greece Flashcards
(87 cards)
1
Q
what was a Mycenean king called?
A
A Wanax
2
Q
When did Minoan civilization begin?
A
2000 BC
3
Q
When did Mycenean civilization begin?
A
1600 to 1400 BC
4
Q
What was the Minoan palace called
A
The palace of Knossos
5
Q
What are wall murals called
A
Frescoes
6
Q
Who discovered Linear B
A
Micheal Ventris
7
Q
What is stone in Greek?
A
Lithos
8
Q
What are the three stone ages
A
Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic
9
Q
What caused the Bronze age collapse?
A
Earthquakes, droughts, invasions from “sea peoples” and a possible internal revolt
10
Q
When did the Bronze age collapse occur?
A
1200
11
Q
When was Archaic Greece?
A
800 to 450 BC
12
Q
When did the first Olympics take place?
A
776 BC
13
Q
what is a metic?
A
A foreigner or the child of a foreigner. Allowed to work in a polis but not granted the full rights of citizens
14
Q
When did the Greeks learn to mint coins, and who did they learn it from?
A
They learned in the sixth century, from the Lydians.
15
Q
What is a Tyranny?
A
A tyranny was when an individual would seize power undemocratically and rule with absolute power. The first one began in Corinth
16
Q
what was the primary goal of Homeric heroes?
A
Glory. To become excellent at everything they do and be remembered after their death
17
Q
What were Archaic warrior kings called?
A
Basileus
18
Q
What is the Illiad about? Who is the queen of sparta? Which king commands Achilles to fight?
A
The Trojan war. Helen is the queen of Sparta, kidnapped by Paris. Agamemnon is the king.
19
Q
What was the first temple built during the Archaic age?
A
The temple of Poseidon in Isthmia.
20
Q
What were bronze statues of people called? What did they look like?
A
They were called Kouros or kore. Typically resembled well proportioned people but they often stood still or were walking with one foot forward. They typically had a slight smile on their face, more to indicate emotion than happiness.
21
Q
What two pottery styles emerged during the Archaic age? where were they from?
A
Black figure pottery emerged from Corinth, followed by Red figure pottery in Athens. Paint used on the pot before firing would take on a black coloration afterwards.
22
Q
Who was a famous female poet from ancient Greece?
A
Sappho, she was a lesbian?
23
Q
What was the Greek miracle, or revolution in thought?
A
Greek people began to place humans as something above nature, and look for explanations for natural phenomenon in the world around them instead of blaming the gods.
24
Q
what does philosophy mean?
A
“Philo Sophia” or love of wisdom
25
Who were the pre-Socratic's? what were they concerned with?
They were the philosophers who came before socrates. They were concerned with metaphysics.
26
What is metaphysics?
The study of first principals, or the fundamental nature of reality and it's causes.
27
Name three pre-socratics
Anaximander, Thales, Pythagoras
28
What does cosmos mean?
An orderly arrangement that is beautiful
29
Who is Ephialtes
He was an Athenian politician from the fourth century who made legal changes to athens that meant people would be tried by a jury of 30 Athenian men
30
What period is considered Classical Greece?
From the Persian wars (500 BC) to Alexander the great (323 BC)
31
What caused the Persian wars?
A miscommunication. Envoys sent by Greece seemed to communicate that they wished to surrender and join the Persians by giving them an offering of "earth and water." Later the Greeks helped the Ionian greeks rebel against the persians, which they saw as an act of treachery.
32
Who was the first Historian to write about things like cause and effect and try to explain why things happened.
Herodotus.
33
What was the Persian empire?
A large empire centered in modern day Iran. It ruled the entire middle east and was founded by King Darius. They were zoroastrians but allowed for religious freedom in their empire. Not a bad place tbh
34
What was the battle of marathon?
The battle of Marathon was a conflict between the Persians and an Athenian and Spartan alliance. Although outnumbered, the Athenians made multiple strategic choices that resulted in their victory. After the battle, an Athenian messenger ran 26 miles back to Athens to report of their victory before dying, which is where the term Marathon comes from.
