Knowra Classical antiquity Classical antiquity Classical antiquity is the period and cultures of ancient Greece and Rome, conventionally extending from the eighth century BCE to the fifth century CE.
Archaic Greece : The period of Greek history from about 800 to 480 BCE, marked by the rise of city-states and overseas settlement. Its institutions and cultural forms set the foundations for classical Greek society.
Polis : An ancient Greek city-state comprising an urban center and its surrounding territory. The polis was the basic political community of much of ancient Greece.
Homer : The traditionally named author of the ancient Greek epics the Iliad and the Odyssey. The Homeric poems became foundational works of Greek literature and education.
Classical architecture : Architectural traditions derived from ancient Greek and Roman forms, orders, and building practices. Later societies repeatedly adapted ancient temples, columns, and civic buildings.
Ancient Near East : A broad historical region encompassing ancient societies of Southwest Asia and northeastern Africa, including Mesopotamia and Egypt. Its older and neighboring civilizations influenced, but were distinct from, Greek and Roman societies.
Ancient Greece : The civilization of Greek-speaking peoples from the Bronze Age through the Roman conquest. Its political communities and cultural achievements form one half of classical antiquity.
Roman Senate : A governing council of Rome whose membership and powers changed across the kingdom, republic, and empire. Its authority and changing role illuminate the structure of Roman government.
Sappho : An archaic Greek lyric poet from the island of Lesbos, whose surviving fragments include poems of desire and ritual. Her poetry reveals a distinct voice within the earliest surviving Greek lyric tradition.
Classical mythology : The body of myths concerning the gods, heroes, and legendary pasts of ancient Greece and Rome. Ancient stories remained a source for later literature, art, and political symbolism.
Persian Empire : A succession of Iranian empires, including the Achaemenid Empire, that ruled territories across western and central Asia. Persian power repeatedly confronted Greek states and framed Rome’s eastern frontier.
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