Vocab 1
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100

An early Greek civilization (1600–1100 BCE) known for its warrior-kings, palaces, and role in the Trojan War.

Mycenean 

100

A long narrative poem about heroes and their adventures, often blending history and myth.

Epic

100

A traditional story, usually involving gods, heroes, or nature, that explains beliefs, customs, or natural events.

Myth

100

A government ruled by a single person, usually a king.

Monarchy 

100

A government ruled by the people; in Athens, citizens directly voted on laws.

Democracy

200

A legendary war (possibly around 1200 BCE) between the Mycenaeans and the city of Troy, made famous by Homer’s epics.

Trojan War

200

A military formation where soldiers stood side by side with shields and spears, creating a strong wall of defense.

Phalanx

200

A series of wars (490–479 BCE) where Greek city-states united to defeat the powerful Persian Empire.

Persian Wars

200

A government ruled by a small group of noble, landowning families.

Aristocracy 

200

In ancient Greece, a ruler who gained power by appealing to the poor and working class, not always cruel like the modern meaning.

Tyrant

300

A Greek-speaking people who moved into Greece after the fall of the Mycenaeans; their period is sometimes called Greece’s “Dark Age.”

Dorian

300

The Greek word for “city-state,” the basic political unit of Ancient Greece.

Polis

300

A fortified hilltop in a Greek city-state, often with temples and government buildings.

Acropolis

300

A government ruled by a few powerful people, often based on wealth or military strength.

Oligarchy

300

A state-owned serf in Sparta, forced to work the land for Spartan citizens.

Helot

400

A blind Greek poet who composed the epics The Iliad and The Odyssey.

Homer

400

A form of government where citizens vote directly on laws and decisions (used in Athens).

Direct Democracy

400

A type of serious Greek drama that told stories of human suffering, often with a sad ending.

Tragedy

400

A lighter form of Greek drama that included humor, satire, and poking fun at politics and society.

Comedy

400

A civil war (431–404 BCE) between Athens and Sparta (and their allies) that weakened all of Greece.

Peloponnesian War

500

A “lover of wisdom”; Greek thinkers such as Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle who used logic and reason to explore big questions.

Philosopher

500

A kingdom north of Greece, home to Philip II and his son Alexander the Great, who conquered much of the known world.

Macedonia

500

The blend of Greek, Egyptian, Persian, and Indian cultures spread by Alexander the Great’s empire.

Hellenistic 

500

A Greek mathematician known as the “Father of Geometry,” who wrote The Elements, a famous math textbook.

Euclid

500

A giant bronze statue built on the island of Rhodes (one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World).

Colossus of Rhodes

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