Ch. 4 // History Mid-Term Study Guide

What was the cause and effect of the Peloponnesian war?

-Because Greeks outside Athens resented Athenian domination the Greek world split into rival camps -To counter the Delian league Sparta and other enemies of Athens created the Peloponnesian league -In 431 B.C. warfare broke out between Sparta and Athens -the Peloponnesian war engulfed all of Greece(lasted 27yrs) -Athens could not use its navy to attack cuz Sparta was inland; Spartas powerful army had only to march north to attack Athens -Pericles allowed people from countryside to move inside the city walls when Spartans troops came near -overcrowded conditions made terrible plague and killed many Athenians and Pericles -Sparta allied with Persia(longtime enemy of the Greeks) -in 404 B.C. with help of Persian navy Sparta captured Athens -they stripped Athenians of their fleet and empire(Sparta rejected calls from its allies to destroy Athens) -Athenian economy eventually revived and Athens became the cultural center of Greece but their spirit and vitality declined -new power rose in Macedonia(a kingdom north of Greece) -by 359 B.C. it's ambitious rulers stood poised to conquer the Greek city-states

How did geography shape Ancient Greece?

-Greece is part of the Balkan Peninsula, extends southward into the eastern Mediterranean Sea -mountains divide the peninsula into isolated valleys -beyond the rugged coast, hundreds of rocky islands spread toward the horizon -the Greeks who farmed the valleys or settled on the scattered island did not create a large empire such as that of the Egyptians or Persians. Instead, they built many small city-states, cut off from one another by mountains or water. •each included a city and its surrounding countryside -Greeks fiercely defended the independence of their small city-states, and endless rivalry frequently led to war -while mountains divided Greeks from one another, the seas provided a vital link to the world outside •With its hundreds of bays, the Greek coastline offered safe harbor for ships •The Greeks became skilled sailor's and carried cargoes of olive oil, wine, and marble to parts throughout the eastern Mediterranean •They returned not only with grains and metals but also with ideas which the adapted to their own needs. For example, the Greeks adapted the Phoenician alphabet to meet their needs. The resulting alphabet became the bases for later western alphabets -by 750B.C., Rapid population growth forced many Greeks to leave their own overcrowded valleys. With Fertile land limited, the Greeks expanded overseas. Gradually, a scattering of Greek colonies took root all around the Mediterranean from Spain to Egypt

Trojan war (full story on pg. 116)

-Mycenaeans are best remembered for their part in the Trojan war which took place around 1250 B.C -the conflict may have had its origins in economic rivalry between Mycenae and Troy, a rich trading city in present-day turkey, that controlled the vital straits, or narrow water passages, connecting the Mediterranean and black seas

Minoan civilization disappears

-by 1400 B.C the civilization vanished -unknown how it disappeared -archeologists think: a sudden volcanic eruption on a nearby island may have rained flaming death on Knossos; an earthquake may have destroyed he palace, followed by an immense wave that drowned the inhabitants of the island -it is certain that invaders played a role in this •these intruders were the Mycenaeans, the first Greek-speaking people of whom we have a written record

Describe the fall of the Mycenaean civilization

-not long after their victory over Troy, they came under attack from sea raiders and also from another Greek speaking people, the Dorians, invading from the north. -as their power faded, their people and abandoned the cities and trade declined. -People forgot Many skills, including the art of writing -from the end of the Mycenaean civilization in about 1100 B.C. Until about 900 B.C., Greek civilization seemed to step backward

What are the various Greek achievements?

-sophists developed skills in rhetoric, art of skillful speaking —Socratic method was used by Socrates(pose a series of questions to a student or passing citizen, and challenge them to examine the implications of their answers -the most famous Greek architecture is the Parthenon, a temple dedicated to the goddess Athena -by 450 B.C Greek sculptors developed a new style that emphasized more natural forms(more lifelike and idealistic) -field of drama(1st Greek plays evolved out of religious festivals, especially those held in Athens to honor the god of fertility and wine, Dionysus

Mycenaeans

-spoke an info-European language -conquered the Greek mainland before overrunning the island of Crete -Mycenaean civilization dominated the Aegean world from about 1400 B.C to 1200 B.C -were sea traders -reached out beyond the Aegean to Sicily, Italy, Egypt and Mesopotamia -learned many skills from the Minoans, including, the art of writing -they also absorbed Egyptian and Mesopotamian customs, many of which they passed on to later Greeks -lived in separate city-states on the mainland •in each, a warrior-king built a thick walled fortress from which he ruled the surrounding villages •wealthy rulers amassed treasure, including find gold ornaments that archaeologists have unearthed from their tombs

What was central to the development of Greek civilization? Where did they get ideas from?

-the Mediterranean and Aegean seas were as central to thee development of Greek civilization as the Nile was to the Egyptians -the ancient Greeks absorbs many ideas and beliefs from the older civilizations of Mesopotamia and Egypt -@ the same time, they developed their own unique ways, in particular the Greeks developed new ideas about how to best govern each individual Greek polis(city-state)

What was the cause and effect of the Persian war?

