Unit 2 Content Vocabulary - Greece
1- epic poem
a long poem, such as the Iliad and the Odyssey of Homer, that tells the deeds of a great hero
2- debated
discussed by considering opposing viewpoints
3- polis
the early Greek city-state, consisting of a city or town and its surrounding countryside
4- agora
in early Greek city-states, an open area that served as a gathering place and as a market
5- hoplite
in the early Greek military system, a heavily armed foot soldier
6- phalanx
a wall of shields created by foot soldiers marching shoulder to shoulder in a rectangular
formation
7- tyrant
a ruler who seized power by force from the aristocrats, gained support from the newly rich and
the poor, and maintained power by using hired soldiers
8- democracy
“the rule of the many,” government by the people, either directly or through their elected
representatives
9- oligarchy
“the rule of the few,” a form of government in which a select group of people exercises control
10- helot
in ancient Sparta, a captive person who was forced to work for the conqueror
11- ephor
one of the five men elected each year in ancient Sparta who were responsible for the education
of youth and the conduct of all citizens
12- implies
expresses indirectly through reference or association
13- direct democracy
a system of government in which the people participate directly in government decision making
through mass meetings
14- ostracism
in ancient Athens, the process for temporarily banning ambitious politicians from the city by
popular vote
15- ritual
a ceremony or a rite
16- oracle
in ancient Greece, a sacred shrine where a god or goddess was said to reveal the future through
a priest or priestess
17- philosophy
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an organized system of thought, from the Greek for “love of wisdom”
Socratic method
the method of teaching used by the Greek philosopher Socrates that employs a question-andanswer format to lead pupils to see things for themselves by using their own reason
ethics
moral principles; generally recognized rules of conduct
Hellenistic Era
the age of Alexander the Great; period when the Greek language
and ideas were carried to the non-Greek world
Stoicism
a school of thought developed by the teacher Zeno in Hellenistic Athens; it says that happiness
can be achieved only when people gain inner peace by living in harmony with the will of God
and that people should bear whatever life offers
subsidizing
aiding or promoting with public money