A1 - Crete - A large island near Greece, Crete was one of the earliest civilizations.  The Minoan civilization there was named after King Minos.  The Cretan civilization was in its prime about 1600 B.C. and for reasons still obscure, its power suddenly collapsed, only to flourish again under the Dorian Greeks who resettled Crete in large numbers and created city-states.  Among the most powerful cities were Cydonia and Knossos.  Although an area of active trade, Crete didn't have much influence on Greek politics.

A2- Knossos-  An ancient city of northern Crete. It is the traditional site of the labyrinth of Daedalus and the palace of King Minos.

C1- Linear B - One of two major written languages in ancient Greek culture, this later version was finally deciphered by Michael Ventris in 19XX.  As its name suggests, it was written in a straight line across the page, and by deciphering it we came to have a much better understanding of Greek history as the ancients saw it.

D1- Theseus-  first great Greek hero who goes to Crete to figure out the labyrinth and rescue the minotaur, and return home to be King of Athens

A2- Labyrinth-  a maze ; in Greek Mythology there was a labyrinth where Minotaur was confined

D3 - Oracle -  In Greek religion, a priest or priestess who imparted the response of a god to a human questioner. The word is also used to refer to the response itself and to the shrine of a god. Every oracular shrine had a fixed method of divination. Many observed signs, such as the motion of objects dropped into a spring, the movement of birds, or the rustle of leaves. Often dreams were interpreted. A later and popular method involved the use of entranced persons whose ecstatic cries were interpreted by trained attendants. Before an oracle was questioned consultants underwent rites of purification and sacrifice. There were many established oracles in ancient Greece, the most famous being those of Zeus at Dodona and of Apollo at Delphi and at Didyma in Asia Minor. Whenever an oracle is referred to in a story, you can be assured that the "forecast" it gives will be subject to many symbolic interpretations, which means that the person for whom the prophecy is intended will probably misinterpret it and thus be subject to much hardship that they could have avoided.

A4- Hubris-   excessive pride

C4- Dorians - Name mythologically derived from Dorus, son of Helen.  Originating in the northwestern mountainous region of Epirus and southwest Macedonia, they migrated through central Greece and into the Peloponnesus probably between 1100 and 950 B.C., defeating and displacing the Achaeans.  They expanded into Crete, Italy, Sicily, and Asia Minor.  Sparta and Crete better represent the Dorian style of rule.  The arrival of the Dorians marked the disruption of the earlier Greek culture and the beginning of a period of decline, sometimes known as the "Dark Ages".  Although the cultural level of the Dorians was below that of the Achaeans, the Dorians did contribute to the culture of Greece in drama, poetry, sculpture, and especially in the huge stone buildings that marked the beginning of the Doric style of architecture.

A5- Megaron- The main hall or central room of a palace or house, especially of Mycenaean Greece, having a pillared porch and a more or less central hearth.

B5 - Agora -  The public square and marketplace of cities in ancient Greece.  It was used for public assembly and later became a center of commerce.  It was in a readily accessible part of the city, usually around royal palaces, law courts, jails, etc.  A favorite building would be the colonnade (or rows of columns) surrounding the agora.  We still use the term "agoraphobia" to refer to the fear of crowded places.

A6- Acropolis-  The fortified height or citadel of an ancient Greek city.

B6- Parthenon- The chief temple of the goddess Athena built on the acropolis at Athens ; considered a supreme example of Doric architecture.

C6- Pedagogue-  a teacher who travels from place to place

B7- Sophists-  Group of itinerant professional teachers, lecturers, and writers prominent in Greece

C7- Rhetoric-  A style of speaking or writing, especially the language of a particular subject

D6- Democracy -  A government where the people share in directing the activities of the state, as distinct from governments controlled by a single class, select group, or autocrat.  It originated in ancient Greece, conceived by the Athenians.

D7- Thales-  Prior to Thales, nature was explained through mythology.  Thales was the first recorded Western philosopher and taught that everything in nature was composed of one basic thing, water.  Although he apparently wrote nothing, he is believed to have introduced geometry into Greece and to have been a capable astronomer. It is said he predicted an eclipse of the sun in 585 B.C. and was acknowledged one of the Seven Wise Men of Greece for his call for unity among the Ionian Greeks.  He lived on the island of Miletus.

