Classics 2440: Alexander the Great Midterm Dates, Terms & Battles

Founding of the Olympic Games

776 B.C.

Archaic Age

750-480 B.C.

Classical Age

480-323 B.C.

Hellenistic Age

323-30 B.C.

King Xerxes' invasion of Greece

480 B.C.

The Peloponnesian War

431-404 B.C.

The King's Peace

387 B.C.

The reign of Philip II of Macedon

359-336 B.C.

The Battle of Chaeronea

338 B.C.

Lifetime of Alexander the Great

356-323 B.C.

The Battle of Granicus

334 B.C.

The Battle of Issus

333 B.C.

The Battle of Gaugamela

331 B.C.

Chiefdom

A form of social and political organization in which a permanent leader—the chief—exercises centralized authority over a group of multiple communities or villages.

Polis

An ancient Greek city-state or an independent self-governing political community.

Hoplite

A heavily armed citizen-soldier in Ancient Greece.

Isonomia

Political principle meaning equality before the law and equal political standing.

Ahura Mazda

Supreme creator God and central divinity of ancient Persian religion.

Achaemenid

First and largest Persian empire.

Cyrus the Great

Cyrus II of Persia, founder of the Achaemenid empire.

Darius I

Darius the Great, 3rd King of the Achaemenid empire.

Xerxes

4th king of the Achaemenid empire, known for his invasion of Greece.

Delian League

An alliance of ancient Greek city-states led by Athens, formed in 478 BCE.

Athenian Empire

Officially known as the Delian League, a maritime confederacy led by Athens.

Peloponnesian League

An ancient Greek military coalition led by Sparta.

Hegemony

The political, economic, military, or cultural dominance of one state over others.

Common Peace

A series of multilateral peace treaties in 4th-century BCE ancient Greece.

King's Peace

A peace treaty established in 386 BCE that ended the Corinthian War.

Second Athenian League

A maritime alliance of Greek city-states led by Athens, existing from 378 BC to 338 BC.

Republic of North Macedonia

Part of the northern frontier and periphery of the ancient Kingdom of Macedonia.

Argead Clan

The ancient ruling royal house of the Kingdom of Macedon.

Heracles

The greatest hero and demigod of Greek mythology.

Achilles

The greatest warrior of the Greek army in the Trojan War.

Thucydides

An Athenian historian and general, author of The History of the Peloponnesian War.

Philip II of Macedon

King of Macedon from 359 BC until his death in 336 BC.

Iliad

An ancient Greek epic poem traditionally attributed to Homer.

Macedonian Phalanx

A dense infantry formation developed by King Philip II of Macedon.

Hetairoi

Elite heavy shock cavalry of the ancient Macedonian army.

Basilikoi Paides

An ancient Macedonian institution composed of adolescent sons of noble families.

Sarissa

An extremely long spear or pike used in ancient Greek and Hellenistic warfare.

Pezhetairoi

Elite heavy infantrymen who formed the tactical backbone of the Ancient Macedonian Army.

Hypaspistae/Hypaspists

Elite corps of infantry soldiers in the ancient Macedonian army.

Olympias

An ancient Greek princess of Epirus and queen consort of Macedonia.

Peace of Philocrates

A treaty signed in 346 BCE between Athens and King Philip II of Macedon.

Aristotle

An ancient Greek philosopher and polymath, tutor to Alexander the Great.

Bucephalas

The famous warhorse and companion of Alexander the Great.

Battle of Chaeronea

The Battle of Chaeronea was fought in August 338 BC near Chaeronea in Boeotia, where King Philip II of Macedonia defeated a coalition of Greek city-states led by Athens and Thebes.

League of Corinth

The League of Corinth (also known as the Hellenic League) was a federation of Greek city-states created in 338-337 BCE by Philip II of Macedon after his victory at the Battle of Chaeronea.

Papyrus Roll

The primary ancient book format used across Egypt, Greece, and Rome.

Parchment Codex

The historical ancestor of the modern book, made from folded sheets of treated animal skin (parchment or vellum) stitched or bound together along one edge.

Quellenkritik

The foundational method used by historians and researchers to evaluate the reliability, authenticity, and relevance of a historical source.

External source criticism

Before reading or looking deeply into what the source says, you look at its physical existence, context, and authenticity to see if it is a forgery.

