Ancient Greeks - glossary

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Ancient Greeks - How they influenced modern medicine

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A
	Acropolis	A fortified city which was built on a hill or piece of high ground. It means 'high city' in Greek.
	air
	Ancient Greece	800-146BCE The Golden age of Greece 478-431 BCE
	asklepeia	The asklepeia were sacred hospitals, sometimes known as temple hospitals, where the methods of Asklepius were used for the treatment of the patients. Patients at the asklepeia were encouraged to sleep as it was believed that during sleep they would be visited by Asklepius and his two daughters, Panacea and Hygeia. A visit by these three was expected to cure all ailments. Those who were not cured could stay at the asklepeia where they were. After being cured, Greeks would leave a sculpture or painting of the part of the body that was healed at the asklepeia.
	Asklepius	Sometimes spelt Asclepius is the god of medicine and healing in ancient Greek mythology.
	Athens	Athens was the most powerful of all the Greek city-states. It was also a great centre of arts and learning. It's patron Athena was goddess of wisdom and warfare and perfectly symbolised the two sides of her city's life.
B
	BCE	Acronym for before current/Christian/common era - same meaning as BC.
	bile	Bile (or gall) is a bitter, yellow alkaline fluid secreted from the liver, stored between meals in the gallbladder and then pumped into the upper intestines during digestion.. It aids the emulsification and absorption of fats, is a natural laxative and is also used by the liver as an excretory route for some breakdown products of metabolism. For Greek interpretations see 'yellow bile' and 'black bile'.
	black bile	Technically the bile after being concentrated in the gallbladder; used in Greek medicine also to refer to waste matter discharged from the body. Translated from the Greek 'melas' and 'khole' often written as 'melan cholia', a term also used for depression and a reminder that in early medicine the body mind and emotions were all considered as one. The melancholic constitution was seen in people who were emotional and tending to look inwards (contrasted with yellow bile), often being good at crafts and arts, and tending towards depression.
	blood	In Ancient Greece blood was one of the 4 humours or vital juices. As a constitutional humour it was associated with cheerful energy and an outgoing personality.
C
	CE	Acronym for current/Christian/common era - same meaning as AD.
	city state	An independent city that governed itself and the surrounding countryside.
D
	democracy	A type of government in which many people are able to participate, The term comes from the two Greek words, demos ('people') and kratos ('power'). In ancient Greece, every citizen was able to take part in government, but no women, slaves or foreigners.
	diagnosis	identifying a disease from signs and symptoms
E
	earth
	4 elements
	Epidaurus	The Sanctuary of Asklepius at Epidaurus was the most celebrated healing centre of the ancient world.
	excrement	Waste products
F
	fire
G
	Galen	Galen was a physician, writer and philosopher who became the most famous doctor in the Roman Empire and whose theories dominated European medicine for 1,500 years. Galen was the originator of the experimental method in medical investigation
	Gods and goddesses	Gods and goddesses were thought to both send disease and illness as a punishment and then cure patients who spent the night in the temple and took the prescribed treatments of diet, plant remedies and exercise.
	Gorgon	They had wings, claws, enormous teeth, and snakes for hair; direct sight of them turned living creatures to stone.
H
	Hades	In Greek mythology, the underworld where spirits (shades) went after death, usually depicted as a cavern or pit underneath the Earth, the entrance of which was guarded by the three-headed dog Cerberus. It was presided over by the god Pluto, originally also known as Hades (Roman Dis). Pluto was the brother of Zeus and married Persephone, daughter of Demeter and Zeus.
	Hippocrates	The father of modern medicine.
	Hippocratic oath	The Hippocratic Oath is an oath traditionally taken by physicians pertaining to the ethical practice of medicine.
	4 Humours
I
J
K
	Kos	Kos or Cos is a Greek island in the Dodecanese, next to the Gulf of Cos. It measures 40 km by 8 km, and is only 4 km from the coast of Bodrum, Turkey. The island has both fertile plains and infertile highlands. It is the birthplace of Hippocrates.
L
M
N
O
	Olympians	The twelve most important gods and goddesses.
P
	Parthenon	The largest temple on the acropolis in Athens completed in 432 BCE. It was a great temple dedicated to Athena, the goddess of Athens as well as the goddess or war and wisdom. Some of the Parthenon is still standing today.
	Perseus	In Greek mythology, the son of Zeus and Danaë. He beheaded the Gorgon Medusa, watching the reflection in his shield to avoid being turned to stone. Having rescued and married Andromeda, he later became king of Tiryns. He used the Gorgon's head, set on his shield, to turn the tyrant Polydectes and, in some traditions, the Titan Atlas, to stone.
	Pegasus	In Greek mythology, the winged horse that sprang from the blood of the Gorgon Medusa when she was decapitated by the hero Perseus. He carried Bellerophon in his fight with the chimera, and was later transformed into a constellation. Pegasus was also regarded as a symbol of poetic genius; Hippocrene, the spring of the Muses on Mount Helicon, was said to have sprung from a blow of his hoof.
	philosopher	A person who studies and often also taught philosophy,, a word meaning 'love of wisdom'. Ancient Greek philosophy included many forms of knowledge, such as science. Now, Greek philosophers are remembered most for their ideas about human behaviours and politics.
	phlegm	Phlegm is sticky fluid secreted into the respiratory system. It is often expelled by coughing. In Greek medicine it was a general cold damp fluid that was the cause of obstructive diseases of the lungs, joints and pelvic areas, associated with a tendency to infections, especially, and with diseases of damp, marshy, low-lying environments.The phlegmatic constitution describes someone who is slow to emotion (perhaps dangerous when eventually excited), quiet and reliable.
	priests	Priests ran the Asklepeia were run by priests.
Q
R
	Roman Empire	c.27 BCE-476 CE
	Rome
S
	sanctuary	A holy place where religious ceremonies are held. Ancient Greek sanctuaries included huge temples, simple stone altars set up outside and natural features (e.g. springs or rocks).
	4 seasons
	septicaemia	Invasion of the bloodstream micro organisms, especially bacteria accompanied especially by chills, fever, and prostration —also called blood poisoning.
	Sparta	Sparta, in southern Greece, was a powerful state and a major rival of Athens. It was famous for its military prowess and the discipline it imposed on its soldiers and citizens (hence 'spartan')
	symptoms	Something that shows the presence of an illness or disease.
T
	4 temperaments
U
V
W
	water
X
Y
	yellow bile	Technically the bile as it is first produced by the liver and not concentrated in the gallbladder. In ancient Greece it was sometimes associated with vomit. In Greek it is 'choler' and as a constitution associated with volatile emotions, and in excess was seen to lead to anger.
Z

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Last Updated: 28 January 2010