CLASSICAL LITERACY INTRO III

P.S./POST SCRIPTUMwriting after the body of a letter

PANDORAout of her curiosity, she opened a box

containing all the bad things in the world; she put the lid on just in time, so that hope did not escape from the box, too

PANTHEONtemple in Rome dedicated to all

the Roman gods

PAPYRUSa material prepared in ancient Egypt from the pithy stem of a water plant, used in

sheets throughout the ancient Mediterranean world for writing or painting

on

PARISwas chosen by Zeus to settle the argument of

who was the fairest of the goddesses; he chose Aphrodite because she promised him the most beautiful woman in the world if he chose her

PARTHENONtemple devoted to Athena; located

on the Acropolis of Athens

PATERFAMILIASthe male-head of a Roman family

PAX ROMANAthe 200 year period of peace which began under the rule of

Augustus

PEGASUSwinged horse which flew from the neck of Medusa the Gorgon after

Perseus cut off her head

PENELOPEthe wife of Odysseus; a model of

faithfulness to one's husband

Penelope at the loom

PERSEPHONE/PROSERPINAdaughter of Demeter; kidnapped by Hades to make her his queen

PERSEUS & MEDUSAPerseus killed Medusa the Gorgon

POMPEIIa town on the western coast of

Italy destroyed by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79

POSEIDON/NEPTUNEgod of the sea

POST MORTEM"after death"

PROMETHEUStitan best known for stealing fire from the

gods and giving it to humans; he was punished by being chained to a rock and having his liver eaten by a bird everyday

QUID PRO QUO"this for that," a fair trade

ROMULUS AND REMUStwin brothers, raised by a wolf;

Romulus killed Remus and founded Rome

SEMPER FIDELIS"always faithful" - motto of the US

Marines

SEMPER PARATUS"always prepared / ready“ – motto

of the US Coast Guard

SPARTACUSgladiator who led an uprising of

slaves against the Romans in the 1st c. BC

STYXthe river surrounding the

Underworld

SUB POENA"under penalty" - a written order for a person to come testify in

court

SUMMA CUM LAUDE"with highest honors" - graduating from college in the highest grade

scale

TANTALUSa king who was tortured in the Underworld by having water and grapes within his reach, but the water and grapes pulled away

whenever he went to take drink or a bite

TARTARUSthe Underworld; in early mythology, everyone went to Tartarus after they

died; in later mythology, only bad people went to Tartarus after they died

TEMPUS FUGIT"time flies"

TERRA FIRMA"firm ground/solid earth"

TERRA INCOGNITA"unknown land"

THESEUSAthenian prince who killed the

Minotaur

TIBERthe river that runs through the city of

Rome

TOGAthe garment that signified a Roman man's citizenship

TROJAN HORSEA hollow wooden horse built by the Greeks so that they could get into

the walls of Troy. The Greeks pretended to pack up and leave from the war, but some hid in the horse which was later led into the walls

of Troy by the Trojans (thinking it was a gift of surrender). Those hidden Greeks waited until the Trojans had gone to bed, snuck out from the horse, opened the gates to Troy, and all the other Greek

soldiers came in and attacked Troy, winning the Trojan War.

TROY

kingdom in Asia Minor that fought against Greece in Homer's Iliad

URANUSthe god of the sky; created the Titans with Gaia, Mother Earth

VALEDICTORIAN"the one who says farewell" - the

student with the highest grade point average, who is chosen to give a speech at the end of graduation

VENI, VIDI, VICI"I came, I saw, I conquered,"

famous words of Julius Caesar

VETO"I refuse," used by the president of

the US to stop any bill he sees unfit from passing

VS./VERSUS"against", used to show who is up against whom in sports matches,

legal battles, etc

ZEUS/JUPITERthe king of the gods; god of

thunder and lightning

P.M./POST MERIDIEM"after midday," afternoon