Ancient Greece Glossary: Key Terms & Definitions

Posted on Aug 17, 2024 in History

Ancient Greece Glossary

A

Acropolis

A fortified gathering place at the top of a hill, often the site of temples and public buildings.

Aegean Sea

The sea between the peninsula of Greece and Asia Minor, containing thousands of islands.

Age of Pericles

The period between 461 and 429 B.C. when Pericles dominated Athenian politics and Athens reached the height of its power.

Agora

An open area in a Greek city that served as a gathering place and market.

Alexander the Great

King of Greece and Macedonia who conquered the Persian Empire with his great military skill.

Alexandria

The Greek capital of Egypt.

Archimedes

Famous Greek scientist of the Hellenistic period known for his work on the geometry of spheres and cylinders, and for establishing the value of the mathematical constant pi.

Arete

The qualities of excellence that a hero strives to win in a struggle or contest.

Aristotle

Greek philosopher, a student of Plato, who identified three good forms of government: monarchy, aristocracy, and constitutional. He favored constitutional government for most people.

Asia Minor

A peninsula bordered by the Black Sea, the Aegean Sea, and the Mediterranean Sea. Ionian Greek cities were located on its Aegean coast.

Assemble

To gather; to meet together.

Athens

A Greek city-state that developed the foundations of democracy.

B

Black Sea

A sea northeast of Greece and the Balkan peninsula, explored by Greek seafarers, leading to contact with the outside world.

Bronze Age

The period during which the Minoans flourished on Crete (2700 B.C. to 1450 B.C.).

Byzantium

The city that later became Constantinople and is now Istanbul.

C

Classical

Authoritative, traditional; relating to the literature, art, architecture, or ideals of the ancient Greek and Roman world.

Cleisthenes

An Athenian statesman and reformer who gained power in 510 B.C. He is generally regarded as the founder of Athenian democracy, as he established a more democratic constitution.

Crete

An island south of the Greek mainland, home to the Minoan civilization.

Croesus

King of Lydia who consulted the Oracle at Delphi about going to war with Persia. He was told that if he did, he would destroy a great empire. He went to war and the Persians destroyed his empire.

D

Darius

Persian ruler who was defeated by an outnumbered Athenian army on the plain of Marathon in 490 B.C.

Debated

Discussed by considering opposing viewpoints.

Delian League

A defensive alliance formed by Greek city-states against the Persians.

Delos

A Greek island that served as the headquarters of the Delian League.

Delphi

Location of a sacred shrine in Greece, home to the famous oracle of Apollo.

Democracy

“The rule of the many,” government by the people, either directly or through their elected representatives.

Direct Democracy

A system of government in which the people participate directly in government decision-making through mass meetings.

Draco

An Athenian politician who came to power in 600 B.C. and codified the laws, adding harsh penalties, including slavery for debtors.

E

Ephor

One of the five men elected each year in ancient Sparta who were responsible for the education of youth and the conduct of all citizens.

Epic Poem

A long poem that tells the deeds of a great hero.

Epicureanism

A school of thought developed by the philosopher Epicurus in Hellenistic Athens. It taught that happiness is the chief goal in life, and the means to achieve happiness was the pursuit of pleasure.

Epicurus

The founder of Epicureanism who believed that human beings were free to follow their own self-interest and make happiness their goal.

Eratosthenes

An important astronomer during the Hellenistic Age who determined that Earth was round and calculated Earth’s circumference within 185 miles.

Eris

Greek goddess of discord.

Eros

Greek god of love.

Ethics

Moral principles; generally recognized rules of conduct.

Euclid

An important mathematician of the Hellenistic Age who wrote Elements, a textbook on plane geometry.

Euripides

A famous Greek playwright who showed greater interest in real-life situations than in gods.

Sir Arthur Evans

An English archaeologist who discovered the Minoan civilization and named it after the legendary king of Crete, Minos. He also discovered a palace complex on Crete at Knossos.

H

Hades

Greek god of the underworld.

Hellenistic Era

The age of Alexander the Great; a period when the Greek language and ideas spread to the non-Greek world.

Hellespont

The strait between the Aegean Sea and the Black Sea.

Helot

Captive people in ancient Sparta who were forced to work for their conquerors.

Hephaestus

Greek god of the forge and fire.

Hera

Greek goddess of marriage.

Hermes

Messenger of the Greek gods.

Herodotus

Greek historian who wrote The Histories, including an account of the Persian Wars.

Heinrich Schliemann

A German archaeologist who discovered the ruins of Mycenae.

Homer

Ancient Greek poet who is traditionally credited with writing the Iliad and the Odyssey, the first great epic poems.

