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| Crete | a Greek island in the Mediterranean Sea, southeast of Greede; it was home of the ancient Minoan culture about 5,000 years ago |
| Attica | a peninsula in east-central Greece on the Agean Sea on which Athens was built |
| peninsula | an area of land almost entirely surrounded by water |
| harbors | a sheltered place along a coast used to protect boats and ships |
| Peloponnesus | a mountainous peninsula in southern Greece, between the Ionian and Aegean Seas |
| Phoenicia | an ancient seafaring civilization located on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea |
| Minoa | powerful civilization of ancient Crete, named after King Minos, from 2000-1400 BCE |
| Mycenae | ancient city on the Peloponnesus peninsula of Greece |
| polis | a city-state in ancient Greece |
| acropolis | a large hill in ancient Greece where city residents sought shelpter and safety in times of war and met to discuss community affairs |
| agora | a central area in Greek cities used both as a marketplace and as a meeting place |
| citizens | a person with certain rights and responsibilities in his or her country or community |
| monarchy | a government ruled by a king or a queen |
| oligarchy | a type of government in which a small group of citizens control decision-making |
| Sparta | the largest ancient Greek city-state, located on the southern Peloponnesus |
| Athens | for many centuries the most powerful of all ancient Greek city-states; capital of present-day Greece |
| democracy | a system of govenment in which citizens vote to make governmental decisions |
| Mount Olympus | the highest mountain in Greece, where the ancient Greeks believed many of their gods and goddesses lived |
| Homer | ancient Greek poet |
| Parthenon | a temple to the goddess Athene, built 447-432 BCE on the Acropolis in Athens |
| assembly | a lawmaking body of government made up of a group of citizens |
| Pericles | Athenian leader who made sure all citizens could take part in government |
| jury | a group of citizens chosen to hear evidence and make a decision in a court of law |
| philosophy | the study of or search for truth, wisdom, and the right way to live |
| Socrates | Greek philosopher who discussed laws, customs, values, and religion with students |
| Plato | Greel philosopher and student of Socrates |
| Peloponnesian War | a war fought between Athans and Sparta in the 400s BCE, ending in victory for Sparta |
| Macedonia | an ancient kingdom that under the rule of Alexander the Great conquered Greece and the Persian Empire in the 300s BCE |
| Philip II | king of Macedonia, father of Alexander the Great |
| phalanxes | a Macedonian battle formation of infantry standing in close ranks with their shields and long spears overlapping each other |
| orator | a person who is a skilled public speaker |
| Alexander | king of Macedonia; his conquests spread Greek culture throughout parts of three continents |
| Aristotle | Greek philosopher; private teacher of Alexander the Great |
| Alexandria | a city in Egypt founded in 333 BCE by Alexander the Great |
| Hellenism | a culture that was a blend of Greek ideas and the traditions of Africa and Asia in ancient times |