35
What was the battle of salamis?
The battle of Salamis was a naval battle between the Greek naval forces (mainly Athens) and the Persian fleet. The Persian fleet had been damaged by a series of storms before the fight. The Athenian navy used their heavier ships to their advantage and caught the Persians in a narrow area of water, destroying almost their entire fleet. Their loss was so bad that Xerxes fled back to Persia and left his generals to continue the war.
36
What was the battle of Thermopylae?
Thermopylae was a mountain pass that the Persians would need to cross to get to the rest of Greece. The Spartans (and some others) successfully repelled the Persian army for over a day despite their far inferior numbers. Eventually the Persian found a way to flank them and killed them, but the defeat has been mythicized in popular culture as a heroic last stand.
37
How did the greeks beat the persians?
After both Sparta and Athens were damaged, the remaining forces beat the Persian fleet at the battle of Salamis, and launched a campaign against the Persians that gradually drove them out of Greece.
38
what were the Peloponnesian wars?
The Peloponnesian wars were an off and on conflict between the Athenian Delian league and the Spartan Peloponnesian league that took place from 431 to 405 BC
39
what started the Peloponnesian wars?
The Peloponnesian wars were caused by many smaller conflicts between the two leagues, but the war itself actually broke out when Athens refused to end it's blockade of Potidaea.
40
What killed Pericles?
A plague that hit Athens when it's population was all crowded within the walls
41
Who is the main historian of the Peloponnesian wars?
Thucydides. He was an Athenian general who was removed from his position after a major loss to Sparta. He then went on to record the events of the war.
42
What were the two leagues who fought in the Peloponnesian wars?
The Peloponnesian league who sided with Sparta, and the Delian league who fought with Athens
43
Who was Cleon?
Cleon was an Athenian general who become prominent after the death of Pericles. He convinced Athens not to surrender, and then died at the battle of Amphipolis.
44
who was brasidas?
Brasidas was a Spartan commander during the Peloponnesian war. He was the one who defeated Thucydides and made him lose his position. He would later be killed at the battle of Amphipolis.
45
What was the peace of Nicias?
The peace of Nicias was a temporary agreement between the Spartans and Athenians during the Peloponnesian war. After both sides lost a major general at the battle of Amphipolos, they agreed to a temporary peace in 421.
46
What was the siege of Melos? what is the Melian dialgoue?
The island of Melos was sieged by Athens for attempting to leave the Delian league and side with Sparta. Athens demanded their surrender but they refused, and so Athens killed many of their men.
47
who was Alcibiades?
Alcibiades was an Athenian politician who rekindled the Peloponnesian war by forming an alliance with some of Sparta's neighbors to surround them. He prepared a massive fleet to attack them, but some other Athenian leaders framed him for a crime and so he fled to Sparta, whom he helped out. He set up a temporary oligarchy in Athens later in the war so he could return home.
48
How did the Athenians lose the Peloponnesian war?
The Spartans used Persian funds to strengthen their army and wipe out the Athenian fleet, leaving them defenseless.
49
Who was Alexander the Great?
Alexander was a Macedonian king. He was the son of King Phillip II. Alexander went on to conquer all of Greece, and then territory reaching all the way to India. He died in his thirties and his empire splintered. He is famous for his remarkable will and desire for greatness which lead him to conquer so much.
50
What did Alexander the Great do to the Gordian Knot?
The Gordian knot was a knot said to have been tied by King Midas. It was said that whoever untied it would rule all of Asia. Alexander approached the knot himself, and cut it with a knife.
51
How did the siege of Tyre effect city states?
It made them realize that siege weapons could break down their walls, so they were vulnerable to attack
52
What killed Alexander the Great? When did he die?
Likely a mix of alcoholism and typhoid or Malaria. He died age 33 in 323
53
What kingdoms did Alexander's empire split into?
The Ptolemaic kingdom which spanned Egypt and israel, the Seleucid kingdom which covered most of the middle east, and the Antigonid kingdom in Greece.
