The Greek World from the Bronze Age to the Roman Conquest

This set of vocabulary flashcards covers the major periods, key terms, significant battles, and cultural developments of the ancient Greek world as detailed in the lecture.

Bronze Age

The period from $c.\,3300-1150$ BCE characterized by the use of bronze tools and weapons and featuring palace civilizations like the Minoans and Mycenaeans.

Dark Ages

The era from $c.\,1100-700$ BCE marked by a loss of writing systems, a decline in material wealth, and the disappearance of Mycenaean palaces.

Archaic Period

The period from $c.\,700-480$ BCE involving the rise of the Greek city-states, the founding of overseas colonies, and the Persian Wars.

Classical Period

The timeframe from $480-323$ BCE extending from the end of the Persian Wars to the death of Alexander the Great.

Hellenistic Period

The era from $323-146$ BCE initiated by the death of Alexander and defined by the rule of Hellenistic monarchies over expanded territories.

Cup of Nestor

A ceramic wine cup from Pithekoussai featuring one of the earliest examples of the Greek alphabet and an early written reference to the Homeric epics.

Polis

An independent city-state which served as the basic unit of organization in ancient Greece, consisting of an urban center and its protected farmland.

Linear A

The undeciphered writing system used by the Minoan civilization on Crete during the Bronze Age.

Linear B

The deciphered syllabic script used by the Mycenaeans for palace records, identified as an early form of the Greek language.

Hoplite Phalanx

A military formation where rows of soldiers carrying round shields ($hoplons$) worked collectively to execute a mass shove ($othismos$).

Kleos

The concept of eternal glory that drove Homeric heroes to seek excellence on the battlefield and in life.

Solon

An Athenian lawgiver who in $594-593$ BCE introduced a debt-forgiveness policy called $seisachtheia$ and divided citizens into four income-based classes.

Cleisthenes

The leader responsible for democratic reforms in Athens in $508$ BCE, establishing the framework for Classical Athenian democracy.

Ekklesia

The assembly of all citizens in Athens that served as the primary deliberative body for governing the city.

Helots

Conquered Messenians in Sparta who were permanently tied to the land as state-owned serfs, providing the labor that allowed Spartans to focus on military training.

Battle of Marathon

The $490$ BCE conflict where a small force of Athenians and Plateans defeated the first Persian invasion led by Darius.

Battle of Thermopylae

The $480$ BCE defensive action where $300$ Spartans and their allies held a narrow mountain pass against a massive Persian army led by Xerxes.

Delian League

An alliance of Greek city-states formed in $478$ BCE and led by Athens to protect Ionia from Persian attacks, which eventually transitioned into the Athenian Empire.

Pericles

A dominant Athenian politician from the $460\text{s}$ BCE to $429$ BCE who sponsored major building projects like the Parthenon and restricted citizenship requirements.

Socratic Method

A philosophical technique attributed to Socrates that uses a series of difficult questions to guide others into deeper reflection on topics like morality and courage.

Theban Sacred Band

An elite unit of $300$ warriors composed of $150$ pairs of lovers, which helped Thebes achieve military supremacy in the early fourth century BCE.

Sarissa

A Macedonian spear approximately eighteen feet in length, introduced by Philip II to provide his phalanx a tactical advantage.

Battle of Gaugamela

The $331$ BCE battle in which Alexander the Great achieved a decisive victory over Darius III, leading to the conquest of the Persian Empire.

Wars of the Diadochi

The power struggles among Alexander the Great's generals after his death in $323$ BCE that resulted in the division of his empire into several kingdoms.

Septuagint

The Greek translation of the Hebrew Old Testament, likely completed by seventy-two scholars in Alexandria between the third and first centuries BCE.

Stoicism

A Hellenistic philosophy that emphasized the development of self-control and the suppression of emotions to live in harmony with nature.

Epicureanism

A philosophy founded in the third century BCE that viewed the absence of pain as the primary goal of life and the universe as governed by random chance.

Empiricism

The belief advocated by Aristotle that knowledge must be acquired through sensory experiences and the systematic gathering of data.