A9- Myron -  A Greek sculptor in the 5th century B.C.  Sculpting in bronze, he was noted for his animals (of which no examples have survived) and for his athletes in action.  His most famous and lifelike sculpture is Discobolus, in which a man is shown preparing to fling a discus.

D9- Thespis-  In Greek tradition, he was the inventor of tragedy.  Almost nothing is known of his life or works. He is supposed to have modified the dithyramb (which had been, in effect, exchanges between the leader and the chorus) by introducing an actor separate from the chorus.  This actor was called the hypocrite or responder.  Thus there developed a spoken dialogue.  Today, actors are still referred to as "thespians".

C10- Darius I- 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.

A11- Hoplite Phalanx-  A heavily armed foot soldier of ancient Greece.

B11- Xerxes- The Persian king repulsed by the Greeks

C11- Leonidas-  Spartan king  who led a small force against a huge Persian army at the pass of Thermopylae . All of the Spartans, including Leonidas, were killed.

A12- Thermistocles-  Athenian military and political leader. After persuading the Athenians to build a navy, he led the new fleet to victory over Persia in the Battle of Salamis

C12 Ostracism -   Ancient Athenian method of banishing a public figure. It was introduced after the fall of the family of Pisistratus. Each year the assembly took a preliminary vote to decide whether a vote of ostracism should be held. If a majority approved holding an ostracism, a day was set for the voting. When the polling took place, each voter put into an urn a piece of pottery (ostrakon) marked with the name of a person he wished ostracized. The man named on the most ostraka was exiled, unless fewer than 6,000 votes were cast (some authorities believe that a total of 6,000 votes was necessary to ostracize a person).  Today, people who are excluded by their peers are still considered to be "ostracized".

A 13-  Delian League- Confederacy of ancient Greek states led by Athens and based on the island of Delos.

C13-  Thucydides- Greek historian. Considered the greatest historian of antiquity, he wrote a critical history of the Peloponnesian War that contains the funeral oration of Pericles.

A14- Lyceum-  gymnasium near ancient Athens

D14- Syllogism -  A mode of argument that forms the core of the body of Western logical thought. Aristotle defined syllogistic logic, and his formulations were thought to be the final word in logic; they have undergone only minor revisions in the subsequent years.  Every syllogism is a sequence of three propositions such that the first two imply the third, known as the conclusion.  Though there are numerous ways of expressing a syllogism, the basic structure is, "If A = B, and B = C, then A = C".  This enables logic to become mathematical, and thus one can prove statement correct or incorrect without the use of any "opinions".

A15- Demosthenes- Greek orator, generally considered the greatest of the Greek orators. He was a pupil of Isaeus, and although the story of his putting pebbles in his mouth to improve his voice is only a legend, he seems to have been forced to overcome a weak voice and delivery. After years of private practice in law, he became a political orator in 351 B.C. when he delivered the first of three "Philippics", speeches which were all directed toward rousing Greece against the conqueror.

C16- Dichotomy- Division into two usually contradictory parts or opinions.  Many ancient Greeks had the opinion that the world was divided into two distinct parts: Greek and Barbarian.  Alexander had no such opinion (being from Macedon!) and changed the Greek outlook to what would be called Hellenistic, or "Greek Like".

B18- Porus-  

C18- Antigonus-   Means "like the ancestor" from Greek anti "like" and goneus "ancestor". This was the name of one of Alexander the Great's generals. After Alexander died, he took control of most of Asia Minor.

D18- Ptolemy-  Ptolemy I (Ptolemy Soter), d. 284 B.C., king of ancient Egypt, was one of the leading generals of Alexander the Great, and after Alexander's death (323 B.C.) he joined the other generals in dividing and quarreling over the empire. Ptolemy received Egypt and managed to keep control of it in the midst of incessant warfare.  Subsequently he laid the outline for Ptolemaic administration in Egypt and did much to make Alexandria a fountainhead of culture and art by founding the library there. We also know that he wrote a history of Alexander.

A19- Seleucus-   Seleucus I (Seleucus Nicator), d. 280 B.C., king of ancient Syria. An able general of Alexander the Great, he played a leading part in the wars among the generals. In the new partition of the empire in 312 B.C. he received Babylonia.  Seleucus was drawn into the league against Antigonus I, and when Antigonus was defeated at Ipsus in 301 B.C., Seleucus gained a large part of Asia Minor and all of Syria. Of the Macedonian generals he was the one who tried hardest to set up a kingdom following Alexander's ideas. He founded Greek colonies such as Seleucia and Antioch. He also tried to govern the subject people according to the methods of the Persian Empire.  Seleucus was murdered before he could achieve his ambition of seizing the throne of Macedonia as well.

