GCSE Notes

Question 1

Acropolis

Answer 1

large rocky outcrop overlooking Athens; full of temples

Question 2

anthropomorphism

Answer 2

giving human attributes to something that is not human

Question 3

Iliad

Answer 3

ancient “epic” (adventure) poem about war

Question 4

lyre

Answer 4

ancient stringed instrument

Question 5

Parthenon

Answer 5

major temple on the Acropolis, dedicated to Athene

Question 6

polytheism

Answer 6

belief in many gods

Question 7

Prophecy

Answer 7

a prediction of what will happen in the future

Question 8

Sceptre

Answer 8

staff carried by kings and other rulers (like Zeus)

Question 9

Trident

Answer 9

three-pronged instrument, as carried by Poseidon

Question 10

Wreath

Answer 10

leaves or flowers arranged into a circular crown

Question 11

Pantheon

Answer 11

the term given to the gods when we speak of them collectively (not to be confused with the Pantheon in Rome, which was a temple build by the Romans and dedicated to all the gods)

Question 12

Iconography

Answer 12

The symbols attached to a particular character when represented in an image

Question 13

Hiera

Answer 13

holy affairs; the term used for Greek religion

Question 14

Religio

Answer 14

the correct worship of Roman state gods

Question 15

Epithet

Answer 15

an adjectival word or phrase regularly added to a name to denote a personal or physical quality

Question 16

Aegis

Answer 16

the breast plate or shield of Athena that contained an image of a gorgon in the centre

Question 17

Oracle

Answer 17

an utterance, often ambiguous or obscure, given by a priest or priestess said to be speaking the words of a god

Question 18

caduceus

Answer 18

a traveller’s staff most closely associated with the god Hermes (Mercury)

Question 19

Votive

Answer 19

an offering to the gods

Question 20

lararium

Answer 20

a small shrine to the house hold gods (Lares) that was found in Roman homes