Chapter 5 Flashcards
Trojan War
A war waged against the city of Troy by the Achaeans (Greeks) after Paris of Troy took Helen from her husband Menelaus, king of Sparta
Homer
Author of the Iliad and the Odyssey
Epic
A long poem, typically one derived from ancient oral tradition, narrating the deeds and adventures of heroic or legendary figures or the history of a nation
Myth
A traditional story, especially one concerning the early history of a people or explaining some natural or social phenomenon, and typically involving supernatural beings or events
Polis
A city state in ancient Greece
Acropolis
A citadel or fortified part of an ancient Greek city, typically built on a hill
Monarchy
A form of government with a monarch at the head
Aristocracy
A form of government in which power is held by the nobility
Oligarchy
A small group of people having control of a country, organization, or institution
Tyrant
A cruel and oppressive ruler
Democracy
A system of government by the whole population or all the eligible members of a state, typically through elected representatives
Helot
A member of a class of serfs in ancient Sparta, intermediate in status between slaves and citizens
Phalanx
A body of troops or police officers, standing or moving in close formation
Persian Wars
A series of wars fought by Greek states and Persia over a period of almost half a century (492–449 BCE)
Direct Democracy
A form of democracy in which people decide (e.g. vote on, form consensus on) policy initiatives directly
Classical Art
The art of ancient Greece and Rome
Tragedy
A play dealing with tragic events and having an unhappy ending, especially one concerning the downfall of the main character
Comedy
A play consisting of jokes and satirical sketches, intended to make an audience laugh
Peloponnesian War
An ancient Greek war fought by Athens and its empire against the Peloponnesian League led by Sparta
Philosopher
A person engaged or learned in philosophy, especially as an academic discipline
Socrates
Socrates was a classical Greek philosopher credited as one of the founders of Western philosophy, generally regarded as one of the wisest people of all time
Plato
A philosopher and mathematician in Classical Greece, and the founder of the Academy in Athens, the first institution of higher learning in the Western world
Aristotle
A Greek philosopher and scientist who made significant and lasting contributions to nearly every aspect of human knowledge, from logic to biology to ethics and aesthetics
Philip II
King of Macedonia, later passed it on to Alexander the Great
Macedonia
An ancient kingdom with Philip II as its king; was later passed on to his son, Alexander the Great
Alexander the Great
Son of Philip II, known for conquering the Persian Empire, king of Macedonia
Darius III
The last king of the Achaemenid Empire of Persia from 336 BC to 330 BC
Hellenistic
Of or relating to Greek history, language, and culture from the death of Alexander the Great to the defeat of Cleopatra and Mark Antony by Octavian in 31 BC. During this period Greek culture flourished and spread
Alexandria
A city in Egypt named by Alexander the Great after himself
Euclid
A Greek mathematician, often referred to as the “Father of Geometry”
Archimedes
Archimedes of Syracuse was an Ancient Greek mathematician, physicist, engineer, inventor, and astronomer
Colossus of Rhodes
A large statue of the Greek titan-god of the sun Helios in the city of Rhodes
