Midterm Flashcards
(32 cards)
Sargon
He was a ruler in Mesopotamia, c.a. 2350 B.C. He created the first empire and unified the city states of Mesopotamia. This helped to culturally unify the ancient Near East, and set a precedent for other empires like Hammurabi’s Babylon.
Hammurabi
He was the king of Babylon in the early to mid 18th century B.C. He created the first Babylonian empire and wrote the first codified laws. These laws provided the basis for many future law codes, such as that of the Nesilim, and a framework for many ancient societies, such as the Assyrians and Hittites.
Akhenaten
He was the pharaoh of Egypt in the mid 14th century. Originally, his name was Amenhotep, but he changed it to honor the sun god Aten, whom he worshipped exclusively. He suppressed the worship of other gods, and was either henotheist or monotheist. His reforms did not take hold, however, and successive pharohs destroyed his mummy and tried to erase his name from history.
Solomon
He was king of Israel in the mid 10th century B.C. He was an important figure in Biblical history and built the temple in Jerusalem. He strengthened Israel during his reign, but it dissolved soon after his death. He left a last impact and example in Judeo-Christian beliefs, and his temple provided a symbol of the Jewish religion’s influence and power for 100’s of years.
Tiglathpilesar III
He was an Assyrian ruler in the mid to late 8th century B.C. He brought the empire to its greatest size. He also exiled the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel. He brought a greater cultural unity to the ancient Near East, forcing formerly separate peoples and ethnicities, such as Jews and Samaritans, to live and interact under one rule. His policies provided an example for future rulers, such as Nebuchadnezzar, who wished to rule large, diverse empires.
Nebuchadnezzar
He was king of Babylon in the early and mid 6th century. He deported the leaders of Judah and later most of its population to Babylon in response to revolts. This began the Babylonian Exile of the Jews. It was during this time that the first copies of the Old Testament were written, establishing most of Judeo-Christian customs and beliefs.
Cyrus
He was king of Persia in the mid 6th century B.C. He was originally an official of the Median empire, but led a revolt and took control, converting the Medians into the Persians. He ended the Babylonian Exile of the Jews when he conquered the Neo-Babylonian Empire, and eventually created the largest empire yet known. Some of his policies, such as civil engineering projects, patronage of cities, and feudal-like government were emulated by many other rulers, such as Alexander the Great and the Romans.
Zoroastrianism
It is a dualistic religion, focusing on a battle between the god of good Ahura Mazda and the god of evil Ahriman. Its religious text is called the Avesta, and its originator is the prophet Zoroaster. Cyrus and Darius were devout followers. Its ideas of heaven and hell, angels and demons, light and dark, and immortality and resurrection heavily influenced Judeo-Christian thought and is echoed in many places.
Homer
He (or they) composed the epics of Greek history, the Iliad and the Odyssey, sometime in the mid 8th century B.C in Greece. These poems seem to portray the civilization of Homer’s time more accurately than when they are based. They provided most of the basis for Greek mythology, and were almost treated as sacred writ. They provided a cultural identity and history for the Greeks.
Hoplon/Hoplite
They were Greek infantry, originally composed of aristocrats and later anyone who could afford it. They had a metal breastplate, greaves, and helmet, and carried a round shield, sword, and thrusting spear. Their primary formation was the phalanx. They allowed Greece to defend itself and become a formidable fighting force, fostering it into a warrior society. They later became obsolete, however, in the late 4th century due to replacement by pelasts.
Helots
They were state slaves of the Spartans. They were originally inhabitants of the other polises surrounding Sparta, but were conquered by the Spartans during the 8th century B.C. The problem was that the Helots now vastly outnumbered the Spartans, which caused the Spartans to develop the Spartan system, in which all males were trained for and served in military service starting at the age of seven, along with a host of social changes.
Solon
He was the first democratic reformer of Athens. He broke the aristocracy’s hold on elected office in 594 B.C. by establishing wealth as the basis for office, instead of birth. He also abolished economic obligations to the aristocracy and turned the assembly into an appeals court for certain cases. Eventually, his reforms led to the establishment of tyranny and the establishment of Athens as the first democracy.
Cleisthenes
He was an aristocrat and a democratic reformer in Athens. He overcame his opposition in 508 B.C. and began instituting reforms. The major effect of these reforms was dividing up the Athenian population into 10 demes, or tribes, of roughly equal population, which officials then came from in equal number. This established the Athenian whole as superior over local institutions without destroying them, and still provided entrance to politics at the local level. In time, this provided the basis for an unprecedented amount of participation in self governance that allowed Athens to become the superpower of later eras.
