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.