Hellenic Philosophy, Greece, and Roman History Flashcards

Flashcards covering key vocabulary, historical figures, and political terms from Hellenic Greece, Hellenistic civilization, and the Roman Republic and Empire.

Linear A

An undeciphered writing system associated with the early Minoan civilization on Crete.

Palace Complex at Knossos

A large Minoan structure on Crete known for its luxury, elaborate frescoes, and redistributive economy store-houses.

Linear B

The writing system utilized by the warrior-centered Mycenaean civilization on mainland Greece.

Phalanx

A tight Greek military formation of hoplites with overlapping shields and forward-projecting spears, emphasizing communal equality over individual heroics.

Hoplite

An individual Greek infantry soldier equipped with a large shield, spear, and Corinthian helmet.

Polis

An independent, self-governing Greek city-state composed of an urban center (asty) and surrounding countryside (chora).

Helots

The enslaved population of Sparta who performed agricultural labor while Spartan citizens trained for war.

Krypteia

The Spartan secret police used to terrorize and control the Helot population.

Draco

An Athenian lawgiver who established a notoriously strict law code where all citizens were made equal under the law.

Cleisthenes

An Athenian ruler who overthrew the aristocracy, reorganized the citizens, and established the Council of 500.

Council of 500

An Athenian political body created by Cleisthenes that set the political agenda for the citizen Assembly.

Herodotus

Known as the Father of History; wrote The Histories based on interviews and travels to document the Persian Wars.

Delian League

An Athenian-led anti-Persian defense alliance whose funds were kept at Delos before being moved to Athens to build an empire.

Thucydides

An Athenian general and historian who wrote an evidence-based, analytical history of the Peloponnesian War.

Philip II of Macedon

King of Macedon who conquered Greece, reformed the military phalanx with long spears, and hired Aristotle to tutor his son Alexander.

Alexander the Great

Macedonian king and student of Aristotle who conquered Persia, promoted cultural fusion, and founded the Hellenistic world before dying at age 32.

Lucretia

A virtuous Roman noblewoman whose self-sacrifice after being raped highlighted traditional Roman morality and family honor.

Cincinnatus

A Roman farmer and former general who was elected dictator for 16 days, defeated the Sabines, and selflessly resigned power to return to his farm.

Virtus

The Roman civic virtue signifying courage, bravery, and doing what is right.

Pietas

The Roman civic virtue of devotion and giving what is due to family, country, and the gods.

Mos Maiorum

The Roman term meaning 'custom of the ancestors,' acting as an unwritten moral code derived from ancestral traditions.

Auctoritas

The Roman concept of prestige, social influence, and respect accorded to leaders and senators.

Struggle of the Orders

The political conflict in early Rome between patricians and plebeians that eventually transformed Rome into a balanced republic.

Tribunes

Roman plebeian officials granted the power to veto legislative and administrative actions of magistrates.

Cato the Elder

An elder Roman statesman who wrote in Latin and famously ended every speech with the phrase 'Carthage must be destroyed.'

Gracchi Brothers

Tiberius and Gaius Gracchus, populist Roman tribunes who championed land redistribution and debt relief before being assassinated.

Marius

A novus homo who became consul and reformed the Roman military into a professional army paid by the government.

Novus Homo

A Latin term meaning 'new man,' referring to the first man in a family to serve in the Roman Senate or as consul.

First Triumvirate

An informal political alliance formed by Pompey (votes), Crassus (wealth), and Julius Caesar (army and reputation).

Pax Romana

A 200-year period of relative peace and stability across the Roman Empire initiated under Augustus.

The Tetrarchy

A system of government established by Diocletian that divided the Roman Empire into four administrative regions.

Edict of Milan

A decree issued by Constantine in 313 AD that legalized Christianity across the Roman Empire.