Minoan civilization
first europeans civilization located in Crete
Crete
crossroads location between 3 continents: Europe, Asia, and Africa
Palace at Knossos
1700 BC and 1400 BC built a vast palace in city of Knossos
Frescos
A painting technique that involves using wet paint directly on the plaster so that they combine.
Mycenaeans
a Bronze Age civilization that inhabited mainland Greece and nearby islands from around 1600 to 1100 BCE
Trojan War
a legendary conflict in Greek mythology between the Greeks and the people of Troy that took place around the 12th or 13th century BC
Homer
Famous poet/Philosopher
The Iliad
poem by Homer
The Odyssey
Poem by Homer
Polis & acropolis
was built on the hilltop with marble temples dedicated to different gods and goddesses.
Monarchy
Hereditary ruler (king, queen) holds central power
Aristocracy
Hereditary landholding upper class rules
Oligarchy
Small, wealthy, elite, exorcises power.
Phalanx
new method of fighting, tactical formation of heavily armed foot soldiers. It required long hours of drill to master. Shared training created a strong sense of unity among the citizen-soldiers.
Sparta
Approx. 800 BC - 146 BC
Helots
Peloponnesus people turned into state-owned slaves.
Athens
officials, who ran day-to-day affairs.
Cleisthenes
set up the Council of 500
Council of 500
to draft the deliberations for discussion and approval in the Ecclesia.
Democracy
a way of governing which depends on the will of the people.
Tyrant
A cruel and oppressive ruler
Legislature
a group of people with the power to create laws for a political entity, such as a country, state, or city.
Persian Wars
the Persians suffered many defeats at the hands of the Greeks, led by the Athenians. In 499 BCE
Alliance
a bond or connection between families, states, parties, or individuals.
Delian League
Confederacy of Greek City-states under leadership of Athens they gained power/money through delian league because members had to pay tribute.