ancient greece Flashcards
(30 cards)
Where was the origin of the ancient Greek civilisation?
The Aegean Sea region.
How was the landscape of ancient Greece? What did this result in?
It had many hills, resulting in many small city-states with inconvenient land transportation.
How was the climate and farming conditions in ancient Greece?
It was dry in summer and rainy in winter. The soil was poor, so only crops such as olives or grapes were suitable for farming -> could not provide themselves with enough food.
How did ancient Greek city-states form?
There were many hills in Greece, so transportation was hard. Due to this, ancient Greece did not form a united country. Instead, many city-states emerged.
Could children and foreigners become citizens of a city-state? if not who could?
No, children and foreigners could not become citizens of a city states, only adults who were born in that city-state child become citizens of that city-state.
Who could participate in political activities?
Only men could participate in political activities and had the right to own land.
What is the bottom class of Greek society?
It was slaves. Most of them were prisoners of war or poor people in debts. They weren’t citizens and could be sold, and had to work for their masters of life.
How was the governance in different Greek city-states?
The most famous ones were democracy ( ruling of people ) in Athens and timarchy ( a form of government in which people must own property in order to be part of the government ) in Sparta.
How was democracy in Athens?
They started democracy as early as in 500 BC. They used direct democracy and citizens could directly vote for various issues. They made sure all citizens had the fair opportunity to participate in politics, and that the government would not be controlled completely by nobles -> origin of parliamentary democracy.
What were the Greeks famous for?
The Greeks were famous for their philosophy, arts and science.
Where did the ancient Greeks believe there were gods and goddesses living at?
Northern Mount Olympus.
What were the names of these gods? The father of gods, the sun god, and the wisdom goddess.
Zeus, Apollo, and Athena.
Who was the guardian goddess of Athens?
Athena.
Who was the guardian god of Corinth?
Poseidon.
Who were the ‘big three’ great philosophers?
Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle.
Who was the student of Socrates?
Plato.
Who was the student of Plato?
Aristotle.
Who was the teacher of Alexander the Great?
Aristotle.
Who was the Father of History? What book did he write?
Herodotus was considered the Father of History. He wrote about the Greco-Persian Wars in his book Histories.
What did Greek sculptures look like?
The Greeks used marbles and bronze with make lively sculptures.
What are the characteristics of Greek architecture?
They used marble columns and triangular walls at the top -> formed the unique Greek style.
Who developed the Greek alphabet?
The Romans developed the 24 Greek letters into Latin, which became the origin of French, English, and other European languages.
Who was the most famous Greek poet?
Homer, who wrote two-world famous epics, Iliad and Odyssey.
What is Aesop’s Fables?
It is said to be written by Aesop, and collected many Greek fables.
