Ancient Greece Geography
What is the Aegean Sea?
This body of water, containing thousands of islands, allowed the ancient Greeks to become expert sailors and traders.
Who is socrates?
condemned to death in 399 BCE for "corrupting the youth," this famous thinker taught through a continuous cycle of asking questions rather than writing down his own philosophies.
What is a phalanx?
This is the famous, shield-wall fighting formation used by Greek armies.
What is laconic?
Derived from the region of Laconia, this adjective is used to describe a way of speaking that is brief, concise, and to the point.
Who is Athena?
This goddess of wisdom was the patron deity of Athens, and the city was named in her honor after she gifted the olive tree.
what are mountains?
covering about 80% of the Greek terrain, these rugged barriers isolated communities and prevented large-scale land empires from easily forming.
Who is homer.
this blind poet wrote the two greatest epic poems of ancient greece: The iliad and the odyssey.
Who is king Leonidas?
This Spartan king led the legendary stand of 300 Spartans against the Persian army at the narrow pass of Thermopylae.
What is the olympic games?
Unlike other women in ancient Greece, Spartan women enjoyed many freedoms and were even the first women to win this major athletic competition.
What is the Agora?
In ancient Athens, this open-air, central public space served as both the bustling commercial marketplace and the main hub for civic life and philosophical debate.
What is the peloponnese?
located in southern Greece, this large, hand shaped landmass and peninsula was home to the mighty military city-state of sparta.
What is the allegory of the cave?
This famous allegory, found in plato's republic, uses the metaphor of chained prisoners to explain the difference between perceived reality and the ultimate truth.
What is the Battle of Thermopylae?
A small force of 300 Spartans and their allies famously held off the massive Persian army in this narrow mountain pass.
What is exercise?
Unlike their peers in Athens, Spartan women were allowed to own and inherit property, and they were famously required by law to do this so they could bear strong, healthy soldiers.
What is the Boule?
During the height of Athenian democracy, this governing body of 500 citizens was chosen by lottery to prepare the daily agenda for the Assembly.
What is crete?
home to the mythical minotaur and the ancient city-state of knossos, this is the largest island in Greece.
What is the socratic method?
This literary and philosophical method involves a continuous dialogue of probing questions and answers, famously used by an Athenian philosopher who was eventually sentenced to death for corrupting the youth.
What is a sarissa?
Philip II of Macedon and Alexander the Great revolutionized warfare by equipping their infantry with these incredibly long, 18-foot pikes that out-reached traditional weapons.
Whos are the Ephors?
while sparta had dual kings, this five member council of judges held the real power in both inferel and foreign affairs.
What is the parthenon?
Built to honor the city's patron goddess, this iconic temple on the Acropolis of Athens is renowned for its architectural symmetry and proportions.
What is the Mediterranean Sea?
Because Greece is rocky, mountainous peninsula with poor soil, the ancient Greeks couldn't rely on on traditional farming and were forced to rely on physical feature for travel, survival, and to trade for food.
What are philosopher-kings?
In The Republic, Plato described an ideal society ruled by these enlightened, wise leaders who have a grasp of the Form of the Good.
What is the Battle of Salamis?
This naval battle, orchestrated by the Athenian general Themistocles, effectively destroyed the Persian fleet and secured Greek victory in the Second Persian War.
Who is cynisca?
the only spartan women to be recorded as an ancient olympic victor, which she achieved by entering her own horses in the chariot race.
What is Draconian?
Prior to the reforms of Solon, Athenian law was so severe that minor offenses carried the death penalty, giving rise to this modern adjective.