- Alcmaeonids
The Alcmaeonids were a powerful family of Athens descended from Alcmaeon, son of Nestor. Megacles, son of Alcmaeon, was the archon responsible for killing the followers of Cylon. Cleisthenes, son of Megacles, was archon in 525. Pericles and Alcibiades were other noteworthy Alcmaeonids.
- Archon
The word archon is applied to certain officials who were in time appointed by lot and held office for a limited period of time in ancient Athens. One of these archons is referred to as the "eponymous archon" because the period of his archonship was referred to by his name. This is important for dating events in Greek history.
- Athens
Athens is named for its patron goddess Athena. On top of its highpoint, known as the acropolis, were Athens' important temples, especially, the Parthenon. Since the acropolis was easily made defensible with walls, cities, including Athens, formed around them, citizens gathering within in times of attack. Northwest of the acropolis was the Areopagus where homicide cases were tried. The assembly met on the Pnyx hill. The center of Athens was the agora, an open public place and market.
- Eupatrids
The well-born or aristocracy of Athens. The /eu/ means 'good' or 'well' and the 'patrid' refers to the father as in patriarch, so the well-born are well-fathered.
- Hoplite
The Hoplites were the heavily armed infantry soldiers of the Greeks. It is thought by many that the name "hoplite" comes from a Greek word "hoplon" for a specific shape (large and round) of shield with a "flat offset rim (itus)" and two handles on the inside possibly invented by 700 B.C.
- Polis
In the ancient world, from before the time of empires and modern-style countries or nations, political entities were cities and the environs. These cities constituted the states, making them city-states. The Greek form was the polis.
- Thesmothetai
The 6 archons of Athens known as the thesmothetai were the layers down of law.
Features on Democracy in Ancient Greece and the Rise of Democracy