54
Who were the Diadochi
the successors of Alexander. Ptolemy, Seleucis, and the Antigonids.
55
Describe Hellenistic poetry
Hellenistic poetry was focused on intimacy, intellectualism, and nostalgia. There was also works that idolized the countryside.
56
Explain Oedipus rex
Oedipus Rex is the final play in a trilogy by Sophocles about the hero Sophocles. He was destined to kill his father and marry his mother, so he fled his home town and became king of Thebes. He finds out during the play that he was actually the prince of Thebes, but that the royal family had been told the same prophecy about their son and so they left him to die, until he was raised elsewhere. Oedipus realizes he killed his father who was the former king of Thebes, and married his mother who is the queen. In despair he plucks out his eyes and wanders the earth a blind man. The play deals with fate and inevitability.
57
What are trireme?
Trireme were Athenian ships notable for using three sets of oars on each side to reach greater speeds. They had a large metal ram underneath the water on their front, which they could use to ram other ships and sink them.
58
Who was socrates?
Socrates was an Athenian philosopher who lived during the golden age. He is well known for his tactic of asking people to describe seemingly well understood ideas like courage or justice, and then questioning them further to challenge their assumptions. This became known as the "Socratic method." Later in his life, Socrates was executed by the Athenian public for allegedly disrespecting the gods and corrupting the youth with his ideas, something that the city would later come to regret.
59
Who was Plato?
Plato was a student of Socrates. He was very focused with idealism and thought that the world as we know it is only a reflection or a perfect one. He is well known for his allegory of the cave, and for setting up his Academy, where intellectuals would engage in discussion.
60
Who was aristotle?
Aristotle was a student of Plato's and one of the most important western philosophers. He debated Plato in his academy, and tutored Alexander the Great. He was focused on the real world and ideas of virtue. He believed that virtue was to live the way we are supposed to, which in the case of humans meant eating, sleeping, and reasoning.
61
What is eudaimonia?
eduaimonia is a Greek word that is hard to translate. It means something similar to "the good life" or "a life well lived"
62
what is the Parthenon
The Parthenon is a massive temple to Athena in the Athenian Acropolis. The temple was used to store the cities funds, and is features many architectural feats, including several illusions meant to make it look both larger and more symmetrical than it is.
63
What is a Stoa
Stoa were walkways leading through Athens. One side was walled and the other lead outside. People often conversed in them, and they were typically decorated with paintings. This is where the term Stoicism comes from.
64
Who created Stoicism?
Stoicism was founded by Zeno of Citium (or Cyprus). The philosophy teaches that the universe is perfectly rational and that we should align ourselves with it. It preaches self control and not being overly emotional, controlling ourselves instead of the world around us.
65
What were the olympics?
The Olympics were a sports festival first held in 776 BC. They involved a number of different sports like Discus, wrestling, and sprinting. People competed for themselves and not for their countries. Winners received nothing but glory and an olive wreath. Many people who won would become idols and later be important figures in their cities.
66
what is tragedy?
Tragedy derives from the words for goat and song. it is
67
Who did Nietzsche consider to be the two most important greek gods?
Apollo and Dionysus. Nietzsche thought that they represented a duality between order and self control, and chaos and desire.
68
Who is Hercules
Hercules, or Herakles, is a mythical hero from Greek mythology. Said to be the son of Zeus and a mortal woman, he was given 12 impossible trials to conquer after killing his family in a state of madness.
69
How were sacrifices made in ancient Greece?
A cow was lead to a specific stand of it's own free will, and made to bow by having water poured on it's head, meant to indicate that it had agreed to it's death. It would then have it's throat slit and the blood would be used in the ritual. The animal's meat and fat would be burned in a fire so that the aroma could be consumed by the gods, and the people would then eat it, often being the only meat the lower classes got.
70
Who was Democritus?
Democritus was one of the first Atomists who believed that reality was made up of a finite number of indivisible particles that were in constant motion.
