Ancient Greece (with pics)

megaron

"big room"; throne room (Mycenaean Period) (noun)

Odysseus

A Greek hero in the Trojan War. It was his idea to use the trick of the Trojan Horse. After Troy was ruined, he wandered for 10 years trying to return home, having many adventures along the way. (noun)

Homer

A Greek poet, author of the Iliad and the Odyssey. (noun)

Athens

A democratic Greek polis that was known for its focus on the mind and body. They also had a powerful navy. Rivals with Sparta. (noun)

constitution

A document which spells out the principles by which a government runs and the fundamental laws that govern a society. (noun)

oligarchy

A form of government in which the power to rule is held by a small, usually self-appointed elite. (noun)

acropolis

A fortified hilltop in an ancient Greek city. (noun)

tyranny

Cruel and oppressive government or rule. (noun)

monarchy

A government in which power is in the hands of a single person. (noun)

Theseus

A hero and king of Athens who was noted for his many great deeds: killed the Minotaur at Knossoss. (noun)

Parthenon

A large temple dedicated to the goddess Athena on the Acropolis in Athens, Greece. It was built during the Athenian golden age.

Crete

A large, Greek island that separates the Mediterranean and the Aegean Seas from each other. Home of the Minoans. (noun)

epic

A long narrative poem telling of a hero's deeds. (noun)

Minoans

A peaceful people who were the earliest people on the island of Crete. They were excellent sailors & traded with Egypt & the Fertile Crescent. Were conquered by the Mycenaeans from mainland Greece. (noun)

Peloponnesus

A peninsula forming the southern part of the mainland of Greece. Sparta is located there. (noun)

Attica

A peninsula in east-central Greece on the Aegean Sea on which Athens was built. (noun)

Sparta

A powerful Greek miliary polis that was often at war with Athens. Used slaves known as helots to provide agricultural labor. Rivak(noun)

fresco

A technique of painting on walls covered with moist plaster. It was used to decorate Minoan and Mycenaean palaces. (noun)

myth

A traditional story about gods, ancestors, or heroes, told to explain the natural world or the customs and beliefs of a society. (noun)

Cleisthenes

Established the world's first democracy in Athens "father of democracy"-all citizens had the right to participate in assembly. (noun)

Delian League

Alliance between Athens and many of its allied cities following the first attempted invasion of Perisa into Greece. Caused a lot of wealth to flow into Athens and thus contributed to the Athenian "golden age." Sparta was not a member. (noun)

agora

An open area used as a marketplace in Greek city-states. The ancient version of a modern day mall. (noun)

Pericles

Athenian leader noted for advancing democracy in Athens and for ordering the construction of the Parthenon. (noun)

Socrates

Athenian philosopher; usually seen as the father of western philosophy. (noun)

Mycenaeans

First Greek-speaking people; invaded Minoans; dominated Greek world 1400 B.C.E. to 1200 B.C.E.; sea traders; lived in separate city-states; war-like and invovled in Trojan War against Troy. (noun)

Darius

Attempted to invade Greece (the Athenian's won at the Battle of Marathon). (noun)

Knossoss

Capital city of Crete. (noun)

polis

City or city-state, often self-governed by its citizens as the ancient Greek city-states were. (noun)

assembly

The basic lawmaking body in any democracy. (noun)

Mount Olympus

the higest mountain in Greece, where the ancient Greeks believed many of their gods and godesses lived. (noun)

bull leaping

Minoan form of bull fighting, part of religious ritual. (noun)

labryrinth

a maze. (noun)

helot

Slaves to the Spartans that revolted and nearly destroyed Sparta in 650 B.C.E. (noun)

Plato

Socrates' most famous student; described the ideal form of government in his famous book, The Republic (noun)

trireme

Greek warship that was sleek and light, powered by 170 oars arranged in three vertical tiers. Manned by skilled sailors, it was capable of short bursts of speed and complex maneuvers. (noun)

mercenaries

Hired soldiers who fought for money. (noun)

Helen of Troy

In Greek mythology, the most beautiful woman in the world: daughter of Zeus and Leda. Her abduction by Paris led to the Trojan War. (noun)

aristocrats

People of the highest class of society who held inherited titles. They were often part of the ruling class in government. In Sparta, this was the warrior class. (noun)

Xerxes

Persian king and Son of Darius, amassed an army that outnumbered the Greeks 2 to 1 in order to avenge the Persian loss at the battle of Marathon. He defeated the Greeks at Thermopylae and burned Athens to the ground. Lost the naval battle of Salamis and retreated never to come back to Greece. (noun)

Draco

Rich Anthenian noble who tried to reform the government. His ideas were very strict laws, and harsh punishments. Ultimately his cahnges failed. (noun)

Solon

Rich, Athenian merchant who prepared an early version of an Athenian constitution. (noun)

assassinate

To murder for political reasons. (verb)