Ancient Greece Flashcards
What was the primary activity of the Minoans and what two major cultures influenced their ideas?
Trade
Egypt and Mesopotamia
After what legendary king did the British archaeologist sir Arthur Evans name the culture he found on Crete?
Minos, The legendary king of Crete
Where is the massive palatial capital of Minoan culture?
Knossos
Shrines:
Areas dedicated to the honor if gods or goddesses
Frescoes
Watercolor paintings done on wet plaster
Five things learned from Minoan frescoes
- Importance of sea to Minoan people
- Minoans worshipped the bull
- Mother goddess also worshipped
- Women appear freely in public
- Women most likely had more rights than women in other ancient civilizations
4 potential causes of the fall of Minoan civilization
- Volcanic eruption on nearby island
- Earthquake destroying palace
- Immersive wave drowning inhabitants
- Invaders
Who replaced the Minoans and left is with a written record we can decipher?
Mycenaeans
What type of language did the Mycenaean people speak?
Indo-European language
What did Mycenaean kings build on the mainland and how did they rule?
Thick walked fortresses from which they ruled surrounding villages
What two groups fought against each other in the Trojan war, where was Troy likely located and who is said to have won?
The Mycenaeans (Greeks) and Trojans
Modern day Turkey
The Greeks won
Straits
Narrow water passages
Who excavated Turkey and may have found the location of Troy?
Heinrich Schliemann
Who invaded from the north causing a “dark age” and forced many Mycenaeans to flee?
The Dorians
Blind poet to whom the Iliad and odyssey are attributed to?
Homer
Who is Achilles and what does he struggle with on the Iliad?
The mightiest Greek warrior
He was unfairly treated and insulted by his commander
Who is Odysseus and what is his primary challenge in the Odyssey?
Greek hero and king of Ithaca
He runs into any obstacles in his way home- sea monster, race of cyclops, sorceress who turns him into swine, etc
What there major values do the Iliad and the Odyssey advocate for Greeks?
Heroes display…
- Honor
- Courage
- Eloquence
What would Greek civilization eventually accomplish after its emergence from the Dorian invasion?
Greek civilization would both dominate the region and extend the influence of Greek culture over most of the western world.
Polis
City state
Describe he geographical and political organizational differences between Greek and Egyptian/Persian civilizations.
E/P- rose in fertile river valleys w/organized irrigation works
G- city-states, rugged + rocky terrain, many islands
What was caused by the existence of many fiercely independent city states of Greece?
Rivalry (leading to war)
What divided Greeks from one another?
What connected Greece to the world outside?
Mountains
Seas
Itema that Greeks traded or traded for throughout the Mediterranean
Traded- olive oil, wine, marble
Received- grains, metals, ideas
What extremely important thing did the Greeks adopt from the Phoenicians?
Alphabet
What did population growth force many Greeks to do and what was the impact of this?
Leave their one overcrowded valleys
Scattering of Greek civilization—> trade, ideas, culture
Acropolis
High city
Citizens
Free residents
Lifestyle of most Greek men
Spent time outdoors in the marketplace, debating issues
Who held all political power on Greece?
Male landowners
Monarchy
Government in which a hereditary ruler exercises central power
Aristocracy
Rule by hereditary land elite
Oligarchy
Power on he hands of small, wealthy elite
What replaced bronze in weaponry and armor around 6500 Bc in Greece?
Iron
Phalanx
Massive tactical formation of heavily armed foot soldiers
How did the phalanx style of fighting help reduce class differences?
It put the defense of the city state in the hands of ordinary citizens
Who originally settled and built the city state of Sparta?
Dorians
Helots
State owned slaves
What did the fact that the vast majority of the people living on Sparta-controlled lands were helots mean in regard to the way Sparta organized itself?
Spartans outnumbered—> burial system of strict control
Who advised Spartans two kings?
A council of elders
What qualifications were there to be a citizen of Sparta and how were they organized?
Male, native-born
Spartans over age 30
What is an ephor and what was their job?
Officials who ran day-to-day affairs
What did Sparta do it’s weakly infants?
Abandon them to die
What age did Spartan boys enter military barracks?
7
Describe life in agoge for spartan boys
Coarse diet
Hard exercise
Rigid discipline
What age could a spartan man marry?
20
Activities and rights of Spartan women
Exercise +strengthen body to prepare for childbirth
Obey father+ husband
Right to inherit property
Describe how Spartans viewed trade, travel, and new ideas
Looked down on trade
Forbade travel
No use for new ideas
What group held power in Athens by 700 BC?
