Chapter 4 The Essential World History Duiker Spielvogel 9th Edition

Minoan Crete

Earliest civilization in the Aegean region, emerged in the island of Crete

Mycenae

first Greek state

Homer

A Greek poet, author of the Iliad and the Odyssey

Polis

A city-state in ancient Greece.

Hoplites

heavily armed infantrymen who wore bronze or leather helmets, breastplates, and greaves. Each carried a round shield, a short sword and a nine foot long thrusting spear.

Phalanx

a tight unit of soldiers forming a order usually eight ranks deep. Almost impossible to break in battle if the soldiers kept their order.

Oligarchies

governments that are "ruled by few" people

Tyranny

Cruel and oppressive government or rule

Helots

enslaved people in ancient Sparta

Sparta

Greek city-state that was ruled by an oligarchy, focused on military and used slaves

Athens

A democratic Greek polis who accomplished many cultural achievements, and who were constantly at war with Sparta.

Classical Greece

The high point of Greek civilization from around 500 BCE

Greek Drama

plays were presented in outdoor theaters as part of religious festivals and followed a fairly stable form. Three male actors wore masks and acted all the parts. An all male chorus spoke lines that explained and commented on the action.

The Classical Ideal

The artistic standards established by the Greeks of the classical period largely dominated the arts of the Western world until the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

Parthenon

A temple dedicated to the goddess Athena

Socratic Method

the method of teaching used by the Greek philosopher Socrates; it employs a question-and-answer format to lead pupils to see things for themselves by using their own reason

Alexander the Great

King of Macedonia who conquered Greece, Egypt, and Persia

Epicureanism

philosophy founded by Epicurus in Hellenistic Athens; taught that happiness through the pursuit of pleasure was the goal of life