Ancient Greece Definitions Flashcards
A large fortified rock formation above Athens, akros - highest, polis - city
Acropolis
Greek alphabet has 24 letters, comes from the letters “alpha” and “beta”
Alphabet
Greek marketplace. Center for social, religious, political, and business activities
Agora
Greek philosopher, Plato’s student. Believed that no city-state should be so large that you could not recognize others
Aristotle
A portable heater which is made up of a pan or stand for holding coal
Brazier
A long tunic made of wool, which was worn by both men & women in ancient Greece
Chiton
A self-governing unit made up of a city and its surrounding land. It had religion, government, laws, and farmland
City-state
A form of government where decisions are directly made by the majority of people. Was said to have originated in Athens
Democracy
A racecourse where Spartan warriors train
Dromos
Athens had a democratic government, held assemblies where decisions were made
Government
A men’s social club, an educational center, and a place to meet for conversation
Gymnasium
Originally meant “research” or “inquiry”, and eventually came to mean “knowledge”
Historia
A heavily-armed foot soldier in ancient Greece. Comes from the word “haplon”
Hoplite
A blind poet who authored the Iliad and the Odyssey
Homer
The pouring of a beverage, which is done as an offering to a deity
Libation
A syllabic form of writing which was used by the Mycenaeans. It was written on clay tablets, and consisted of symbols and pictures
Linear B
A stringed U-shaped instrument which was used in ancient Greece
Lyre
A mountain which was said to have been the home of many Greek deities
Mount Olympus
A story which usually has something to do with trying to explain a certain phenomenon. They usually contained a “superhuman” being
Myth
A priestess who predicted the future. Greeks often consulted her for advice. They could supposedly speak to the gods
Oracle
An ancient Greek sport which combined boxing with wrestling
Pankratium
A person who studies ideas about knowledge, truth, nature, and the meaning of life. Plato, Aristotle, and Socrates were famous ones
Philosopher
An ancient Greek philosopher who is known for things such as his founding of Platonism, as well as some of the books that he wrote. He was the teacher of Aristotle, and believed that the ideal polis population should be 5K
Plato
An ancient Greek city-state. This word is the origin of the word “politics”
Polis
The act of killing someone or something as an offering to a deity
Sacrifice
An Athenian philosopher, regarded as the wisest man in Athens. He was sentenced to death for his anti-theism, and died by drinking a poison called Hemlock. He lived from 409-399 BCE
Socrates
