Archaic Greek History and Political Terminology

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms, historical figures, social classes, institutions, and poetic genres of Archaic and Classical Greece.

Astu

The urban center or town of a Greek polis.

Chōra

The surrounding territory or countryside belonging to a Greek polis.

Dēmos

The people or citizen body of a community.

Deme

A local political and civic subdivision of Attica used for Athenian government.

Aristocracy

A system of government controlled by a small group of elite, wealthy, or privileged families.

Oligarchy

A system of government ruled or controlled by a small group of people.

Tyranny

A form of government in which one individual holds power and rules outside the established constitutional or traditional political system.

Apoikia

A Greek colony established abroad as a new, independent settlement, generally possessing its own civic identity.

Emporion

A trading post, commercial settlement, or market center.