mycenaeans
civilization on the greek mainland that conquered the Minoans in Crete in about 1400 B.C.
trojan war
AMycenaeans (Greeks) vs. Troy. Trojan Prince kidnapped Helen, wife of the Mycenaen's king. Greeks won when they tricked the Trojans with the Trojan Horse. The Iliad gives information about the Trojan War.
dorians
A Greek-speaking people who migrated into mainland Greece after the destruction of the Mycenaean civilization
arete
The highest virtue in Homeric society; the manliness, courage, and excellence that equipped a hero to acquire and defend honor
homer
ancient Greek epic poet who is believed to have written the Iliad and the Odyssey (circa 850 BC)
epics
long narrative poems celebrating the deeds of legendary or traditional heroes
odysseus
Son of Laertes and Anticleia, husband of Penelope and father of Telemachus. A cunning, shrewd and eloquent hero. Came up with the idea of the Trojan horse which led the Greeks to victory against Troy. "Man of many wiles".
myths
a traditional story that deals with the supernatural, ancestors, or heroes
polis
Greek city-state
acropolis
a large hill in ancient Greece where city residents sought shelter and safety in times of war and met to discuss community affairs
monarchy
government under a single ruler
aristocracy
a government in which power is in the hands of a hereditary ruling class or nobility
oligarchy
form of government in which a few people have the power
phalanx
formation of infantry carrying overlapping shields and long spears; group of men packed together (for attack or defense)
tyrants
A leader in ancient Greece who seized power by force rather than by inheriting it.
helots
Slaves to the Spartans that revolted and nearly destroyed Sparta in 650 B.C.E.
council of elders
The 28 Spartans over the age of 60 that helped make laws
draco
Athenian lawmaker whose code of laws prescribed death for almost every offense (circa 7th century BC)
solon
Athenian reformer of the 6th century; established laws that eased the burden of debt on farmers, forbade enslavement for debt
pesistratus
tyrant, built foundations for democracy, social welfare and grants of food, land reform, patriotism
cleisthenes
An aristocrat, created a council of 500 and helped from Athenian democracy
persian wars
A series of wars between Greek city-states and the Persian Empire (5th century B.C.).
pheidippides
runner that carried messages to Sparta and Athens and died inside of the Athenian gates. modern marathons are imitations of his 20 mile run
xerxes
son of Darius; became Persian king. He vowed revenge on the Athenians. He invaded Greece with 180,000 troops in 480 B.C. defeated them
thermopylae
the Greeks sent about 7000 soldiers to gaurd the pass, for two days they held off the Persians but on the 2nd day, a traitor led the persians through a secret pass so they could attack from behind. Most of the Greeks retreated but 300 Spartan soldiers stayed and fought.
delian league
an alliance headed by Athens that says that all Greek city-states will come together and help fight the Persians
age of pericles
Pericles wanted to make Greece beautiful; age of beauty, focus on perfection; focus on the human form in perfection
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
classical art
the art of ancient Greece and Rome, in which harmony, order, and proportion were emphasized
tragedy
A serious form of drama dealing with the downfall of a heroic or noble character
philosophers
Greek thinkers who believed the human mind could understand everything.
socrates
philosopher who believed in an absolute right or wrong; asked students pointed questions to make them use their reason, later became Socratic method
plato
one of Socrates' students; was considered by many to be the GREATEST philosopher of western civilization. Plato explained his ideas about government in a work entitled The Republic. In his ideal state, the people were divided into three different groups.
aristotle
A Greek Philosopher, taught Alexander the Great, started a famous school, studied with Plato
philip 2nd
Father of Alexander the Great and, king of Macedonians Conquered Greece - wanted to cnquer Persia, but killed
darius 3rd
Persian king defeated by Alexander
guagamela
Battle where Alexander conquers Persia
ptolemy
ancient scientist who said earth was the center of the universe
seleucus
Helenistic general, after alexander's death, received Asia Minor, kingdom divided between generals
hellenistic
the blending of Greek cultures with those of Persia, Egypt, and Central Asia following the conquests of Alexander the Great
koine
a Greek dialect that flourished under the Roman Empire
alexandria
City in Egypt founded by Alexander the Great, center of commerce and Hellenistic civilization
aristarchus
correctly believed that the earth and other planets moved around the sun, but he failed to convince others
euclid
He is the father of geometry and wrote a book, Elements, explaining geometry that was used as a text book till the 1900
archimedes
This man is considered the greatest thinker of his era, a great mathematician and physicist who explained the principle of the lever and other inventions.
stoicism
the philosophical system of the Stoics following the teachings of the ancient Greek philosopher Zeno -- emphasized reason as a means of understanding the natural state of things, or logos, and as a means of freeing oneself from emotional distress
epicurus
founder of Eupicureanism; aim of life is to seek pleasure and avoid pain
colossus of rhodes
Largest known Hellenistic statues, one of the wonders of the ancient world