Western Civ. 1 CLEP REA Ancient Greece

Epicureanism

School of Hellenistic philosophy that supported the pursuit of pleasure, such as intellectual, social, and physical fulfillment.

Stoicism

School of Hellenistic philosophy founded by Zeno of Citium that encouraged a complete suppression of desire in favor of a state of enlightened apathy.

Skepticism

School of Hellenistic philosophy that questioned the ability of philosophy to provide truth.

agora

Athenian marketplace

Alcibiades

Athenian leader who led the polis into a failed invasion of the city of Syracuse that destabilized Athenian power throughout the region.

archons

Elected Athenian magistrates who oversaw the running of the polis.

Areopagus

Ancient Athenian ruling council controlled by wealthy aristocrats.

Athenian citizenship

Granted only to Athenians with two citizen parents; could not be granted through naturalization; granted men the right to take part in government.

boule

Four hundred-member Athenian Council created by Solon.

Cleisthenes

Athenian political reformer who essentially instituted the finalized form of Athenian democracy; grew the size and powers of the Council while granting ultimate authority to the Assembly.

Dark Age of Ancient Greece

1100-800 BCE, Greeks lost writing, administrative systems, and other cultural dev

Delian League

Mutual defense league of Greek city-states headed by Athens.

demes

Athenian political districts that replaced the phratries.

Dorians

Dark Age Greek civilization (1100-800 BCE) that lacked writing and suffered lowered levels of cultural development.

Draco

Athenian tyrant who developed a code of laws that covered all Athenians, including powerful aristocrats.

ekklesia

Athenian general voting assembly created by Solon.

ephor

Board of five men within the Spartan Council of Elders who oversaw foreign policy and monitored kings and generals during military campaigns.

Greek drama

typically performed at religious festivals; tragedies and comedies

Greeks

classical civ founders, loosely interconnected but independent city-states; significant contributions to Western phil, gov, arts&culture.

Hellenistic kingdoms

Three Kingdoms created from the land conquered by Alexander the Great after his death; including the Antigonid kingdom in Macedonia and Greece, the Seleucid kingdom in the Middle East, and the Ptolemaic kingdom in Egypt.

helots

Spartan subjects with a status roughly equivalent to slaves; mostly agricultural workers.

hoplites

Greek citizen-soldiers who fought with Spears in formations called phalanxes; eventually gained increased political rights.

hubris

Overwhelming and unwarranted pride; one of the main vices addressed in classical Greek drama.

Ionian Greeks

Eastern group of Greeks who lived in Asia Minor; mostly under the control of the Persian Empire.

koine

Common Greek; the language of the New Testament.

Marathon

Site of a major battle of the Persian Wars in which the Greeks repelled the much larger invading Persian army.

metics

Athenian resident aliens who paid taxes and performed military service, but could not become citizens or serve in government.

ostracism

Athenian system of formal exile that sent a person out of the polis for 10 years if that individual was a possible threat to democracy.

Peisistratus

Athenian tyrant who ruled the polis from 546 to 527 BCE; funded public works and celebrations, increased the size of the agora, and was generally well-regarded.

Peloponnesian League

Mutual Defense League of Greek city-states headed by Sparta.

Peloponnesian War

Series of conflicts fought between Sparta and its allies and Athens and its allies; ultimately led to the fall of Athens as a major power.

Pericles

Athenian General and leader who oversaw a series of political reforms that helped the cause of democracy in Athens; instituted the construction of the Parthenon.

perioikoi

Spartan non-citizen residents who worked as merchants and business people.

Philip II of Macedon

Macedonian King who conquered and unified the Greek Peninsula for the first time and created the League of Corinth.

phratries

Ancient Athenian clans and brotherhoods controlled by wealthy aristocrats.

Plato

Greek philosopher and student of Socrates; wrote "Dialogues"; founded Academy; wrote on the nature of human understanding and the best way for people to govern themselves.

polis

Greek city-state

Socrates

Greek philosopher who devised a method of philosophical inquiry; tried and convicted for corrupting the morals of Athens.

Solon

Powerful Athenian leader who cancelled debt, restored Liberty to enslaved citizens, created the Athenian Constitution, and established various systems of government.

Sophists

Greek philosophers and teachers.

Spartiates

Spartan citizens.

thetes

Lowest Athenian citizen social class; had the right to take part in the boule and served in the lower courts but not to become government leaders.

Thirty Tyrants

Group of elites friendly to Sparta who instituted an oligarchy in Athens following its defeat in the Peloponnesian War.

triremes

Athenian warships named for their 3 banks of oars.

tyrant

Absolute Greek ruler of a polis; dominant form of government between 700 and 500 BCE.

Homer

Blind Greek poet; wrote the Iliad(Mycenaean siege of Troy) and the Odyssey(return journey of Odysseus, Mycenaean King of Ithaca).

Hesiod

Greek poet; wrote 'Theogony'(birth of the gods) and 'Works and Days'(life of a farmer).

Archilochus

7th century Greek poet; devised new poetic form of writing lyrics(short poems with themes that describe a certain human experience).

Pindar

Greek poet wrote odes of victory for athletic contests.

Sappho of Lesbos

7th century Greek poet wrote love poetry to other women.

Aeschylus

Greek tragedian focused on moral and religious values; hubris character called down divine punishment on self.

Sophocles

Greek tragedian focused on religious and moral; deep sorrow at plight of humans born into world of suffering and ignorance; wrote Oedipus and Antigone.

Euripides

Greek tragedian; psychologically sophisticated characters.

Aristophanes

Comedy writer ridiculed fellow Athenians, Peloponnesian War, Euripides and Socrates.

Herodotus

Ionian Greek Historian; "Father of History" wrote account of Persian Wars; 1st to divide East and West civilization.

Thucydides

Greek Historian wrote account of Peloponnesian War.

Pre-Socratics

Attempted to explain natural phenomena without reference to religion. Didn't establish a distinctive scientific method.

Thales of Miletus

Greek philosoper (600 BCE) established long-running debate in physics by trying to identify that water was the most basic substance that constituted all physical objects.

Heraclitus

Greek philosopher (500 BCE) believed prime substance was fire; preoccupied with problem of change and permanence; "one cannot step into the same river twice"

Empedocles

Greek philosopher (450 BCE) believed the four elements earth, water, air, and fire.

Democritus

Greek philosopher (400 BCE) believed physical objects were made up of atoms.

Pythagoras

Greek philosopher (530 BCE) believed all reality is a system of mathematical relationships.

Hippocrates of Cos

"Father of Medicine" inspired code of medical ethics known as "____ Oath"; stressed observation and experimentation; described diseases in detailed reports.

Aristotle

Greek philosopher founded Lyceum school in Athens; formulated rules of logic; all objects (with matter and form) exist in single universe; "golden mean" (moderate VS extreme); "pro-" polis.

Eratosthenes

Hellenistic scientist accurately calculated the circumference of the earth.

Aristarchus

Hellenistic scientist postulated a heliocentric theory.

Hipparchus

Hellenistic scientist developed *astrolabe (device used to accurately observe celestial bodies).

Euclid

Hellenistic scientist established collection of geometrical theorems in book called "Elements".

Archimedes of Syracuse

Hellenistic scientist calculated value of pi; studied mechanics; "___'s Screw" (hand cranked pump), pulleys and levers.

astrolabe

a device for making accurate observations of celestial bodies.

oligarchy

rule by a few elites.

Lycurgan code

Spartan system of law and government requiring all men to live in military barracks and receive martial training.