Darius
He was the Persian king from the 520s to the 480s. He consolidated the Persian empire and ensured that the Achaemenids stayed on the throne. He led the first failed invasion of Greece during the first Persian wars. He left a legacy of several unsettled frontiers, including the border with Greece. He left a lasting legacy of stability in the Persian empire, but also set the stage for the second Persian War, and as a result, the Peloponnesian War.
Xerxes
He was king of Persia from the 480s to the 460s. He led the second Persian invasion of Greece, and defeated the combined forces of the Greeks at Thermopylae. His invasion ultimately failed when his navy was tricked and defeated by the Athenians and Salamis. His lasting impact was in the disunity among the Greeks and lead into the Peloponnesian wars that his invasion provided, rather than any real problems that he cause in his own empire.
Themistocles
He was a prominent Athenian citizen in the late 480s B.C. He managed to get his opponent, Aristides, ostracized, and supported the building of triremes with Athens new silver income. He led the Athenians during the second Persian invasion. He rebuilt Athens walls and became anti-Spartan, and was later ostracized himself. His lasting impact was the defense of Greece from Persia, allowing the Peloponnesian wars and the classical age to emerge.
Leonidas
He was king of the Spartans. He defended the pass at Thermopylae along with a mixed force of around 7,000 Greeks, but their ranks were betrayed from within and he, along with 300 Spartans, 700 Thesians, and 400 Thebans, defended the pass long enough for the rest of the men to escape. This delayed Xerxes army long enough that the Athenians and other Greeks could escape to Salamis, where the war was won.
Battle of Thermopylae
It took place in 480 BC at Thermopylae during the second Persian invasion. Xerxes army was forced into a narrow bottleneck canyon, where they were held for several days by a force of 7,000 Greeks. A traitor led a portion of Xerxes army behind the Greeks, and flanked them. A force of 300 Spartans, 400 Thebans, and 700 Thespians, led by Leonidas, stalled the advancing army long enough for the rest of the Greek force to escape and allowing the Greeks to rally at Salamis.
Battle of Salamis
It took place in 480 BC at Salamis during the second Persian invasion. The Athenians had evacuated their population to the island of Salamis and chose to make their stand there. Thermistocles tricked the Persians by telling them he would defect when they attacked, and in doing so destroyed the Persian fleet and dreams of ruling Greece.
Pericles
He was a prominent Athenian statesman in the mid and late 5th century. He was a great patron of the arts in Athens, pushed the building of the Parthenon, and led Athens during much of the Peloponnesian wars. He was associated with a hetaera named Aspasia, who supposedly wrote all his speeches. He died in the Plague of Athens. Under his leadership, Athens became a beacon of high culture and learning that has been emulated and idolized for thousands of years.
Alcibiades
He was a prominent politician in Athens during late 5th century. He led a campaign against Sicily, but when he was accused of profaning a sacred Herm he fled to Sparta, where he advised them on how to destroy Athens. Under his leadership, the Spartans got a navy from the Persians, blockaded Athens, and took it. This led to the disbanding of the Athenian league, the decline of Athens, then end of the classical age, and, because of the Persian alliance, the eventual decline of Sparta as well.
Epaminondas/Leuctra
Epaminondas was a Theban general, who led the Battle of Leuctra in 371 BC. This battle broke the position of power and influence the Spartans had occupied in Athens place following the Peloponnesian Wars. This left Sparta with only 800 citizens left, and forced them to relinquish their empire and way of life. This led to the decline of Sparta, until it was just one more city vying for power, instead of the superpower of old.
Metic
They were Greeks who lived in a city (primarily Athens) but were not citizens. They did, however, have rights and obligations, including taxes, military service, and the right to be represented in court. Some famous metics include Hippocrates and Aspasia. They formed nearly half the population, and many great philosophers and thinkers, such as Hippocrates, were metics. They allowed others to participate in the Athenian classical period without needing to be citizens.
Hetaera
Their name literally translates to “companion”. In the most basic sense, they were very fancy prostitutes, but their duties far exceeded that of a normal prostitute. They were entertainers for their client’s guests, skilled at the arts of speech, debate, and philosophy. Unlike other women, they could speak their mind and engage in open conversation with men and in general were some of the freest women in Athens. They had to be witty, intelligent, well educated, and of course, pretty. One of the most famous hetaera, Aspasia, was companion to Pericles, and supposedly wrote all of his speeches.
