Greek Mythology
Body of stories and teachings that belong to the ancient Greeks, concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices.
Polis
City-State
Alexander the Great
Macedonian king and military genius who ruled over an empire of Greece, Persia, Egypt, and India, and spread Hellenistic culture to all of those locations.
Pericles
The wise and stable statesman who led Athens during much of its Golden Age
Aristotle
Philosopher who questioned the nature of the world and of human belief, thought, and knowledge. Student of Plato.
Minoan
Aegean Bronze Age civilization on the island of Crete and other Aegean islands which flourished from about 2600 to 1100 BC. It preceded the Mycenaean civilization of Ancient Greece
Herodotus
A Greek historian who lived in Athens, and pioneered the accurate reporting of events.
The Iliad & The Odyssey
Epic poems told by the blind poet Homer that told the stories of the Trojan War and one soldier's long journey home from the war
Euclid
Greek mathematician; father of geometry
Phidias
Greek sculptor, painter, and architect. His statue of Zeus at Olympia was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World
Tyrants
Powerful rulers (nobles usually) who seized control of the government by appealing to the common people for support; not considered harsh or cruel, but tried to provide for the common people
Athena
Patron goddess of Athens, goddess of wisdom
Apollo
God of the sun
Phillip II
King of Macedonia, father of Alexander the Great
Salamis
a naval battle fought between an alliance of Greek city-states under Themistocles and the Persian Empire under King Xerxes in 480 BCE which resulted in a decisive victory for the outnumbered Greeks
Dardenelles
A narrow, natural strait and internationally-significant waterway in northwestern Turkey that forms part of the continental boundary between Europe and Asia, and separates Asian Turkey from European Turkey.
Sophocles
Playwright who composed the tragedies Oedipus and Antigone
Athens
One of the strongest Greek city-states, and the first direct democracy
Direct Democracy
A form of government in which citizens rule directly and not through representatives
Persian Wars
a series of conflicts between the Achaemenid Empire of Persia and Greek city-states that started in 499 BCE and lasted until 449 BCE
Socrates
Athenian philosopher who was eventually brought to trial for corrupting the youth of Athens
Thucydides
Athenian historian considered the greatest of the classical age
Mycenean
the first advanced civilization in mainland Greece
Ptolemy
Greek mathematician, astronomer, geographer, astrologer, and poet
Hippocrates
Greek physician during the age of Pericles, and considered one of the greatest figures in the history of medicine
Draco
The first recorded legislator in Athens; his law code was considered very harsh.
Zeus
The king of the gods
Artemis
The goddess of the hunt, the moon, and light
Parthenon
A temple on the Athenian Acropolis, Greece, dedicated to the goddess Athena
Peloponnesian League
An alliance in the Peloponnesus from the 6th to the 4th centuries BCE, dominated by Sparta. It is known mainly for being one of the two rivals in the Peloponnesian War.
Monarchy
A form of government with a king or queen at the head
Marathon
Site of a battle between Athens and Persia, where Athens won. According to legend, a young runner was sent 26.2 miles back to Athens to warn the city that the battle was won, but the Persians were still coming.
Troy
Independent city-state in Asia Minor; fought a war with Greece that was made famous in The Illiad
Sparta
prominent city-state in ancient Greece, known for its warlike nature
Hellenic
pertaining to Greece; Greek
Peloponnesian Wars
A series of wars fought between Athens and Sparta and their allied city-states
Plato
Athenian philosopher who was a student of Socrates
Pythagoras
Greek philosopher famous for his mathematical theorem
Solon
An Athenian statesman, lawmaker, and poet. He is remembered particularly for his efforts to legislate against political, economic, and moral decline in archaic Athens. His reforms failed in the short term, yet he is often credited with having laid the fou
Oligarchy
A power structure in which power rests with a small number of people. These people might be distinguished by nobility, wealth, family ties, education or corporate, religious or military control.
Delian League
an association of Greek city-states under the leadership of Athens
Hera
Goddess of marriage and family, wife and sister of Zeus
Aphrodite
Goddess of love and beauty