Greek Civilization

A collection of vocabulary flashcards covering key terms and concepts related to Greek civilization, including philosophers, mythology, and cultural practices.

Plato

Student of Socrates who wrote the Republic.

Philosophers

Thinkers who created new bodies of knowledge such as history, political science, biology, and logic.

Thucydides

An ancient historian who believed in accurate, eyewitness reporting of events.

Sophist

A traveling professional teacher in ancient Greece.

Socratic method

A way of teaching by asking questions that is still used today.

Pythagoras

Philosopher who taught that the universe was governed by the same laws as music and numbers.

Philosophy

The word means 'love of wisdom'.

Aristotle

Wrote the book Politics after comparing governments to find the best one.

Herodotus

Considered to be the 'father of history'.

Mount Olympus

Believed to be the home of the most important Greek gods and goddesses.

Zeus

The ruler of the Greek gods.

Athena

The protector goddess of Athens.

Myth

A story that people tell to explain beliefs about their world.

Prometheus

The story that tells how humans came to have fire.

Olympics

Games that were held every four years to honor Zeus.

Apollo

God of archery, healing, music, poetry, and prophecy.

Epic

A long poem about heroic deeds.

Fable

A short story, usually involving animals, that teaches a moral lesson.

Cyclops

A one-eyed monster in mythology.

Aesop

One of the most famous writers of Greek fables.

Oral tradition

The custom of passing along stories by speech.

Comedy and tragedy

The two types of drama that the Greeks performed at religious festivals.

Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian

The three types of columns used in Greek buildings.