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Sistrum
Definition by Mark Cartwright

Sistrum

The sistrum (rattle) was a musical percussion instrument first used by the ancient Egyptians, commonly used in ancient Greek musical practices, and often depicted in visual arts such as sculpture and pottery. Made from clay, wood, or metal...
Hera
Definition by Mark Cartwright

Hera

Hera (Roman name: Juno) is the wife of Zeus and queen of the ancient Greek gods. Hera represented the ideal woman, was the goddess of marriage and the family, and protectress of women in childbirth. Hera was always faithful to Zeus but she...
Sphinx
Definition by Mark Cartwright

Sphinx

A sphinx is a mythical creature with the body of a lion, most often with a human head and sometimes with wings. The creature was an Egyptian invention and had a male head - human or animal; however, in Greek mythology, the creature had the...
Red-Figure Pottery
Definition by Heather Montgomery

Red-Figure Pottery

Red-figure Pottery is a style of Greek vase painting invented in Athens c. 530 BCE. The style has drawn red figures and a painted black background. Red-Figure Pottery grew in popularity, and by the early 5th century BCE it had all but replaced...
Aqueduct
Definition by Mark Cartwright

Aqueduct

Aqueducts transport water from one place to another, achieving a regular and controlled supply to a place that would not otherwise receive sufficient quantities. Consequently, aqueducts met basic needs from antiquity onwards such as the irrigation...
Ancient Timekeeping
Definition by Mark Cartwright

Ancient Timekeeping

The passage of time has always been a preoccupation of human beings, whether it be a question of satisfying basic needs such as when to eat and sleep, the importance of seasons for migratory and agricultural purposes or a more sophisticated...
Otho
Definition by Donald L. Wasson

Otho

Otho was Roman emperor from January to April 69 CE. Immediately after the assassination of Galba, Otho, the governor of Lusitania, was proclaimed emperor by the army. However, the unrest that existed in the short reign of Galba would spell...
Galba
Definition by Donald L. Wasson

Galba

Galba was Roman emperor from June 68 to January 69 CE. With the death of Emperor Nero on June 9, 68 CE, the Julio-Claudian dynasty officially ended, leaving the Roman Empire without a clear successor to the throne. With the assistance of...
Butrint
Definition by Mark Cartwright

Butrint

Butrint (ancient name Buthrotum) is located on the fertile coast of Epirus in present-day Albania and was an important settlement in Hellenistic and Roman times due to its position on the route from Italy to mainland Greece down the Ionian...
Greek Archaic Period
Definition by James Lloyd

Greek Archaic Period

The Greek Archaic Period (c. 800-479 BCE) started from what can only be termed uncertainty, and ended with the Persians being ejected from Greece for good after the battles of Plataea and Mykale in 479 BCE. The Archaic Period is preceded...
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