Glossary

Greek terms and concepts used in the study of the ancient city.

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A

ábatos ἄβατος, η, ον.: (masculine; plural ábatoi) That cannot be trodden; inaccessible, impassable (river), impenetrable (forest), sacred.
Academy Ἀκαδήμεια e Ἀκαδημία, ας (ἡ): A small olive grove in Athens consecrated to the hero Academus. It was the place where Plato and his successors taught, and for this reason the philosophical school became known as the Academy. The Pisistratids built the gymnasium of the Academy on the site.
Academus Ἀκαδήμος: Greek hero. In Athens the gymnasium of the Academy was consecrated to him.
Achradina: Residential area between two harbours, on the island of Ortygia in Syracuse.
acropolis ἀκρόπολις, εως, (ἡ): Upper city, fortress, the highest point of ancient Greek cities. The acropolis served as a citadel, and sanctuaries, temples and palaces could be built on it. When referring to Athens, the term is capitalised: Acropolis.
adiaíretos ἀδιαίρετος, ή, όν: Undivided district reserved for settlers who arrived after the primary division. For this reason the plots were of lower quality and larger extent (four and a half plethra).
adyton ἄδυτος, ος, ον.: Inaccessible; impenetrable; closed to the uninitiated; the reserved part of a sacred place (temple, sanctuaries, groves).
agora ἀγορά, ᾶς (ἡ).: In ancient Greece, the city square, which served as a meeting place for the population, whether for political or judicial decisions, for the decisions of the assembly, or for the exchange of goods and merchandise. In the Hellenistic and Roman periods, when the Greek cities lost their political autonomy, agoras generally became the site of the market, acquiring a mainly commercial character.
ágroikos ἀγροῖκος, ος, ον / ἄγροικος, ος, ον.: (masculine or feminine; plural ágroikoi) Living in the countryside; rustic, coarse; uncultivated (place); wild (fruit).
agrós ἀγρός, οῦ (ὁ).: (masculine; plural agroí) Arable land; the countryside as opposed to the city.
aguiá ἀγυιά, ᾶς (ἡ): (feminine; plural aguiái) Street, route or road. In Homer it means a street in the city.
anadasmós ἀναδασμός, οῦ (ὁ): (masculine; plural anadasmoí) New allotment of land; redivision of a territory previously distributed and legally owned by an individual.
anáktoron ἀνάκτορον, ου (τό): (masculine; plural anáktora) Temple of a god. In some places in ancient Greece, a building or room used in mystery cults, for example in the Telesterion at Eleusis.
andrón ἀνδρών, ῶνος (ὁ): (masculine; plural andrônes) Part of the Greek house reserved for male activities; banqueting room.
andronîtis ἀνδρωνῖτις, ιδος (ἡ): (feminine; plural andronîtides) Part of the Greek house reserved for male activities.
apoikia ἀποικία, ας (ἡ): A city founded by a group of Greek emigrants, especially from the 8th century BC onwards. The apoikiai maintained religious and moral ties with the cities that had founded them but were completely independent politically and economically.
ápoikos ἄποικος, ος, ον: (masculine; plural ápoikoi) One who comes to settle in a new place, in an ἀποικία or ἐποικία
Areopagus Ἄρειος Παγος: "Rock of Ares". A place in Athens where the old council of elders met. With the spatial restructuring of the Athenian agora from the 6th century BC onwards, all the buildings of civic power were gradually moved to this new space. Likewise, the council of elders that met there to judge and decide the course of Athens gradually changed its function until, from the 460s BC, it became merely a council deciding cases of homicide and other religious matters.
ároura ἄρουρα, ας (ἡ): (feminine; plural árourai) Arable land; field; land, soil; native land, homeland.
archegetes ἀρχηγέτης, ου, (ὁ): Initiator, founder. Epithet of Apollo.
Artemision Ἀρτεμίσιον,ου (τὸ): (masculine; plural Artemísia) Temple consecrated to Artemis.
astós ἀστός,ου (ὁ): (masculine; plural astoí) Inhabitant of the city.
ásty ἄστυ, εως (τὸ).: (masculine; plural áste) The city as opposed to the countryside; the "urban" area of the Greek city.
Athenaeum Ἀθηναιον, ου (τό): Temple of Athena, a place where poets read their works.
aulé ἀυλή, ῆς (ἡ).: (feminine; plural aulaí) Open inner courtyard giving access to the various rooms and parts of the house.

