Ancient Greece Flashcards
What were the two main geographic features that defined Ancient Greece?
Mountains and seas between the islands.
How did geography impact the development of Ancient Greece? (politically, socially, and economically)
The mountains made it hard for the Greeks to farm, so they relied more on trade. The streams made it easier for the Greeks to trade because they acted as highways throughout Greece.
What is an autocracy?
A government in which one person has all the power. There are two main types of autocracy: a monarchy and a dictatorship.
What is a monarchy?
A monarchy is when a king or queen rules the country. The king or queen is known as a monarch. Monarchs come to power through their family line. Some monarchies hold all of the power. Moderno monarchies share power with parts of the government. They have to listen to the country’s constitution.
What is the dictatorship?
A dictatorship is a form of government where one leader has absolute control over citizen’s lives. The dictator has control over the government and the constitution too.
What is a democracy?
A democracy is when citizens hold the political power. There are two fundamental types of democracies: a representative democracy and a direct democracy.
What is a representative democracy?
It representative democracy is when citizens elect leaders to represent their rights and interesting government. The representatives govern the country. Citizens have the ultimate power, so if they don’t like the representatives actions, they can elect new ones.
What is a direct democracy?
A direct democracy is when there are no representatives. Citizens are directly involved in governing the country.
What democracy was Athens?
A direct democracy.
What is an oligarchy?
An oligarchy is a small group of people who have all the power. Sometimes, only a certain group has political rights. An oligarchy can also mean that if you people could participate in politics.
What does the Greek word oligarchy mean?
“rule by the few”
What is a junta?
A junta is a small group of people - usually military officers - who rule a country after taking it over by force. It is a lot like a dictatorship, except that several people share power.
What is a theocracy?
A theocracy is a government that recognizes God or a divine being as the ultimate authority. In a theocracy, religious law is used to settle disputes and rule the people. A theocracy can also be about any kind of government. Modern theocracies are usually found in countries where the population is strongly religious.
“Theo” is the Greek word that means what?
god.
What is an anarchy?
In Anarchy is when nobody is in control or everyone is in control. Anarchy is sometimes used to refer to an out of control mob. Today, there are no countries that have an anarchy as their form of government.
What are the differences of Athens and Sparta?
Sparta - Trained for war, not much education, had one pair of clothes for the entire year, no shoes, needed to be tough, women had almost as many rights as men and also learned to fight.
Athens - Center for education, many philosophers, art, music and poetry, women had to stay home.
Plato’s thoughts on government:
Plato - Believed that the leaders are people who have knowledge and experience. Believed that leaders who protect our law should be like philosophers. Believed that these leaders should be temperate, have a passion for knowledge, see the bigger picture of reality, have a love of truth and a hatred of falsehood, love wisdom and learning, and be fair-minded, gentle, and sociable.
Aristotle’s thought on government:
Aristotle - Did not believe that a democracy was when the majority was in control. Did not believe an oligarchy was when few have control over the government. Believed that popular rule was when the free were in control. Believed that an oligarchy was when the rich are in control. Believed that there was a democracy when the free and needy had control of rule.
What is a Doric column?
A simple, basic column with minimal design.
What is an Ionic column?
A column that looks like a scroll.
What is a Corinthian column?
A column that is fancy and stylish.
Summarize the Trojan War story:
At the wedding of Thetis and King Peleus, Eris, the uninvited goddess of discord, throws a golden apple labeled “For the fairest,” sparking a rivalry among Aphrodite, Athena, and Hera. Paris, a shepherd, is chosen to decide and selects Aphrodite after she promises him the love of the most beautiful woman, Helen. Aphrodite leads Paris to Sparta, where he abducts Helen, the wife of King Menelaus, igniting the Trojan War. For ten years, the Greeks besiege Troy, ultimately conquering the city through the deception of the Trojan Horse, leaving Troy in ruins.
What is Hellenistic Culture?
Hellenistic Culture is a combination of Greek, Persian, Indian, and Egyptian cultures.
What did Alexander the Great accomplish?
Alexander the Great conquered Persia, India, Greece, and Egypt to make the Hellenistic Culture which is a combination of all of these cultures.
Why was King Philip considered to be a pestilent man? Provide two reasons:
1) He is not Greek, he isn’t related to the Greeks, and also he is not a barbarian from a place that one could take seriously.
2) Greeks were afraid that the king was going to turn into a tyrant.
What were two causes of the Peloponnesian War?
1) Anger at Athenian grab for power and prestige.
2) Fear of Athens as a powerful naval empire.
What is one lasting impact of this conflict on Athens?
There was no protection for the people because there were less soldiers and weapons, which made people leave Athens, which made the population decrease.
Was Athenian Democracy truly democratic? Defend your claim with two pieces of evidence from the unit.
Ancient Athens was not democratic because there were lots of things that differentiated it from a democracy, such as discrimination and fear of the government. The first reason is that people were afraid of their magistrates/government, which is not how a democracy should be because that is a dictatorship. The second reason is that only men could vote, and there were strict citizenship requirements; they had to prove their age, birthplace, and parent background, and they could be sold into slavery, which is not democratic because there is a lot of discrimination. Therefore, Ancient Athens was not a true democracy because it had many issues that made it different from a democracy, such as discrimination and fright of the government.
What were the two suspected causes of the Bronze Age Collapse? Provide one example for each.
Natural Causes - A volcanic eruption on the island of Santorini (c. 1600 BC) destroyed the Minoan settlements on the island damaged others nearby. Eruptions like this may have played a role in the collapse.
Invasion - Ammurapi, the last Bronze Age King of Ugarit, wrote a letter to the King of Alasiya about how the Sea Peoples destroyed his city.
