| A | B |
|---|
| epics | a long narrative poem about great heroes and their deeds |
| Why did the Trojan War begin? | a quarrel over Helen, the wife of the Greek king of Sparta. Paris, the son of the Trojan king visited the Spartan king and carried off his wife |
| Where did the most important gods live? | Mount Olympus, the highest mountain in Greece |
| myths | stories about the origins and doings of the gods. They attempt to explain how and why things happen |
| Herodotus | wrote the history of the Persian Wars |
| Xerxes | Persian emperor who burned Athens |
| Acropolis | a high hill in the midst of the city of Athens |
| despot | one all-powerful ruler, he rules with total and unlimited control |
| city-state | a state made up of an independent city and the nearby countryside |
| oligarchy | a government run by a small group |
| democracy | the government was run by the people |
| monarchy | government run by one ruler |
| Sparta | city-state in Greece where life was centered around the military |
| Why did Spartans think it so important to have a strong army? | They were afraid of the large number of slaves (helots) who worked their land. The Sparatans lived in fear of a slave revolt. |
| Who were the citizens of Athens? | only the children of citizens could be a citizen |
| Did women have a voice in government? | No, only the male citizens could take part |
| Delian League | Athens formed an alliance with other Greek city-states |
| Peloponnesian War | war between Sparta and Athens due to Athens growing power |
| King Phillip II | king of Macedonia father of Alexander |
| Alexander the Great | became king of Greece and conquered lands east to the Indus River. He also planted Greek colonies in these lands |
| colonies | a settlement of people living in a new territory while being ruled by the government of another country |
| Ptolemy | general of Alexander the Great whose family ruled Egypt for 300 years. Cleopatara was the last to rule. |
| culture | language, ideas, arts and way of life |
| gymnasiums | places for athletic training and where people could gather for for discussions and reading |
| museum | place of the muses-( Greek goddesses of art and learning) |
| Calliope | muse of poetry |
| Terpsichore | muse of dance |
| Clio | muse of history |
| philosophy | the love of wisdom |
| Socrates | philosopher who had a great desire to understand things. He spent much time talking to people and asking them questions |
| Plato | student of Socrates, who started a school called the Academy. Plato wrote down many of Socrates ideas |
| Aristotle | He studied and wrote about politics, poetry, and philosophy |
| Parthenon | a temple to Athena, goddess of the city |
| Phidias | Greek sculptor carved the statue of Athena |
| Pindar | composed poems in praise of great achievements |
| amphitheaters | large open air theaters |