B

bêma βῆμα, ατος (τὸ): (masculine; plural bémata) Step; hence a platform on which one sets foot, a tribune.
bomós βωμός, οῦ (ὁ).: (masculine; plural bomoí) Altar, pedestal or tomb.
bóthros βόθρος,ου (ὁ): (masculine; plural bóthroi) Hole; cavity; pit; trench for libations and sacrificial offerings.
bouleuterion βουλευθήριον, ου (τὸ).: Building that housed the meetings of the boulé; court; council chamber.

C

cavea termo latino: Part of the theatre where the spectators sit.
cella ναώς: Restricted-access chamber of a temple; the whole structure of a temple (nave).
Kerameikos κεραμεικός, οῦ (ὁ): In the Greek city, the area where potters' workshops were concentrated; a district in the north of Athens, so called because of the potteries that existed there; the area contained a necropolis known as the "Kerameikos Cemetery".
chôma: mound.
Cynosarges Κυνόσαργες: Public gymnasium of Athens. According to tradition it lay outside the walled area, on the left bank of the river Ilissos near the suburb of Diomeia.
cist κίστη,ης (ἡ): Name of a type of grave in the Mediterranean world, formed by four slabs placed vertically and covered by another horizontal stone as a lid. The mortal remains were placed inside.
Clepsydra κλεψύδρα, ας (ἡ): Spring on the northern slope of the Acropolis of Athens; water clock.
cleruchy κληρουχία, ας (ἡ).: The establishment of a colony on plots of land assigned by lot. Cleruchies maintained ties of political and economic dependence with the cities that had founded them. Unlike the apoikiai, which formed autonomous cities independent of the founding city, cleruchies were in a sense extensions of the mother city. For example, the settlers of Athenian cleruchies established in the Aegean kept the citizenship of the founding city.
Kolonos Agoraios Κολωνός, οῦ (ὁ): Hill overlooking the agora of the Kerameikos to the west. The Hephaisteion stands on it.

D

dasmós δασμός, οῦ (ὁ): (masculine, plural dasmoí) Primary division of land, understood as the planned or actual distribution by a Greek political community of a territory considered legally undivided; sharing of spoils; tax.
dásos δάσος, εος, ους (τό): (masculine; plural dásoi) Grove, woodland.
deme δῆμος, ου (ὁ): Territorial district; the population of that district; in the political sense, the body of free citizens; in Athens, a subdivision of the tribe.
demósion sema δημόσιον σῆμα.: Monumental tomb. In Classical Athens it was the place where citizens killed in war were buried.
diaíresis διαἰρεσις, εως (ἡ).: (feminine; plural diaíreseis) Distribution, allotment and definition of the parts. Hence the sense of the division of plots in the foundation of a city.
diateíkhisma διατείχισμα, ατος (τὸ): (masculine; plural diateikhísmata) Fortification of a place or city by means of several walls.
diázoma διάζωμα, ατος (τὸ).: (masculine; plural diazómata) Isthmus; cornice; narrow passage separating the tiers of seats in Greek and Roman theatres.
dikastérion δικαστήριον, ου (ὁ): (masculine, plural dikastéria) Place of judgement; law court; the body of judges; court.
díolkos δίολκος, οῦ (ὁ): (plural diólkoi) Paved trackway at Corinth along which ships were hauled on wagons between the coasts of the Saronic and Corinthian gulfs.
dípylon δίπυλον, ου (τὸ): (masculine; plural dípyla) Double gate. In Athens, one of the gates in the city wall, located in the Kerameikos district and opening onto the cemetery.
doríktetos gê δορίκτητος γῆ: Land acquired by military conquest.
drómos δρόμος, ου (ὁ): (masculine; plural drómoi) Corridor joining one place to another. In the city it can be a long, wide street crossing it from one side to the other. (Originally, a place for running.)

