Chapter 8- Ancient Greece Flashcards
Minoans
built an advanced society on the island of crete but civilization ended with volcanic eruption
Mycenaeans
first people to speak Greek; lived on Greek mainland; crumbled in 1200s BC
Dark Age
a period of war and disorder
polis
Greek word for city-state
acropolis
high hill
agora
Greek for marketplace
TRojan war
War between Greece and troy; no one knows how started
democracy
a type of government in which the people rule themselves
aristocrats
rich landowners
oligarchy
a government in which only a few people have power
Draco
created a set of harsh laws
citizens
people who had the right to participate in government
tyrant
a leader who held power through the use of force
Iliad
epic about Trojan war with Achilles as main hero
Odyssey
about the challenges of Odysseus on his way home from the Trojan war; his journey took 10 years
fables
short stories that teach the reader about life or give advice on how to live
Cyrus the Great
led a successful revolt against the Medes that began the Persian empire
cavalry
a unit of soldiers who ride horses
Darius I
divided empire into 20 provinces governed by satraps but he was the king of kings; roads, capital, religion, swore he would get revenge on the Greeks
Persian wars
a series of wars between Persia and Greece
Battle at Marathon
490 BC, Athenians won, began Persian wars
Battle at Thermopylae
Greeks held off Persian army at mountain pass for 3 days; Greek traitor helped Persians attack from behind; Persians won
Battle of Salamis
Athenian boats sank the Persian boats because the Persian boats were too big to fit through a strait; Athenians won
Battle of Platea
Greeks won; ended persian wars; Persians left and Greeks saved their homeland
alliance
an agreement to work together
Delian league
an alliance between some city-states with Athens as its strongest member
Peloponnesian League
an alliance between cities in southern Greece, including Sparta
Peloponnesian war
a war between Athens and Sparta that threatened to tear all of Greece apart
Philip II
macedonian king who defeated the Greeks
phalanx
a group of warriors who stood close together in a square
Alexander the Great
Philip’s son; destroyed thebes; defeated Persians; conquered Persian empire; largest empire the world had seen; spread Greek influence and named cities after himself
Hellenistic
Greek like
Helenistic Macedonia
most Greek but weakest gov’t
Hellenistic Syria
most of former Persian empire; Romans took over in 60s BC
Hellenistic Egypt
Alexandria center for culture and learning; longest lasting
Pythagoras
formula for sides of a right triangle (a^2 + b^2=c^2)
Archimedes
invented water screw and worked with lever and pulley
the Republic
most famous book by Plato; about society run by philosophers
Sophocles
Greek tragedy writer
tragedies
described the hardships faced by Greek heroes
comedies
made fun of people and ideas
Parthenon
most impressive of all ancient Greek buildings; temple to athena; on the Athenian acropolis
