Lec 6: The Beginning of History

Vocabulary flashcards focusing on key social, military, and political structures of Archaic Greece, along with early historical concepts and figures.

Hoplite

A heavily armed citizen-farmer soldier who provided their own military equipment, using it as a way to display wealth and social status.

Hoplon

The large shield carried by hoplites in Archaic Greek warfare alongside heavy bronze armor.

Phalanx

A military tactic and formation consisting of close ranks of men locking shields together and pushing, relying on discipline to maintain the line.

Aristos

A Greek term meaning best, bravest, or excellent, which serves as the root word for aristocracy.

Symposia

Drinking parties where wealthy men gathered to consume wine, hold philosophical debates, and enjoy entertainment such as songs, poetry, and dancers.

Conspicuous Consumption

Public displays of wealth, status, and influence practiced by the elite through jewelry, drinking parties, athletic games, and sponsoring public events.

Pankration

An ancient Greek combat sport described as a dreadful kind of contest alongside boxing and wrestling.

Oligarchy

A system of government derived from oligos (few) and arche (rule), in which power and state offices are controlled by a small group of individuals.

Tyrant

A ruler derived from Tyrannos (meaning to rule absolutely) who assumes power unlawfully or by force.

Peisistratos

An Archaic tyrant of Athens who redistributed land to the poor, constructed public infrastructure, and established the Panathenaic Festival.

Democracy

A system of government derived from demos (people) and kratos (power), where power is exercised through popular assemblies.

Herodotus

An ancient Greek historian born in Halicarnassos around ~480 BCE, who wrote the Histories to document the origins, context, and events of the Persian Wars.

Gold-digging Ants

Mythical fox-sized creatures described by Herodotus in his Histories that were reported to inhabit India and dig up gold.