E

Ecclesia ἐκκλησία, ας (ἡ): Assembly of citizens. In the 5th century BC it met four times a year on the Pnyx hill. The assembly held sovereign power; its members (Athenian men over 18) voted on all matters and elected the most important officials. Its agenda was prepared by the boulé, but the ecclesia had the power to reject the boulé's proposals and demand that its own will be carried out.
ekklesiasterion Ἐκκλησιαστήριον, ου (τὸ).: Meeting place of the people's assemblies.
ephebeia ἔφηβος, ου (ὁ): Body of ephebes, training young men to qualify for the status of citizen in Athens.
emporía ἐμπορία, ας (ἡ): (feminine; plural emporíai) Maritime trade; trading centre; a country with intense commercial activity; port; city; business; merchandise.
empórion ἐμπόριος, α, ον: (masculine; plural empória) Centre of maritime trade; hence a coastal city with a large harbour and intense commercial activity.
émporos ἔμπορος, ου (ὁ): (masculine; plural émporoi) Agent of maritime trade; not necessarily the owner of the ship carrying the goods traded.
Enneakrounos ἐννεάκρουνος, ος,ον: Fountain of the city of Athens. Pisistratus had a fountain built from which water gushed through nine spouts, hence the name Enneakrounos.
epaúlion ἐπαύλιον, ου (τό): (masculine; plural epaúlia) Small country property; farmstead.
épaulis ἔπαυλις, εως (ἡ): (feminine; plural epaúleis) Country house, encampment, private villa.
épaulos ἔπαυλος, ου (ὁ): (masculine; plural épauloi) Dwelling, stable, pen.
epíneion ἐπίνειον, ου (τὸ): (masculine; plural epíneia) Harbour; anchorage; maritime trading post.
epiteíchisma ἐπιτείχισμα, ατος (τὸ): (masculine; plural epiteichísmata) Fortification, wall; barrier, obstacle against someone; protection.
époikos ἔποικος, ος, ον: (masculine; plural apóikoi) One who comes to settle in a new place, in an ἀποικία or ἐποικία.
Erechtheum / Erékhtheion Ἐρεχθεῖον, ου (ὁ): The temple of Erechtheus on the Acropolis of Athens, which housed the statue of Athena Polias, offerings and sacred objects.
éremos khóra ἔρημος χώρα: Unoccupied territory; desert; solitary.
Eridanos Ἠριδανός: One of the five rivers that cross Hades in Greek mythology.
éruma ἔρυμα, ατος (τὸ): (masculine; plural erúmata) Outpost, shelter, wall.
eskhatiá ἐσχατιά, ᾶς (ἡ): (feminine; plural eskhatiaí) Area of the khóra located at the borders, traditionally seen as wild, with woods and mines, and therefore less productive agriculturally.
stadion στάδιον, ου (τό): Stadion, a measure of distance equivalent to 177.60 m.
stenopos στενωπός, ός, όν (ἡ): Name given to the narrowest streets of a city.
éthnos ἔθνος, εος-ους, (τὸ): (masculine; plural éthne) A social formation whose members recognised one another as ethnically related; peoples with a more fluid political organisation than the polis. Poleis and éthne coexisted in ancient Greece at least until the Hellenistic period.
exedra ἐξέδρα, ας (ἡ): Covered place with seats in front of the house for meetings and conversation; portico with seats; large semicircular hall with seats, a meeting place of the ancient philosophers.
exodos ἔξοδος, ου (ἡ): Way out, escape; mouth (of a river); expedition; procession.

