Greek civilizations Flashcards
- Greece is located in the Balkan Peninsula
- Around 80% is made up of mountains.
- It is surrounded by the Aegean Sea on the east, Ionian Sea on the west, and the Mediterranean Sea on the south.
- The highest peak is Mt. Olympus
- They specialize in trade and seafaring.
Geography
- flourished in Crete during the Bronze Age
- Sir Arthur Evans, an English archaeologist found the ruins of a palace in Knossos. He then named the island Minoa after the legendary king Minos of Greek mythology.
- Other sites where palaces were found were: Phiastos, Malia, and Zakros. All four were considered major administrative, trade, and religious centers of the Minoans. The palaces were used to store important commodities like grains, oil, and wine. All four palatial sites were connected via an extensive road network.
- They had a system of writing which archaeologists called Linear A.
Minoan Civilization
the minoans had a system of writing which archaeologists called
Linear A.
- Warrior society
- Heinrich Schliemann named the civilization after a site called Mycenae in Peloponnese in mainland Greece. Other sites with similar artifacts were found in Tiryns, Pylos, Thebes, Orchomenos, and Athens (capital of Greece)
- They had a system of writing called Linear B.
- They are believed to be the ancestors of the Greeks.
Mycenaean Civilization
- They had a system of writing called Linear B.
Mycenaean Civilization
- refers to the period between the Persian Wars and the death of Alexander the Great.
- an era of war and conflict—first between the Greeks and the Persians, then between the Athenians and the Spartans
Classical Greece
Led by Athens and Sparta, the Greek city-states were engaged in a great war with the Persian Empire at the beginning of the fifth century B.C. In 498 B.C.,
● Persian Wars
Athens controlled most of eastern Greece, many of the Aegean islands, and the Ionian coast in Asia Minor. The Spartans thought that Athens was too powerful.so they began the Peloponnesian War against Athens. At first, the Athenians avoided battle on land
● Peloponnesian War
● It is one of the great cities of the world. During the time of the ancient Greeks it was the center of power, art, science, and philosophy in the world.
● It is the birthplace of democracy and the heart of the Ancient Greek civilization.
● It is named after the Greek goddess Athena. She was the goddess of wisdom, war, and civilization and the patron of the city of Athens. Her shrine, the Parthenon, sits on top of a hill in the center of the city.
● The agora was the center of commerce and government for ancient Athens. It had a large open area for meetings which was surrounded by buildings. Many of the buildings were temples, including temples built to Zeus, Hephaestus, and Apollo. Some of the buildings were also government buildings. The agora was a place for people to meet and discuss ideas on philosophy and government. This is the place where the democracy of ancient Greece first came to life.
● The Acropolis was built on a hill in the middle of the city of Athens. Surrounded by stone walls, it was originally built as a citadel and fortress where the people could retreat when the city was attacked. Later, many temples and buildings were built here to overlook the city. At the center of the Acropolis is the Parthenon. This building was dedicated to the goddess Athena and was also used to store gold.
● The city of Ancient Athens reached its peak during the leadership of Pericles from 461 to 429 BC, called the Age of Pericles. During this time, Pericles promoted democracy, the arts, and literature. He also built many of the city’s great structures including the Parthenon
- Athens
citizens or metics. Citizens were born in Athens from Athenian parents. They could serve in the government, vote, or be part of the military. Metics were men born outside of Athens. They paid taxes and could not vote. But they could serve the military especially if they wanted to send their sons to school.
Men
prisoners of war owned by free men
Slaves
Athenian-born, who could own a property, or metic. Both were home-managers and had very little independence.
● It established the Delian League which was a military alliance with other Greek city-states to protect the Greeks from foreign attacks. This league acknowledged Athens as an empire. Athens took advantage over their supremacy over other city-states by using the reserves to rebuild temples destroyed by the Persians. These temples, which were built to the highest standards, were constructed under the leadership of Pericles and were part of the period of Athens’ artistic glory.
Women
was one of the most powerful city-states in Ancient Greece. It is famous for its powerful army as well as its battles with the city-state of Athens during the Peloponnesian War.
● Sparta
who were the direct descendants of the Dorians (established Sparta). They consisted of the citizens and warriors.
Spartiates
- free people who were responsible for business and trade. They owned properties but were not allowed to participate in politics.
Perioeci
They served either in the farms or households. Their population was greater than the Spartiates, thus the krypteia, or secret police was formed, to monitor their actions.
Helot, slaves
● ancient kingdom located in northern Greece. They isolated themselves from the rest of Greece to stay away from the hostilities between powerful Greek city-states.
● During the Battle of Chaeronea, King Philip II united the warring city-states ending the Macedonians’ isolation from the Greeks.
● Alexander III, son of King Philip II, succeeded his father after his death. He led the Macedonian army in conquering the Persian Empire. When he defeated King Darius III, Macedonia became the largest empire at that time, stretching from Europe to North Africa, and India. His extraordinary victories in battles, he was dubbed “Alexander the Great”. His death ended the classical age of Greece.
- Macedonia
- It was characterized by the merging of Greek, Egyptian, Persian, and Indian cultures.
Hellenistic Greece
astronomer who developed the theory that the sun is the center of the universe.
● Aristarchus
“Father of Geography”
● Eratosthenes
“Father of Geography”
● Eratosthenes
“Father of Geometry”
● Euclid
established the value of pi and discovered the principle of the lever and the pulley
● Archimedes
the king is the sole head of state
● Monarchy
a group of nobles or aristocrats runs the government
● Oligarchy
a government run by an individual with absolute power
● Tyranny
people run the state
● Democracy
During ancient Greece, it was an athletic and cultural event held at Olympia in honor of their god, Zeus. Only free men who could speak Greek were allowed to compete. Triumphant athletes were regarded as heroes of their respective cities. Today, the Games are divided into Summer and Winter Olympics which are usually participated in by athletes coming from countries around the world
olympics
- Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian, the three principal architectural orders of ancient architecture were developed.
● Columns
“the unexamined life is not worth living”, which urged Athenians to examine their morality.
● Socrates
pythagorean theorem
● Pythagora
“Father of Science”
● Thales
a story that ends unhappily
a. Tragedy
a story that usually ends on a happy note.
b. Comedy
