Ancient Greece Flashcards
Define Vocab, Key Terms, and Events
Mycenaeans
a group of people who settled on the Greek mainland around 2000 B.C.; leading city called Mycenae which could withstand any attack; nobles lived in splendor; these people invaded many surrounding kingdoms
Trojan War
10 year war fought between the Mycenaean Greeks and the city of Troy
Dorians
a Greek-speaking people that, according to tradition, migrated into mainland Greece after the destruction of the Mycenaean civilization
Homer
ancient Greek epic poet who is blind and is believed to have written the Iliad and the Odyssey (circa 850 BC)
Epics
narrative poems celebrating heroic deeds
Myths
a traditional story, especially one concerning the early history of a people or explaining some natural or social phenomenon, and typically involving supernatural beings or events.
Polis
a city state in ancient Greece, the fundamental political unit in ancient Greece
Acropolis
A fortified hilltop in an ancient Greek city where citizens gathered . to discuss politics
Monarchy
A government in which power is in the hands of a single person
Aristocracy
a government ruled by a small group of noble, landowning families
Oligarchy
A government ruled by a few powerful people
Tyrants
Powerful individuals, usually nobles or other wealthy citizens, sometimes seized control of the government by appealing to the common people for support.
Democracy
A government controlled by its citizens, either directly or through representatives.
Helots
peasants forced to stay on the land they worked
Phalanx
A military formation of foot soldiers armed with spears and shields
Persian Wars
between Greece and the Persian Empire, began in Ionia on the coast of Anatolia
Direct Democracy
A form of government in which citizens rule directly and not through representatives
Classical Art
Their values of harmony, order, balance, and proportion became the standard
Tragedy
a serious drama about common themes such as love, hate, war, or betrayal
Comedy
contained scenes filled with slapstick situations and crude humor
Peloponnesian War
(431-404 BCE) The war between Athens and Sparta that in which Sparta won, but left Greece as a whole weak and ready to fall to its neighbors to the north.
Philosophers
Lovers of Wisdom
Socrates
Greek philosopher; socratic method–questioning; sentenced to death for corrupting Athens youth
Plato
Student of Socrates, wrote The Republic about the perfectly governed society
Aristotle
questioned the nature of the world and of human belief, thought, and knowledge
Phillip II
336 BC, was an ancient Greek king of Macedon from 359 BC until his assassination in 336. He was the father of Alexander the Great.
Macedonia
A kingdom located just north of Greece. It had a rough terrain and a cold climate.
Alexander the Great
Son of Phillip II, conquered the city-states of Greece, and then all of Asia minor, Syria, Egypt, and lands of Persia. He named many cities after himself and spread Hellenism “Greek Culture”
Darius III
king of Persia who was defeated by Alexander the Great
Hellenistic
the blending of Greek cultures with those of Persia, Egypt, and Central Asia following the conquests of Alexander the Great
Alexandria
Egyptian city that was the center of Hellenistic culture and commerce
Euclid
a highly regarded mathematician who taught in Alexandria
Archimedes
a Hellenistic scientist who applied principles of physics to make practical inventions
Colossus of Rhodes
A bronze statue, more than 100 feet high, and one of the Seven Wonders of the World. It is considered the largest known statue of the Hellenistic period.
What class did Cleisthenes come from and what kind of power did this group exercise over Athenians?
He had been born into one of the richest family in the east.
What was the situation in Athens in 508 BC and why?
The people of Greece turned against their leaders and fought for rights.
Describe Arete, the Greek ideal or vision of a hero.
Arete is excellence of any kind that is morally good. It is striving and living up to full potential. To become a real life hero.
What was Athens’ most valuable trading commodity?
Olive Oil
What was the name of the alliance that the Athenians created after the defeat of Persia? What was this alliance’s purpose?
The alliance was called the Delian League and the purpose was to unite the Greek city-states to keep the Persian in check.
How did the battle of Salamis affect Athens as a regional power economically and politically?
The battle of Salamis made Athens the greatest Greek power of the Delian League and allowed for trade to prosper and the city-state to become economically supreme.
What building complex was the center of Pericles building program and how much money was Pericles willing to spend on it in today’s terms?
The Parthenon was the building that Pericles built to honor Athena. It is worth a million dollars in today’s money.
What were the favorite subjects of the Athenian theater, and what was the typical plot line of these stories?
Theater subjects such as tragedy and drama were Athens favorite. Plot lines go from tragic flaws to great lovers.
What was Pericles’ strategy to defeat the Spartans and how did this play to Athenian strengths?
Pericles’ strategy was to abandon all the land surrounding Athens and to retreat to the city walls behind them. They would utilize the sea and would get resources through the navy. They would use the navy to attack the Spartans on the coast. They thought Sparta would eventually give up due to the lack of chances at an infantry war.
What was Socrates favorite subject of study? What does Socrates think people should make every decision based on?
Socrates favorite subject was the study was people and questioning. He thought people should make every decision based on your own understanding on what is good and what is not good. What is right and wrong.
What did the Spartans do in 430 BC and what did the Athenians do?
Great plagues and epidemics broke out in Athens in the year 430 BC. This led to the Spartains postponing their invasion to avoid the devastating plague.
Why did the Athenians decide to defend the Greek colony on Sicily and attack Syracuse in 415 BC? How did it turn out for the Athenians?
Athens attempted to defend Sicily to control the water. Both the wars on Sicily and Syracuse went terrible for the Athenian Army and they lost both wars to the Spartans.
What did the Spartans use their navy and what did this do to the Athenians?
The Spartans used their navy to block off the cargo routes of the Athenians which led to the starvation and weakening of the many people
What did the Spartans force the Athenians to do after they defeated them?
The burnt every Athenian ship other that the 12 boats allowed to defend themselves form other barbarians.
Who did the Athenians use as a scapegoat for their defeat and what did they do to him?
The Athenians used Socrates as their scapegoat for their defeat against Sparta. The convicted him of impiety and corruption of the youth so the killed him using poison hemlock
