World History: Ancient Greece FP

Question 1

What are the three different types of maps and their purposes?

Answer 1

3 types of maps are PHYSICAL, POLITICAL, and SPECIAL PURPOSE.

1. Physical maps are used to show land features like bodies of water and mountains;
2. Political maps are used to show things that humans have created, like boundaries of cities, states, and countries;
3. Special purpose maps are used to show ideas, like the movement of people from one place to another.

Question 2

What are the Six Essential Elements of Geography and what do they each mean?

Answer 2

The 6 Essential Elements of Geography:

1. The World in Spatial Terms is the study of the relationships between people, places, and environments.
2. Places and Regions addresses how places and regions affect the people living in them.
3. Physical Systems means the way that the Earth’s surface and the plants and animals on it are shaped by physical events.
4. Human Systems means the way that people and their activities and settlements shape the surface of the Earth.
5. Environment relates to the ways that humans make use of Earth’s natural resources.
6. The Use of Geography is related to the understanding of the ways that people, places, and environments can change over time.

Question 3

What are primary and secondary sources?

Answer 3

A PRIMARY SOURCE is a document, image, or artifact that was created by someone who was an eyewitness at an event.

A SECONDARY SOURCE is a document or image that was created after an event happened.

Question 4

Who is Ardi, where was Ardi found, and why is Ardi important?

Answer 4

Ardi is a 4.4 million-year-old skeleton found in Africa. She is important because she is the oldest human ancestor yet discovered.

Ardi was found by a group of researchers in the early 1990s in the Middle Awash River valley in Ethiopia.

Question 5

Why were early humans nomadic?

Answer 5

They had to follow herds of animals so that they could eat.

Hunter-gatherers often drew images of the animals they were hunting or hoping to hunt, believing it would bring them good luck.

Question 6

Why did early hunter-gatherers live in groups?

Answer 6

In a group, people could better defend themselves from other people or wild animals. They could also share the tasks and resources necessary for survival.

Question 7

How did humans gain control over their food supply and why was this important?

Answer 7

Humans learned to domesticate plants and animals. This allowed them to control their food supply. Eventually there was enough food in one location to allow settlement. This meant they no longer had to be nomadic.

Question 8

How did staying in one place change human society and why was this important?

Answer 8

Living in one place allowed humans to develop tools and to improve the food supply. This improved human survival, which led to settlement, population growth, and the emergence of civilization.

Question 9

How did agriculture change the dwellings people lived in?

Answer 9

Agriculture allowed people to live in more permanent dwellings. These dwellings offered better protection from the weather. Permanent dwellings also allowed people to collect more possessions.

Question 10

Why did the earliest cities develop in river valleys?

Answer 10

River valleys gave large groups of humans the best access to water and fertile soil, which is necessary for farming. This led to food surpluses.

Many civilizations such as those that developed in Sumer, Indus, and Egypt grew along water sources.

Question 11

How did surpluses of food help develop civilization?

Answer 11

Surpluses of food meant not everyone had to work as a farmer. Some people could be artisans, metal workers, builders, or hold other jobs.

Question 12

How did the growth of cities affect government?

Answer 12

Government became more complex because it had to meets the needs of more people. Therefore, government had to govern more people, govern larger areas, and provide more services to the people.

Question 13

Where was Mesopotamia?

Answer 13

In Greek, the word Mesopotamia means “the land between rivers.”

Most of Mesopotamia was located between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. The earliest known civilizations emerged from this region, which was also known as the Fertile Crescent.

Question 14

How did writing develop in ancient river civilizations?

Answer 14

Many historians believe that writing was developed by the Sumer civilization of MESOPOTAMIA to record information about food, workers, and other things by making wedge-shaped marks in clay with a stylus.
This early form of writing is called cuneiform.

In the NILE VALLEY, the ancient Egyptians also developed their own writing. It is called hieroglyphics. In Egypt, writing had a religious purpose. Hieroglyphics told about great events and leaders.

As in Mesopotamia, scribes of the INDUS VALLEY wrote on clay. They pressed a stylus or a stone seal into the clay to form symbols. Clay tablets and seals show about 400 different symbols. Scholars believe that seals were used to manage trade or used in religion.

Question 15

What is the difference between polytheism and monotheism?

Answer 15

POLYTHEISM is the belief in multiple gods and goddesses. Famous examples from ancient history include the Sumerian religion, the Egyptian set of gods, and Hinduism.

