Hesperides: nymphs who guarded the golden apples that Herakles stole in the last of his Labors

hieroglyphs: picture signs used by the ancient Egyptians to write their language

Homer: Greek poet who composed two epic poems, the Iliad and the Odyssey, probably in the 8th century B.C.

hoplite: citizen of a Greek city-state, rich enough to afford body armor and required to serve in the army in times of crisis

Horus: Egyptian god associated with the living pharaoh, often shown with the head of a falcon; son of Osiris and Isis; opponent of the god Seth

hydria: a pot used to bring water from the source to table; it had two horizontal handles for carrying, and one vertical handle for pouring

Hyksos: people from western Asia (Palestine) who settled in the Nile delta and ruled Egypt during the Second Intermediate period (1720–1570 B.C.)

hypostyle: hall whose roof is supported by rows of pillars

idealize: to show something as more perfect than it is

intaglio: design cut into the surface of a hard material

intermediate periods: brief times of confusion in Egyptian history, during which the country was split and its regions were ruled simultaneously by different kings

Isis: Egyptian goddess venerated as ideal mother; helped bring Osiris, her husband and brother, back to life after his brother Seth murdered him; sister of Nephthys, and mother of Horus