Agammemnon
King of Myceneans; sacked the city of troy on the NW coast of Asia Minor.
Solon
Reform-minded aristocrat; he cancelled all land debts and freed people who had fallen into slavery for debt.
Peisistratus
An aristocrat who seized power in 560 b.C. He aided Athenian trade to please the merchants and also gave aristocrats land to the peasants, to gain favor from the poor.
Odysseus
Main character of Homer's epic novel "The Odyssey" and narrates his return after the fall of Troy.
Draco
A politician who codified the laws, adding harsh penalties, including slavery for debtors.
Apollo
God of sun and poetry.
Helen
Wife of the King of Sparta, considered the most beautiful woman of greece and indirectly caused the Trojan War.
Plato
Student of Socrates, considered by many the greatest philosopher of western civilization.
Socrates
Sculptor whose true love was philosophy. Developed a teaching method of question and answer.
Aristotle
Student of Plato. Founder of the Peripatetic school.
Darius
Persian ruler; hated the greeks.
Achilles
Greek hero of the Illiad.
Cleisthenes
Reformer, gained the upper-hand. Created a council of 500 that supervised foreign affair and proposed laws. His reforms created the foundations of American democracy.
Paris
Prince of Troy; he kidnapped Helen, wife of the king of Sparta and outraged the Greeks.
Pheidippies
Athenian runner who raced from marathon to Athens.
Croesus
King of Lydia; known for incredible wealth.
Xerxes
Persian monarch who reigned after Darius. He vowed to revenge and invade Greece.
Homer
Poet of the Dark Age. Wrote stories based on the Trojan War. His stories taught the value of courage and honor.
Philip II
Built a powerful army and turned Macedonia into the chief power of the greek world. The
Emperor Justinian
Ordered compiling of the roman laws.
Athena
Goddess of wisdom and craft.
Pericles
brought the Golden age of Pericles/Greece. He increased the number of paid government officials and jurors.
Aphrodite
Goddess of love.
Poseidon
Brother of Zeus and god of the seas/earthquakes.
Artemis
Sister of Apollo; goddess of the moon and hunt.
Alexander The Great
King of Macedonia. He full-filled his father's dream of invading the Persian Empire. He created the Hellenistic Era.