Chapter 1 Sources of Democratic Tradition

Key Terms

City state: a sovereign state consisting of an autonomous city with its dependencies

Monarchy: supreme power or sovereignty held by a single person

Sparta: an ancient city in S Greece: the capital of Laconia and the chief city of the Peloponnesus, at one time the dominant city of Greece: famous for strict discipline and training of soldiers

Athens: a metropolitan area comprising the city of Athens, Piraeus, and several residential suburbs

Democracy: government by the people

Tyrant: a sovereign or other ruler who uses power oppressively or unjustl

Legislature: a deliberative body of persons, usually elective, who are empowered to make, change, or repeal the laws of a country or state

Pericles: Athenian statesman and leader of the popular party, who contributed greatly to Athens' political and cultural supremacy in Greece

Jury: a group of persons sworn to render a verdict or true answer on a question or questions officially submitted to them

Socrates: Athenian philosopher, whose beliefs are known only through the writings of his pupils Plato and Xenophon

Plato: Greek philosopher

Aristotle: Greek philosopher: pupil of Plato

Republic: a state in which the supreme power rests in the body of citizens entitled to vote and is exercised by representatives chosen directly or indirectly by them

Consul: an official appointed by the government of one country to look after its commercial interests and the welfare of its citizens in another country

Dictator: a person invested with supreme authority during a crisis, the regular magistracy being subordinated to him until the crisis was met

Tribune: a person who upholds or defends the rights of the people

Veto: the power or right vested in one branch of a government to cancel or postpone the decisions, enactments, etc., of another branch, especially the right of a president, governor, or other chief executive to reject bills passed by the legislature

Carthage: an ancient city-state in N Africa, near modern Tunis: founded by the Phoenicians in the middle of the 9th century b.c.; destroyed in 146 b.c. in the last of the Punic Wars

Julius Caesar: a Roman general, statesman, Consul and notable author of Latin prose from October 49 BC to 15 Manrch 44 BC

Augustus Caesar: a Roman general, statesman, Consul and notable author of Latin prose from 16 January 27 BC to 19 August AD 14

Justinian: called the Great; Byzantine Emporer (527—565). He recovered North Africa, SE Spain, and Italy, largely owing to the brilliance of generals such as Belisarius. He sponsored the Justinian Code

Jerusalem: city in and capital of Israel: ancient holy city and a pilgrimage for Jews, Christians, and Muslims; divided between Israel and Jordan 1948-67

Abraham: first of the great Biblical patriarchs, father of Isaac, and traditional founder of the ancient Hebrew nation; considered by Muslims an ancestor of the Arab people through his son Ishmael

Moses: Hebrew prophet who led the Israelites out of Egypt and delivered the Law during their years of wandering in the wilderness

Monotheism: belief that there is only one God

Covenant: a binding agreement; contract; Gods promise to the Israelites and their commitment to worship him alone

Sabbath: seventh day of the week, Saturday, as the day of rest and religious observance among Jews and some Christians

Prophet: a person who speaks for God or a deity, or by divine inspiration

Ethics: a system of moral principles; rules of conduct recognized in respect to a particular class of human actions of a particular group, culture, etc

Diaspora: scattering of the Jews to countries outside of Palestine after the Babylonian captivity

Jesus: to Christians, Jesus Christ is the son of God, sent by God to save the human race from the sin it inherited through the Fall of Man

Messiah: promise and expected deliverer of the Jewish people, Christians