Daily Life of the Ancient Greeks

GLOSSARY OF
GREEK TERMS
Greek terms that commonly exist in English are Anglicized.
acropolis — Citadel (literally “upper or higher city”), a defensible rock
where many of a polis’s most venerable cults were housed; when capitalized,
the citadel of Athens.
agôgê — Spartan public education system (literally “a leading forth”)
intended to weaken pupils’ ties to the family and strengthen their ties to
the state.
agôn — Contest of any kind; a scene involving a dispute between two
characters in a drama.
agora — A level space in the center of a polis that functioned as its commercial,
civic, legal, and political heart. Every citizen was expected to spend
time in the agora (verb, agorazein ), both to learn about public affairs and
to gossip.
andrôn (or andrôniti s ) — A room of the house primarily designed for
holding a symposium. As the name (literally “men’s quarters”) implies,
women, with the exception of hetairai, were not permitted inside when
symposia were being held.
apella — Spartan word for assembly; a political gathering of citizens.
archon — Senior magistrate (literally “leader”). In Classical Athens, there
were nine archons chosen by lot, one of whom (the eponymous archon)
gave his name to the year.