F

phratry φρατρία, ας (ἡ): Association of citizens bound by shared sacrifices and religious meals, forming a political/civil division.
phroúrion φρούριον, ου (τὸ).: (masculine; plural phroúria) Guard post; establishment for the protection of territory

G

gê arósimos γῆ ἀρόσιμος: Land for sowing and planting.
génos γένος, εος -ους (τό): (masculine; plural géne) The group, the genos or family, comprised all those registered as descendants of a common ancestor and who shared a particular domestic cult.
gépedon γήπεδον, ου (τό): (masculine; plural gépeda) Small plot of land for agricultural use, not available for building, in the vicinity of and perhaps adjoining the oikópedon. An oikópedon may exist without a gépedon, but not the reverse. The gépedon is always near the house.
gymnasium γυμνάσιον, ου (τὸ): Public place for physical exercise.
gynaeceum γυναικωνῖτις, ιδος (ἡ): In the Greek house, the women's living quarters.
gynaikonîtis γυναικωνῖτις, ιδος, (ἡ).: (feminine; plural gynaikonîtides) The women's living quarters in the Greek house.

H

hals ἁλς, ἁλός (ἡ): (feminine; plural halós). The masculine of the same term means salt; the sea in general; salt water.
Hephaisteion Ἠφαιστεῖον, ου (τὸ): Temple of Hephaestus, on the hill of Kolonos Agoraios west of the agora of Athens. It is one of the best-preserved temples of the Doric order.
Hekatompedon ἑκατόμπεδος, ος, ον: A hundred feet long; any ancient temple of that length. In Athens, a rectangular temple fronted by a two-column porch at each end. Pisistratus surrounded it with a colonnade and had marble pediments carved. In 480 BC the temple was destroyed by the Persians. After its destruction it was restored without the colonnade and remained in use until 406 BC, when it was completely destroyed by fire.
Heraion Ἡραῖον ou Ἥραιον, (τὸ): (masculine; plural Heraia) Temple consecrated to the goddess Hera.
herôon ἡρῶον, ος, ον: (masculine; plural herôa) Temple of a hero; building dedicated to a deified or semi-deified dead person.
hestiatórion ἑστιατόριον, ου (τὸ): (masculine; plural hestiatória) Building for communal meals; banqueting hall.
hierón ἱερον, οῦ (τὸ): (masculine; plural hierá) Sacred place, sanctuary, temple.
hodós ὁδός, ου (ἡ): (feminine, plural hodoí) Way, route, street, entrance or journey.
horistés ὁριστής, οῦ (ὁ): (masculine; plural horistaí) Boundary marker (person who sets boundaries); geometer; land surveyor.
hórmos ὅρμος, ου (ὁ): (masculine; plural hórmoi) Place in a harbour where ships are moored or anchors are dropped to unload cargo and passengers.
hóros ὅρος, ου (ὁ): (masculine; plural hóroi) Marker of spaces on the ground, in both urban and rural areas.

I

ikríon ἲκριον ou ἰκρίον, ου (τὸ): (masculine; plural ikría) Bench (in a theatre), stand or platform.
Ilissos Ἰλισός e Ἰλισσός, οῦ (ὁ): River in Attica.
íse moîra ἴση μοῖρα: The fundamental rule of division: equality of the plots of land and their allocation by lot.

