Greek History Terms (Post Persian War - Post Peloponnesian War)

Paunsanias

Greek traveler who wrote about his journeys

Delphi

An ancient Greek city in Phocis; site of the oracle of Apollo

Aischylos

Father of the Greek tragedy

Andreia

Greek virtue of courage

Sparta

Oligarch city-state that focused on the military throughout society and used slaves for agriculture

Lakedaminon

Polis of Sparta

Spartiates / Homoioi

Full Spartan citizens

Perioikoi

"Those who live nearby", free but not full citizens of Sparta

Helots

Spartan Slaves

Lakonia

The territory around the city of Sparta

Messenia

Neighboring city-state enslaved to Sparta as helots

Kleros/Kleroi

Agricultural land granted to a Spartan citizen

Great Rhetra

Spartan Constitution

Gerousia

Council of 30 elders, 2 of which are the kings

Agoge

Spartan system where they take the boys from their family to train as soldiers

Hypomeiones

Spartans who lost their citizenship by failing agoge or not contributing to syssitia

Krypteia

Spartan secret police

Delian League

A league that formed with Athens as the leader. Poleis in the league must give either tributes or triremes to Athens as their dues.

Phoros

Tribute

Peloponnesian League

The alliance led by the Spartans with many different poleis in the Peloponnese.

Themistokles

Athenian politician and general. His main competition was Kimon. He helped restore the fortifications in Athens but the Spartans did not trust him. He was later ostracized and never came back to Athens.

Kimon

Athenian leader and early leader of the Delian League. He sees the Spartans as partners than opponents as seen as him trying to help the Spartans after the earthquake of 464. This made him unpopular along with several other rebellions in the Delian league. He gets ostracized in 461.

Sysstia

Communal hall that full time citizens belonged to in Sparta

Klerouchy

Specialized type of colony established by Athens

Perikles

Leader in Athens after Kimon. He also helped rebuild the Athenian acropolis with several different temples such as the Erechtheion and Parthenon

Expedition of Egypt BCE; 460/59-454

Athenian expedition down to Egypt where they fought alongside the Egyptians against the Persians.

Boiotia

City in Thebes

Tanagra BCE; 457

Battle between Athens and Sparta during the First Peloponnesian War. Tension between Athens and Sparta had built up due the rebuilding of Athens' walls and Spartan rejection of Athenian military assistance

Oinophyta BCE; 457

Took place between Athens and the Boeotian city-states in 457 BC during the First Peloponnesian War.

Koroneia BCE; 447

Battle that took place between the Athenian-led Delian League and the Boeotian League in 447 BC during the First Peloponnesian War.

Megara

City state apart of the Megarian decree

Propylaia

A monumental entranceway to a sacred enclosure

Erechtheion

Temple in the Acropolis

Parthenon

A temple dedicated to the goddess Athena

Panathenaia

The most important festival for Athens and one of the grandest in the entire ancient Greek world. Except for slaves, all inhabitants of the polis could take part in the festival.

Thirty Years Peace

Formed after the first Peloponnesian war that was supposed to keep the Spartans, Athenians, and Corinthians at peace. City-states were not allowed to change sides; Athens and Sparta were not allowed to try to take over an ally of the other side. This peace only lasts for about 15 years.

Thucydides

Greek historian. He wrote a critical history of the Peloponnesian War that contains the funeral oration of Pericles

Historia

inquiry, the act of seeking knowledge, as well as the knowledge that results from inquiry

Sophists

Greek teachers of philosophy, reasoning, and public speaking

Eikos

Greek word for possibilities

Peloponnesian War (431-404 BCE)

27 YR war between Athenians and the Peloponnesian League which was led by the Spartans.

Corinth

City-state that was apart of the Peloponnesian League

Corcyra

A corinthian colony that wanted independence, this situation was one of the many events leading to the Peloponnesian War

Poteidaia

Colony founded by the Corinthians around 600 BCE in the narrowest point of the peninsula of Pallene

Archidamos

King of Sparta that was hesitated to go to war with Athens until Corinth threaten to leave the Peloponnesian league

Archidamian War BCE; 431-441

The first phase of the Peloponnesian war led by Spartan king Archidamos.

Acharnai

The invasion of this settlement was one of the first invasions of the Archidamian War.

Mytilene

Revolted against Athens, and Athens wanted to punish them. They were worried then that they were too harsh, so they sent a second ship to stop the first one after the speeches of Kleon and Diodotus, 428-427 BC.

Demagogue

Leader who appeals to the citizens in order to obtain power

Battle of Pylos

Naval battle in which Athens won

Battle of Sphacteria

Battle on land where the Spartans were stranded and forced to surrender

Demonsthenes

General that died during the Sicilian Expedition

Nikias

Athenian leader who promoted peace but was forced into the Sicilian Expedition. He delayed the departure of the Athenian fleet and disaster for his men was the result.

Peace of Nikias

A peace that had attempted to bring peace between both Athens and Sparta. Though instead, it led to several years of uneasy peace due to the Spartans and their allies.

