1196 Glossaryamurca Th e dregs of pressed olives.
ancestor worship Th e spiritual veneration of one’s deceased
parents, grandparents, and so on, practiced widely in
many ancient cultures.
andrôn Living quarters for men in ancient Greek homes.
animal husbandry Breeding, feeding, and management of
animals, or livestock, for the production of food, fi ber,
work, and pleasure.
animism A religious belief that many (or even all) places,
objects, and living things have their own spirits.
ankh symbol Th e Egyptian hieroglyphic sign for life, con-
sisting of a loop-topped cross.
annealing A process in which metal is heated to reduce the
hardness and brittleness that result from hammering,
making the metal easier to shape.
antediluvian Dating to the period before the Flood, de-
scribed in the Bible.
anthropomorphic Having human attributes or a human-
like form.
Antikýthēra device An ancient instrument that used nu-
merous interconnected gears to calculate the motions of
the planets and stars.
antiphonal Containing musical verses to be sung in alter-
nation.
apiculture Th e cultivation of honeybee hives in order to
collect honey and beeswax.
apoikia (pl. apoikiai) Th e standard term for an offi cial
Greek colonial settlement, laid out according to specifi c
procedures, which became an independent polis.
apotropaic wands Wands having the power to ward off evil
or bad luck.
appliqué A decorative ornament made in a material such as
needlework applied to another fabric surface.
apron moldings Joint stones that slightly hang over the
bottom stonework of a wall.
aqueduct A man-made channel or pipeline designed to
transport water across long distances; oft en raised above
the ground, moving water by gravity.
aquifer An underground rock bed yielding groundwater.
archaeoastronomy Th e fi eld of archaeology that focuses on
sites with astronomical importance.
archaeological culture An assemblage of artifacts (and
their stylistic attributes) that tend to be found together in
a particular region at a certain time.
archaic lyric Th e earliest Greek poetry that expresses sub-
jective thoughts and feelings, oft en in a songlike style or
form.
Archimedian screw An irrigation device that uses a screw
in a pipe to raise water from a river or pool to a fi eld or
container.
archipelago A group of islands.
architrave In architectural design, a beam that extends
across a row of columns.
archon A chief magistrate of the Greek city-states.ard A simple form of plow used to cut a furrow though the
soil without turning it over.
aristocracy A political system under which a few promi-
nent extended families share power and pass power from
generation to generation.
armillary sphere An astronomical device that mirrors the
positions and movements of the heavenly bodies.
armlet Band worn around the arm but not around the
wrist, which would be a bracelet.
Arretine ware Ceramic wares from the region of Arezzo,
Italy, made of fi ne red clay.
artifact An object created by human beings, especially one
of interest to archaeologists.
artisan A skilled worker who performs a specifi c trade or
craft.
asafetida Th e resin of a plant related to fennel, used to fl a-
vor Roman dishes.
asbestos A nonfl ammable substance, made from fi ber ex-
tracted from certain rocks, that was used in the ancient
world for lighting as well as fi reproof clothing.
ascetic A person who forsakes comforts to live a life of se-
vere self-discipline.
asclepeion A Greek sanctuary built to honor the god As-
clepios and as a health retreat where the sick and injured
were treated.
ashlar A style of building walls in which shaped stones
are laid out in regular rows, one on top of another (as
opposed to the more complex, but oft en stronger, tech-
niques using irregular stones).
aspect Feature of a verb that describes the duration or com-
pleteness of an action.
assimilate To absorb into a culture.
asterism A small grouping of stars.
astrolabe An early astronomical instrument used in navi-
gation.
ataraxia In ancient Greece, considered to be a life without
disturbance, fear, and worry
atimia Loss of citizen rights, used as a punishment in an-
cient Athens and other city-states.
atlatl A hand-held stick used as an arm extension for
throwing a spear or dart.
atrium Th e open interior area of a Roman house that was
the center of domestic life.
augur A member of ancient Rome’s College of Pontiff s; a
priest whose role was to interpret the will of the gods
through signs and omens.
aulos A reed instrument with two pipes, capable of a great
range of dynamic eff ects; used in many contexts in an-
cient Greece but particularly to accompany choral po-
etry.
auroch A type of prehistoric giant cattle that is now ex-
tinct.
autochthony Belief in origin from the earth or in having
inhabited the same place since time immemorial.1195-1234_SocCultAnctWrld-v4_bm.1196 1196 10/10/07 3:30:35 PM