Test deck Flashcards
- Who were the mountain people who lived north of Mesopotamia and worshipped light and the sun?
Answer not listed: “These mountain people [, the Persians,] were the Persians. They had a beautiful religion: they worshiped light and the sun.”
- Who was the ruler of the Persians who led his band of horsemen to conquer Babylon?
Answer not listed: “Their ruler was a man of exceptional courage and intelligence called Cyrus, who was no longer prepared to put up with the oppression of his people. He led his band of horsemen down onto the plain of Babylon.”
- What was the first act of Cyrus after he became lord of Babylon?
Free the peoples held in captivity: “His first act was to free all the peoples held in captivity by the Babylonians.”
- But __________’s son, __________ succeeded him after he died on his way to conquer Egypt.
Cyrus, Cambyses: “But [Cyrus’s] son, Cambyses, succeeded. Egypt fell and the pharaoh was deposed.”
- What was the significance of the Persian conquest of Egypt?
Answer not listed: “That was the end of the Egyptian empire, which had lasted almost three thousand years! And with its end, this little Persian tribe became master of nearly all the known world.”
- What did Darius build to carry his orders to the farthest parts of his kingdom?
Answer not listed: “He built roads so that his orders might be carried without delay to the furthest parts of his kingdom.”
- What were the “satraps”?
The king’s highest officials: “And even his highest officials, the satraps, were spied on by informers known as ‘the king’s eyes and ears’.”
- What was the reason for the rebellion of the Greek colonies against the Persian king?
Answer not listed: “Many of the people who lived in the Greek colonies were rich merchants, used to running their own affairs and making their own decisions about the administration of their cities, jointly and independently. They had no wish to be ruled by a Persian king, nor would they pay him tribute. So they rebelled, and threw out the Persian governors.”
- Darius was a great king who governed the vast Persian empire in such a way that nothing happened anywhere that he himself had not decreed. His highest officials … were spied on by informers known as __________.
The King’s Eyes and Ears: “And even his highest officials, the satraps, were spied on by informers known as ‘the king’s eyes and ears’.”
- Why did the Athenians support the Ionian Greeks in their rebellion against the Persian king?
They were afraid of Persian invasion of their own city: “The Greeks were not used to being part of a great empire, with a ruler who sent orders from God knows where in the heart of Asia, expecting instant obedience. Many of the people who lived in the Greek colonies were rich merchants, used to running their own affairs and making their own decisions about the administration of their cities, jointly and independently. They had no wish to be ruled by a Persian king, nor would they pay him tribute. So they rebelled, and threw out the Persian governors. In this they were supported by the Greeks in the motherland, the original founders of the colonies, and in particular by the Athenians, who sent them in ships.”
- How did the Persian king react to the rebellion of the Ionian Greeks?
He became angry and immediately dealt with the Ionian cities: “He dealt with the Ionian cities in Asia Minor in less than no time … He was furious with the Athenians for meddling in his affairs.”
- Why did the Persian king want to destroy Athens and conquer Greece?
He believed the Athenians were responsible for the rebellion of the Ionian Greeks: “But he wasn’t finished yet. He was furious with the Athenians for meddling in his affairs. With the aim of destroying Athens and conquering Greece, he equipped a large fleet.”
- Which of the following is not an accurate description of Miltiades?
He was a highly respected Ionian military general: “For the Athenians had a general named Miltiades, a brave and able man, who had lived for many years among the Persians, and knew their fighting tactics.”
- Why did the Persian ships turn towards Athens after the defeat at Marathon?
Answer not listed: “But Miltiades was shrewd as well as brave. He had noted that instead of sailing back the way they had come, the Persian ships had turned toward Athens, which lay undefended and open to attack.”
- What is the Marathon Run?
A messenger who ran from Marathon to Athens to deliver a message: “This was the famous Marathon Run after which we call our race. Famous, because the messenger ran so far and so fast that all he could do was deliver his message before he fell down dead.”
- Who succeeded Darius as King of Kings of Persia?
Xerxes: “[Darius] died soon after, leaving his son and successor, Xerxes, to take revenge on Greece once and for all.”
- Who led the Athenians to victory at the Battle of Marathon?
Miltiades: “But not quite. For the Athenians had a general named Miltiades, a brave and able man, who had lived for many years among the Persians, and knew their fighting tactics. Added to which, the Athenians all knew what was at stake: their freedom and their lives, and those of their wives and children. So there at Marathon they formed ranks, and fell upon the startled Persians. And they were victorious.”
- How did Xerxes respond to the destruction of the bridge made of boats?
He lashed the waves with chains in his fury: “But when the Persians tried to cross the narrow neck of sea which separates Asia Minor from today’s Istanbul, on a bridge made of boats, rough waves tore the bridge apart. In his fury, Xerxes had the waves lashed with chains.”