Landowners
What groups gradually grew discontented with the aristocracy in Athens?
Merchants, soldiers, foreign artisans a, farmers
Democracy
Government by the people
Reforms of Solon
Outlawed debt slavery and freed those sold into slavery due to debt
Opened high offices to more citizens
Granted citizenship to done foreigners
Gave Athenian assembly more say in important decisions
Tyrants
People who gained power by force
Reforms of Pisistratus
Gave farmers loans and land taken from nobles
Building projects–> jobs for poor
Gave poor citizens greater voice- weakening aristocracy
Reforms of Cleisthenes
Broadened role of ordinary citizens in government
Set up council of 500 members chosen from all citizens ages 30+
Council prepared laws considered by assembly and supervised day-to-day work of government
Legislature
Lawmaking body
In what ways was the democracy in Athens very limited?
Only citizens could participate in government (citizens only landowning men)
How were women viewed by men in Athens? What area of public life could they excruciating a significant role?
Women must be guided by men
Religion
Six areas of learning explored by young Athenian men who could afford it
Reading Writing Music Poetry Public speaking Military training
What factors helped unite Greek city states despite their tendency to attack and kill one another?
Language Culture Ancient heroes Festivals Same gods
Four Ancient Greek gods and descriptions
Zeus- ruler of humans and gods
Ares- god of war
Aphrodite- goddess of love
Athena- goddess of wisdom
Greek word for foreigners?
Barbaroi
How did the Ionian geek city states of Asia Minor feel about Persian rule despite having a largely self governing situation?
They rebelled against Persian rule
What did Athens so to help the Ionian Greek city states?
Sent ships
Where did punitive Persian force land against Athens and what was the result of this battle?
Marathon- plain north of Athens
The Persians retreated to their ships and Athenians celebrated
Who encourages the Athenians to build a fleet of warships on preparation for battle with the Persians?
Themistocles
Who sent a much larger force to Greece to crush the Athenians later in 480 BC?
Ceres
Who defended the narrow opening at Thermopylae and what was the result of this battle?
Leomidas (warrior king) and small spartan force
Spartans are deafeated
What did the Persians do to Athens
Burn it down
What happened to the Persian fleet at Salamis and who watched it by the shoreline?
Athenian warships drove into Persian boats with underwater battering rams
Ceres
How did the victory over Persia change how the Greeks viewed themselves?
It increased Greeks sense of own uniqueness
Alliance
Formal agreement between 2+ nations or powers to cooperate and come to one another’s defense
Delian League? What was its original purpose?
Alliance between Athens and other city states
Defend against Persia
How did Athens use the Delian league?
Used its position of leadership to create an Athenian empire
Used money from allies to rebuild Athens
What paradox to Athens come to represent with regard to the ideas of democracy and freedom?
It enforced it’s will abroad (use allies’ money and forced them to stay) but leaders were championing freedom at home
Who led Athens during much of its Golden age?
Pericles
Direct democracy
Explain how it differs from modern democracies
Citizens take part directly in day-to-day affairs of government
Modern- participate indirectly through elected representatives
What reform did Pericles Institute which allowed a broader democracy?
Pericles believed all citizens, regardless of social class or wealth, should take part in government
Stipend
Fixed salary
Jury
Panel of citizens who have the authority to make final judgment in a trial
Ostracism
Vote to banish a public figure who they saw as a threat to democracy
How did the rebuilding of the Acropolis and other programs help Athens?
Athens became the cultural center of Greece
What other Greek league rose up to counter the power of the Delian league and what power led it?
Peloponnesian league
Sparta
How long did the Peloponnesian war last?
27 years
What major problem caused the weakening and eventual loss of the Peloponnesian war by Athens?
Geographic disadvantage-
Sparta inland = powerful army
Athens cannot attack with navy
What did Sparta do to Athens at the end of the peloponnesian war and what did they refused to do?
Stripped Athenians of their fleet and Empire
did not destroy Athens
What were early Greek thinkers driven by?
The belief that events were caused by the whims of gods
Philosophers
“Lovers of wisdom”
Logic
Rational thinking
What was most important to the sophists?
Success
Rhetoric
The art of skillful thinking
From whom do we learn about Socrates?
Plato
Socratic method is a question and answer learning method.
Why was the seen as a threat to many Athenians?
It threatened accepted values and traditions- shows his doubt
What was Socrates accused of and what happened to him?
Corrupting the youth and failing to respect the gods
Condemned to death
How did Plato feel about democracy and what was the name of the school he founded?
