| A | B |
|---|
| Peninsula | Body of land with water on three sides |
| Crete | Island southeast of the Greek mainland |
| Mycenae | Walled palace where first Greek kings lived; named for Mycenaean civilization |
| Agamemnon | Mycenaean king who used trickery to win Trojan War |
| Peloponnesus | the Greek peninsula |
| Colonies | Settlement in a new territory that keeps strong cultural/economic ties to the homeland |
| Polis | A Greek city-state |
| Agora | An open area below the acropolis used for a market and as a place to meet and debate political and economic issues |
| Tyrant | One who takes power using force; rules with total authority |
| Oligarchy | A form of government in which a few people hold power |
| Democracy | Citizens share in the running of government |
| Sparta | One of the two most powerful Greek city-states; an oligarchy |
| Athens | One of the two most powerful Greek city-states; a democracy |
| Helots | Captive workers in Sparta |
| Solon | Trusted noble in Athens; canceled farmer’s debts and freed those who were enslaved |
| Peisistratus | A tyrant who seized power in Athens; won support from the poor by dividing large estates and by loaning money to the poor, giving jobs building temples |
| Clisthenes | Came to power after Peisistratus died; recognized the assembly should play a central role in government |
| Persia | Former empire in what is now southwestern Iran |
| Cyrus the Great | Remarkable leader, united the Persians into a powerful kingdom |
| Darius | Persian leader who made the government work better |
| Satrapies | Political division of the Persian Empire |
| Satrap | “ protector of the king, “ the leader of a satrapy, tax collector, judge, chief of police, and head recruiter for Persian Army |
| Zoroastrianism | Persian religion; believed in one god, was a source for goodness; taught that humans had the freedom and choice to choose between right and wrong |
| Marathon | Where the Persian landed a force of 20,000 in 490 B.C.E. ; 26.2 miles from Athens |
| Xerxes | Darius’ son; became Persian king; launched a new invasion on Greece with 180,000 troops, thousands of war ships, and supply vessels |
| Thermistocles | Athenian general; developed the plan to defeat the Persians, cut-off supplies to Persian army |
| Thermopylae | Narrow pass in the mountains of Greece; where Greeks decided to block advancing Persians |
| Salamis | A strait in Greece; where the Greeks fleet attacked the Persian fleet; the Greeks destroyed most of the Persian fleet |
| Plataea | Where the Greek army crushed the Persian army |
| Delos | Headquarters for the Delian League (an island) |
| Direct democracy | Citizens gather in mass meetings to debate and make decisions about government |
| Representative democracy | Citizens choose representatives to serve in small groups and make decisions |
| Pericles | Great statesman who guided Athens for more than 30 years – “The Golden Age” |
| Philosophers | Thinkers who ponder and discuss questions about all aspects of life |
| Aspasia | Famous woman in Athenian history; contributed to the thinking of such philosophers as Plato, very influential in Athenian politics |
