Vocab 1
An early Greek civilization (1600–1100 BCE) known for its warrior-kings, palaces, and role in the Trojan War.
Mycenean
A long narrative poem about heroes and their adventures, often blending history and myth.
Epic
A traditional story, usually involving gods, heroes, or nature, that explains beliefs, customs, or natural events.
Myth
A government ruled by a single person, usually a king.
Monarchy
A government ruled by the people; in Athens, citizens directly voted on laws.
Democracy
A legendary war (possibly around 1200 BCE) between the Mycenaeans and the city of Troy, made famous by Homer’s epics.
Trojan War
A military formation where soldiers stood side by side with shields and spears, creating a strong wall of defense.
Phalanx
A series of wars (490–479 BCE) where Greek city-states united to defeat the powerful Persian Empire.
Persian Wars
A government ruled by a small group of noble, landowning families.
Aristocracy
In ancient Greece, a ruler who gained power by appealing to the poor and working class, not always cruel like the modern meaning.
Tyrant
A Greek-speaking people who moved into Greece after the fall of the Mycenaeans; their period is sometimes called Greece’s “Dark Age.”
Dorian
The Greek word for “city-state,” the basic political unit of Ancient Greece.
Polis
A fortified hilltop in a Greek city-state, often with temples and government buildings.
Acropolis
A government ruled by a few powerful people, often based on wealth or military strength.
Oligarchy
A state-owned serf in Sparta, forced to work the land for Spartan citizens.
Helot
A blind Greek poet who composed the epics The Iliad and The Odyssey.
Homer
A form of government where citizens vote directly on laws and decisions (used in Athens).
Direct Democracy
A type of serious Greek drama that told stories of human suffering, often with a sad ending.
Tragedy
A lighter form of Greek drama that included humor, satire, and poking fun at politics and society.
Comedy
A civil war (431–404 BCE) between Athens and Sparta (and their allies) that weakened all of Greece.
Peloponnesian War
A “lover of wisdom”; Greek thinkers such as Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle who used logic and reason to explore big questions.
Philosopher
A kingdom north of Greece, home to Philip II and his son Alexander the Great, who conquered much of the known world.
Macedonia
The blend of Greek, Egyptian, Persian, and Indian cultures spread by Alexander the Great’s empire.
Hellenistic
A Greek mathematician known as the “Father of Geometry,” who wrote The Elements, a famous math textbook.
Euclid
A giant bronze statue built on the island of Rhodes (one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World).
Colossus of Rhodes