Ancient Greece: History, Governance, and Mythology

Vocabulary terms and definitions based on Ancient Greek history, political systems of Athens and Sparta, military conflicts, the Hellenistic era, and mythological lineages.

Polis

A Greek city-state that consolidated during the Classical Period (500 BC – 338 BC), with Athens and Sparta as the two primary powers.

Democracy

A political system introduced by Athens during the Classical Period meaning 'government by the people,' in which only adult male citizens participated.

Ekklesia

The principal political institution (Assembly) in Athens, composed of all male citizens over age 20 who voted on laws, decided war or peace, and elected rulers.

Council of 500

An Athenian governing body of 500 citizens over age 30 chosen by ballot to prepare the issues to be debated and voted on in the Assembly.

Magistrates

Athenian public officials responsible for executing and carrying out the decisions enacted by the Ekklesia.

Pericles

Athenian magistrate during the 5th century BC 'golden period' who broadened citizen participation, strengthened the Ekklesia and Boule, and ordered the construction of the Parthenon.

Oligarchy

A governmental structure meaning 'rule by the few,' which characterized the political system of Sparta.

Spartan Diarchy

The dual-monarchy system of Sparta featuring two hereditary kings who held supreme military and religious authority.

Gerousia

The Spartan Council of Elders made up of members from the most prestigious families who proposed and drafted laws.

Ephors

A board of five Spartan ministers elected with full executive powers to execute the policies and decisions of the Gerousia.

Spartan Assembly

A body composed of all Spartan freemen over 30 years of age that elected the ephors and the members of the Gerousia.

Hoplites

Heavily armed foot soldiers who formed the military backbone of Greek armies, undergoing severe obedience and endurance training in Sparta from ages 7 to 20.

Greco-Persian Wars

A sequence of conflicts starting in 499 BC when Greek poleis led by Athens aided Ionian cities revolting against Persian conquest, culminating in Greek victory.

Battle of Marathon

A major engagement in 490 BC where Greek forces employed a pincer movement to defeat the Persian army on the coast of Attica.

Filípides

The Athenian soldier who ran 42 kilometers from the battlefield of Marathon to Athens to announce the Greek victory over the Persians.

Battle of Thermopylae

A 480 BC military standoff where Greek forces contested a narrow mountain pass against the Persian army of King Xerxes II.

Battles of Salamis and Plataea

The naval and land engagements in 480 BC and 479 BC that led to the final defeat of the Persian invasion forces in Greece.

Peloponnesian Wars

A conflict lasting from 430 BC to 404 BC between alliances led by Athens and Sparta for hegemony over Greece, concluding with Spartan victory.

Phalanx Formation

A tight, disciplined infantry tactical formation that enabled the rapid conquest and military expansion of the Macedonian army.

Alexander the Great

Macedonian king who conquered the Persian Empire between 334 BC and 323 BC, establishing an expansive empire reaching Egypt, Mesopotamia, Syria, and Persia.

Hellenistic Monarchies

Dynastic realms (such as Egypt, Thrace, Phrygia, and Macedon) created by Alexander the Great's generals where rulers were treated as divine beings.

Hellenism

The historical blending and diffusion of Greek language, institutions, and culture with Eastern traditions following Alexander the Great's conquests.

Uranus and Gaia

The first generation of primordial deities in Greek mythology, personifying Sky and Earth, respectively.

Titans

The second generation of divine beings in Greek mythology, born of Uranus and Gaia and preceding the Olympic gods.

Olympic Gods

The third generation of Greek deities, including major figures such as Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, Hades, Demeter, Apollo, Ares, and Athena.