Brasidas

Spartan general who died in the battle with Kleon

Amphipolis

Macedonian city that was used by Athens for its resources

Alcibiades

Athenian general, orator, and politician who had many allegiances throughout the Peloponnesian war.

Klearidas

General of Sparta that dealt with Amphipolis

Argos

Polis was against Sparta. Had a brief alliance with Athens

Mantineia BCE; 418

Sparta and it allies defeated an army led by Argos and Athens. This ended the Athenian-Argive alliance

Elis

City-state that was in the north west of the Peloponnese. They are a weak city-state though has the temple of Zeus in Olympia

Orchomenos

Mycenaean city in Boeotia known for its wealth

Agis

King of Sparta

Melos BCE; 415

A small city-state that supported the Spartans' monetary in the Peloponnesian War. In return Athens besieged the city-state, killing all the men and enslaving the women and children.

Sicilian Expedition (BCE; 415-413)

An Athenian expedition that results in the Athenian defeat and the complete destruction of the Athenian forces.

Segesta

Sicilian city that was an Athenian ally

Syracuse (BCE; 415-413)

Athenian siege that was eventually won by the Syracuse

The Profanation of the Mysteries

415 BCE reports of Alcibiades profaning sacred mysteries. He gets put on trial even though he is already on his way to attack Sicily. He is warned that he has a death sentence and flees to Sparta.

Mutilation of the Herms

415 BCE the ritual busts of this god of travel were damaged and mutilated supposedly by Alcibiades the night before the attack on Sicily.

The Battle of the Anapos river

First battle in the Sicilian Expedition

Dekeleia

Deme and ancient village in Northern Attica serving as a trade route connecting Euboea with Athens

Gylippos

Spartan general who in 414–413, during the Peloponnesian War, broke the Athenian siege of Syracuse, Sicily.

Peisander

Leader of the ambassadors from Samos who proposed oligarchs. Helped place the oligarchy known as the 400

The 400

Established by oligarchs in order to rule with full powers

Cyzicus

Alcibiades and Thrasyboulos fight several times against the Spartans and won

Battle of Notium BCE; 407

Battle against Athenian navy vs Lysander navy. It ended with Lysander victory which cause Athens to exile Alcibiades and Thrasyboulos again.

Lysander

The spartan general was in love with Persian Cyrus. He defeated the Athenians in the final battle of the Peloponnesian War

Cyrus

A general and prince that helped the Spartans with the Peloponnesian war

Konon

Athenian general at the end of the Peloponnesian War

Arginousai BCE; 406

Was the last major Athenian victory of the Great Peloponnesian War

Aigospotamoi BCE; 405

naval confrontation that took place in 405 BC and was the last major battle of the Peloponnesian War. In the battle, a Spartan fleet under Lysander destroyed the Athenian navy.

The Thirty

Were appointed to the oligarchy, which had an extremist conservative core

Theramenes

Was a leading politician against Kritias. He helped established the thirty though later advocated for extending rights to more people. He was then assassinated by Kritias

Kritias

Athenian politician and uncle of Plato's. He was the leading member of the thirty and killed Theramenes. He later gets killed in the Battle of Periaus

Thrasyboulos

Helped Alcibiades in the Aegean war and then was later exiled to Thebes. Led the coup against the Thirty and brought democracy back to Athens.

Agesilaos

King of Sparta

Kademia

Sparta seize Kadmeia and installed a garrison

Raid of Sphodrias

Sparta attempt to seize Peiraieus

Pelopidas and Epaminondas

Two Theban generals during the Theban Hegemony

Second Athenian Confederacy

An alliance with Athens where any Greek state may join and all allies have one vote. This alliance also did not require tributes and could retain its autonomy. This alliance was against Sparta for violating the King's Peace.

Synedrion

Athens allies

Battle of Naxos BCE; 376

First Athenian naval victory since the Peloponnesian War and reestablished Athenian supremacy in the Aegean.

Boiotian War BCE; 378-362

The war between Sparta and Thebes for hegemony over Greece. While most of the war was a stalemate it ended with the Theban victory in the Battle of Leuktra. Ending with Sparta never being a serious power again.

Sacred Band

Theban elite force made up of 150 male couples (300 men) who would be chosen based on merit alone.

Megalopolis

City in Arcadia that Thebans completely made from scratch in order to make sure the Spartan would not regain control of Arcadia again.

Messene

Founded by Epaminondas to serve as the capital of the newly liberated Messina which was freed by the Thebans.

Philip of Macedon

The father of Alexander of the Great and was the youngest of three sone in Macedon. He with his brother work together to modernize Macedon.

Thessaly

Thebans invaded here in order to stop the tyrants of Pherare. Though it ended with the death of Pelopidas.

Battle of Mantinea

Was between Sparta, Athens Mantineia, and Elis against the Thebans. While the Theban won they lost Epaminodas who was killed in battle. Thebans in turn grew their power through diplomatic ways instead.

Pezhetairoi

Infantry unit in the Macedonian army that was introduced by Alexander II. Philip II brought the standard up.