A traditional story about gods, ancestors, or heroes, told to explain the natural world or the customs and beliefs of a society.
Myth
A Roman athlete, usually a slave, criminal, or prisoner of war, who was forced to fight for the entertainment of the public.
Gladiator
Founder of Christianity, messiah, and son of God.
Jesus
An uncivilized person; a non-Roman.
Barbarian
Founder and prophet of Islam.
Mohammad
A political system in which the supreme power lies in a body of citizens who can elect people to represent them.
Democracy
A form of government in which the people select representatives to govern them and make laws.
Republic
Roman general who became the republic's dictator in 45 B.C., before being assassinated by members of the Senate, who feared his unchecked popularity and power.
Julius Caesar
A structure that carries water over long distances.
Aqueduct
The sacred writings of Islam revealed by God to the prophet Muhammad during his life at Mecca and Medina
Qu'ran
The first Greek-speaking people who settled on the Greek mainland around 2000 B.C.; they invaded the Minoans and dominated Greek world 1400 B.C. to 1200 B.C.
Mycennaeans
A ruler with total power over a country, typically one who has obtained power by force.
Dictator
He was the son of Philip II; received military training in Macedonian army and was a student of Aristotle; great leader; conquered much land in Asia Minor, Syria, Egypt, and Mesopotamia; goal was to conquer the known world.
Alexander the Great
Hannibal encircled the Romans on their own land, beating a military force at least three times bigger than his own. One of the greatest victories in the ancient world
Battle of Cannae
Prayer 5 times a day. One of the 5 pillars of Islam.
Salat
A way of teaching developed by Socrates that used a question-and-answer format to force students to use their reason to see things for themselves.
Socratic Method
A cruel and oppressive dictator
Tyrant
Carthaginian military commander who, in the Second Punic War, attempted a surprise attack on Rome, crossing the Alps with a large group of soldiers, horses, and elephants.
Hannibal
A period of peace and prosperity throughout the Roman Empire, lasting from 27 B.C. to A.D. 180.
Pax Romana
Tax for charity; obligatory for all Muslims. One of the 5 pillars of Islam.
Zakat
Seeing is not always true; Plato uses this to say that we only have a skewed view on the world and do not take into account what we may not know.
Allegory of the Cave
A government ruled by a few powerful people
Oligarchy
Traditional story of how Rome began. Twins abandoned and rescued by a wolf, raised by a shepherd . Grew to build Rome. Romulus later killed Remus in order to control Rome, naming it after himself.
Romulus and Remus
Large farming estates bought by newly wealthy Roman citizens.
Latifundia
Fasting during the month of Ramadan. One of the 5 pillars of Islam.
Sawm