"Two Small Cities in One Small Land" Flashcards
What is the geographical and cultural layout of ancient Greece?
The mainly mountainous landscape, with the Pindus Mountains and Mount Olympus, is surrounded by water on three sides the Ionian Sea, the Mediterranean Sea, and the Aegean Sea.
What are the different tribes in Greece, including the Dorians, Ionians, and Aeolians?
The Ancient Greeks divided themselves into three tribes; the Aeolians, Ionians, and Dorians. The Mycenaeans (referred to as Argives, Achaeans, and Danaans by Homer in the Iliad) were Aeolians and Ionians. Sometime around 1100 BCE, the Dorians, who lived north of the other two tribes, began to raid the Mycenaeans.
What relationships were between the Greek tribes and how they interacted with each other?
The ancient Greeks were active seafarers seeking opportunities for trade and founding new independent cities at coastal sites across the Mediterranean Sea.
What importance of religion and sport in uniting the Greeks?
Their faith intheir religionand their sport. And I say one because, paradoxically, athletics and religion were not two distinct entities. For example, every four years in honor of Zeus, the Father of the Gods, a huge sporting contest was held in his shrine at Olympia, and all the Greeks—the Dorian Spartans, and Athenians—came to show how fast they could run, throw the disc javelin, fight hand to hand, and race chariots. Victory at Olympia was the pinnacle of a man’s life. The award was nothing more than a modest garland composed of fame for the winners: the finest poets chanted their praises, and the greatest sculptors declared that they would stand forever in Olympia. They were pictured in their chariots, rubbing the dis rubbing oil into their bodies before the combat. Triumph monuments like these can still be seen today; your local museum may possibly have one.
When did the Olympic Games and their significance in ancient Greece?
From 776 BC, the Games were held in Olympia every four years for almost 12 centuries. Contrary evidence, both literary and archaeological, suggests that the games may have existed at Olympia much earlier than this date, perhaps as early as the 10th or 9th century BC.
Who did the Delphic Oracle and its role in Greek society?
Greeks believed the site was originally sacred and belonged to Gaea, or Mother Earth, and was guarded by Gaea’s serpent child, Python. Apollo killed Python and founded his oracle there.
What characteristics of Sparta and Athens, and understand their differences?
Athens was a democratic state where education, art, and philosophy were valued. Sparta was a military state where strength, size, and fighting capabilities were most important
What social and political systems of Sparta and Athens, including the laws introduced by Lycurgus and Solon?
Ancient Athens and Sparta list two almost mythical figures, Lycurgus and Solon, as the men who gave them their laws.
What concept of democracy and its development in Athens?
The Greek democracy established in Athens was direct rather than representative: every adult male citizen over the age of 20 could and was expected to participate. The democratic officials were elected in part by the Assembly and in large part by lottery in a procedure known as sortition.
What went the rise of tyrants in Athenian politics and how the Athenians dealt with them?
A Greek tyrant was not necessarily an evil or oppressive regime. Tyranny in Ancient Greece was merely a different form of government.
What are Pericles and his role in shaping Athens?
Pericles promoted the arts and literature, and it is principally through his efforts that Athens acquired the reputation of being the educational and cultural center of the ancient Greek world. He started an ambitious project that generated most of the surviving structures on the Acropolis, including the Parthenon.
What are the cultural achievements of the Athenians, including their contributions to art, architecture, and philosophy?
The temples on the Acropolis in Athens were examples of the Greek talent for architecture. The lifelike marble statues made in workshops displayed the art of sculpture.
What significance of the Acropolis and the architectural elements used in its construction?
Pericles promoted the arts and literature, and it is principally through his efforts that Athens acquired the reputation of being the educational and cultural center of the ancient Greek world. He started an ambitious project that generated most of the surviving structures on the Acropolis, including the Parthenon.
