Unit 4: Ancient Persia, Ancient Greece, and the Macedonian Empire

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering the Persian Empire, ancient Greek society and culture, the Persian and Peloponnesian Wars, and the Macedonian conquests under Philip II and Alexander the Great.

Cyrus the Great

Persian ruler who conquered the Neo-Babylonians in 539 BCE and expanded the territory of the Persian Empire.

Bureaucracy

A system of government run by many departments, established in the Persian Empire under Darius I.

Darius I

Persian emperor who ruled from 522 B.C.E. to 486 B.C.E., created provinces, a mail system, a unified law code, a coin system, and sent an invasion force to Greece following the Ionian uprising.

Xerxes I

Son of Darius I who ruled Persia and launched a massive invasion to conquer Greece in 480 B.C.E., which was ultimately defeated by an alliance of Greek city-states.

Royal Road

An extensive road system constructed by the Persians to facilitate travel, enhance mail communication, and increase trade across the empire.

Zoroastrianism

A Persian religion founded by Zoroaster around 600 B.C.E., centered on the struggle between the forces of good and evil.

Ahura Mazda

The single wise god who ruled the world in Zoroastrianism, destined to triumph over evil on the final judgment day.

Ahriman

The prince of lies and evil in Zoroastrianism, locked in constant battle with Ahura Mazda.

Zend-Avesta

The sacred text containing the teachings of Zoroaster, outlining final judgment where the righteous enter paradise and evil-doers endure eternal suffering.

Polis

The Greek term for an independent city-state.

Acropolis

A high, fortified hilltop within a Greek city-state that contained temples dedicated to various gods and goddesses.

Monarchy

A form of government ruled by a single king; the earliest stage in the political development of Athens.

Aristocracy

A system of government characterized by rule by a landholding elite.

Tyranny

Rule by leaders who seized power by force.

Democracy

A system of government established in Athens meaning rule by the people, though civic participation was limited to free adult males.

Oligarchy

A form of government in which power is concentrated in the hands of a small, wealthy elite, as seen in Sparta.

Ephors

A council of five elected officials in Sparta responsible for running the day-to-day affairs of the city-state.

Herodotus

Greek writer known as the "Father of History" who traveled widely to gather primary evidence and wrote The Persian Wars.

Thucydides

Greek historian who wrote a detailed and objective account of the Peloponnesian War.

Socratic Method

A philosophical teaching technique developed by Socrates involving posing a series of questions to challenge assumptions and clarify reasoning.

Plato

Student of Socrates who established the Academy in Athens and wrote The Republic to describe his vision of an ideal state governed by philosopher-kings.

Golden Mean

Aristotle's philosophical concept advocating a moderate course of good conduct between extremes.

Lyceum

The philosophical school established by Aristotle in Athens dedicated to the study of all branches of knowledge.

Tragedy

A genre of Greek drama focusing on human suffering and disaster, pioneered by playwrights such as Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides.

Comedy

A genre of Greek theater featuring humorous plays that mocked people or customs, notably authored by Aristophanes.

Homer

Ancient Greek poet credited with composing the epic poems The Iliad (focusing on the Trojan War) and The Odyssey (focusing on Odysseus' return).

Archimedes Screw

A mechanical device invented by Archimedes designed to lift water from a lower body into irrigation ditches or reservoirs.

Hippocratic Oath

An ethical standard and covenant for physicians developed by the Greek doctor Hippocrates that remains a foundation of medical ethics.

Pythagorean Theorem

A geometric formula developed by Pythagoras stating the relationship between the legs and hypotenuse of a right triangle: $a^2 + b^2 = c^2$.

Greek Column Orders

The three classical architectural column styles developed in ancient Greece: Doric (simple), Ionic (scrolls/volutes), and Corinthian (ornate acanthus leaves).

Parthenon

Temple dedicated to Athena built on the Athenian Acropolis between 447 BCE and 432 BCE to replace structures destroyed during the Persian invasion.

Hoplite

A heavily armed ancient Greek foot soldier equipped with a round shield (hoplon), thrusting spear, and short sword.

Phalanx

A tight, disciplined tactical formation of heavily armed Greek hoplites marching shoulder-to-shoulder with overlapping shields and forward-projecting spears.

Ionia

A region in Asia Minor containing Greek city-states whose 499 B.C.E. rebellion against Persian rule triggered the Greco-Persian Wars.

Battle of Marathon

A 490 B.C.E. engagement where Athenian forces defeated Darius I's invading Persian army north of Athens, inspiring the run of Pheidippides.

Battle of Thermopylae

A 480 B.C.E. battle where a force of Greeks, including 300 Spartans, held a narrow mountain pass against Xerxes' army for three days before being flanked.

Battle of Salamis

A decisive 480 B.C.E. naval battle in a narrow strait where the Athenian navy shattered the Persian fleet under the watchful eyes of Xerxes I.

Battle of Plataea

The final major land battle of the Greco-Persian Wars (479 B.C.E.) in which the Greek phalanx decisively crushed the remaining Persian forces.

Delian League

An alliance of Greek city-states formed after the Persian Wars under the leadership of Athens, which eventually transformed into an Athenian empire.

Peloponnesian League

An alliance formed by Sparta and other Peloponnesian states to counter the expanding dominance of Athens and the Delian League.

Peloponnesian War

A 27-year conflict (431–404 B.C.E.) between the Delian League (Athens) and the Peloponnesian League (Sparta) that severely weakened all Greek city-states.

Pericles

Prominent Athenian leader during the Golden Age whose death in 430 B.C.E. was caused by a devastating plague that killed one-third of Athens' population.

Philip II

King of Macedonia who assumed power in 359 B.C.E., conquered Greece by defeating Athens and Thebes at Chaeronea, and was assassinated in 336 B.C.E.

Battle of Chaeronea

A decisive battle in 338 B.C.E. in which Philip II of Macedonia defeated the combined forces of Athens and Thebes to bring Greece under Macedonian control.

Alexander the Great

Macedonian king who conquered the Persian Empire, marched east as far as India, and died of fever in Babylon at age 32.

Hellenistic Culture

A cosmopolitan culture resulting from the blending of Greek, Persian, Egyptian, and Indian traditions following the conquests of Alexander the Great.