MONOTHEISM is the belief in a single god. One famous example from ancient history is Judaism.

Question 16

Who built the pyramids?

Answer 16

The pyramids were built by free labor. When farmers were not harvesting or planting crops, they would work for the pharaoh. In exchange, they would get food and shelter.

Question 17

Who controlled the surplus of food in Egypt?

Answer 17

The pharaoh and his leaders controlled the extra food. The pharaoh was at the center of the Egyptian economy. Because he held the central authority to make economic decisions, this type of control was called a command economy.

Question 18

Why was society divided into classes?

Answer 18

For ancient river civilizations, society was divided based on jobs. At the very top was the leader, such as the Pharaoh in ancient Egypt. The class right below the leader was the elite. They were usually either related to the leader or exceptionally talented. Below the elite, there were the soldiers, scribes, priests, and merchants, who each served a different essential role in normal functions of society. Artisans, laborers, farm workers, and servants were in the bottom class.

Question 19

How did trade and commerce affect civilization?

Answer 19

When different civilizations traveled from home to sell and buy with their neighbors, they spent extended periods of time in these new places. Gradually, these civilizations exchanged pieces of culture, including food habits, languages, religions, fashion, and ideas. Civilizations began to adopt new cultural traits and to share their own traits with others. New ways of communicating made the world less isolated, but it also led to increased conflict.

Question 20

Who were the Aryans?

Answer 20

Between 2000 BCE and 1500 BCE, Aryans were nomads from Central Asia traveled to northwestern India with their cattle and horses, speaking an Indo-European language. When they intermarried with the local people, they began to call themselves Aryans. They were led by chiefs called rajahs. Most of what we know about the Aryans comes from the Vedas, a collection of hymns, spells, and religious teachings. The Vedas describe the Aryans as warriors who used chariots and iron weapons. They considered cows sacred. Over time, they gave up life as nomads and became farmers instead.

Question 21

What caused the decline of the original Indus Valley cultures?

Answer 21

By 1900 BCE, the Indus Valley culture had changed because…
1.Pottery was now crude instead of well made. People did not use writing any longer. 2. The city Mohenjo-Daro was completely abandoned. No one knows for certain what caused this. The people may have fled because of invaders. The remains of mud found in the streets suggest that a great flood may have destroyed them or a terrible earthquake may have happened.

Question 22

How do we know about the Ancient Israelites?

Answer 22

Much of what we know about the ancient Israelites comes from their writings. They spoke and wrote in the Hebrew language. As a result, the Israelite people are sometimes called Hebrews. Their most important writings were assembled in a sacred book called the Hebrew Bible. Today that book is often called the Old Testament, or simply, the Bible.

Question 23

Why were the Phoenicians important?

Answer 23

1. The PHOENICIAN government developed a currency . Currency is a money-based system of exchange. They turned valuable metals, such as silver, into coins. The use of currency made international trade easier.
2. The PHOENICIANS also borrowed the idea of an alphabet from the cultures they met while trading internationally. They took the alphabet idea and simplified the letters. The Phoenician alphabet became the basis for the alphabet we use today.

Question 24

What made Greece’s geography different from other ancient civilizations?

Answer 24

Greece is surrounded by the Mediterranean sea. This type of land mass is called a peninsula. Very few ancient civilizations had this much access to water. Greece is also covered in mountains that create isolated valleys. The weather in Greece was also different in that it was almost always pleasant, being neither too hot nor too cold.

Question 25

Who were the Minoans and Mycenaeans?

Answer 25

Crete, the largest of the Greek islands, was home to an early civilization known as the MIMOANS. The Minoan civilization peaked between 1600 BCE and 1500 BCE. Its traders traveled across the Aegean Sea to Egypt and the Middle East. Through contact with these cultures, the Minoans adapted both writing and architecture to their own civilization. The Minoan civilization disappeared by 1400 BCE when the Mycenaeans invaded.

The MYCENAEANS were the first people known to speak the Greek language. From about 1400 BCE to 1200 BCE, the Mycenaeans reigned supreme over the Aegean world. They were sea traders like the Minoans. From the Minoans, the Mycenaeans learned the art of writing. Their contact with Egypt and Mesopotamia also influenced Mycenaean culture. The Mycenaeans, or early Greeks, are perhaps best known to us because of the Trojan War.

Question 26

What was the Trojan War?