K

kápelos κάπηλος, ου (ὁ): (masculine; plural kápeloi) Retail trader.
kêpos κῆπος, ου (ὁ): (masculine; plural kêpoi) Area for planting on the grounds of a residence; garden; vegetable garden; orchard.
khôma χῶμα, ατος (τὸ): (masculine; plural khómata) Pier, mole; embankment protecting ships from the waves of the sea
khóra χώρα, ας (ἡ): (feminine; plural khórai) A delimited area of land; in the polis, the territory; the countryside as opposed to the urban area, where productive activities took place; it contained, for example, farmsteads and extra-urban sanctuaries.
khoríon χωρίον, ου (τό): (masculine; plural khoría) Piece of land, generally in the countryside; region, country; field, garden.
klêros kλῆρος, ου (ὁ): (masculine; plural klêroi) Plot of land distributed, often by lot, to the citizens of a new foundation, an apoikia or a cleruchy. That which falls to one by lot; a portion of territory able to support a basic family unit.
klísion κλίσιον, ου (τὸ): (masculine; plural klísia) Very modest house; hut; slaves' quarters.
koîlon κοῖλος, η, ον: (masculine; plural koîla) Part of the theatre where the spectators sit.
kóme κώμη, ης (ἡ): (feminine; plural kómai) Small settlement, village, hamlet.
kóthon κώθων, ωνος (ὁ): (masculine; plural kothónoi) Large Laconian cup whose shape resembles a harbour or anchorage. Used in ancient texts to designate the military harbour.
kréne κρήνη, ης (ἡ): (feminine; plural krénai) Fountain; spring.
ktísis κτίσις, εως (ἡ): (feminine; plural ktíseis) Foundation of settlements.

L

lakhós λάχος, εος -ους (τό): (masculine; plural lakhé) A type of plot assigned by lot. Derived from the more general meaning of lot, fate.
latomía λατομία, ας (ἡ): (feminine; plural latomíai) Marble or granite quarry. When abandoned it could be converted into a prison.
laúra λαύρα, ας (ἡ): (feminine; plural laúrai) In Homer, the passage inside the house. From the 6th century BC, a back street, where one goes without wishing to be seen.
Lyceum Λύκειον, ου (τὸ).: Gymnasium located north-east of Athens, near the sanctuary of Apollo Lykeios. The first buildings date from the time of the Pisistratids. It was later enlarged and embellished by order of Pericles and, later still, by Lycurgus. It was there, in the Lyceum, that Aristotle gathered his disciples to teach them.
límne λίμνη, ης (ἡ): (feminine; plural límnai) Stagnant water, marsh; artificial lake; sea
logeîon λογεῖον, έως (ὁ): (masculine; plural logeîa) In the theatre, the part of the stage where the action took place. The actors stood on it to deliver the text.
loutrón λουτρόν, οῦ (τὸ): (masculine; plural loutrá) Bath; place for washing; bathroom; water for bathing; lustral water for purifications.

M

mégaron μέγαρον, ου (τὸ): Great hall; the main room of a palace or house, from which other rooms open.
merismós μερισμός, οῦ (ὁ): (masculine; plural merismoí) Primary division of land, understood as the planned or actual distribution by a Greek political community of a territory considered legally undivided.
méros μέρος, εος-ους (τὸ): (masculine; plural mére) Part, fraction, portion (of land, for example).
mesógeia μεσόγεια, ας (ἡ): (feminine; plural mesogeiai) The interior of a land, the hinterland.
metoíkesis μετοίκησις, εως (ἡ): (feminine; plural metoíkeseis) The act of moving a population from one place to another.
metoikía μετοικία, ας (ἡ).: (feminine; plural metoikíai) Migration, transfer of population; cohabitation, communal residence; the settlement of a foreigner in a polis.
metoikízo μετοικίζω.: To move a population to another place, to lead a colony, to emigrate.
Metroon μητρῷος, α, ον: (masculine) Temple of the mother of the gods, Cybele (Kybéle). The state archives were kept there.
mnemeîon μνεμεῖον, ου (τό): (masculine; plural mnemeîa) Remembrance, commemorative monument, marker of a memory.
moîra μοῖρα, ας (ἡ): (feminine; plural moîrai) Lot, fortune, destiny; allotted part, portion of a whole (land); political party; class, section, row, rank; the share destined to each person; dire fate, death.
Mount Lycabettus Λυκαβηττός: Limestone hill in Athens. Its name literally means "hill of wolves". The gymnasium of the Lyceum lay at the foot of Mount Lycabettus.

