A city and its surrounding lands functioning as an independent political unit.
2
New cards
Polis
A Greek city state - the fundamental political unit of ancient Greece after about 750 B.C.
3
New cards
parthenon
The most famous Greek temple dedicated to the Goddess Athena.
4
New cards
acropolis
A fortified hilltop in an ancient Greek city.
5
New cards
Phalanx
A massive formation of heavily armed foot soldiers.
6
New cards
athens
This city is known for glorifying the individual and extended political rights of the citizens.
7
New cards
Peloponnesus
This region is where Sparta lies in the southern part of Greece.
8
New cards
Pericles
The leader of Athens during much of its golden age.
9
New cards
Sparta
This city-state was based on the military.
10
New cards
myth
A traditional story about gods, ancestors, or heroes, told to explain the natural world or the customs and beliefs of a society.
11
New cards
Helot
In the society of ancient Sparta, a peasant who was bound to the land.
12
New cards
Persian Wars
A series of wars in the fifth century B.C., in which Greek city-states battled the Persian Empire.
13
New cards
Peloponnesian War
A war lasting from 431 to 404 B.C., in which Athens and its allies were defeated by Sparta and its allies.
14
New cards
philosopher
A thinker who uses logic and reason to investigate the nature of the universe, human society, and morality.
15
New cards
Socrates
Greek philosopher who encouraged others to examine their beliefs.
16
New cards
Aristotle
Greek philosopher and student of Plato. He questioned the nature of the world and of human belief, thought, and knowledge.
17
New cards
Phillip II
King of Macedonia who conquered Greece.
18
New cards
Alexander the Great
King of Macedonia who proclaimed himself king after his father was assassinated. He conquered the Persian Empire and set up an empire that stretched from Macedonia to the Indus Valley.
19
New cards
Hellenistic
Relating to the civilization, language, art, science, and literature of the Greek world from the reign of Alexander the Great to the late second century B.C.E
20
New cards
Alexandria
The Egyptian city which became the foremost center of commerce and Hellenistic civilization
21
New cards
Monarchy
A government ruled by a king or queen
22
New cards
Aristocracy
A rule by land-holding elite or privileged.
23
New cards
Oligarchy
Government in which ruling power belongs to a few people.
24
New cards
Democracy
Government in which the people hold ruling power.
25
New cards
tyrant
Rulers who gained power by force or in non-conventional ways. In ancient Greece, a person who gained control of a city-states government by appealing to the poor for support would be suspected of wishing to do this.
26
New cards
Direct Democracy
System of government in which citizens participate directly rather than through elected representatives.
27
New cards
Euclid
Mathematician who wrote the Elements, which contained the 465 carefully presented geometry propositions and proofs. His work is still the basis for courses in geometry.
28
New cards
Archimedes
An important Hellenistic scientist who accurately estimated the value of pi and explained the law of the lever. He also invented a device to raise water from the ground and the compound pulley to lift heavy objects.
29
New cards
Hippocrates
Greek physician whose oath set ethical standards for doctors.
30
New cards
Plato
Greek philosopher and student of Socrates who wrote The Republic.