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Chapter 5 - Greece
Question | Answer |
---|---|
polis | a city-state of ancient Greece |
acropolis | a walled, high area surrounding a polis |
agora | an open area that served as a meeting place and market in early Greek city-states |
helots | in ancient Greece, state slaves |
hoplites | foot soldiers in ancient Greece |
hubris | great pride |
democracy | a government run by the people |
Solon | Athenian statesman; he introduced the first civil democracy in Greece and created the Boule |
tyrant | a strong man who seized power by force and claimed to rule for the good of the people |
Cleisthenes | Ancient Greek ruler often called the "father of democracy." He increased the size of the council that governed Athens to 500, and he recognized Athenian tribes on a geographical rather than familial basis |
direct democracy | the type of governing system where all people vote directly on an issue |
archon | a chief of state of ancient Athens |
phalanx | a military formation composed of rows of soldiers standing shoulder to shoulder carrying pikes or heavy spears |
Pericles | Athenian statesman; he encouraged the spread of democracy in Athens and the growth of the city-state's power |
Socrates | Greek philosopher of Athens; his teaching style was based on asking questions. He wanted people to question their own beliefs. He was arrested and condemned to death for challenging authority |
Plato | Greek philosopher; a student of Socrates, he started a school in Athens called the Academy. In The Republic he describes an ideal society run by philosopher-kings |
Aristotle | Greek philosopher and student of Plato; he taught that logic was the tool for any necessary inquiry; his work later became the basis for medieval scholasticism |
reason | clear and ordered thinking |
logic | the process of making inferences |
Homer | Greek poet, he wrote the epic poems the Iliad and the Odyssey, which tell stories set during and after the Trojan War |
lyric poetry | a type of poetry that gained its name from the lyre, an instrument that played while the poetry was sung |
Herodotus | Greek historian; his most famous work is the Histories, which describes major events of the Persian Wars |
Thucydides | Greek historian of Athens; he wrote The History of the Peloponnese War. He is regarded as the first critical historian and is often ranked as the greatest historian of antiquity |
Alexander the Great | King of Macedon and conqueror of much of Asia; he is considered one of the greatest generals of all time |
Hellenistic | the blending of Greek cultures with those of Persia, Egypt, and Central Asia following the conquests of Alexander the Great |
Euclid | Greek geometer; he created practical books on geometric forms and mathematics. His work formed the basis for later European studies in geometry |
Eratosthenes | Greek astronomer and geographer; he calculated the circumference of the globe using careful observations and simple geometry |
Archimedes | Greek mathematician and inventor; he was known for his work in geometry, physics, and mechanics |