Term Definitions (Group 2)

Polis: A polis is a unique form of a Greek city-state. Polis's tend to have small populations, and they usually consist of a high city, often known as an acropolis. Acropolis's are built on top of hills, and the city's temples are usually located at the cities acropolis. Around the acropolis, each polis has a main city, which contains a market place and other general living spaces, like houses and public buildings. Polis's began with rule by a king, but they slowly progressed from a monarchy to rule by noble landowners throughout the years.

Homer: Homer is a Greek legend, known for writing the epic poems, The Odyssey and The Iliad. No one is certain whether not Homer is a myth, or if he truly lived, for their is no factual evidence proving he existed. Many sources say that he lived during the eighth or ninth century BCE. Even though his very existence is questioned, Homer is known for his style of poetry.

Iliad & The Odyssey: The Iliad and the Odyssey are supposed to be written by the legendary poet, Homer, although their origin is not certain. They are both epic poems, starting with the Iliad, and finishing with the Odyssey. The Iliad documents the Trojan War, while the Odyssey follows Odysseus's journey home to his wife, Penelope.

Pericles: Pericles is known as the first 'citizen of Athens' for he was a general, statesman and one of the brains behind many of Athens fundamental values. It was Pericles who made art and literature so important to the Athenians, for he had a huge influence in Athens. Pericles was around during the Golden Age of Athens also. Pericles played a very large role in the formation of Athens, and the beautiful city and its legacy would not have been the same without him.

Persian War: Starting at around 500 BCE, the Persian empire became a large threat to the Greece city-states. At the time, Athens was the wealthiest of all the city-states. During their first attempt to attack Greece, a small Athenian army defeated the Persians. After ten more years, however, the Persians came back, and all of the city-states united to defeat them and keep their freedom. The Persian war allowed the Greeks to put aside their differences and to combine forces for a common good. This put an end to their disagreements for many years, allowing them to live in peace.

Peloponnesian War: For 27 years, from 431 to 404 BCE, the Greeks were involved in the Peloponnesian war. The Peloponnesian war was a civil war that took place after the Persian war, for the different city-states, mainly Sparta and Athens, couldn't agree on many of the events from the war. It eventually turned into a power struggle between the two main city states, with Sparta winning in the end. Athens soon lost much of its spirit and ideals, ending its Golden Age.

Centuriate Assembly: The Roman Centuriate Assembly was used during the Roman Republic. Citizens divided into centuries, and they voted for legislative, electoral and judicial purposes. Each century was counted as one vote, no matter how many were in it. They had the power to declare war, and to elect the high ranking officers. The Century Assembly held much of the Roman Republics power in the hands of citizens.

Conflict of the Orders: The conflict of the orders was a disagreement between the plebeians and the patricians in the roman republic. Patrician's, the aristocrats of the republic, held most of the political power, and the plebeians wanted more power for themselves. They eventually were able to join the Roman senate, and they were able to run for office as well. The power struggle continued on until Julius Caesar turned the Roman republic into an empire, thus ending the conflict of the orders.

Tribal Assembly: The Roman republics tribal assembly was a system used for legislative, judicial and electoral purposes. It is made up of Roman citizens, who are divided into tribes. There are 4 urban tribes, which consist of citizens from Rome, and 31 rural tribes, which are made up of people living in the country outside of Rome. Each tribe gets one vote, and they are usually led by a consul or praetor.

Patrician: Those belonging to the wealthy class of the Roman republic were called patricians. Patricians were upper-class, landowners. They made up the Roman Senate, and they held most of the power as well. They were an elite group of people, and they held the majority of Rome's power. During the conflict of orders, the patricians and the plebeians had a power struggle, although, ultimately, the plebeians came out victorious.

Plebeian: Roman plebeians were technically considered to be in the middle or lower class, although they were sometimes able to attain much wealth and influence in Roman society. They held little power, for they were not allowed to join the senate, but they were involved in their own tribal assembly. During the conflict of the orders, the plebeians fought for their rights to power, and they earned equal rights from the patricians after almost 2 centuries of disagreement.

Senator: The Roman senate was one of the longest lasting political institutions in Roman history. It began with little power, but after a few generations, it gained respect and power from the magistrates. The senate had 300 patrician members, and senators served for life. They were in charge of making the laws for Rome. By the late Roman republic, however, the senates power slowly began to decline again. All in all, the Roman senate lasted for about two thousand years, with varying degrees of political power.

Consul: Once every year, the senate elects two of its members to be consuls. Consuls are the most powerful senators, and they supervise the government and are in charge of the Roman army. Their power was limited by the senate, though, for they had to consult with the senate for major issues, and new consuls were reelected each year in order to keep the power equally spread.