Ch 9 Greece vocabulary

agora

An outdoor marketplace in ancient Greece

plunder

Goods taken during war

myth

Stories that may be about gods and goddesses that explain things in nature

immortal

Able to live forever

aristocracy

A government controlled by a few wealthy families

democracy

A government run by the people

oral tradition

Passed down by word of mouth

helot

A slave

Assembly

All male citizens of Athens older than 18

Golden Age

After the defeat of the Persians, Athens flourished as it experienced great growth and richness during this time

Delian League

An alliance of Athens with other Greek city states

marathon

A long race based on an ancient Greek legend

philosopher

A person who studies truth and knowledge

reason

Logical thinking

plague

A fast spreading disease that is often deadly

mercenary

A hired soldier

Minoans

A powerful early civilization in the Aegean Seas

Homer

Author of the Trojan War poems the Illiad and the Odyssey

Pericles

A great leader of Athens (30 years)

Socrates

A philosopher who taught people to think by asking them questions

Plato

Pupil of Socrates who wrote about him

Aristotle

Teacher of Alexander the Great who started a school in Athens - became a model for universities

Alexandria

An Egyptian city that became the greatest center of trade and learning

Alexander

King of Macedonia who conquered a vast empire in Europe, Asia and Africa and spread Greek culture

Hippocrates

Father of medicine

Archimedes

Famous inventor and mathematician who was murdered by a Roman soldier

Pythagoras

Created some important theories about numbers and music

Euclid

Most important mathematician of his time and students still study his system of plane geometry

Crete

Early Greek civilization in the Mediterranean Sea

Troy

A city on the western coast of Asia Minor location of the Trojan War

Athens

A city-state that was the best example of a democracy

Sparta

A strictly ruled military city-state

Salamis

A mighty sea battle where Athens defeated the Persians

Mount Olympus

Home of the Greek gods and goddesses

Alexandria

An Egyptian city that became the greatest center of trade and learning

Trojan War

War between the Greeks and the Trojans

Olympic Games

The Greeks honored their gods in athletic contests every 4 years

Peloponnesian War

War between Athens and Sparta

Persian War

War between the Greeks and the Persians

Hellenistic Age

A new civilization that developed from the blend of Greek and Asian culture