Chapter 5 Vocab

Question 1

Trojan War

Answer 1

A war, fought around 1,200 B.C., in which an army lead by Mycenaean kings attacked the independent trading city of Troy in Anatolia

Question 2

Homer

Answer 2

“The Greatest storyteller of all time”; according to legend, he is blind; wrote The Iliad and The Odyssey

Question 3

Epic

Answer 3

A narrative poem celebrating heroic deeds

Question 4

Myth

Answer 4

A traditional story about gods (Normally Greek gods)

Question 5

Polis

Answer 5

The fundamental political unit in ancient Greece; also known as a city-state

Question 6

Acropolis

Answer 6

A fortified hilltop where citizens gathered to discuss city government

Question 7

Monarchy

Answer 7

A government in which power is in the hands of a single person for life

Question 8

Aristocracy

Answer 8

A government in which the power is in the hands of a hereditary ruling class or nobility

Question 9

Oligarchy

Answer 9

A government in which power is in the hands of a few people-especially one in which rule is based upon wealth

Question 10

Tyrant

Answer 10

In ancient Greece, a powerful individual who gained control of a city-state’s government by appealing to the poor for support

Question 11

Democracy

Answer 11

A government controlled by its citizens either directly or through representatives

Question 12

Helot

Answer 12

In the society of ancient Sparta, a peasant bound to the land

Question 13

Phalanx

Answer 13

A military formation of foot soldiers armed with spears and shields

Question 14

Persian Wars

Answer 14

A series of wars in the fifth century B.C., in which Greek city-states battled the Persian empire

Question 15

Direct Democracy

Answer 15

A government in which citizens rule directly rather than through representatives

Question 16

Classical Art

Answer 16

The art of ancient Greece and Rome, in which harmony, order, and proportion were emphasized

Question 17

Tragedy

Answer 17

A serious form of drama dealing with the downfall of a heroic or noble character

Question 18

Comedy

Answer 18

A humorous form of drama that often includes slapstick and satire

Question 19

Peloponnesian War

Answer 19

A war, lasting from 431 to 404 B.C., in which Athens and its allies were defeated by Sparta and its allies

Question 20

Philosopher

Answer 20

A thinker who uses logic and reason to investigate the nature of the universe, human society, and morality

Question 21

Socrates

Answer 21

Famous Greek philosopher that was ONLY supported by the people who could understand his teachings, which were intended to make people question their moral character

Question 22

Plato

Answer 22

Famous Greek philosopher that was taught by Socrates; Wrote The Republic which was about what he thought was a perfectly governed society

Question 23

Aristotle

Answer 23

Famous Greek philosopher that was taught by Plato; His ideas are what today’s scientific method is based off of

Question 24

Philip II

Answer 24

Father of Alexander the great; led very highly trained Macedonian army that was later used to conquer most of the known world by his son using the phalanx formation

Question 25

Macedonia

Answer 25

Kingdom located directly north of Greece; Home of Philip II and Alexander the Great

Question 26

Alexander the Great

Answer 26

Came to power after Philip II was assassinated; Led huge army against almost all of known world and never lost

Question 27

Darius III

Answer 27

King of Persia that fought against Alexander the Great, but he ended up leaving the battlefield every time, leaving behind his wives and kids

Question 28

Hellenistic

Answer 28

Relating to the civilization, language, art, science, and literature of the Greek world from under the reign of Alexander the Great to the late second century B.C.

Question 29

Alexandria

Answer 29

Famous Egyptian city named after Alexander the Great; Foremost center of commerce and Hellenistic civilization

Question 30

Euclid

Answer 30

A highly regarded mathematician who taught in Alexandria whose work we still use in today’s geometry

Question 31

Archimedes

Answer 31

Hellenistic scientist out of Syracuse; Accurately estimated the value of pi

Question 32

Colossus of Rhodes

Answer 32

An enormous Hellenistic statue that formerly stood near the harbour of Rhodes