500 BCE

An Athenian aristocrat who gained control of government and established the basis for Athenian democracy. Cleisthenes created a hierarchical government composed of ten tribes of Athenian citizens and a ruling council of 500 members who were elected by the tribes. Cleisthenes' reforms served to decrease the power of …

A military system utilized by the Greeks, 800 - 700 BCE. Hoplites were heavily armed infantry men who wore bronze or leather helmets, breast plates, and greaves or shin-guards. Hoplites carried round shields, short swords, and a long spear, about 9 feet in length. Hoplites are known to have used a …

The Greek word for city-state. A unit of governmental and social organization where Greek cultures identify themselves through a nearby city-center, i.e., metropolis, and have common language, customs, history, and religion. Two well-known Poleis are Sparta and Athens.

Greek Philosophers who's ideas date from before the time of Socrates, 469 BCE. The pre-Socratic philosophers are noted for their attempts to explain the universe through unifying principals. These philosophers also attempted to describe the nature of reality, and commonly considered existence to be either constant or malleable. Notable pre-Socratic …

800 BCE

See Homer

800 BCE

See Homer