Unit 2 - Ancient Greece Flashcards
Ancient Greece
What are the 3 types of metals that helped to define an increase in technology throughout the ages (In order)?
Copper, Bronze, Iron
What were some pros and cons of the first metal age?
Copper Age - easy to find, low melting point, BUT weak and broke easily
What was the second metal age and why was it better?
Bronze Age - less brittle and stronger, BUT more expensive
What was the third metal age and why was it unique and challenging?
Iron Age - hard to find and hard to smelt (high melting point). It was first discovered in an asteroid, henceforth earning the nickname ‘sideros’
What is metallurgy and a metallurgist?
Metallurgy - study of metals
Metallurgist - one who studies and works with metals
What does sideros mean?
“from the stars”
What is charcoal and why is it important?
Charcoal is wood that is burnt and transformed into carbon.
Important because - burns brighter, hotter, longer
What were triremes used for?
Greek warships used in battle to poke holes in enemy vessels
Why were Greek triremes the best and deadliest warships in the ancient world?
Fast, maneuverable, efficient. 3 rows of rowers that powered the ship. Prow was hard so it could be rammed easily into other ships and retreat.
Who invented triremes?
Phoenicians invented the Biremes (warships with two rows of rowers)
Greeks invented the Triremes from the Bireme (warship with 3 rows of rowers)
When did the trireme stop being used?
End of 5th century [NOT B.C.E.] BECAUSE
- created out of softwood that could not support heavy weapons like catapults
-other ships were seen used at the end of 5th century
What was the Parthenon used for?
Ancient Greek temple, honored Athena (Greek goddess of war and wisdom)
How long did Parthenon take to build?
58 yrs to complete in all (built in 2 stages)
- First: Began in 490 BC, destroyed before completion
- Second: Began again in 438 BC, ended in 432 BC
How were the Parthenon columns built?
- Quarried marble
-Transported on wheeled carts
-left knobs on the sides so they could be hoisted up with ropes attached to them
-Used early crane to stack the pieces
-Carved them+detailed (knocked off knobs and added grooves/details)
Who built the Parthenon? Please include details.
Main Architects: Callicrates and Ictinus
Supervisor/sculptor/designer: Phidias
Phidias made the statue of Athena and the Gables, which depict scenes
What tasks could you use an astrolabe for? (The Smartphone of the Greek World)
Device for:
-telling time
-date
-position
Used the sun and the stars
What is cement made of and why was it important to the Greek world?
Limestone, sand, ground clay, and other raw materials mixed with water.
They could build almost anything with it, including structures and architectural feats still existing. It was a strong material that Greeks originally used as mortar, but they eventually used it for buildings.
Greece traded with many neighboring civilizations located near the mediterranean sea. What were the names AND INFLUENCES of those civilizations?
Egypt - mathematics, culture, and medicinal history (Hippocrates)
Persia - technology and culture but improved upon it
Mycenaean architecture is the first time that you see a corbeled arch. A corbeled arch is:
Succession of stone blocks, forming an apparent arch, or a false arch. Start from outside and move inward closing gap, staggered like steps
What is an apparent arch/false arch?
It does not distribute weight evenly and will eventually fail over time.
Fill in the Blanks:
According to myth the ________ were led from the city by a king named ________, whose epic struggles were written about by the 8th century BC poet Homer in two of history’s most famous tales; the Iliad and the Odyssey.
Mycenaeans, Agamemnon
Fill in the Blanks:
Before the advent of democracy, many of these city states were led by a single ruler called a ________. Around 540 BC a ________ named ________ came to rule over the island city state of Samos in the Eastern Aegean sea.
Tyrant, tyrant, Polycrates
Fill in the Blanks:
In 480 BC, ____________defeated the Persians at the Battle of ________ against incredible odds. Because the Greeks defeated Persia, its young democracy was saved and able to flourish.
Themistocles, Salamis
Fill in the Blanks:
By the 430’s BC, the ________ began to feel threatened by the ________. In 431 BC, ________ moved on to Athens. The bloody and brutal conflict between them, known as the ____________ continued for 25 years until finally, ________ fell. With the end of the War the time of ________ dominance was over, but great marvels of Greek culture and engineering would live on.
Spartans, Athenians, Sparta, Peloponnesian War, Athens, Athenian and Pericles’ (either/or/and)
What is entasis?
- Simple definition:
A straight line would give the illusion of a curved line, so the ends of the line are tapered to give it the illusion of a straight line. - Complex definition:
a slightly convex curve given to the shaft of a column, pier, or similar structure, to correct the illusion of concavity produced by a straight shaft.
Who was
Cyrus the Great?
- Persian King - established one of the largest empires in world history
- Known as the king of kings
- Tolerant of other religions in lands he conquered
- famous for freeing Jewish captives in Babylon + allowing them to return to their homeland.
Who was
Aristotle?
- Greek Philosopher - Taught by Plato
- requested in Macedonia by King Philip II to tutor his son, the future Alexander the Great
- laid the foundation for most modern sciences
- invented the study of logic, or the science of reasoning
- thought that people should observe nature and gain knowledge from their senses
- argued that any theory must be based on observed facts
Who was
Hypatia?
- first women to study math, astronomy and philosophy
- applied mathematics to philosophy
- built on the ideas of Neoplatonism, a way of thinking based on the belief that humans form ideas from their experiences.
- notes on math and astronomy helped modern mathematicians and astronomers come up with advanced theories that are still used today
Who was
Euclid?
- authored the Elements
- The Elements is concerned mainly with geometry, proportion, and number theory.
- famous for Optics, explained light’s behavior w/ geometrical principles he developed in the Elements
- theory of light was the basis of artistic perspective, astronomical methods, and navigation methods for over 2,000 yrs
Who was
Hermodike I?
- Invented Greek written script, i.e. the transfer of earlier technical knowledge from Phrygia into ancient Greek society through Aeolis
- referred to by Aristotle
- daughter of a dynastic Agamemnon of Cyme and wife of Midas, king of Phrygia
Who was
Philo of Byzantium?
- one of the greatest engineers
- pioneer in mechanics and physics
- student of the famed engineer Ctesibius
- studies on physics, primarily in the field of aerodynamics + thermodynamics, works in mathematics + doubling of cube, + in cryptography were part his genius.
Who was
Alexander the Great?
- conquered lands retained Greek influence Alexander introduced, several cities he founded remain important cultural centers today
- period of history from death to 31 B.C., when his empire folded, would come to be known as the Hellenistic period
- from “Hellazein,” which means, “to speak Greek or identify with the Greeks.”
- revered as one of the most powerful and influential leaders the ancient world ever produced.
Main Periods of Greek History
#1
What was the first main period of Greek history and when was it?
Aegean Age
3000 BC - 1200 BC
Main Periods of Greek History
#2
What was the second main period of Greek history and when was it?
Hellenic Age
1200 BC - 336 BC
Main Periods of Greek History
#3
What was the third main period of Greek history and when was it?
Hellenistic Age
336 BC - 146 BC
Other Important Ancient Greek inventions
- Crossbow
- Gears
- Anchor
- Cartography
- Crane
- Lighthouse
- Automatic Doors
- Cement
- Central Heating
- Plumbing
- Sinks
- Showers
- Surveying Tools
- Water Mill
- Wheelbarrow
- Alarm Clock
- Clock Tower
- Coins
- Locks
- Odometer
- Steam Engine
- Thermometer
- Umbrella
- Vending Machine
- Olympics
- Astrolabe
- Theatre
- Water Clock
- Greek Fire
- The Lever
- Pap Smear
- Archimedes Screw
