WH Unit 2 Vocab

a group of people who settled on the Greek mainland around 2000 B.C.; leading city called Mycenae which could withstand any attack; nobles lived in splendor; these people invaded many surrounding kingdoms

Homer's great epic poem that tells the story of the Trojan War; emphasized Greek athleticism with heroes like Achilles and Ajax

Epic poem that chronicles Odysseus' 10 year struggle to return to his throne in Ithaca; emphasized Greek intellect

ancient Greek epic poet who is believed to have written the Iliad and the Odyssey

monarchy, oligarchy, aristocracy, direct democracy

A government ruled by a king or queen

A government ruled by a few powerful (wealthy) people

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

Government in which citizens vote on laws and select officials directly.

Rebellious Greeks in Ionia; Joined by peninsular Greeks lead by Athens; Persians initially defeated the rebellion and sought revenge against Athens; A series of engagements including Marathon and Thermopylae ultimately lead to Persian defeat.

The war between Athens and Sparta that in which Sparta won, but left Greece as a whole weak and ready to fall to its neighbors to the north.

consisted of two genres, comedy (slap-stick humor typically ending in a marriage) and tragedy (dark tale typically ending with the fall of a hero caused by his own pride); performed for entertainment and education

Greek Historian, considered the father of History

Greek historian. Considered the greatest historian of antiquity, he wrote a critical history of the Peloponnesian War that contains the funeral oration of Pericles; his impartial account of historical events is the model modern day historians seek to emulate.

Alliance between Athens and many of its allied cities following the first attempted invasion of Perisa into Greece. Caused a lot of wealth to flow into Athens and thus contributed to the Athenian "golden age."