Two Small Cities in One Small Land Flashcards
- What united the Greeks despite their differences?
Religion and sport: “But one thing united the Greeks: their religion and their sport.”
- What does the word “democracy” mean in Greek?
Answer not listed: “This sort of government is called democracy, or ‘the rule of the people,’ in Greek.”
- What was the name of the Athenian lawgiver who introduced democracy?
Solon: “His name was Solon, and the laws he introduced in 594 BC—at the time of Nebuchadnezzar—were named after him.”
- Who was the most famous sculptor of Greek gods?
Phidias: “The most famous sculptor of such statues was Phidias.”
- Which Athenian politician was able to avoid the fate of being banished due to his wisdom and intelligence?
Answer not listed: “This wasn’t because [Pericles] held any special office or had any particular power—he was simply the wisest and the most intelligent.”
- What was the purpose of the Greek columns in the Acropolis?
To support the roof with elegance: “But none of them is as beautiful as those on the Acropolis where they are used not for show and decoration but for the purpose for which they were invented: as elegant supports for the roof.”
- “The same free people of Athens who defeated the Persians later treated __________ and __________ with just such ingratitude.”
Miltiades, Themistocles: “The same free people of Athens who defeated the Persians later treated Miltiades and Themistocles with just such ingratitude.”
- What were the most important tribes in Greece?
Dorians, Ionians, and Aeolians: “The most important of them being the Dorians in the south and the Ionians and the Aeolians in the north.”
- Polis is Greek for __________, politics, the _________ of it.
City, affairs: “Polis is Greek for city, politics, the affairs of it.”
- What does the term “Draconian” refer to?
The severity of Draco’s laws: “Things were different for them even though, as in Sparta, the nobles who once ruled Athens imposed harsh laws drawn up by an Athenian named Draco. (These laws were so strict that people still speak of ‘Draconian’ severity.)”
- How often were the Olympic Games held in ancient Greece?
Every four years: “Great sporting contests were held every four years in his sanctuary at Olympia…”
- Who was the Athenian politician who became the city’s sole ruler around 444 BC?
Pericles: “And so [Pericles] gradually worked his way up until, by 444 BC—a number as beautiful as the time it represents—he was, in effect, the city’s sole ruler.”
- What was the Delphic Oracle known for?
Answer not listed: “As sometimes happens in volcanic regions, there was a fissure in the ground from which vapor issued. If anyone inhaled it, it literally clouded their mind. It was as if they were drunk or delirious, and nothing they said made any sense.”
- What was the main focus of Spartans in their life?
To be fighting fit: “They only had one aim in life: to be fighting fit…”
- What is philosophy?
Reflection and reasoned argument: “This sort of reflection [over reasoned argument] is what we call philosophy.”
- What were the politicians who curried favor with the people and seized power called?
Tyrants: “Rulers like these were called tyrants.”
- What prize did the winners of the Olympic Games receive?
A garland made from sprigs of wild olive: “The prize was no more than a simple garland made from sprigs of wild olive…”
- What were the two things that interested the Athenians the most?
Truth and beauty: “And I can only say ‘everything.’ But two things interested [the Athenians] most and these were truth and beauty.”
- Which two cities were the most important in ancient Greece?
Sparta and Athens: “Let us now take a closer look at two of Greece’s most important cities: Sparta and Athens.”
- What did the Greeks excel in that has continued to influence modern society?
Art, architecture, and philosophy: “So, in short, the Greeks were the first people to have shown us what it means to live not like a pack of wild animals, but as human beings. They showed us that human beings can use their minds to create beauty, and they did it so well that everything that came afterwards, everything that is beautiful in our world today, is to some degree a reflection of their art and their architecture and their philosophy.”
