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Pentheus

(Encyclopedia)Pentheus pĕnˈthēəs [key], in Greek mythology, king of Thebes, son of Cadmus' daughter Agave. When Dionysus came to Thebes, Pentheus denied his divinity and tried to prevent his ecstatic rites. The...

Epidaurus

(Encyclopedia)Epidaurus ĕpĭdôrˈəs [key], ancient city of Greece, on an inlet of the Saronic Gulf, NE Peloponnesus. It was celebrated as the site of the temple of Asclepius, which dates from the 4th cent. b.c. ...

Aulis

(Encyclopedia)Aulis ôˈlĭs [key], small port of ancient Greece, in Boeotia, E central Greece. From there the Greek fleet sailed against Troy after the sacrifice of Iphigenia. Its ancient temple of Artemis is in r...

Demetrius I, king of ancient Syria

(Encyclopedia)Demetrius I (Demetrius Soter) sōˈtər [key], c.187–150 b.c., king of ancient Syria (162–150 b.c.), son of Seleucus IV. He was sent as a hostage to Rome, where he remained during the reigns of hi...

Demetrius II, king of ancient Syria

(Encyclopedia)Demetrius II (Demetrius Nicator) nīkāˈtər [key], d. c.125 b.c., king of ancient Syria, son of Demetrius I. He was aided against the usurper, Alexander Balas, by Ptolemy VI (Ptolemy Philometer). He...

Hellenism

(Encyclopedia)Hellenism, the culture, ideals, and pattern of life of ancient Greece in classical times. It usually means primarily the culture of Athens and the related cities during the Age of Pericles. The term i...

Eleusis

(Encyclopedia)Eleusis ĭlo͞oˈsĭs [key], ancient city of Attica, Greece, 12 mi (20 km) NW of Athens. Through ancient times it was the seat of the Eleusinian Mysteries. There was a large temple to Demeter. The Ele...

Greek literature, ancient

(Encyclopedia)Greek literature, ancient, the writings of the ancient Greeks. The Greek Isles are recognized as the birthplace of Western intellectual life. The next period of Greek literature reached its zenith i...

Philadelphia, ancient cities

(Encyclopedia)Philadelphia, name of several ancient cities. One was in Lydia, W Asia Minor (now W Turkey). At the foot of Mt. Tmolus and near the location of modern Alaşehir, it was founded in the 2d cent. b.c. by...

Eretria

(Encyclopedia)Eretria ĕrēˈtrēə [key], ancient city of Greece, in Euboea (now Évvoia), SE of Chalcis (now Khalkís), its rival. In the 7th and 6th cent. b.c., Eretria sent out many colonists to islands and coa...