Database of Terms for Greco-Roman Religions
Greek Terms
A
aegis: Athena’s breastplate, made of goatskin and had medusa’s head in the center of it
agalma- a beautiful object used to adorn a sanctuary. Generally, a small statuette or a sculpted or painted plaque.
agathe tyche– good fortune
agonothetai- producers of the games, lay officials presiding over the games
agora- marketplace of a city
Aletrides: “grinders” who ground meal for the cakes that would be offered to Athena on her Alter
ambrosia: “the food of the gods”
amphora: large vase, held olive oil and were given as prices at the games during the Panathenea
anosion- religiously incorrect
aretalogy (arete: “virtue”; logos: “statement”): literature designed to praise the positive qualities and actions of a divinity
arkteia– a ritual where people sacrificed to Artemis and dressed up while playing “the bear”
arrephoroi: girls from distinguished families who wove the Peplos given to Athena
asebeia (a: “without”; sebas: “reverence”): “lack of respect for the gods”; “impiety
athlothetai: civilian board of ten members that oversaw key parts of Athena’s festival celebration
autochthonous – born from earth itself; this is what Athenians believed themselves to be
B
bothroi– pits used in sacrificial ritual
C
chaoi – liquid offerings such as milk or honey
charis- a favor, which was expected to be repaid.
chairein- rejoice
chthonic – of the earth or in the earth, i.e. gods
D
daimôn: “entities between human and divine spheres, later greek/roman deities from the viewpoint of a Christian”
Deme: “township”, formed by a group of families, multiple demes were called a tribe
doxa – opinion or belief
E
eirene– peace
ekphora: “carrying out”, the procession in which the body is transported to the tomb in a Grecian funeral
epekoos: “he/she who listens”; an epithet used in dedicatory inscriptions to describe the gods
Ephebos: “ young man”
epimeletai- overseers to finances of sanctuary
epinician- a victory ode celebrating a competitor’s victory in the Olympiad games and their family.
epithet – an adjective or descriptive phrase expressing a quality characteristic of the person or thing mentioned. i.e. Poseidon’s epithet could be Soter (Savior)
epopteia: “viewing”, what was showed to the hierophant
escharai- bare Earth
euche: “prayer”
eusebeia (eu: “well”; sebas: “reverence”): “demonstrating respect for the gods”; “piety”
H
hellanodikai- nine or ten “Judges of the Greeks”
herkos- a wall, generally surrounded and protected a house and courtyard
heroon – hero sanctuary ex. tomb
hêrôs: “humans who exerted power after death and so had to be propitiated through prayer and offerings”
hierophant: “the one who is showed the sacred things”, a hereditary position for a male priest concerning Demeter’s Mysteries and rituals
hiera– sacred
hiereus/hiereia– priest/priestess
hieron– sacred place, the god’s territory
hierotamiai- sacred treasurers of sanctuary
hippoi – horses
holocausts- the whole animal were made to smoke
hosiotes- religious correctness, acting in ways that conform to the religious laws and traditions of a community
hymnos: hymns, accounts of a God’s past deeds
K
kosmos- adornment
kykeon: the potion of barley, water and pennyroyal that Demeter asks for from the Eleusinian royal family
L
latreia– service
Loutrophoros: “bath-water carrier” for the water that a bride and groom were to be washed with on their wedding day
M
megaron- central interior room of temple
Moriai: Athena’s sacred olive grove in Athens
N
naos- term for entirety of temple structure
neokoros- lay assistant to the priest/priestess of a temple
nomizein theous- to acknowledge the gods by engaging in customary practices.