Answer 26

The Trojan War took place around 1250 BCE. It was a conflict between the Mycenaeans and the wealthy city of Troy, located in Asia Minor. Asia Minor is in present-day Turkey, between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean Sea. Greek myth says that Mycenae and Troy went to war because a Trojan prince named Paris kidnapped the beautiful queen Helen from Mycenae. Her husband was a powerful king, who gathered a huge army to rescue her. The Greeks and Trojans fought for ten years. The poet Homer recorded the events of the war in his two epic poems, the Iliad and the Odyssey. The Iliad describes the war itself, especially the battles of the warriors Achilles and Hector. It also contains stories about Greek gods and goddesses. The Odyssey tells about the struggles of Odysseus on his voyage home to his wife after the end of the war. It takes Odysseus twenty years to make it home after surviving many difficulties. The tales told in the Iliad and the Odyssey reveal much about what was important to Greek culture.

Question 27

Who were the Phoenicians?

Answer 27

The Phoenicians were another civilization of the eastern Mediterranean. The Phoenician culture thrived from around 1200 BCE to 700 BCE. Although their land was well suited for farming, they are better known as sailors and traders. They are especially well known for manufacturing two goods: glass and purple dye. They made glass from the sand along the coast and harvested purple dye from a sea snail. This expensive dye was called “Tyrian purple” after the Phoenician city of Tyre. One of the Phoenicians’ most important accomplishments was the development of an alphabet. The alphabet of the Phoenicians had 22 letters, all of them consonants. The Greeks later added vowels to this alphabet. The alphabet we use today is influenced by the alphabet that began with the Phoenicians.

Question 28

How was democracy developed in Athens?

Answer 28

In Athens, the development of democracy, or rule of the government by citizens, took much time and several different leaders. It started with Draco in 621 BCE and was expanded on by Solon around 574 BCE. Between 508-507 BCE, Cleisthenes added a few important changes. However, full citizen rule was not a reality until the mid-fifth century BCE (461-429 BCE) thanks to reforms by Pericles. Of course, only land-holding men were considered citizens. Women, foreigners, slaves, and adult men without any land had no direct voice in the democratic government.

Question 29

What were the similarities and differences between Athens and Sparta?

Answer 29

Like Athens and other Greek city-states, Sparta was located near the sea. The city was distant enough, though, that Spartans did not rely on the sea like the Athenians did. For example, the Athenians built a strong navy and conducted a great deal of sea trade. Spartans, however, built a powerful land army that was the center of their economy. Like many Greek city-states, Sparta was also built around an acropolis.

However, the Spartans lived very differently than their neighbors in Athens. Spartans thought physical power was more important than the arts or philosophy. While the government of Athens was a democracy where all citizens had power, Sparta’s government was an oligarchy. Even though citizens could vote in an assembly, just like citizens in Athens, most government power was held by a few people in the top levels of government. There was also a strict social order in Sparta. As citizens, Spartan men were at the top of the city-state’s social order. After the citizens, the next-highest class included the freemen. These people could not vote or hold government office, but they could fight as hoplites in the Spartan army. The lowest class included the helots. These people were enslaved farm workers under the control of the Spartan state.

Spartans believed that a lawgiver named Lycurgus had set up their government in the seventh century BCE when a revolt of the helots convinced the Spartans they needed a stable military government to make their society safe. While Solon in Athens insisted that their laws be written down, the laws that Lycurgus established were only communicated by speech.

Question 30

How did the Greeks finally defeat the Persians during the Persian Wars?

Answer 30

When Persia was expanding its territory, it is easy to imagine why Greece, with its beautiful coastline, was an attractive option. The conflict with Persia lasted for 20 years and was fought on both land and sea. The Athenians had a strong navy, and Sparta had a strong army. The other city-states feared being conquered, and made treaties with the Spartan army. This alliance was called the Peloponnesian League. The Peloponnesian League would continue to strengthen Sparta’s army as it prepared for more Persian attacks.

The greatest Persian king to attack the Greeks was Xerxes. He attacked at Thermopylae, a mountain pass north of Athens. The Battle of Thermopylae lasted for three days with neither side defeating the other. Eventually, a Greek traitor showed the Persian army a secret way through the mountain pass. A group of 300 Spartan soldiers stayed behind, helping the rest of the Athenian army get away. The bravery of the Spartan soldiers would not be forgotten. The Battle of Thermopylae is important because it showed that the different Greek communities could come together against a common enemy.