-the Persians conquered a huge empire stretching from Asia minor to the border of India -Their subjects included the Greek city states of Ionia in Asia minor - though Under Persian rule, these Ionian city states where largely self-governing(still resented their situation) -In 499B.C. Ionian Greeks rebelled against Persian rule -Persians soon crushed rebelled cities -Darius I had role in Athens play in uprising -sent huge force across Aegean to punish Athens for interference -the Persian army landed near marathon(plain north of Athens) in 490B.C. -Athenians asked for help and got little help from Greek city-states -Persians greatly outnumber Athenian forces -invaders saw handful of men running to them without horsemen or archers -Persians had arrows; Greeks used hand-to-hand combat(Persians retreated cuz they were overwhelmed by the fury of the assault), Athenians won -Athenian leader, Themistocles, knew the victory @ marathon had bought only a temporary lull in the fighting -he urged Athenians to build a fleet of warships and prepare other defenses -Darius died so his son Xerxes sent a larger force to conquer Greece in 480 B.C. -Athens persuaded Sparta and others to join the fight -Persians landed in northern Greece; small spartan force guarded the mountain pass at Thermopylae -it was led by warrior king Leónidas. Sparta was heroic but were defeated in the end -Persians marched and burned Athens(city was empty cuz Athenians left for safety) -Greeks put their faith in the fleet of ships that Themistocles had urged be built -Athenians lured Persian navy into strait of salamis then Athenian warships drove into Persian boats with underwater bantering rams(Xerxes watched on shore as fleet sank) -the next year the Greeks defeated Persians on land in Asia Minor(marked end of Persian invasions)

Alexander the Great reign

-the architect of a new era -when Philip II was killed, his queen, Olympiads, then out maneuvered his other wives and children to put her own son, Alexander on the throne -only 20 but already was an experienced soldier who shared his fathers ambitions -w/ Greece subdued he began organizing the forces needed to conquer Persia -by 334 B.C. he had enough ships to cross the Dardanelles, the strait separating Europe from Asia minor -won first victory again the Persians at the Garnicus River -then moved from victory to victory, marching through Asia Minor into Palestine and south to Egypt before turning east again to take Babylon in 331 B.C. Other cities followed. Before he could capture Darius the Persian empire fell -w much of the Persian empire under his control he headed further east and crossed the Hindu Kush into northern India -there in 326 B.C. His troops for the first time faced soldiers mounted on war elephants -his soldiers were tired of the long campaign and refused to go further east so Alexander agreed to go back to Babylon, then when they reached it Alexander began planning a new campaign -fell to sudden fever before he could set out again at 32, when he was dying he said he left the empire "to the strongest" -no one leader proved wrong enough to succeed him so after years of disorder three generals divided it, Macedonia and Greece to one, Egypt to another, and most of Persia to one -for next 300 years their descendants competed for power over the lands Alexander conquered -his empire soon fell after his death

Minoan art at Knossos

-the rulers of this trading empire lived in a vast palace at Knossos -it housed rooms for the royal family, banquet halls, and working areas for artisans, and religious shrines -the walls of he palace at Knossos were covered with colorful frescoes, watercolor paintings (we learned things like the importance of the sea to them, they worshiped the bull as well as a mother goddess, and that woman appeared freely in public and may have enjoyed more rights that other ancient civilizations

What was Alexander the Great's legacy after death?

-unleashed changes that would ripple across the Mediterranean world and the Middle East for centuries -most lasting achievement was spread of Greek culture -founded many cities, most named after him -encouraged a blending of eastern and western cultures when he had married a Persian woman and urged his soldiers to follow his example -adopted many Persian customs including Persian dress -after his death a vital new culture emerged that blended Greek, Persian, Egyptian, and Indian influences, a Hellenistic civilization

Minoan trade and prosper

-washed by the warm waters of the aegean sea, their home was crete -british archeolofists called them minoans after Minos, a Legendary king of crete -reached hieght and great success between 1600 B.C and 1500 B.C -their sucess was based on trade, not conquest •minoan traders set up outposts throughout the Aegean world •From their island home in the eastern Mediterranean, they crossed seas to the Nile Valley and the Middle East •through contact with Egypt and Mesopotamia, they acquired ideas and technology in fields such as writing and architecture that they adapted to their own culture

What are the various Greek achievements during the Hellenistic age?

Hellenistic age: In math Pythagoras derived a formula to calculate the relationship between the sides of a triangle. -Euclid wrote "the Elements" a textbook that became the basis for modern geometry -using math and carful observation, the astronomer Aristarchus argued that the earth rotated on its axis and orbited the sun. This theory of a heliocentric(sun-centered) solar system was not accepted til 2,000 yrs later. -Eratosthenes showed that the earth was round and accurately calculated its circumference -Archimedes applied principles of physics to make practical inventions. He mastered the use of the lever and pulley and boasted. To demonstrate the inventions power he used it to draw a ship over the land before a crowd of awed spectators

How and why did Sparta and Athens differ?

In CH.4-2 notes (separate set)