N

naós ναός, οῦ (ὁ): (masculine; plural naoí) Temple; the inner part of the temple where the cult statue stood.
naúkleros ναύκληρος, ου (ὁ): (masculine; plural naúkleroi) Shipowner; pilot, helmsman; owner who lets a house, landlord.
necropolis νεκρόπολις, εως (ἡ): Literally, city of the dead (νεκρός, πόλις); cemetery.
neórion νεώριον, ου (τὸ).: (masculine; plural neória) Shipbuilding yard, dockyard.
neósoikoi νεώσοικοι, ων (οἱ).: (masculine; always plural) Sheds for naval equipment and for keeping ships out of the water.
Nymphaeum νυμφαῖον, ου (τό): Sanctuary built over a spring, where the cult of the nymphs was celebrated.
nomé νομή, ῆς (ἡ): (feminine; plural nomaí) Distribution, allotment, sharing; the result of a sharing, hence the sense of inheritance.

O

odeion ῳδεῖον, ου (τό): Small covered amphitheatre used especially for music and poetry competitions.
oikistes οἰκιστής, οῦ (ὁ).: In ancient Greece, the founder of an apoikia (a new city); an archegetes like Apollo; one who knew and could perform the religious ceremonies without which no new city could count on the protection of the gods. After his death he was buried in the agora and received an annual hero cult.
oikópedon ὀικόπεδον, ου (τὸ): (masculine; plural oikópeda) Area of standard size, laid out by the city, presumably aligned with an axis, on which building is legally permitted; the site or plot of a building.
oîkos οἶκος, ου (ὁ): (masculine; plural oîkoi) House; the social and economic unit of ancient Greece, made up of movable and immovable property: the family, the slaves, the house, the land, the tools, the furniture. Note: in the archaeological literature of the first half of the 20th century, the word oikos is used to designate the place in the ancient Greek house where water was handled (kitchen, bathroom, etc.).
Olympieion Ὀλιμπιεῖον, ου (τὸ): Temple of Olympian Zeus in Athens.
omphalos ὀμφαλός, οῦ (ὁ): Conical stone placed in the temple at Delphi which, it was said, marked the centre of the earth.
opisthodomos ὀπισθόδομος, ου (ὁ): In a temple, the chamber where the offerings and treasure dedicated to the deity were kept.
orchestra ὀρχήστρα, ας (ἡ): Space of the Greek theatre, located between the audience and the stage building, where the dances took place and the chorus performed its movements.