He did not trust it
Academy
What did Plato believed could be accomplished rational thoughts?
People could discover unchanging ethical values,
recognize perfect beauty,
and learn how to best organize a society
What was the name of Plato’s book about government?
The Republic
into what three classes did Plato divide society and who should rule this ideal society?
Workers to produce the necessities of life
soldiers to defend the state
philosophers to rule
How did Plato view women?
Men surpassed women mentally and physically, but some women are superior to some men
Who is Aristotle?
Plato’s most famous student
Why was Aristotle suspicious of democracy and how does he think people should live?
He thought it could lead to mob rule
Good conduct meant pursuing the “Golden mean”, a moderate course between extremes
What is the name and significance of the school set up by Aristotle?
Lyceum
When the first European universities evolved, their courses were based largely on the works and ideas Aristotle
What is the goal of Greek architecture and explain the long-term significance of it.
name it’s most famous building
To convey a sense of perfect balance to reflect the harmony and order of the universe
Many public buildings throughout the modern day world have incorporated Greek architectural elements in their designs
Parthenon
How did Greek sculptors try to depict gods and humans in their statues?
Early- rigid, lifeless- like Egyptian works
Later- lifelike- depicted in most perfect, graceful form
What are the only surviving paintings by the Greeks we still have today?
Paintings on pottery
Who were some great Greek poets and what subject matter did each concern themselves with?
Homer- stirring tales
Sappho- love and beauty of her island home
Pindar- celebrated victors on athletic contests
What did Greek dramas evolve out of, to what god were dramas mostly devoted and on what were they usually based?
Religious festivals
Dionysus
Popular myths and legends
Name three major Greek playwrights and a play written by each
Aeschylus- Oresteia
Sophocles- Antigone
Euripides- The Trojan Women
Tragedies
Plays that told stories of human suffering that usually ended in disaster
What was the main purpose of tragedies?
To stir up and then relieve feelings of pity and fear
Comedies
Humorous plays that mocked people or customs
Who is Aristophanes and what play did he write
The author of almost all surviving Greek comedies
Lysistrata
Why is Herodotus known as the “Father of History”
He went beyond listing names of rulers or the retelling of ancient legends
How did Thucydides improve on some of the contributions made to history given by Herodotus?
he wrote about the Peloponnesian war and, although he was Athenian, he tried to be fair to both sides
Showed the need to avoid bias
How did the Greeks view Macedonia?
Backwards, half-civilized land
Who did Philip II (king of Macedonia) hire to teach is son, Alexander the Great?
Aristotle
What methods did Philip II use to gain territory and influence throughout Greece?
She built a powerful army and through threats, bribery, and diplomacy he formed allies with city states-others he conquered
Assassination
The murder of a public figure
What was the state of the Persian Empire under Darius III at the time of Alexander?
Weak/ bad shape
How far did Alexander eventually march to the east and why did he stop and return?
Through Asia minor into Palastine and south to Egypt
To take Babylon
To whom did Alexander say his empire should be given at his death?
“The strongest”
How was Alexander’s empire divided after his death?
Macedonia and Greece
Egypt
Most of Persia
What was Alexander’s most lasting achievement?
The spread of Greek culture
Who settled in the cities founded by Alexander and his generals?
Greek soldiers, traders, artisans
Assimilated
Absorbed
What two things did Alexander do to encourage the blending of Eastern and Western cultures?
Married Persian woman and adopted many customs
Urged soldiers to follow his example
What four major cultures did Hellenism blend together and what city was at the center of it?
Greek Persian Egyptian Indian
Alexandria
How many people lived in Alexandria, Egypt and what were two of its major attractions?
Almost 1 million people
Markets w/wide range of goods- marble, spices, ivory
440ft tall lighthouse/ Pharos
How did Hellenism change the rules of women?
Women can read and write–> philosophers, poets
What’s new philosophy rose out of the political turmoil during the Hellenistic period?
Stoicism
Who was the founder of stoicism and what did he urge followers to do?
Zeno
Avoid desires and disappointments by calmly accepting what life gives
Pythagoras
Derived formula to calculate the relationship between the sides of a right triangle
Euclid
Wrote The Elements, a textbook that became basis for modern geometry
Aristarchus
Argued earth rotated on its axis and orbited the sun
Eratosthenes
Showed that the earth was round and accurately calculated it’s circumference
Archimedes
Applied principles of physics to make practical any inventions like the lever and pulley
Hippocrates
Studied causes of illnesses and looked for cures
What is the Hippocratic oath?
Set ethical standards for doctors
