Unit 6: The Persian Wars, Athens, and Herodotus: Terms

Question 1

archons

Answer 1

Chief magistrates in early Athens, responsible for governance before democracy developed. Power declined with Solon’s and Cleisthenes’ reforms.

Question 2

Battle of Himera

Answer 2

A 480 BCE battle in Sicily where the Greeks, mainly led by the city of Syracuse, defeated the Carthaginians, preventing their expansion into the Greek world.

Question 3

Battle of Salamis

Answer 3

A crucial naval battle in 480 BCE where Themistocles lured the Persian fleet into narrow straits, enabling the Greek triremes to destroy much of the Persian navy.

Question 4

Battle of Marathon

Answer 4

A 490 BCE battle where Athenian forces, using superior tactics, defeated a larger Persian force. The victory boosted Greek confidence against Persia.

Question 5

Cleisthenes

Answer 5

An Athenian reformer (508 BCE) who established democracy by creating the Council of 500 and reorganizing citizens into tribes to reduce aristocratic power.

Question 6

Darius I

Answer 6

King of Persia (522–486 BCE) who expanded the empire and launched the first Persian invasion of Greece, leading to the Battle of Marathon.

Question 7

Herodotus

Answer 7

A 5th-century BCE Greek historian, often called the “Father of History,” who wrote Histories, an account of the Persian Wars blending fact and myth.

Question 8

historía

Answer 8

A Greek term meaning “inquiry” or “investigation,” which Herodotus used to describe his method of gathering and analyzing historical events.

Question 9

Persian Wars

Answer 9

A series of conflicts (499–479 BCE) between Persia and Greek city-states, culminating in Greek victories at Marathon, Salamis, and Plataea.

Question 10

Solon

Answer 10

An Athenian statesman (6th century BCE) who introduced political and economic reforms, laying the foundation for democracy by reducing aristocratic control.

Question 11

Themistocles

Answer 11

An Athenian general who advocated for naval power and masterminded the Greek victory at Salamis by tricking the Persian fleet into a narrow strait.

Question 12

Thermopylae

Answer 12

– A battle in 480 BCE where 300 Spartans, led by King Leonidas, and other Greeks defended a narrow pass against Xerxes’ massive Persian army.

Question 13

Xerxes

Answer 13

Persian king (486–465 BCE) who led the second invasion of Greece, winning at Thermopylae but losing at Salamis and ultimately failing to conquer Greece.