Hoplite

A heavily armed foot soldier in ancient Greece.

I

Implies

Expresses indirectly through reference or association.

Ionia

A territory located along the western shore of Asia Minor where many Greeks settled during the Dark Age.

M

Macedonia

A powerful kingdom north of the Greek city-states that emerged by the end of the fifth century B.C.

Minoan

A rich culture that flourished on Crete from 2700-1450 B.C. They had a far-ranging sea empire with a palace complex at Knossos and influenced the peoples of the Greek mainland.

Mycenaean

Indo-Europeans on mainland Greece who dominated most of Greece and invaded Crete, contributing to the decline of the Minoan civilization. They flourished between 1600 B.C. and 1100 B.C.

O

Oligarchy

“The rule of the few,” a form of government in which a small group of people exercises control.

Olympus

The highest mountain in Greece, believed by the ancient Greeks to be the home of the 12 chief gods and goddesses.

Oracle

A sacred shrine where a god or goddess was believed to reveal the future through a priest or priestess.

Oracle at Delphi

The most famous oracle in ancient Greece, dedicated to Apollo, located on the side of Mount Parnassus overlooking the Gulf of Corinth.

Ostracism

The process in ancient Athens for temporarily banning ambitious politicians from the city by popular vote.

P

Pergamum

One of four Hellenistic kingdoms that emerged after the death of Alexander the Great.

Pericles

Athenian ruler from 461-429 B.C., who expanded Greece’s borders and increased the involvement of Athenians in their democracy.

Phalanx

A military formation in ancient Greece consisting of a wall of shields created by foot soldiers marching close together in a rectangular formation.

Pheidippides

The Athenian runner who raced from Marathon to Athens to announce the Greek victory over Persia. Legend has it that his last words were “Victory, we win” before he collapsed and died.

Philip II

King of Macedon (359-336 B.C.) who transformed Macedonia into the dominant power in Greece.

Philosophy

An organized system of thought, from the Greek word for “love of wisdom.”

Plato

One of the greatest philosophers of Western civilization, a student of Socrates, who searched for the ideal state of society (c. 428 B.C. – 347 B.C.).

Polis

The early Greek city-state, consisting of a city or town and its surrounding territory.

Poseidon

Greek god of the sea and earthquakes.

Pythagoras

A Greek philosopher and mathematician who taught that the essence of the universe could be found in music and numbers.

R

Ritual

A ceremony or a rite.

S

Socrates

An influential Athenian philosopher (c. 470-399 B.C.) who was sentenced to death for questioning authority and corrupting youth. He was killed by drinking hemlock.

Socratic Method

The method of teaching used by the Greek philosopher Socrates, which employs a question-and-answer format to lead pupils to see things for themselves by using their own reason.

Solon

An Athenian statesman and reformer who, in 594 B.C., was given full power to address an economic crisis. He canceled all land debts and freed people who had been enslaved for debt.

Sophists

Traveling teachers in ancient Greece who taught rhetoric and argued that there was no absolute right or wrong. Their goal was to teach students how to argue effectively.

Sophocles

A famous Greek playwright who wrote Oedipus Rex, a classic Greek tragedy.

Sparta

A Greek city-state that placed a strong emphasis on military training and war.

Stoicism

A school of thought developed by the teacher Zeno in Hellenistic Athens. It taught that happiness is achieved only when people gain inner peace by living in harmony with the will of God and bearing whatever life offers.

The Stoics

Followers of Stoicism who believed that happiness could be found only by living in harmony with the will of God. They also believed in engaging with the world rather than separating themselves from it.

Subsidizing

Aiding or promoting with public money.

T

Thebes

A Greek city-state that struggled against Sparta and Athens for dominance in Greek affairs.

Thermopylae

A narrow pass in Greece where 7,000 Greeks, including 300 Spartans, held off a much larger Persian army for several days in 480 B.C. before being defeated.

Thucydides

Considered the greatest historian of the ancient world, Thucydides was an Athenian general who fought in the Peloponnesian War. He later wrote a detailed history of the conflict.

Tragedy

A form of drama that portrays a conflict between the protagonist and a superior force, often leading to the protagonist’s downfall or extreme sorrow, typically as a result of a fatal flaw.

Tyrant

In ancient Greece, a ruler who seized power by force from the aristocrats, often gaining support from the newly rich and the poor. They maintained power by using hired soldiers and fighting tactics.

X

Xerxes

Persian king who led a massive invasion of Greece in 480 B.C. He was defeated at the Battle of Salamis and his forces were later defeated at the Battle of Plataea in 479 B.C.

Z

Zeus

The chief god in Greek mythology, ruler of the heavens, and father of gods and mortals.