Greek Vocab

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Acropolis

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a citadel or fortified part of an ancient Greek city, typically built on a hill.

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Agora

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a public open space used for assemblies and markets.

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Alliance

Back 3

a union or association formed for mutual benefit, especially between countries or organizations.

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Aristocracy

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the highest class in certain societies, especially those holding hereditary titles or offices

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Democracy

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a system of government by the whole population or all the eligible members of a state, typically through elected representatives.

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Epic poem

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Traditionally, an epic poem is a long, serious,poetic narrative about a significant event, often featuring a hero. Before the development of writing, epic poems were memorized and played an important part in maintaining a record of the great deeds and history of a culture.

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Helot

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a member of a class of serfs in ancient Sparta, intermediate in status between slaves and citizens.

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Hero

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a person, typically a man, who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities.

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Labyrinth

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a complicated irregular network of passages or paths in which it is difficult to find one's way; a maze.

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Monarchy

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a form of government with a monarch at the head

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Myth

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a traditional story, especially one concerning the early history of a people or explaining some natural or social phenomenon, and typically involving supernatural beings or events.

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Oligarchy

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a small group of people having control of a country, organization, or institution.

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Polis

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a city state in ancient Greece, especially as considered in its ideal form for philosophical purposes.

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Raw material

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the basic material from which a product is made

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Trireme

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A trireme (derived from Latin: triremis "with three banks of oars;" Ancient Greek: τριήρης triērēs, literally "three-rower") was an ancient vessel and a type of galley that was used by the ancient maritime civilizations of the Mediterranean, especially the Phoenicians, ancient Greeks and Romans.

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Tyrant

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a cruel and oppressive ruler

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Athens

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Capital of Greece in east-central Greece on the plain of Attica, overlooking an arm of the Mediterranean Sea. Named after its patron goddess, Athena, Athens is Greece's largest city and its cultural, administrative, and economic center.

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Darius I

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Known as "Darius the Great." 550-486 bc. King of Persia who expanded the empire, organized a highly efficient administrative system, and invaded Greece, only to be defeated at the Battle of Marathon in 490.

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Homer

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An ancient Greek poet, author of the Iliad and the Odyssey. He has often been considered the greatest and most influential of all poets. According to tradition, Homer was blind.

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Minoan

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of, relating to, or denoting a Bronze Age civilization centered on Crete

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Mycenaean

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of, relating to, or denoting a late Bronze Age civilization in Greece represented by finds at Mycenae and other ancient cities of Peloponnesus.

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Odysseus

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a king of Ithaca and Greek leader in the Trojan War who after the war wanders 10 years before reaching home.

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Solon

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Athenian statesman, lawmaker, and poet. He is remembered particularly for his efforts to legislate against political, economic, and moral decline in archaic Athens.

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Sparta

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An ancient Greek city-state and rival of Athens.Sparta was known for its militaristic government and for its educational system designed to train children to be devoted citizens and brave soldiers. Sparta defeated Athens in the Peloponnesian War.

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Thermopylae

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is a place in Greece where a narrow coastal passage existed in antiquity. It derives its name from its hot sulphur springs.

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Trojan War

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In classical mythology, the great war fought between the Greeks and the Trojans. The Greeks sailed to Troy in order to recover Helen of Troy, the beautiful wife of a Greek king.

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Xerxes

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also known as Xerxes the Great, was the fourth of the king of kings of the Achaemenid Empire.