Vocabulary for Ancient Greece

1. Vocabulary forAncient Greece Credit: Katie Brown, Wendy Born Shuksan Middle School

2. Greece • Description: A country in Southeast Europe. • Sentence: My family is traveling to Greece this summer! • Example: The largest city in Greece is Athens.

3. Greek • Description: A person who is from Greece. • Sentence: I am excited to go to Greece and see how Greek people live! • Example: People who live in the United States are American. People who live in Greece are Greek!

4. Does this picture represent the word Greece or Greek? Explain why.

5. Does this picture represent the word Greece or Greek? Explain why.

6. Barbarians • Description: The name given by the Greeks to any people are were not Greek. • Sentence: “If you are not Greek, you must be an uncivilized barbarian!” • Example: Today, people are who are considered fierce, brutal and primitive may be called a barbarian. In Ancient Greece, anyone who wasn’t Greek was a barbarian!

7. Which of the following people would the Greeks call a barbarian! Why?

8. Parthenon • Description: The main temple in Greece dedicated to Athena (the Goddess of Wisdom) • Sentence: The construction of the Parthenon began in 447 BC in Athens, Greece. • Example: Even though we’ve been studying it for centuries, no one really knows how the Parthenon was built! How did they do it?

9. Acropolis • Description: A hilltop fortress in Ancient Athens which included the Parthenon and other famous buildings. • Sentence: The acropolis is located on a high rocky hilltop outside of the city of Athens. • Example: The acropolis is one historic site you can’t miss if you go to Greece.

10. Complete these sentences: • The Parthenonand the Acropolisare alike because _____________________________. HOWEVER… • The Parthenonand the Acropolis are different because _____________________________.

11. Monarchy • Description: A system of government in which a king, queen, or emperor is the sole ruler. • Sentence: A monarch is the head of a monarchy. • Example: England is a monarchy and is ruled by her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth.

12. Democracy • Description: A system of government in which the people rule, either directly or through elected representatives. • Sentence: People in America get to vote and elect their leaders because we live in a democracy. • Example: Many countries such asAustralia, El Salvador, Peru and Greece live in a democracy.

13. What does this picture represent? Why? (Use the words monarchy and/or democracy)

14. What does this picture represent? Why? (Use the words monarchy and/or democracy)

15. Another word for _____ is______ Monarchy Greece Democracy Barbarian

16. Polis • Description: Acity and its surrounding villages and farmland that govern themselves (also called a city-state). • Sentence: A polis was independent from other cities. • Example: All citizens participated in the government of a polis.

17. Which of these looks like a polis? Why or why not?

18. Think-Pair-Share In your opinion…. • One advantage of living in a polis might have been _____________. • One disadvantage of living in a polis might have been _____________.

19. Ostracized • Description: Shunned or avoided; to exclude someone from a society or group • Sentence: I felt ostracized from my friends when they just ignored me and I had to sit alone. • Example: In Ancient Athens, people who were too powerful or very unpopular were ostracized from the city.

20. Choose one! Clap to show your choice on the second read! • Word: Ostracized • Which one is an example of someone being ostracized? Why? • Judy was the only student not invited to the class party that everyone else was going to. • Fred wasn’t allowed to get his driver’s license until he was 19. • Carlos was the only boy nominated to be team captain of his soccer team.

21. Oracle • Description: A person who spoke directly to the Greek Gods. • Sentence: The oracle has great knowledge and wisdom. • Example: In Ancient Greece, the gods were believed to communicate through an oracle named Pythia.

22. Myth • Description: Legends or stories that a civilization used to attempt to explain natural events. • Sentence: The word “mythology” means the study of myths. • Example: One of the most popular heroes of Greek myths is Hercules, son of Zeus, who was incredibly strong and powerful.

23. Drachma • Description: The currency, or money, used in Ancient Greece • Sentence: Drachma was used to purchase and trade in most Ancient Greek city-states. • Example: The Drachma was used in Ancient Greece, but today they use the Euro.

24. Another word for _____ is______ Myth Ostracized Oracle Drachma Polis

25. Use these words to fill in the blanks: Greece, Greek, Barbarian, Oracle, Myths, Polis Many stories, or ____________, have been written about Ancient ___________. One of these legends was about Hercules, the son of Zeus! Zeus was a Greek God. The Gods were known to communicate through a person called an _____________. Back then, if you lived in Greece, you most likely lived in a city-state, or ____________. You could travel from one to the other. If you were not from Greece, you were called a _______________ and thought to be uncivilized.