World History Unit 3: Ancient Greece Save Groups

Geography

Aegean, Ionian, Mediterranean seas + Mount Olympus; promoted trade and unique cultures

Minoans

earliest Greeks with Indo-European origins, first advanced European civilization

Mycenaeans

conquered Minoans, first Greek state, introduced first Greek writing (Linear B)

Troy

city in Asia Minor, setting for Homer’s Iliad

Homer

Greek poet, wrote Iliad and Odyssey

Iliad

Greek poem written by Homer, documents events during the Trojan war

Odyssey

Greek poem written by Homer, documents King Odysseus’s journey home to Ithaca

Dark Age

1100-800 BCE, Greek villages become independent city-states

Dorians

migrated to Greece in 1200 BCE, migration triggered dark ages

Polis

political unit with all political, social, and religious activities in one central location

Acropolis

a fortified polis on top of a hill

Agora

an open space serving as a meeting place in polis’s

Hoplites

heavily-armed infantry men

Phalanx

military formation of armed infantry standing shoulder to shoulder

Monarch

one person ruling

Aristocracy

small group of noble people governed for common good

Oligarchy

rule by the few

Democracy

rule by the people

Tyrant

ruler who came to power in unconstitutional way

Sparta

high-disciplined military state

Helots

serf class in Sparta, bound to land and responsible for agricultural and domestic labor

Athens

most powerful city-state, birthplace of democracy

Solon

a sole archon chosen in 594 BCE to fix poverty, cancelled land debts and outlawed slavery

Cleisthenes

took power in 508 BCE, created Council of Five Hundred and democracy

Persian Wars

Ionian Greeks tried to revolt, caused Darius to seek revenge against mainland Greeks

Xerxes

after Darius’s death, Xerxes became Persian king, wanted revenge

Marathon

battle in Persian war in 490 BCE, Greeks barely won, preserved democracy

Thermopylae

place where battle of Thermopylae took place, most important battle of 2nd Persian war

Salamis

island where naval battle of Salamis took place

Delian League

defensive alliance against Persians after war

Pericles

leader of Athens, expanded democracy

Limited Democracy

democracy only limited to adult men

Parthenon Peloponnesian War

Sparta feared growing of Athens, tension between two city-states, broke out in battle

Thucydides

Athenian historian and general, author of the History of the Peloponnesian War

Drama

emerged as form of art, criticizing politicians, first dramas were tragedies

Sophocles

tragedian playwright, wrote over 120 plays

Aristophanes

playwright, father of comedy

Classical Style

architecture style, emphasized harmony

Philosophy

virtue, living with nature, simple life

Socrates

father of Western philosophy, “Socratic Method” emphasized critical thinking

Sophists

traveling teachers, developed liberal arts

Plato

student of Socrates, founded the Academy, wrote The Republic

Aristotle

student of Plato, created the Lyceum

Greek Gods and Goddesses

many gods led by 12 olympians

Olympics

religious and athletic event honoring Zeus

social structure

rigid hierarchy based on birth, wealth, and status with male citizens at the top, women in the middle, and slaves on the bottom