Week 2 Flashcards
What are the two main periods of Ancient Greek civilization?
Hellenic (800–323 BCE) and Hellenistic (323 BCE–100 CE)
What major change marks the transition from Neolithic to Antiquity?
The development of writing (~3500 BCE)
What is a polis?
A city-state, the basic political unit of Ancient Greece
What element did Thales believe was the fundamental substance of the universe?
Water
Who proposed that the universe was composed of atoms in a void?
Leucippus and the Atomists
What did Heraclitus believe about change?
That everything is in constant flux
What paradox did Zeno use to argue against the reality of motion?
Motion is impossible due to infinite divisibility (e.g., Achilles and the Tortoise)
What was the Pythagorean view of reality?
The universe is numerical and composed of spheres (Uranos, Cosmos, Olympos)
What is Plato’s “Theory of Forms”?
The belief in perfect, eternal ideas that material reality imperfectly imitates
What is the “Allegory of the Cave” about?
People see only shadows of the true reality (the Forms)
What did Aristotle reject from Plato’s philosophy?
The separation between the realm of ideas and the material world
How did Aristotle influence natural philosophy for centuries?
By dividing the cosmos into the unchanging heavens (astronomy) and the changing Earth (physics)
What was the Musaeum of Alexandria?
A major Hellenistic research institution with a library, anatomy studios, and observatory
Who were Herophilus and Erasistratus?
Pioneers in anatomy and physiology, respectively
Who is known as the father of medicine in Ancient Greece?
Hippocrates
What did Euclid contribute to science?
He systematized geometry
What innovation in historical writing is Thucydides known for?
A critical, evidence-based approach to history
What are some major Roman engineering achievements?
Roads, aqueducts, arches, domes, and vaults
Who was Galen and what did he study?
A Roman physician who studied anatomy, disease, and the four humours
What were Ptolemy’s major works?
The Almagest (astronomy) and Geographia (map projection and atlas)
What was the goal of Ptolemy’s Almagest?
To model planetary motion using uniform circular orbits
Why did natural philosophy develop in Greece rather than Egypt or Mesopotamia?
Likely due to political structures (like the polis), open debate, and a shift from myth to reason
How did Greek science spread globally?
Through the conquests of Alexander the Great and institutions like the Musaeum of Alexandria