Internal source criticism

Once the source is proven genuine, you analyze the actual content and credibility of the information.

Quellenforschung

A scholarly method that analyzes texts by breaking them down into their underlying sources and influences.

Callisthenes

Callisthenes of Olynthus (c. 360-327 BCE) was an ancient Greek historian who accompanied Alexander the Great on his Asian expedition.

Ptolemy I Soter

Ptolemy I Soter was a Macedonian Greek general under Alexander the Great, historian, and successor of Alexander the Great who went on to found the Ptolemaic Kingdom centered in Egypt.

Aristobulus

Greek engineer and military officer under Alexander

Provides historical account of Alexanders campaigns (written in greek after 290 BC); Flaterer, praises and whitewashes Alexander

e.g. diminishes alexanders drinking

Includes geographical and practical details

Chares

Alexander's court chamberlain

Stories about Alexander (in Greek)

Focused on court life, gossipy anecdotes

Work read by Aristobulus and plutarch

Nearchus

Nearchus (c. 360 - 300 BC) was a prominent Greek officer, explorer, and admiral (navarch) in the army of Alexander the Great.

Cleitarchus

Cleitarchus was an ancient Greek historian active during the 4th century BCE who is famous for writing a highly popular, though now lost, biography of Alexander the Great.

Diodorus Siculus

Diodorus Siculus (Diodorus of Sicily) was an ancient Greek historian from Agyrium (modern Agira), Sicily, who lived and wrote during the 1st century BC.

Pompeius Trogus

wrote a universal history on philip and alexander that also followed the vulgate tradition. Justin's writing is based off of this

Justin

Wrote condensed version of Pompeius Trogus's lost history

Focused on major events and themes

Pompeius trogus wrote a universal history on philip and alexander that also followed the vulgate tradition

Curtius Rufus

A 1st-century Roman historian and politician best known for writing Historiae Alexandri Magni ('Histories of Alexander the Great').

Arrian

Arrian (Lucius Flavius Arrianus, c. 86-160 CE) was a Greek historian, public official, military commander, and philosopher of the Roman period.

Plutarch

Plutarch (c. 46-120 CE) was a Greek Middle Platonist philosopher, historian, biographer, and priest at the Temple of Apollo in Delphi.

Vulgate tradition

Refers to the history, transmission, and theological impact of the Latin Vulgate—a late 4th-century Latin translation of the Bible largely produced by St. Jerome.

Parmenion

Parmenion (c. 400 BC - 330 BC) was a prominent Macedonian nobleman and chief military general who served under both King Philip II of Macedon and Alexander the Great.

Attalus

Active during the 4th century BC, he was a powerful courtier and military general under King Philip II of Macedon.

Pausanias of Orestis

A nobleman from Orestis and a member of the personal bodyguard (somatophylakes) of King Philip II of Macedon, best known for assassinating Philip II in 336 BC.

Panhellenism

Panhellenism is the idea or movement aimed at unifying all Greek people, culture, and states.

Trojan War

A 10-year military conflict in Greek mythology waged by a coalition of Achaean (Greek) city-states against the city of Troy in Anatolia.

Protesilaus

Protesilaus was a Thessalian prince and hero celebrated as the first Greek warrior to die in the Trojan War.

Agrianians

The Agrianians were an ancient Paeonian or Thracian tribe who lived in the Balkan region centered around the Upper Strymon River.

Prodromoi

Light skirmishing cavalry whose name translates to 'forerunners' or 'runners-before'.

Companion cavalry

The Companion Cavalry (Hetairoi) was the elite heavy shock cavalry of the ancient Macedonian army.

Ilae

squadron

Taxeis

In Ancient Greece, a taxis (plural: taxeis) was an infantry unit or battalion in a city-state's army.

Battle of Granicus

The Battle of the Granicus (fought in May 334 BCE) was the first major victory for Alexander the Great against the Achaemenid Persian Empire.

Battle of Issus

A major historical battle fought on 5 November 333 BC between the Hellenic League led by Alexander the Great and the Achaemenid (Persian) Empire led by King Darius III.

Oracle of Siwa

A famous ancient oracle housed in the Temple of Amun at the remote Siwa Oasis in Egypt's Western Desert.

Siege of Tyre

A 7-month military blockade and assault conducted by Alexander the Great in 332 BC during his campaigns against the Persian Empire.