Ancient Greece Chap. 8 vocabulary

myth

• an old story told to explain an event or justify a belief or action

• a religious story told only for religious instruction

• a fake story told purely for entertainment value to take people's minds off of their hard, difficult lives

• the name of the Greek alphabet

labyrinth

• a map

• an old building

• a temple

• a maze

raw materials

• foodstuffs: raw meat, raw fish, raw vegetables

• a substance from which other products are made: tin, copper, timber

• knowledge central to a culture: religion, government, military

• technological goods: swords, scythes, chariots

epic poem

• a boring television show

• a type of drama or play

• a long poetic story

• a short poetic story

hero

• a character who faces a challenge that demands courage, strength, and intelligence

• a dumb, strong character who fights a lot

• a character that creates chaos and disorder, destabilizing society to create complete anarchy

• a sandwich

acropolis

• the walls fortifying a city to protect it from invading city-states

• the place to host plays and poetry competitions

• a marketplace for trading goods and hosting sporting events

• the highest point in an ancient Greek city

agora

• the highest point in an ancient Greek city - fortified walls were the last line of defense from invaders

• an open space in a Greek city that served as a marketplace and social center

• the title of the kings of ancient Greece, like pharaoh for ancient Egyptian kings

• a ruler who took power illegally by force and ruled an entire city-state by himself

polis

• another word for Greek city-state

• another word for agora

• another word for acropolis

• another word for tyrant

monarchy

• a government ruled by a group of powerful people, like rich merchants

• a government ruled by Mr. Mills

• a government ruled by a single person, such as a king

• the highest point in an ancient Greek city

aristocracy

• an upper class that is richer and more powerful than the rest of society, where power is passed down from father/mother to son/daughter

• a system of government where a few people rule society, like a group of rich merchants, for example - where power depends solely on wealth and not anything else

• rule by a single powerful person, like a king

• rule by a mob, where no one person or group of people are in charge at all - chaos (anarchy)