P

palaestra παλαιστρα, ας (ἡ): In ancient Greece, an open-air enclosure where gymnastic exercises (mainly wrestling) were practised. The palaestra was surrounded by porticoes decorated with statues of Hermes and Heracles, patrons of youth and of athletes.
parálios παράλιος, ου (ἡ): (feminine; plural parálioi) Coastline; situated near the sea; coast.
paraskénion παρασκένιον, ου (τὸ): (masculine, plural paraskénia) Side entrance to the stage of the theatre.
parodos πάροδος, ον (ἡ): Central arena of the theatre.
Parthenon Παρθενών, ῶνος (ὁ): Temple of Athena Parthenos, "the virgin", on the Acropolis of Athens.
pastás παστάς, άδος (ἡ): (feminine; plural pastádes) Portico, sometimes decorated with mosaics, supported by columns surrounding the inner courtyard (aulé) of Greek houses.
pedíon πεδίον, ου (τό): (masculine; plural pedía) Plain, flat ground; ploughed land, field.
pélagos πέλαγος, εος-ους (τὸ): (masculine; plural pélage) Open sea, ocean, abyss.
peribolos περίβολος, ου (ὁ): Enclosure; a space surrounded by defined physical limits.
perioikía περιοικία, ας (ἡ): (feminine; plural perioikíai) Inhabited area on the outskirts, in the surroundings of a polis.
periopé περιωπή, ῆς (ἡ): (feminine; plural periopaí) Observation post, tower, sentry box.
perioresía περιωρεσία, ας (ἡ): (feminine; plural perioresíai) Hilly area.
peripólios περίπόλιος, ος, ον: Guard post, fortress; lying around a city; suburb; community
peripteros περίπτερος: Structure consisting of a colonnade and its entablature surrounding the main body of a temple or building, supporting the eaves of the roof and creating a peristyle.
peristyle περίστυλος, ος, ον: Covered walkway running around a building, open at the sides through columns, which form a kind of gallery around or in front of a building.
pétra πέτρα, ας (ἡ): (feminine; plural pétrai) Crag, rock.
Piraeus Πειραιεύς: Military and commercial harbour of Athens.
plateia πλατύς, εῖα, jôn. έα, ύ: Name given to the widest streets of a city.
pléthron πλέθρον, ου (τό): (masculine; plural pléthra) Measure of length of 100 Greek feet (29.5 m).
Pnyx Πνύξ, gen. Πυκνός e Πνυκός (ἡ): The meeting place of the people's assembly in Athens. The Pnyx lay west of the Acropolis, on top of a rocky hill.
poliad Πολιάς, άδος: Relating to the polis; generally applied to the protecting deities of a polis.
pólisma πόλισμα, ατος (τό): (masculine; plural polísmata) City; citadel; smaller centres of settlement; in Sicily used to designate indigenous centres.
polis (plural: poleis) πόλις, εως (ἡ): (feminine; Greek plural poleis) City; the community of citizens spread over the space in which it is politically sovereign, within which a main residential area (ásty) and the territory (khóra), the seat of primary (agrarian) productive activities, are distinguished. In the polis, city and territory are shared by free citizens and their families, by slaves and by foreigners.
polítes πολίτης, ου (ὁ): (masculine; plural polítai) Of the city; citizen. The term appears from the Homeric period onwards, but only relatively late, in democratic regimes, does it acquire a meaning related to the term ásty, coming to designate a citizen in full possession of political rights.
póntos πόντος, ου (ὁ): (masculine; plural póntoi) Open sea; the sea beyond human sight, without fixed points of reference.
póros πόρος, ου (ὁ): (masculine; plural póroi) Route; way of communication by land or sea; riverbed; strait; path.
portico termo não grego: Covered area at the entrance of a building, a temple or a palace; main door, portal.
prytaneion πρυτανεῖον, ου (τὸ): Public building, the official seat of the administrative body of Greek cities, containing a perpetual flame.
proedría προεδρία,ας (ἡ): (feminine; plural proedríai) Front seat, first place (generally in the front rows of the theatre in ancient Greece). The right to occupy these seats.
prónaos πρόναος, ου (ὁ)/ τὸ πρόναον: (masculine; plural prónaoi) Vestibule of a temple.
propylon προπύλαιος, α, ον: Gateway or vestibule giving access to a temple or sanctuary. When referring to Athens, the term is capitalised: Propylaea.
proskenion προσκήνιον, ου (τό): Façade of the skené decorated with a portico.
proteíkhisma προτείχισμα, ατος (τό): (masculine; plural proteikhísmata) Fortification in front of a wall; outer or advanced fortification.
próte némesis πρῶτος, η, ον / νέμεσις, εως (ἡ): Primary division of land, understood as the planned or actual distribution by a Greek political community of a territory considered legally undivided. The term némesis gives this type of land division a sense of "redistributive justice".
pyrgos πύργος, ου (ὁ): (masculine; plural pyrgoi) Tower, fortification, citadel; upper part of the house reserved for women.

