History Vocab Flashcards
Greek Dark Ages
Period from 1100 to 776 BCE in which the Greeks lost their culture developed during the Bronze Age civilization
Acropolis
(Greek for “high point of the city”) Fortified high point that provided a refuge for people living in a Greek city
Subsistence Economy
Economy in which necessary products are produced locally and there is no surplus food supply
Monarchy
(Greek for “rule by one person”) Constitutional form of government based on rule of king
Constitution
Written or unwritten basis for the government of a city
Aristocracy
(Greek for “rule by the best people”) Constitutional form of government based on rule by aristocrats who own the best land and are related by blood
Archons
(Greek for “leaders”) Chief officials in Greek aristocracies and oligarchies
Polis
(Greek for “city”) Greek city-state and source of the English word politics, which means “life in a city”
Agora
(Greek for “marketplace”) Central market and gathering place of a Greek city
Arete
(Greek for “excellence”) Greek sense of personal excellence
Hellenes
(From Greek Hellas, for “Greece”) Collective name of the ancient Greeks for themselves
Barbarians
(Greek for “a person who speaks bar-bar-bar) Greek term for anyone who did not speak Greek and therefore was not Greek
Olympian Gods
Important Greek gods and goddesses who were said to meet on Mount Olympias in northern Greece
Oracle
Message about future events believed to come form the gods; also used for the priests or priestess who delivered the message
Pan-Hellenic
Relating to or including all the Greeks
Olympiad
Four-year period that separated each holding of the Olympic Games
Phidias
Greek sculptor of the fifth century BCE who designed the statue of Zeus at Olympia and the statue of Athena at Athens
Archaic Age
(based on Greek archaios, “ancient”) Period of Greek history from 776-500 BCE, during which Greek culture and civilization revived
Column Style
Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian artistic styles used in designing columns for temples and other public buildings
Hesiod
Greek poet, CA. 700 BCE, who wrote the Theogony and Works and Days
Lyric Poems
Poems expressing personal feelings, called “lyric” because they were meant to be accompanied by the lyre
Sappho
Female Greek lyric poet from the island of Lesbos who wrote CA. 600 BCE
Pindar
Greek lyric poet who wrote in the first half of the fifth century BCE
Solon
Politician and poet of Athens in the early sixth century BCE who created the oligarchy at Athens in 592 BCE
Philosophy
(Greek for “love of wisdom”) Greek system of scientific thought that looked for rational explanations of the workings of the universe and human society
Thales
Greek philosopher of the early sixth century BCE who taught that the universe had originated from water
Democritus
Greek philosopher of the fifth century BCE who taught that matter was composed of tiny atoms that could not be divided
Pythagorus
Greek philosopher of the sixth century BCE who devised a formula for calculating the length of the sides of a right triangle, known as the Pythagorean Theorem
Peloponnesus
Southern section of Greece
Hoplite
(based on the Greek hoplon, “large shield”) Heavily, armed Greek infantryman
Phalanx
Closely packed and well-organized body of Greek infantryman
Lawgivers
Aristocrats who were appointed to write down the laws of a city
Oligarchy
(Greek for “rule by the few”) Constitutional form of government based on rule by the wealthy
Tyrant
Illegal, unconstitutional Greek ruler who opposed the aristocrats
Periander
Tyrant of Corinth in the seventh century BCE who made Corinth into a major commercial center
Lycurgus
Spartan lawgiver of CA. 700 BCE who established the Spartan way of life known as the Good Rule
Plutarch
Greek writer of biographies and history of the second century CE
Helots
Agricultural slaves of Sparta
Peloponnesian League
Allies of Sparta in Peloponnesus
Draco
Athenian lawgiver whose legal code issued in 621 BCE was known for its harshness
Neolithic
The period of the Stone Age associated with the ancient Agricultural Revolution. It follows the Paleolithic period.
Paleolithic
The period of the Stone Age associated with the evolution of humans. It predates the Neolithic period.
Ozymandias
Poem/sonnet written in 1817 by English romantic poet Percy Bysshe Shelley that illustrates the eventful frutilty of a great kings proud boast that time and history has ironically disproved
