| A | B |
|---|
| polis | Greek word for city-state |
| Hellas | What the Greeks called the region where they lived |
| barbarian | Anyone who did not speak Ionian Greek, and speak it with the right accent |
| acropolis | Highest point in the polis; citadel |
| agora | Marketplace and meetingplace in the polis |
| gymnasium | Work-out center of the polis, for men only |
| Hellenes | What the Greeks called themselves |
| ekklesia | Popular assembly where citizens could speak and vote |
| gerousia | council of elders, such as Sparta had |
| tyrant | Unconstitutional rule by a single person |
| lawgiver | One man appointed by the ekklesia to make needed reforms for the polis |
| aristocrat | the "best men," the landed class, originally the warrior class |
| demos | the people |
| citizen | native-born man of the polis who had done military service |
| ephebic oath | oath of citizenship |
| stretegos | generals |
| Bouleterion (Boule) | Council of 500 citizens of Athens, chosen by lot, at random, for a year. Ran army, navy, treasury, foreign policy, and the ekklesia of Athens. |
| oligarchy | Rule by a select few. Oligarchies dominated the ekklesias of many polei. |
| Panhellenic | Pertaining to all Hellenes, wherever they lived |
| timocracy | Rule by a few rich men. A form of oligarchy that resulted from the reforms of Solon |
| Solon | First Athenian lawgiver, or reformer |
| Psistratus | tyrant of Athens |
| Cleisthenes | Reformer whose reforms resulted in democracy |
| direct democracy | Athenian political system. Citizens speak and vote on all issues pertaining to the state directly, without representatives. |
| ephors | Sparta--5 elders who watched over the manners and morals of the Spartans |
| krypteia | Sparta's secret police |
| basileus | Word for king. Sparta had 2 basilei. |
| hoplite | Greek infantryman |
| phalanx | battle formation used by the Greeks |
| chiton | what a Greek man wore |
| peplum | what a Greek woman wore |
| trireme | Greek ship with 3 banks of oars |
| Pythia | priestess of Apollo at Delphi |
| Oracle of Delphi | shrine of Apollo famous for its accurate prophesies |
| anthropomorphic | gods in human form, such as the gods of Mr. Olympus |
| hubris | Too much pride being the ultimate sin |
| arete | excellence |
| Olympics | Competition to honor Zeus |
