Ch. 5 Flashcards
Trojan War
Legendary 10 year war fought by the Mycenaeans against Troy
during the 1200s B.C.
Homer
The blind storyteller who composed the Illiad and gave us knowledge
during the Dorian Age.
Polis
The main political unit in ancient Greece a city-state made up of a
city and its surrounding countryside.
Direct Democracy
Government in which citizens participate directly in political
decision making without representatives.
Classical Art
Its standards come from the values of harmony, order, balance and
proportion used by Greek sculptors.
Aristotle
The Greek philosopher who summarized most knowledge up to his time and developed a type
of logical argument.
Alexander the Great
A pupil of Aristotle, he conquered lands from Greece to the Indus Valley from 336 B.C. to 323 B.C.
Hellenistic
A term for the blend of Greek, Egyptian, Persian and Indian culture that emerged from
Alexander’s conquests.
Epic
A narrative poem that celebrates heroic deeds.
Myth
A story about gods, such as the stories created by the Greeks as a way to understand nature and
human passions.
Acropolis
A fortified hilltop in the Greek city-states where citizens could gather
to discuss city government.
Monarch
A form of government in which a king rules, usually inheriting the
throne from a relative.
Aristocracy
A government controlled by a small group of noble, landowning
families.
Oligarchy
A government ruled by a few wealthy and powerful people.
Socrates
He developed a question and answer approach to teaching and believed in absolute standards for
truth and justice.
Helots
Peasants who were forced to stay on the land they worked, such as
the Messenians under Sparta.
Phalanx
A battle formation in which foot soldiers stood side by side,
holding overlapping spears and shields.
Persian Wars
The wars between Greece and the Persian Empire that lasted from
490 to 479 B.C.
Peloponnesian Wars
The war between Sparta and Athens (431-404 B.C.) that ended
Athenian empire, wealth, and power.
Philosopher
A Greek “lover of wisdom” or a thinker who is determined to seek
the truth.