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 citystates 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.