World History Key Terms (definitions from the WEB)

Iliad and Odyssey- stories were written by ancient Greeks to tell stories of heroism; to inspire their people. stories of morality and character. By having Odysseus punished repeatedly in the Odyssey, it was thought by the Greeks to provoke a sense of humility and shame instead of pride based on Greek heroes, to have Greek citizens harbor a sense of humility and humbleness instead of pride and nobility and power. For all intensive purposes, they were told for entertainment; and to possibly pass on the Greeks' legacy as a ruling empire in Europe, before the Dark Ages wiped them all out for good and the fall of the Greeks to the Romans became reality. Polis- (Greek City-state) The significance of Polis was that it resulted in political innovation. It is often described as the foundations of democracy. However, in order to reach democratic ideals, it experienced extended tyranny. Sparta and Athens- Sparta in strategy and military had a lot to offer. Many of the strategies and of military. Athens, mostly in the Golden Age has too offer philosophy(Plato), art in all of its forms(statues), politics (rhetorics ), architecture (Acropolis), science (math, physics, history). city-states in ancient Greece. the capital and largest city of Greece; named after Athena (its patron goddess); "in the 5th century BC ancient Athens was the world's most powerful and civilized city Persian Wars- The Persian Empire was the dominant power. When the Greeks defeated them, they became dominant and Hellenistic ideals, culture, and philosophy was spread throughout the known world. fought between Persian Empire, far and away the largest and wealthiest kingdom on earth, and a collection of independent Greek cities who lived in relative poverty and obscurity. The Greeks had not a fraction of the wealth or population of the Persians, and were themselves disunited and engaged in perpetual conflicts, yet they soundly defeated the Persians and retained their independence and freedoms. Peloponnesian