Ancient greece test review Flashcards
(30 cards)
Mycenaean
relating to or denoting a late Bronze Age civilization in Greece represented by finds at Mycenae and other ancient cities of Peloponnesus.
Trojan War
Greek mythology. a war fought by the Greeks against the Trojans to avenge the abduction of Helen from her Greek husband Menelaus by Paris, son of the Trojan king.
Homer
was the Greek epic poet who wrote the Iliad, about the Trojan War, and the Odyssey, about Odysseus’s journey home after the war.
epic
The word epic is derived from the Ancient Greek adjective, “epikos”, which means a poetic story. In literature, an epic is a long narrative poem, which is usually related to heroic deeds of a person of an unusual courage and unparalleled bravery.
myth
is a legend or story produced by the religion and culture of ancient Greece. An example of a Greek myth is the story of Hercules.
What impact did nearness to the sea have on the development of Greece?
since the Greeks lived so close to the sea they became excellent sailors. They used this ability for trade because Greece lack natural resources like timber, metals, and farmland. The seaways also linked most parts of Greece together.
Why were the epics of importance to the Greeks of the Dorian period?
The Greeks believed that he epics were stories from their past, their history.
How did the physical geography of Greece cause Greek-speaking peoples to develop separate, isolated communities?
Greece is a very mountainous country. It was difficult for people to travel between each community, so this caused people to stay where they were and travel less.
polis
is a term that is used to describe a tight-knit, small community of ancient Greek citizens who agreed on certain rules and customs.
acropolis
means ‘high city’ in Greek. Most city-states in ancient Greece had at their centre a rocky mound or hill where they built their important temples and where the people could retreat to if under attack.
aristocracy
is a form of government that places strength in the hands of a small, privileged ruling class. The term derives from the Greek aristokratia, meaning ‘rule of the best’.
oligarchy
The political term, oligarchy, comes to English from the Greek with its meaning intact — a form of government run by a small number of people such as wealthy landowners, royalty or powerful military figures.
democracy
The word ‘democracy’ has its origins in the Greek language. It combines two shorter words: ‘demos’ meaning whole citizen living within a particular city-state and ‘kratos’ meaning power or rule.
How does an aristocracy differ from an oligarchy?
The aristocracy was made up of nobles, while the oligarchy was just powerful people.
.How did Athens benefit from victory in the Persian Wars?
Athens emerged as the leader of the Delian League which had grown into at least 200 city-states
How did Aristotle describe life for most Athenians in the 6th century BC? the country was in the hands of a few people, which was better
- no reading and writing
- common people had no say
- often injustice
What class did Cleisthenes come from and what kind of power did this group exercise over Athenians?
- born in 570 B.C., he was an aristocrat (the ruling class/elite)
- aristocrats ruled Athens
What was Athens’ most valuable trading commodity?
- olives for cooking oil
- moisturizer
- soap
What Athenian product that was almost worthless at the time now commonly fetches millions of dollars on the Antiquities market? What were the artisans who made these products main motivation in doing such good work?
- the vase
- their main motivation came from doing each other
What happened in Athens while Cleisthenes was in exile? What did this do for Cleisthenes?
the ordinary people started a revolution and isagoras was forced to surrender
direct democracy
a form of government in which citizens rule directly and not through representatives
tragedy
a serious drama about common themes such as love, hate, war, or betrayal. They featured a main character, or tragic hero.
comedy
contained scenes filled with slapstick situations and crude humor. Playwrights often made fun of politics and respected people and ideas of the time
philosopher
Great thinkers…they were determined to seek the truth, not matter where the search led them. It means lovers of wisdom.
