| Term | Definition |
| mainland | a country's main landmass |
| sirocco | hot, dry wind from North Africa |
| city-states | small, independent cities and the land that surrounds them |
| mosaics | pictures created from tiny pieces of colored stone |
| pope | head of the Catholic church, bishop of Rome |
| Renaissance | French word meaning "rebirth" that refers to a period of new learning that began in Europe during the 1300s |
| coalition governments | a government in which several parties join together to run the country |
| Moors | Muslim North Africans |
| dialect | a variation of language |
| cork | bark stripped from a certain type of oak tree |