Ancient Greece Flashcards | Quizlet

Homer

ancient Greek epic poet who is believed to have written the Iliad and the Odyssey (circa 850 BC)

Knossos

The capital of the ancient Minoan civilization; located on the island of Crete off the coast of present-day Greece.

Trojan War

(Greek mythology) a great war fought between Greece and Troy

Minoans

earliest Greek civilization that had developed on the island of Crete by 2000 B.C.

Myceneans

People who replaced the Minoans as the chief power of the Aegean world

Iliad

a Greek epic poem (attributed to Homer) describing the siege of Troy

the Odyssey

was written by Homer and was about Odysseus' 10 year struggle to get home

Acropolis

a fortified hilltop in an ancient Greek city.

Oligarchy

a system of government in which a small group holds power

City- State

A city and its surrounding lands functioning as an independent political unit.

Aristocracy

a government ruled by the most wealthy and powerful members of a society

Pericles

Athenian leader noted for advancing democracy in Athens and for ordering the construction of the Parthenon.

Delian League

was formed to protect against threats from persia (after the persian war)

Direct Democracy

A form of government in which citizens rule directly and not through representatives

Peloponnesian War

a war in which Athens and its allies were defeated by the league centered on Sparta 431-404 BC

Xerxes the Great

king of Persia who led a vast army against Greece and won the battle of Thermopylae but was eventually defeated (519-465 BC). Took the Persian throne after his father, Darius, died.

Herodotus

the ancient Greek known as the father of history. First historical writings about the Persian Wars

Persian Wars

A series of wars between Greek city-states and the Persian Empire (5th century B.C.).

Sparta

an ancient Greek city famous for military prowess. Located on the southern Peloponnesus

Athens

Powerful city in Ancient Greece that was a leader in arts, sciences, philosophy, democracy and architecture

Alexander the Great

Between 334 and 323 B.C.E. he conquered the Persian Empire, reached the Indus Valley, founded many Greek-style cities, and spread Greek culture across the Middle East.

Hellenistic Culture

Greek culture blended with Egyptian, Persian and Indian ideas, as a result of Alexander the Great's Empire.

Socrates

Greek philosopher; socratic method--questioning; sentenced to death for corrupting Athens youth

Battle of Thermopylae

(480 B.C.E.) Battle in which Spartan king Leonidas and his army of 300 Spartans and other Greeks refused to surrender to the numerically superior Persian army at the pass of Thermopylae; they were annihilated to the man but allowed the other Greek forces to prepare for the Persian invasion.

Polis

A city-state in ancient Greece.