Xerxes was determined to take over the Greek city-states and make them his own. Near the island of Salamis, the Athenian navy was put to the test. The Athenian navy was made of wooden ships that were quick and easy to maneuver. For this battle, the Greek sailors decided to bring their ships alongside the Persian ships and throw burning pieces of wood onto the enemy’s decks. They then quickly moved away. This caused the Persian ships to catch fire, leaving the Persian sailors little choice but to jump ship. Spartan soldiers then killed those Persian sailors who made it to shore. Seeing the sight of his ships burning and his sailors being killed, Xerxes fled back to Persia, never again threatening the Greek people.

Question 31

What were the causes and effects of the Peloponnesian War?

Answer 31

Learning from the Persian Wars, the Greeks created the Delian League to ensure their safety. This league was made up of Sparta, Athens, and surrounding city-states. Athens collected money to train men, build ships, and make weapons that kept the alliance safe. Soon it became clear that Athens was getting richer, stronger, and more powerful from the money it collected. Athens was also expanding onto the land of other city-states. Sparta encouraged other city- states to join with them to wage war against Athens. This became known as the Peloponnesian War.
The Peloponnesian War had only been fought for a couple of years when farmers and other citizens who lived outside the city of Athens flocked inside for protection from the Spartans. The city had not prepared for this type of overcrowding. There was a shortage of food and clean water, and Athens was unable to get rid of all the waste. Soon, an unknown plague struck the city. Within two years, one-third of Athens’ population had died, including their leader Pericles.

Question 32

Who was Alexander the Great?

Answer 32

Alexander the Great was a Greek king of Macedonia, a region in northern Greece. He became king after his father, King Phillip, was assassinated in 336 BCE. Alexander was just 20 years old. Because of his father’s military successes, Macedonia now dominated Greece. In the 300s BCE Alexander completed his father’s vision of invading the Persian Empire. Alexander led his army from Asia Minor to Egypt and then all the way to India. Everywhere he went, he sowed the seeds of Greek culture.

Alexander controlled the conquered regions by leaving Greeks behind to rule the cities. Where there were no cities, Alexander built them. He also named a number of cities after himself. The city of Alexandria, which he founded in Egypt in 331 BCE, became the best known. Later, other Greeks migrated east to these cities. The cities and land around them became Greek colonies. In this way Alexander began what is known as the Hellenistic Age.

Question 33

Who were the important Greek gods?

Answer 33

The ancient Greeks believed in many gods and goddesses. Each god or goddess had a different personality and powers. They were said to live on Mount Olympus. Here are twelve important gods and goddesses you should remember:

1. Zeus: Zeus was the king of the gods. Law, power, and rule were his symbols. He rewarded good and punished evil. The thunderbolt was his most famous weapon.
2. Hera: Hera was the queen of the gods. She was Zeus’s wife and also his sister. She protected women and punished misbehaving husbands. She often fought with Zeus, who was unfaithful to her.
3. Apollo: Apollo, son of Zeus, was one of the most important gods to Greek culture. He was known for his care of animal flocks and herds. He was also connected with prophecy, medicine, music, poetry, and archery. His most important shrine was at Delphi.
4. Artemis: Apollo’s twin sister was Artemis. She was known as a huntress and goddess of wildlife. She was important to women.
5. Ares: Ares was the son of Zeus and Hera. He was the god of war. He was a fierce fighter who often got involved in fights with humans.
6. Athena: Athena was the daughter of Zeus, from whose forehead she was said to spring, fully formed, when he was hit in the head by an ax. She was the goddess of war and wisdom. She was also the patron goddess of Athens, and the Parthenon in Athens was dedicated to her.
7. Poseidon: Poseidon was the brother of Zeus. He commanded the seas, earthquakes, and horses. His most famous symbol is the trident.
8. Hades: Hades was also the brother of Zeus. His ruled over the underworld, where the dead resided.
9. Aphrodite: Aphrodite was the daughter of Zeus and the goddess of love. Although she was married to Hephaestus,
   she had many adulterous affairs, most notably with Ares.
10. Hephaestus: Hephaestus was the son of Hera and the master craftsmen for the gods. He was the god of fire. He built many tools for the gods and humans alike.
11. Dionysus: Dionysus was the youngest Greek god, born of a mortal woman who was impregnated by Zeus. He was the god of wine, revelry, and theater. He is often symbolized by cups, grapes, and grapevines.
12. Hermes: Hermes was the messenger of the gods. His symbols include a hat and shoes with wings and a winged staff with two snakes.

