10 Ancient Greece Vocabulary Words

Polis

• A city-state in Ancient Greece.

Acropolis

• a citadel or fortified part of an ancient Greek city, typically built on a hill.

Agora

• a public open space used for assemblies and markets.

Helots

• a serf or slave.

Hoplites

• a heavily armed foot soldier of ancient Greece.

Tyrant

• a cruel and oppressive ruler.

Phalanx

• a body of troops or police officers, standing or moving in close formation.

Fresco

• a painting done rapidly in watercolor on wet plaster on a wall or ceiling, so that the colors penetrate the plaster and become fixed as it dries.

Cleisthenes

• Ancient Greek ruler often called the “father of democracy.”

Hellenistic

• the blending of Greek cultures with those of Persia, Egypt, and Central Asia following the conquests of Alexander the Great