World History Chapter 4 Vocabulary

a long poem that tells the deeds of a great hero

an honorable excellence won in a struggle or contest

the Greek term for "city-state" which was the central focus of Greek life

the fortified area on the top of the hill in a Greek city-state

an open area that served as a place for people to gather and for a marketplace

a heavily armed infantry soldier of ancient Greece

military unit which marched shoulder to shoulder in a rectangular formation

a ruler who seized power from the aristocrats

a government by the people or the rule of the many

a government ruled by a small group of people

the slaves of ancient Sparta; literally means "captured ones"

a government in which every decision of the government is determined by popular vote (everyone votes on everything)

a practice of banishing someone from the city of Athens for ten years if the people believe the person is too ambitious or dangerous to the city

a religious ceremony or right

a priest or priestess through whom ancient Greeks and Romans received advice or prophecy from the gods

a play dealing with tragic events and having an unhappy ending

an organized system of thought

teaching method that uses a question-answer format to lead students to see things for themselves by using their own reason

a period of time during which the Greek language and ideas spread to the non-Greek world of Southwest Asia and beyond

a Greek philosophy that taught that happiness came from living in harmony with the will of god and from an ability to bear whatever life offered

a Greek philosophy that taught that human beings ought to be free to follow their own self-interest and make happiness their goal

high point of culture or golden age of ancient Greece

Association of Greek city-states to protect them from the Persians led by Athens

the branch of knowledge that deals with moral principles, about what is right and wrong