Download Greece and Rome Vocab

Greece and Rome Vocab
patrician
• a wealthy, powerful
landowner
dictator
• an absolute ruler
triumvirate
• a government by
three people with
equal power
republic
a form of government
in which the leader is
not a king and certain
citizens have the right
to vote
Julius Caesar
• Roman general and
politician. Elected
consul of Rome in 59
B.C.. Invaded Italy
with his army and
made himself
dictator for life. Later
assassinated by
senators in 44 B.C.
paterfamilias
• in the Roman social
structure, the
dominant male head
of the household,
which also included
his wife, sons, and
their wives and
children, unmarried
daughters, and slaves
Mark Anthony
• Was a supporter of Julius
Caesar and severed as
one of his generals. After
Caesar's death he joined
forces with Octavian and
Lepidus to form the
Second Triumvirate. Later
joined forces with
Cleopatra of Egypt. Both
committed suicide after
their defeat at the Battle
of Actium.
Octavian / Augustus
• Caesar’s adopted son
and heir. Together
with Mark Antony
and Lepidus he
formed the Second
Triumvirate. Founder
of the Roman Empire
and its first Emperor,
ruling from 27 B.C. to
14 A.D.
Cleopatra
• Queen of Egypt. Joined
forces with Julius
Caesar to remove her
brother from power.
Later, fell in love with
Mark Anthony. She
and Mark Antony were
defeated at the Battle
of Actium and later
committed suicide.
Monarchy
• A government
ruled by a king or
queen.
Epic poem
• A long poem that tell
the deeds of a great
hero, such as the
Iliad and the Odyssey
of Homer.
Arête.
• In early Greece, the
qualities of
excellence that a
hero strives to win a
struggle or contest
Polis
• The early Greek
city-state
consisting of a city
or town and its
surrounding
countryside.
Oligarchy
• “the rule of the few”;
a form of
government in which
a select group of
people exercises
control.
Ephors
• One of five men
elected each year in
ancient Sparta who
were responsible for
the education of
youth and the
conduct of all
citizens.
Acropolis
• In early Greek citystates, a fortified
gathering place at
the top of a hill that
was sometimes the
site of temples and
public buildings.
Phalanx
• A wall of shields
created by foot
soldiers marching
shoulder to shoulder
in a rectangular
formation.
Democracy
• “the rule of the
many”;
government by
the people, either
directly or through
their elected
representatives.
Philosophy
• An organized
system of
thought, from the
Greek for “love of
wisdom”.
Tragedy
• A form of dram that
portrays a conflict
between the
protagonist and a
superior force and
having a protagonist
who is brought to
ruin or extreme
sorrow, especially as
a result of fatal flaw.
Socratic Method
• The method of
teaching used by the
Greek philosopher
Socrates; it employs a
question and answer
format to lead pupils
to see things for
themselves by using
their own reason.
Hellenistic Era
• The Age of Alexander
the Great; period
when the Greek
language and ideas
were carried to the
non-Greek world.
Age of Pericles
• The period between
461 B.C. and 429B.C.
when Pericles
dominated Athenian
politics and Athens
reached the height
of its power.
Direct democracy
• A system of
government in which
the people
participate directly in
government decision
making through mass
meetings.