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Chapter 5
Classical Greece
Term | Definition |
---|---|
Mycenaeans | Indo-European person who settled on the Greek mainland around 2000 BC |
Trojan War | War fought around 1200 BC in which an army led by Mycenaean kings attacked the independent trading city of Troy in Anatolia |
Dorians | A Greek-speaking people that, according to tradition, migrated into mainland Greece after the destruction of the Mycenaean civilization |
Homer | Greatest storyteller in Greece that wrote epics about Greek history. One of his greatest works was the Illiad |
Epics | A long narrative poem celebrating the deeds of legendary or traditional heroes |
Myths | A traditional story about gods, ancestors, or heroes, told to explain the natural world or the customs and beliefs of a society |
Polis | A Greek city-state. The fundamental political unit of ancient Greece after 750 BC |
Acropolis | A fortified hilltop in an ancient Greek city |
Monarchy | A government in which power is in the hands of a single person |
Aristocracy | A government in which power is in the hands of a hereditary ruling class or nobility |
Oligarchy | A government in which power is in the hands of a few people-especially one in which rule is based upon wealth |
Tyrants | In ancient Greece, a powerful individual who gained control of a city-state's government by appealing to the poor for support |
Democracy | A government controlled by its citizens, either directly or through representatives |
Helots | In the society of ancient Sparta, a peasant bound to the land |
Phalanx | A military formation of foot soldiers armed with spears and shields |
Persian Wars | A series of wars in the 5th century BC in which Greek city-states battled the Persian Empire |
Direct Democracy | A government in which citizens rule directly rather than through representatives |
Classical Art | The art of ancient Greece and Rome, in which harmony, order, and proportion were emphasized |
Tragedy | A serious form of drama dealing with the downfall of a heroic or noble character |
Comedy | a humorous form of drama that often includes slapstick and satire |
Peloponnesian war | a war, lasting from 431 to 404 BC, in which Athens and it's allies were defeated by Sparta and its allies |
Philosophers | a thinker who uses logic and reason to investigate the nature of the universe,human society, and morality |
Socrates | Greek philosopher who wanted Greeks to go further and question themselves and their moral characters |
Plato | Greek philosopher who believed the idea society is split into 3 groups: farmers and artisans, warriors, and the ruling class |
Aristotle | Greek philosopher who questioned the nature of the world and of human belief, thought, and knowledge |
Phillip the 2nd | King of Macedonia, took over Greece. Alexander the greats fathe |
Macedonia | Located just north of Greece, had rough terrain and a cold climate |
Alexander the great | created one the worlds largest empire expanding from Greece, Egypt, Mesopotamia and India |
Darius III | King of Persia, had an army of between 50,000 and 75,000 men to defeat Alexander. He was defeated by Alexander |
Hellenistic | Relating to the civilization, language, art, science, and literature of the Greek world from the reign of Alexander the Great to the late 2nd century BC |
Alexandria | Egyptian city that became the capital of Hellenistic civilization |