Humanities Unit 3: Greek Culture Study Guide

Vocabulary flashcards covering early Greek civilizations, periods, cities, wars, leaders, art, architecture, and philosophy from Humanities Unit 3, Chapter 4.

Cycladic

People living on islands near Greece, known for simple marble statues, fishing, and trade.

Minoans

Early Greek civilization that lived on Crete, known for the Knossos palace, King Minos, Snake Goddess, bull-jumping, and Linear A writing.

Minotaur

The mythical half-man, half-bull linked to the maze (labyrinth) at Knossos.

Mycenaeans

Warrior society linked to Agamemnon and The Iliad.

Megaron

The main hall in Mycenaean architecture.

Repoussé

A raised design hammered into metal.

Greek Time Periods Order

Dark Ages -> Archaic -> Classical -> Hellenistic.

Hellas / Hellenic

The Greek name for Greece / things related to Greece.

Polis

A Greek city-state, like Athens or Sparta.

Synoecism

Villages joining into one city-state.

Athens

A Greek city-state that used direct democracy, where eligible male citizens voted on issues.

Archons

City officials in Athens.

Pericles

Leader during Athens' golden age who helped make Athens strong and build the Parthenon.

Persian Wars

Wars in which Greek states fought Persia; Athens became more powerful afterward and led the Delian League.

Peloponnesian War

War in which Athens fought Sparta, resulting in Athens losing power.

Hegemony

Control or leadership over others.

Alexander the Great

Conqueror who took over a large area, spread Greek culture, and was taught by Aristotle.

Hellenistic Age

Era where Greek culture mixed with cultures in new lands; featured a famous library in Alexandria.

Archaic Statues

Stiff and straight sculpted figures.

Kouros

An Archaic statue depicting a young man.

Kore

An Archaic statue depicting a young woman.

Classical Statues

Sculptures characterized by balanced, calm, and ideal-looking bodies.

Symmetria

Good body proportions, used by the sculptor Polyclitus.

Hellenistic Statues

Sculptures displaying lots of movement, emotion, and drama (pathos), such as Boxer or Dying Gaul.

Parthenon

A temple for Athena in Athens that has Greek columns and a decorated roof/frieze.

Black-Figure Pottery

Greek pottery style featuring black people/shapes on red clay.

Red-Figure Pottery

Greek pottery style featuring red shapes on black.

Pre-Socratics

Early thinkers, such as Thales and Democritus, who tried to explain nature using reason.

Sophists

Teachers who charged money to teach speaking and persuasion.

Socrates

Thinker who asked questions to make people think (Socratic method) and taught Plato.

Plato

Student of Socrates who started the Academy and wrote about perfect ideas called Forms.

Aristotle

Student of Plato who studied logic, science, and government, and taught Alexander the Great.

Polytheism

Belief in many gods.

Zeus

King of the Olympian gods.