S

sekós σηκός, οῦ (ὁ): (masculine; plural sekoí) Enclosed part of the temple, sacred precinct; stable; animal den
sêma σῆμα, ατος (τό): (feminine; plural sémata) Mound of earth marking a burial; tomb; grave.
synoecism συνοικισμός, ου (ὁ): Cohabitation; the merging of small communities into a larger one that entirely replaces them; a process that in ancient Greece led, in many cases, to the formation of the polis.
sinoikía συνοικία, ας (ἡ): (feminine; plural sinoikíai) Dwelling or living together.
skené σκηνή, ῆς (ἡ): (feminine; plural skenaí) Building that served as the backdrop for Greek dramatic performances (cf. scene).
stenokhoría στενοχωρία, ας (ἡ): (feminine; plural stenokhoríai) Shortage of land; insufficient land for distribution to all members of the community.
stoá στοά,ᾶς (ἡ): (feminine; plural stoaí) Portico or colonnaded gallery in the urbanised areas of the Greek city. An element organising space in Greece from the Archaic period. A place where people met and gathered to shelter from the wind, rain and sun. In sanctuaries, a place for pilgrims to gather and shelter.
Stoá Poikile στοὰ ποικίλη: Portico of the agora built in the time of Cimon (460 BC) and decorated with paintings by Polygnotus, Micon and Panaenus (Pánaios).
Sufete Não consta: (masculine; plural Sufetes) Carthaginian magistrate.
Sounion Σούνιον, ου (τό): Promontory in south-western Attica.

T

taphé ταφή, ῆς (ἡ): (feminine; plural taphaí) Burial, sepulchre; grave; tomb.
táphos τάφος, ου (ὁ): (masculine; plural táphoi) Funerary rites, tomb.
theatre θέατρον, ου, (τὸ): Literally, in Greek, "a place for seeing"; cavea (from Latin cavea, derived from cavus = hollow), the tiered seating of a theatre. The place where those who came to watch the plays sat; the plays were performed in front of a tent (skené) that served as the set and from which the performers entered the orchestra, a circular space where the chorus also performed its movements. Initially the theatre could be no more than wooden stands (ikría), such as those that existed in the 6th century BC in the agora of Athens or that of Metapontum. Later, spectators began to sit wherever they could, on rocky slopes or on any hillside. Only in the second half of the 4th century BC did this space begin to be better organised and lined with tiers of seats cut in stone.
teîkhos τεῖχος, εος -ους (τό): (masculine; plural teíkhe) Wall, fortification, fortress. See also diateíkhisma and proteíkhisma in alphabetical order.
telesterion τελεστήριον, ου (τό): Building for initiation ceremonies.
temenos τέμενος, εος-ους (τὸ): In ancient Greece, sacred ground, often bounded by walls or rows of stones, consecrated to a deity, within which an altar and a temple could be erected.
Theseion Θήσειος, α, ον: Monument built by Cimon after 473 BC to receive the remains of Theseus, brought from the island of Skyros. The building was decorated with paintings by Polygnotus and Micon. It stood east of the agora.
thálassa θάλασσα, ης (ἡ): (feminine) The visible sea, within human sight.
thesaurós θησαυρός, οῦ (ὁ): (masculine; plural thesauroí) In the great Panhellenic sanctuaries, such as those at Delphi and Delos, the building erected to house the rich offerings of each city; a place where valuables or money were deposited; treasury.
thólos θόλος, ου (ἡ e ὁ): (masculine or feminine) Round building with a conical roof and ceiling; round temple with a circular colonnade; circular tombs built in the Late Bronze Age.
thyméle θυμέλη, ης (ἡ): (feminine; plural thymélai) In the Greek theatre, the altar of the god; stage.
Tophet: Children's necropolis where the ashes of sacrificed children were deposited in urns.
tópos τόπος, ου (ὁ): (masculine; plural tópoi) Place, ground, area, country, territory and region.
tribe φυλή, ῆς (ἡ): In Graeco-Roman antiquity, a territorial division of cities, perhaps because it was originally based on kinship ties. In Athens there were originally four tribes with various administrative and military functions. In his democratic reform, Cleisthenes allowed them to continue with religious functions, but created ten new tribes (phulaí) which became the basis of the city's administration.
tríodos τρίοδος, ου (ἡ): (feminine; plural tríodoi) Crossroads.
trittys τριττύς, ύος (ἡ): In Athens, one third of a tribe.

X

xystos ξυστός, ή, όν: In ancient Greece, a covered gallery under which athletes trained in winter; among the Romans, a garden walk, tree-lined avenue, promenade (in a garden).