nous: mind; philosophical texts will use the term to describe God’s rational activity
O
orthos – straight or correct
ouranic – Out of the sky i.e. the gods
P
pancration- a brutal combination of boxing and wrestling introduced to the Olympiad games in 648 BCE
pannychis: all night celebration on the Acropolis the night before the Panathenaic procession
peplos: sacred robe, worn by women and one was given to Athena Polias yearly
phratry: “brotherhood” in which a Grecian boy would be introduced by his citizen father after his birth
physis: nature
polis – a collectivity of male citizens who, with their women, children, and dependents, constituted an autonomous political community
poly: “many”
pompeia: procession
praxis – action
prosthesis: “display”; pertaining to deceased bodies at Grecian funerals
pyrrhic dance: mock battle between tribes as a competition at the Panathenea
R
rhapsodia: poetry recitation contest
S
sophrosyne- commonsense
soter: “savior”; epithet used to describe a god (e.g., Zeus Soter)
spondophoroi: special embassies sent out to announce the date of festivals
stephanoi-crowns that were awarded after international games
T
temenos– “fenced in area from the surrounding land”, enclosed area
theos: “god”
theologiai: ways to think about the gods, the tripartite theology
threskeia- worship or ritual
thyein- to sacrifice
tîmê– honor, specifically the type shown to a deity
X
xenia: friendship; a term used to describe the guest-host relationship; people who violate xenia incur divine punishment
xenos: “friend”
xoana: carved wooden statues of the gods carried in processions
Latin Terms
C
camillus: young male attendant
carmen: “song”; spell used in magical incantations
cella- Latin, inner room of templum
colere- to tend, look after. Referencing gods, “to make the object of religious devotion”
conservator: “preserver”; used in dedicatory inscriptions to describe a god
cultus: worship
cultus deorum: “worship of the gods”
D
defixiones: binding spells used in magic
deus/dea: “god”
divus: divine; used for humans to distinguish them from the gods (deus)
do ut des- “I give so that you may give”; a foundational principle of divine-human exchange
E
evocatio: a ritual designed to persuade the gods of an enemy to join the Roman army and receive a new home in Rome
F
familiae: Term used to describe a single Roman household.
favete linguis: ‘check your tongues’, a ritual request for silence in a sacrifice
fumus- to make smoke
G
gentes – a family of those sharing the same nomen and a common ancestor.
H
haruspex: a diviner or soothsayer
I
immolatio: meal poured over the young animals head prior to sacrifice
impius: failure to engage in proper religious worship or to show respect for the divine
L
Lar: the spirit of a deity that protected a household
lectisternium: placing the statues of the gods on couches outside the temples, as if they were enjoying a meal
M
magus: a magician; often viewed negatively as a charlatan in Roman religious sources
mos maiorum: the traditions of the elders; ancestral custom
N
numen: “divine presence”; “divine power”
numina – the plural form of numen. Often referring to the spirits of deities
P
pater familias – the head of the family in a Roman Household. He was responsible for maintaining the worship of the household deity (Lar).
pax deorum: “peace of the gods”
pietas- proper reverence that a person should have towards the divine
pomerium: the sacred boundary of Rome
pompa: procession of animals prior to sacrifice, led by slave attendants
pontifex maximus – president of the chief association of civic priests in Rome
privata – private rituals celebrated by individuals, households, and the family.
publica sacra – the rituals of the state.
pulvinaria: couches or platforms upon which statues of the God’s were placed
Q
quid pro quo: something for something
R
religio: “attention to detail” or “an obligation with respect to the divine”
S
sacer- sacred
sacrilegus: failure to engage in proper religious worship or show respect to the gods
suovetaurilia: a blood sacrifice of a pig, sheep and bull, given purify farmland
superstitio: deviant forms of religious beliefs and practices, often linked with foreign cults; contrast with Roman religio
supplicato: a public period of collective prayer, performed on behalf of the citizenry to ask a favor of the god, or to give thanks for an earlier prayer of petition
T
templum- base of word ‘temple’
V
veneficium: sorcery or an evil spell; associated with magic
victimarii: the slave attendants who led the pompa
vitium: an error in the recitation of a prayer, if one was made the prayer would fail
voces magicae: “magic words”; found in religious esoteric texts such as the Greek Magical Papyri
