Chpt. 4, Classical Mediterranean and Middle East

Question 1

Cyrus the Great

Answer 1

a great Middle Eastern conqueror who emerged in 550 BCE and established the massive Persian (Achaemenid) Empire

Question 2

Zoroastrianism

Answer 2

a religion that arose in Persia, founded by Zoroaster (630 – 550 BCE), that emphasized the battle between good and evil, and the importance of personal moral choice in choosing one or the other; their priests are known as Magi

Question 3

Olympic games

Answer 3

one of the pan-Hellenic rituals observed by Greek city-states; involved athletic competitions and religious celebrations

Question 4

Pericles

Answer 4

Athenian political leader during the 5th century BCE; died during early stages of Peloponnesian War

Question 5

Peloponnesian Wars

Answer 5

wars from 431 to 404 BCE between Sparta and Athens for dominance in Greece; resulted in Spartan victory but failure to achieve unity in Greece

Question 6

Phillip 2

Answer 6

ruled Macedon from 359 to 336 BCE; founder of centralized kingdom; later conquered rest of Greece, which was subjected to Macedonian authority

Question 7

Hellenic

Answer 7

the adjective used to describe classical Greece, especially its culture

Question 8

Hellenistic

Answer 8

the adjective used to describe the blending of the culture of Greece, Persia, and India, and Egypt that occurred when Alexander the Conqueror united these areas under his rule

Question 9

Alexandria, Egypt

Answer 9

site of ancient Mediterrenean’s greatest library; center of literary studies

Question 10

Roman Republic

Answer 10

founded with a constitution c. 510 and lasting until 47 BC, this featured an aristocratic Senate, a panel of magistrates, and several popular assemblies

Question 11

Punic Wars

Answer 11

from 264 – 146 BCE, fought between Rome and Carthage to establish dominance in the western Mediterranean; won by Rome after three separate conflicts

Question 12

Carthage

Answer 12

originally a Phoenician colony in northern Africa, it became a major port and commercial power in the western Mediterranean; fought the Punic Wars with Rome for dominance of the western Mediterranean

Question 13

Hannibal

Answer 13

a great Carthaginian general during the Second Punic War; successfully invaded Italy but failed to conquer Rome; finally was defeated at the Battle of Zama

Question 14

Julius Caesar

Answer 14

a Roman general responsible for the conquest of Gaul; brought army back to Rome and overthrew the republic; assassinated in 44 BC by conservative senators

Question 15

Augustus Caesar

Answer 15

the name given to Octavian following his defeat of Mark Anthony and Cleopatra; the first emperor of Rome

Question 16

Diocletian

Answer 16

a Roman emperor from 284 to 305 CE who restored the later empire by improving administration and tax collection

Question 17

Constantine

Answer 17

a Roman emperor from 312 to 337 CE; he established a second capital at Constantinople and attempted to use the religious force of Christianity to unify his empire spiritually

Question 18

polis

Answer 18

city-state form of government; typ-ical of Greek political organization from 800 to 400 BC

Question 19

direct democracy

Answer 19

where people participate directly in assemblies that make laws and select leaders, rather than electing representatives

Question 20

Senate

Answer 20

the assembly of Roman aristocrats; advised on policy within the republic; one of the early elements of Roman constitution; they formed the legislative branch of Roman government

Question 21

consuls

Answer 21

two chief executives or magistrates of the Roman Republic; elected annually by aristocrat dominated assembly; they formed the executive branch of Roman government

Question 22

Cicero

Answer 22

(106-43 BCE) conservative Roman senator; Stoic philosopher; one of great orators of his day, killed in reaction to assassination of Julius Caesar

Question 23

Aristotle

Answer 23

a Greek philosopher; the teacher of Alexander the Great; knowledge based on observation of phenomena in the natural world

Question 24

Stoicism

Answer 24

a Hellenistic group of philosophers who emphasized inner moral independence cultivated by strict discipline of the body and personal bravery; it was a philosophy originally attributed to a freed slave named Zeno

Question 25

Socrates

Answer 25

an Athenian philosopher of the later 5th century BC; tutor of Plato, he urged rational reflection of moral decisions and was condemned to death for corrupting the minds of the Athenian young

Question 26

Sophocles

Answer 26

Greek writer of tragedies; author of Oedipus Rex

Question 27

Iliad

Answer 27

a Greek epic poem attributed to Homer but possibly the work of many authors; defined gods and human nature that shaped Greek myths; it told the tale of the Trojan War

Question 28

Odyssey

Answer 28

a Greek epic poem attributed to Homer but possibly the work of many authors; defined gods and human nature that shaped Greek myths

Question 29

Doric

Answer 29

along with Ionic and Corinthian, distinct style of Hellenistic architecture; the least ornate of the three styles

Question 30

Ionic

Answer 30

along with Doric and Corinthian, distinct style of Hellenistic architecture; more ornate than Doric but less than Corinthian

Question 31

Corinthian

Answer 31

along with Doric and Ionic, distinct style of Hellenistic architecture; the most ornate of the three styles