Greece & Rome Flashcards
Describe the geography of Greece and Italy…
Italy: Peninsula, into the Mediterranean Sea, low mountains, broad plains, dry, temperature climate, fertile land.
Greece: rocky, mountainous, thousands of islands, not many regions have fertile land.
Athens vs Sparta
Values: Athens was educational, Sparta was fitness.
Women: Athens inferior, Sparta cornerstone
Economy: Athens trade & the arts, Sparta farming and conquest
Political System: Athens is democracy, citizen voting. Sparta was ruled by two kings and elders. Militaristic power.
Compare Athens and Sparta
Both had their own governments, laws, and currency. Both competed in the Olympic games. Both used slavery to support their economy.
What are humanistic values?
People can be good and improve the world: people have the potential to grow. Greek art and literature really explored what it means to be human, understanding ourselves and the world around us.
How did the Romans build upon the Greek to create Hellenistic culture?
Greek art, built temples that resembled Greek architecture, adopted the Greek alphabet, were inspired by greek plays and poems, took ideas from Greek philosophers when developing government. For example, the shift from classical to Hellenistic culture.
Typical features of Greek Architecture.
A focus on balance and harmony, pillars, symmetrical.
Alexander the Great’s Achievements
Greek Empire that stretched from Greece to India, military genius, spread Greek culture and ideas -> forming Hellenistic culture.
Why is Alexander the Great a Villian?
His brutality of conquest, his armies were ruthless. He spread Greek culture, but this was more about domination than sharing ideas.
How was Hellenistic culture differ?
A lot more widespread, culture was more varied. More about emotion, innovation, and abstraction (as seen in Hellenistic sculpture)
4 Scientific Accomplishments of the Hellenistic Age
- Euclid’s geometry: Elements
- Archimedes: principle of buoyancy, pulley systems.
- Socrates: Questioning everything, examine and think.
- Plato: Wrote “The Republic” how a society should be run
How did the ideas and accomplishments of Greeks influence western culture?
Check-and-balance government. Math (geometry) and science since Greeks were the first people to think about the world in logical ways and spread their ideas around the world. Greek architecture is also mimicked.
How were checks on power built into the Roman Republic
Romans had a system of checks and balances: 2 co-presidents who had a 1-year term limit, a senate, and officials, and citizens could vote in an assembly.
What did Romans do for spare time and who paid?
Gladiator fights, chariot races, plays, public baths. The wealthy and government would pay for entertainment to improve their reputation.
Boy-girl dynamic in Rome
Boys: citizenship and work: education.
Girls: cooking, weaving, household.
Roman women had limited rights, could not vote or hold public office, couldn’t fully own and control property, always under the control of a male relative.
Golden Age of Athens
480 - 430 BCE