B19- Chandra Gupta- Chandragupta was given control over Indian lands after the death of Alexander.  He was the only non-Macedonian to be granted part of Alexander's empire, show the respect he had earned.

A20- Stoa- in ancient Greek covered walk or colonnade, usually having columns on one side and a wall on the other.

A21- Eratosthenes- A Greek scholar, he became (c.240 B.C.) head of the library at Alexandria.  Known for his versatility, he wrote poetry and works on literature, the theater (notably on ancient comedy), mathematics, astronomy, geography, and philosophy.  He also drew a map of the known world and evolved a system of chronology. Especially noted as an astronomer, he is credited with measuring the circumference and tilt of the earth and the size and distance from the earth of the sun and the moon.  He did all this by noticing that the position of the sun's reflection at the bottom of a well had changed as months passed.  By doing the proper mathematical calculations, he predicted the Earth's circumference within a very small margin of error.

B21- Sappho- Greek lyric poet considered one of the greatest poets of antiquity although only fragments of her romantic lyrics survive.

C21- Menander- Greek dramatist whose romantic works were influential in the development of comedy.

Comp 4- How did leaders like Draco, Solon,  Pesistratus, and Cleisthenes help Athens become #1?-  Draco wrote the first Greek written laws.  The Athenians at that time wanted to preserve the culture intact forever, and end the rash of murders that were going on between families.  Draco accomplished this with clear-cut and punitive laws.  We still call extremely harsh laws "Draconian".  Solon (594 BC) was part of the age of the "Seven Wise Men of Greece."  Solon's laws kept only the homicide laws of Draco, but added many others to the code. (repeal of debtor's bondage; limited land ownership; class system for citizens involving army servce and paying of taxes; rule by nine archons from the highest class; council of 400 from third class, popular vote).  He then decreed that lawmaking was too difficult, and no new laws should be brought forth for 100 years. Because of the wisdom of his laws, we still use the word "solon" to refer to a wise lawmaker.  Pesistratus took the power in 546 BC, and with his sons, ruled for 36 years.  He brought great prosperity, made Athens the center of commercial exchange, and expanded relations with Ionia.  Cleisthenes removed race and wealth as criteria for ruling, and divided Attica into demes, from which representatives were chosen.  This democracy gave political rights to the common people in a Council of 500, but kept the judicial power in the hands of the archons who were from the aristocracy.

 Corinth -  Corinth was one of the largest, wealthiest, most powerful, and oldest cities of ancient Greece. Dating from Homeric times, it was conquered by the Dorians.  The natural rival of Athens, Corinth was traditionally allied with Sparta. Athenian assistance to the rebellious Corinthian colonies was a direct cause of the Peloponnesian War (431-404 B.C.).  Because of its location on the isthmus which separated Athens from the Peloponnesus, Corinth played a pivotal geographic role in Greek history.

 Monarchy -  a form of government in which sovereignty is vested in a single person whose right to rule is generally hereditary and who is empowered to remain in office for life.

Aristocracy -  Government by a social elite. In the West the political concept of aristocracy derives from Plato's formulation in the Republic. The criteria on which aristocracy is based may vary greatly from society to society. Aristocracy may be based on wealth as well as land, as in ancient Carthage and medieval Venice, or may be a theocracy like the Brahman caste in India. Other criteria can be age, race, military prowess, or cultural attainment.

 Tyranny -  Greek tyranny was an outgrowth of the struggle of the rising popular classes against the aristocracy or plutocracy. The usual procedure was for a leader to win popular support, overthrow the existing government, and seize power for himself. 

<>Hellespont - literally "Greek Water".  The name derived from the control of the narrow strait between the European continent and Asia Minor, which is now called the Dardanelles. <>

Macedon -  Macedon held the significance of producing the conquerors and armies who created the Hellenistic empires and civilization.  The population of the region was complex when first known and included Anatolian peoples as well as several Hellenic groups. The capital of Macedon from c.400 to 167 B.C. was Pella.  A mountainous region, it was in early days considered inferior to the more "cultured" Peloponnesus.  After the advent of Philip II and Alexander, it dominated Greek life.