Chapter 6: Ancient Greece Flashcards
Was Greek’s land good for farming?
No, there was poor soil and no major river system
What were the two Aegean Civilizations?
Minoan and Achaean
What was Achaean Civilization also called?
Mycenean
Where was Minoan civilization located?
Knossos, Crete
Who discovered the Minoan palace?
Sir Arthur Evans in 1898
What are frescos?
artwork painted on wet plaster while it dries, retains color longer
What did the Minoans worship?
Bulls were sacred, believed the Gods loved bulls.
What was Minoan language?
Linear A
What was Mycenaean language?
Linear B
Who wrote the Iliad and the Odyssey?
Homer
Who founded Sparta?
the Dorians
Who founded Athens?
Achaean migrants
What was the Hellas Age?
the blending of Dorian and Achaean cultures
What were the Dorians like?
warlike, illiterate warriors
What did the Dorians do to the Greeks/Helens (Achaeans)
Forced them to flee to Asia Minor, where they developed into Athens
What does polis mean?
“city”
What is the chora?
Land around the city
What is an acropolis?
Hilltop fortress that served as a city-center
What was the agora?
A place for markets and debates
What was Greece’s geography perfect for?
Trade
How were the gods depicted in Greek culture?
Had strengths and weaknesses, were like humans but more superior
What are myths?
stories about gods and adventures
What was Mount Olympus?
Home of the gods
Who were Oracles?
A priestess who could communicate with the gods, predict fate and fortune.
What was Delphi?
the “Center of Greece,” home to the most famous oracle. People would make pilgrimage to Delphi to discover their fate.
What were the Olympics?
Athletic competitions held to honor Zeus
What were some awards of winning the Olympics?
Free meals, money, an olive branch, lifelong fame and honor, choice of marrying an heiress.
What were enslaved people called in Sparta?
Helots (outnumbered the Spartans)
Who were ephors?
Overseers
What was a Spartan soldier called?
Hoplite
What was Spartan culture like?
War-based, no interest in education or knowledge, produced no culture, people were focused on becoming physically tougher. Life revolved around fighting and battle. Women had a good amount of freedom, children were put to death if they were sickly or weak.
What was Athens also called?
“Nursery of Western Civilization”
Who was a citizen in Athens?
Men who owned land
Who were metics?
People who moved to Athens from other city-states for economic purposes
Who were slaves in Athens?
People owned by other people.
Why does democracy come to Athens?
1) voice
2) merchant/middle class
3) poor
Who was Draco?
Wrote Draconian Law
What was Draconian Law?
A code with very strict and harsh laws, where many crimes were punishable by death. Had little trust in people.
Who was Solon?
A king who abolished slavery and cared about people other than just nobles. Favored by many people.
Who was Pisistratos?
Known as the Benevolent Despot. Achieved public works, provided pension for veterans, and increased trade.
Who was Cleisthenes?
Created the Athenian assembly an randomly selected leaders for each region. Increased the level of democracy.
What is ostracism?
to get rid of certain people who are a threat to Athens. (were voted out)
Who was Pericles?
Led the Golden Age, payed people to be in office, allowed the poor to be on juries, built the Parthenon and the Acropolis. Promoted art to flourish.
Was Athens a true democracy?
No, but it was a good start. It was not a true democracy because there was slavery, women could not vote, and there was a large number of non-citizens who did not have a say.
What empire was the biggest threat to Greece?
Persia, the world’s super power at the time.
What was the Delian League?
Created during the Golden Age in which Athens tries to unite 140 city-states under the common threat of Persia. Athens takes money from all these city-states and then uses it to make Athens more beautiful. This angers the other city-states.
Who won the Peloponnesian war?
Sparta, since Athens was dying of plague. However, Sparta chooses not to destroy Athens and kill the Athenians after winning.
What happens after Sparta defeats Athens?
They are overthrown by Thebes.
What happens to Greece as a whole after the Peloponnesian war?
Greece faces poor, weak leadership. The city-states war against each other.
What was the Hellenistic Age?
The spreading of Greek culture
What was the Hellenic age?
Development of Greek culture
What was a phalanx?
A rectangular formation of soldiers with spears, attacked in “waves” of rows.
Who was Phillip II of Macedon?
Rich king of Macedonia who conquered Greece when it was weak. Admired Greek culture. Developed new military techniques such as the phalanx and invented long-distance catapults and crossbows.
How did the Greeks view the Macedonians?
Viewed them as barbaric
Who was Alexander the Great?
Son of Phillip II, military was a part of his life since a young age. Makes army bigger, expands empire. Conquers Persia, Egypt, and towards India.
Who was Pythagoras?
Developed the pythagorean theorem, expands discipline of geometry.
Who was Euclid?
“Father of geometry”
Who was Hipparchus?
1st person to use trigonometry, calculated the sun and moon distances and an accurate length of the year.
Who was Archimedes?
Developed physics; lever, pulley, gears, studied gravity, spheres, cylinders, cones, geometry, bizarre weapons, “Eureka, I found it”
Who was Thales?
Believed the universe is governed by natural laws, all life comes from water and needs water.
Who was Eratosthenes?
Geographer, believed earth is round, calculates earth circumference
Who was Aristarchus?
Believed that the earth revolves around the sun
Who was Herophilus?
Physician, human biology; nervous system, blood is important
What was the Library of Alexandria?
Center of world’s education at the time
Who was Ptolemy?
Collects all written documents he can find, “wrong science”
Who was Strabo?
Geographer; first main map of Europe, Africa, and India used for centuries
Who was Hippocrates?
physician; path, father of medicine
Who was Aristotle?
“all around” thinker, studied everything. One of the foremost thinkers in history.
Who was Hero?
developed bizarre gadgets
Who was Pedanius?
“Father of pharmacy”
Who was Phidias?
famous sculptor who sculpted statues of Zeus and Athena
Who was Praxiteles?
famous sculptor known for his life-like, human-like statues of the gods and Greek people
What did Greek paintings depict?
1) humans
2) pride in city-state
3) ideal/harmony
4) beauty + usefulness
What was a drama?
Made to honor Dionysus, stories involving a hero struggling with fate
Which writer was famous for his fables such as the Tortoise and the Hare?
Aesop
Who was Herodotus?
“Father of history”
Who was Thucydides?
“First scientific historian,” less biased than Herodotus
What does “philosopher” mean?
“lover of wisdom”
Who was Socrates?
A teacher who wanted people to question why people do the things they do. Promoted youth to question authority and learn through inquiry and critical analysis.
Who was Plato?
Questioned what is real and invisible. Known for the Allegory of the Cave, was a student of Socrates and based his ideas off of him.
What did Aristotle accomplish?
Created the basis for the scientific method. Used logic and reasoning to come up with conclusions.
What is Sophism?
Developed by Protagoras; belief that there is no eternal truth, all things are relative.
What is Epicureanism?
Developed by Epicurus; seem pleasure in life, YOLO
What is Stoicism?
Developed by Zeno; let it be, work hard
What is cynicism?
Developed by Diogenes; live a simple life, no trust in people