71
Who are the only two magical women in Greek epics?
Circe and Medea
72
Why is the Parthenon considered so impressive?
The Parthenon is considered so impressive because of many architectural feats.
73
What is the Acropolis?
The Acropolis or "Upper city" was a hill where the Parthenon and a mammoth gate called the Propylaia were built. These were very expensive structures made to capture the beauty of Athens during the golden age. They were made to be the pride of Athens.
73
Who was Theseus?
The mythical founder of Athens. It was said that he went to Crete to kill the minotaur and defeat the evil king Minos who had been demanding Athenian sacrifices. Upon returning home, he set up a black flag instead of a white one, and his father Aegeus thought he died and killed himself.
74
How many kings died Sparta have?
Two
75
What political system did Sparta use?
Sparta was an Oligarchy. Oligarchy comes from the words Oligos and Archon, or rule of the few. Sparta was formed out of four villages, and so it was ruled by two kings and a council of Ephors.
76
What political system did Athens use?
Athens was the first democracy. Democracy comes from the words Demos and Kratia, or power to the people. Athenian male adult citizens could elect their rulers, who would serve set terms. They were also allowed to use the Athenian legal system, where they could argue in their own defense and were judged by a jury of their peers. Women, non citizens, and slaves all enjoyed the protection of living in Athens, but did not enjoy these perks.
77
What was life like for Spartan women?
Spartan women enjoyed more power than women anywhere else in Greece. Because the men were so often out fighting, the women were allowed to own property, were better educated, performed some physical activity, and could remarry.
78
Who were the Ephors?
Five wise men who were elected by the Spartiates and governed much of Spartan society.
79
Describe the structure of Spartan society
Spartan society was ruled by two kings and a council of older men called Ephors. Spartan men were called Spartiates and they spent their lives dedicated to military service. There was also a merchant class who could not vote, and a slave class beneath them. The slave class, known as the helots, outnumbered the Spartiates 8:1 and so the Spartans lived in constant fear of a rebellion.
80
What was Spartan childhood like for boys?
Spartan boys were sent to the Agoge at age seven. This was a school where they were taught how to be soldiers. Bullying was encouraged so that the weak would die, and the boys were purposely underfed so they'd learn how to steal well. They lived in communal areas without seeing their family, reinforcing their loyalty to Sparta only.
81
Who were the Helots?
The Helot's were the slave class of Sparta. They were the ones who did all the menial labour so that spartan men could spend all day training. They were typically left impoverished, but because they outnumbered the spartans roughly 7 or 8:1, there was a constant threat of rebellion which did occur multiple times.
82
What were Draco's laws?
Draco's laws were a series of Athenian laws that allowed wealthy farm owners to continuously gain more and more land until their poorer counterparts had none. After this, many poorer farmers were forced into a sort of debt slavery for these richer farmers. This is where the term Draconian comes from.
83
Who was Solon of Athens?
Solon was a 5th century Athenian who was given absolute power in hopes of fixing a then collapsing Athens. He cleared all debts and all Athenians caught in debt slavery, then divided the people into 4 classes based on wealth. He made it so that different classes he different levels of political involvement, and then added some criminal justice reforms.
84
Who were the Thirty tyrants?
After Athens defeat in the Peloponessian war, a puppet government was set up by the Spartans. These thirty tyrants caused a campaign of terror that lasted eight months and resulted in 5% of Athens population dying. When they were overthrown, an Amnesty was called so that nobody could be punished.
85
How did legal defense work in Athens?
A person put on trial in Athens was judged by a jury of 500 men over 30. They were expected to argue their own defense, but could pay a sophist (wise man) to write it for them. The jury would vote by majority on if they were guilty, and then both the defense and prosecution would argue a punishment, which the jury would again vote on.
86
What was excommunication in Athens?
Once a year the Athenian people would excommunicate one person. This person was forced to leave Athens for 10 years, but they still retained their finances and the rights to their property. This was done to prevent any one man from building too much power and forming a tyranny.
