleopatra.

Greek mathematician who discovered the geometric law which states that the sum of the squares of the legs of a right triangle is equal to the square of the hypotenuse.

Greek philosopher who was convicted of ‘corrupting the youth of Athens’ and was forced to commit suicide by drinking poisonous hemlock. One of his pupils immortalized this man by making him the main character in his philosophical dialogues. He believed that self-examination was crucial.

‘calmness/tranquility during great joy or great suffering.’ It comes from the Greek philosophical school, which asserted that the wise man should follow virtue and remain indifferent to outside influences like pleasure/pain.

Trojan prophetess who always correctly predicted the future but was never believed. She was pursued by the god Apollo, who gave her the gift of prophecy to lure her to his embrace. When she scorned his advances, Apollo cursed her prophetic power so that no one would ever believe her.

When the Trojans were debating what to do with the huge Wooden Horse which Greeks had left on the shore, this man urged them to destroy it. Later, 2 serpents killed him and his 2 young sons. These gruesome deaths helped to convince the Trojans to bring the Wooden Horse into the city.

Heracles' 6th Labor, involved 2 rivers, did not count as an official Labor since Heracles did not complete the task himself

1st Labor of Heracles. The skin of this creature became his favorite jacket!

the 100 eyed monster whom Hera ordered to guard the cow Io; after Hermes killed him to free Io, Hera placed his eyes in the feathers of her favorite bird, the peacock.

the builder of the ship (which was named after him) on which Jason sailed to get the Golden Fleece.

the old dog of the Greek hero Odysseus who died soon after the return of his master (Odysseus had been gone for 20 years, 10 at Troy and 10 wandering the world).

Legendary sunken island located just west of the Strait of Gibraltar in the Atlantic Ocean. It was first mentioned by the Greek philosopher Plato, who claimed that it was an early, advanced civilization destroyed by earthquakes and floods.

Magical staff with 2 intertwined snakes & 2 wings at the top. This was the symbolic herald’s staff which the divine messenger Hermes carried. It is often used as a symbol for physicians.

Goddess on the island Ogygia who hosted Odysseus for 7 years during his wandering after the Trojan War.

The founder and queen of Carthage, who fell in love with Aeneas and killed herself when he abandoned her.

A wreath made from this tree was given as a mark of honor in ancient times to poets, heroes, and victors in athletic contests. For this reason, it also means ‘honor and glory won for great achievement.’

River of forgetfulness in the Underworld. Derived from this river is an English adjective which means ‘sluggish, lazy, drowsy.’

It now refers to ‘a crazed or frenzied woman.’ In Greek mythology, this is a female member of the orgiastic cult of Dionysus and is usually with disheveled hair, drunk, and running about in the woods.

Goddess of retribution and revenge. It now means ‘an arch enemy, a tough and formidable rival.’

She arrogantly boasted that she had more children than Leto and thus should be worshipped above Leto. To punish her, Apollo and Artemis killed all 14 of her children. Niobe, stunned by the loss of her children, sat without moving, except for her many tears. She was then transformed into a stone with water trickling out.

Every 500 years, this mythological bird consumed itself in fire and then rose again from its ashes to start another 500 year cycle. It is now a symbol of immortality.

In Greek mythology, this Cyclops confined Odysseus and his companions in a cave until Odysseus blinded him and escaped. His father was Poseidon, who took revenge on Odysseus by harassing him during his journey home.

‘An arbitrary standard to which exact conformity is forced.’ In mythology, a villain had his guests lie on a bed. If they were too big for it, he would cut off part of their legs to fit it; and if they were too small, he would stretch them until they were tall enough for it.

A winged creature having the head of a woman, the body of a lion, and the wings of a bird killed anyone who could not answer this question: ‘What walks on 4 legs in the morning, 2 legs at midday, and 3 legs in the evening?’ (answer: Man).

the blind prophet of Thebes who revealed to Oedipus that he himself had murdered his father and married his mother. During his journey to the Underworld, Odysseus met with this prophet, who told the hero the best way to get home.