Question 34

What was the Hellenistic Age?

Answer 34

The Hellenistic Age was a time when Greek culture spread throughout the lands that Alexander had conquered. This age started upon Alexander’s death in 323 BCE and lasted for 300 years or more. The term Hellenistic comes from a Greek word meaning “to act like a Greek” or “to speak Greek.” Alexander and his soldiers, of course, did both. However, the exchange of cultures was not a one-way street. Non-Greeks also influenced the Greeks. The resulting culture was Hellenistic. It was a blend of Greek and non-Greek customs and traditions.

During the Hellenistic Age, Greece itself played a key role. New schools of philosophy arose there to deal with the cultural changes taking place. The Hellenistic Age was also a time of great advances in learning. Greek-speaking scientists and mathematicians came up with useful inventions. They formed new ideas about the world as a result of the blending of cultures that occurred during this period.

Question 35

Who were the great thinkers of ancient Greece?

Answer 35

Greek thinkers, called philosophers, explored many subjects, such as morality, ethics, mathematics, music, and logic. They used reason and observation to look for universal laws. Modern science, literature, and education owe much to the following great thinkers:

1. Socrates: Socrates was a famous philosopher from Athens. He taught by using questions. He would ask a student a series of questions and challenge them to examine their answers from all sides. He thought that such a process led to truth. Today, we call this method of questioning the Socratic method.
2. Plato: Plato was the most famous student of Socrates. He distrusted democracy after the death of his teacher. He left Athens for ten years before returning to found his own school. There he taught the importance of reason. His book The Republic described the ideal state of government. In it, the state would control citizens’ lives. Three classes of people would make up this society: laborers, warriors, and philosophers. The philosophers would rule.
3. Aristotle: Aristotle was the most famous student of Plato. He wrote about many subjects from natural science and physics to ethics and politics. He also criticized democracy. His ideal ruler was a single, strong, moral man. He urged people to live a life in the “golden mean.” This meant living in moderation. He also set up a school. His most famous pupil was Alexander the Great.
4. Sophocles: Sophocles was one of the greatest writers of Greek tragedies. Tragedies are plays that usually have an unhappy ending. In his play Antigone, he told the tale of a young woman who is sentenced to death for defying a king’s decree.
5. Aristophanes: Aristophanes wrote many Greek comedies. Comedies have happy endings and often mock people and their customs. In his play Lysistrata, the women of Athens work together to force their husbands to stop a war with Sparta.
6. Herodotus: The “father of history” is Herodotus. He did not just list names of rulers or recite old stories. Instead, he examined his sources. He pointed out bias. When accounts did not match, he mentioned this. One of the important people he wrote about was Themistocles. He was the Athenian leader who persuaded Athens to build a navy.
7. Thucydides: Another historian was Thucydides, who wrote a lengthy account about the Peloponnesian War. He tried to be fair to both sides as he described the conflict.
8. Hippocrates: Hippocrates is known as the “father of medicine.” He lived from around 460 BCE to 377 BCE. He developed a set of medical ethics. Today, these ethics are known as the “Hippocratic Oath.”
9. Pythagoras: The system of philosophy and science developed by Pythagoras influenced nearly all the Hellenistic philosophies that followed him. In mathematics, Pythagoras is famous for creating a formula that reveals the relationship between the sides of a right triangle.
10. Diogenes the Cynic: The life of Diogenes the Cynic is an excellent example of Cynicism. He begged for a living, slept in a tub, and carried around a lamp in the daylight. He publicly criticized Alexander the Great and Plato. Cynics believed in rejecting all forms of wealth, power, health, or fame, and living a life free from material possessions.
11. Epicurus: Epicurus founded Epicureanism in the third century BCE. He thought the universe was only ruled by chance with no interference from gods. He regarded pleasure and pain as the two main factors to seek and avoid in life. Stoicism was the main rival to this philosophy.
12. Zeno: Zeno founded Stoicism in the third century BCE. Based on the ethics of Cynicism, it taught that the goal of life was to live in accordance with Nature. It advocated the development of self-control and fortitude as a means of overcoming destructive emotions. It was the most successful school of philosophy