World History: Ancient Greece FP Flashcards

Question

Who were the Minoans and Mycenaeans?

Answer 1

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.

Answer 2

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.

Answer 3

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.

Answer 4

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.

Answer 5

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.

Answer 6

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.

Answer 7

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.

Answer 8

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.

Answer 9

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.

Answer 10

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.

Answer 11

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