Global 9: Chapter 5: Ancient Greece

Describe 3 changes in the arts and philosophies during the Hellenistic Age.

1) Temples, palaces, and public buildings became larger and grander. 2) Sculptors placed greater emphasis on realism and the portrayal of ordinary people. 3) Stoic philosophers believed that the ability to reason made all people morally equal.

Describe the 2 effects of the Persian Wars.

1. Athens became the most powerful Greek city-state after defeating the Persians. 2. Greek city-states formed the Delian League under Athenian leadership to protect against future Persian attacks).

What are 3 ways Pericles contributed to Athenian greatness?

1. Pericles paid salaries to men in public office, so even poor could participate in government. 2. He rebuilt the Acropolis and started other building projects. 3. He helped Athens become the cultural center of Greece.

Trojan War

10 year war fought between the Mycenaean Greeks (Sparta) and the city of Troy.

Aristotle

A Greek Philosopher, taught Alexander the Great, started a famous school, developed his own ideas about government. Was suspicious of democracy.

Parthenon

A large temple dedicated to the goddess Athena on the Acropolis in Athens, Greece. It was built during the Athenian golden age.

Strait

A narrow water passage connecting two bodies of water.

Homer

A poet who is credited for writing the Iliad (about the Trojan War) and Odyssey (about the struggles of a Greek hero's journey back to his wife after the fall of Troy).

Persian War

A series of wars between the Greeks (Athens & Sparta) and the Persians in which the Greeks were usually victorious.

Section 3: Victory and Defeat in the Greek World

After the Persian Wars, democracy thrived in Athens as it became the most powerful and prosperous city-state. However, rivalry among the Greek city-states led to conflict. The resulting Peloponnesian War ended Athenian greatness.

Section 5: Alexander and the Hellenistic Age

Alexander created a vast empire that included Greece, Persia, Egypt, and other lands. A blending of eastern and western cultures took place, especially in cities such as Alexandria in Egypt. In many lands that Alexander conquered, Hellenistic civilization flourished.

In what ways was Athens a democracy?

All male citizens over the age of 30 were members of the assembly, or law making body.

Socrates

An Athenian philosopher who thought that human beings could lead honest lives. Promoted introspection by saying, "Know thyself." "The unexamined life is not worth living."

Delian League

An alliance headed by Athens that says that all Greek city-states will come together and help fight the Persians. It helped a lot of wealth to flow into Athens contributing to the Athenian "golden age."

Macedonia

An ancient kingdom to the North of Greece that conquered Greece and the Persian Empire in the 300s B.C.

Section 4: The Glory That Was Greece

Armed with their faith in human reason, Greek philosophers developed ideas about government, morality, and the purpose of life. In literature and the arts, the Greeks sought beauty, harmony, and order. Their achievements set the standards for future generations.

What standards of beauty did Greek artists follow?

Artist followed standards of simplicity, balance, order, harmony, realism and idealism.

Pericles

Athenian leader noted for promoting direct democracy in Athens and for ordering the construction of the Parthenon. He brings Athens into a Golden Age.

Describe how geography affected Greece.

Because their land was divided by mountains and water, the Greeks formed separate, independent city-states. The need for fertile land pushed the Greeks to expand overseas.

Persia

Biggest empire in the world; invaded Greece twice with an overwhelming force and lost both times. It contributed heavily to the rise of Athens as a mini-empire and the "golden age" of Athenian culture.

Polis

City-state in ancient Greece.

Age of Pericles

Golden Age of Athens when arts and the government flourished. The time during which Athenian democracy and power reached its greatest height.

Aristocracy

Government headed by a privileged minority or upper class. In Greece, wealthy landowners ruled.

Monarchy

Government in which a king or a queen exercise central power by divine right.

Oligarchy

Government in which ruling power belongs to a few people.

Democracy

Government in which the people hold ruling power.

What cultures were blended to form Hellenistic civilization?

Greek, Persian, Egyptian and Indian cultures were blended, leading to the creation of the Hellenistic civilization.

How did Alexander's conquest lead to the rise in a new civilization?

Greeks left their country to settle in the newly conquered lands. Eastern and western cultures blended, resulting in the new Hellenistic civilization.

Alexander the Great

He and his father defeated and united the weakened Greek city-states and he defeated the Persian Empire in 330 BCE thus spreading Greek culture and influence throughout Western Asia.

Describe the extent of the lands conquered by Alexander the Great.

He conquered lands from Greece to northern India.

Acropolis

Hilltop fortress of an ancient Greek city-state, consisting of temples for Gods & Goddesses.

Phalanx

In ancient Greece, a massive formation of heavily armed foot soldiers.

Tragedy

In ancient Greece, a play that focused on human suffering and usually ended in disaster.

Comedy

In ancient Greece, a play that mocked people or social customs.

Tyrant

In ancient Greece, ruler who gained power by force.

Section 1: Early People of the Aegean

Influenced by the civilizations of Egypt and Mesopotamia, Minoan civilization developed on the island of Crete. Later, Mycenaean civilization developed in numerous city-states on the Greek mainland. The epics of Homer tell us much about the values of the ancient Greeks.

Darius

King of Persia who expanded the empire, organized a highly efficient administrative system, and invaded Greece. Only to be defeated at the Battle of Marathon in 490 BCE.

Legislature

Lawmaking body.

How did the growth of Athenian power contribute to the outbreak of the Peloponnesian War?

Many Greeks resented Athenian wealth and power. Sparta and other city-states opposed Athenian domination of the Delian League and formed a rival league. War then broke out between the two leagues.

Describe the ideal government set forth in Plato's "The Republic".

Plato favored a government in which philosopher-kings ruled.

Why did Plato reject democracy as a form of government?

Plato rejected Athenian democracy because it had condemned Socrates.

City-State

Political unit made up of a city with political and economic control of the surrounding lands.

How did the development of the phalanx affect Greek society and government?

Since ordinary citizens formed the phalanx, class differences were reduced. The citizens who worked in phalanx drills developed a sense of unity.

Marathon

Site of the first Athenian victory over the Persians.

What is the Socratic method?

Socratic method is teaching by asking a series of questions.

How did the Peloponnesian War affect Athens?

Sparta's victory ended Athenian greatness and democracy suffered. This war also left Greece open to attacks.

Plato

Student of Socrates, wrote "The Republic" about the perfectly governed society or ideal state. Rejected Athenian democracy.

Direct Democracy

System of government in which citizens participate directly rather than through elected representatives; a large number of citizens take part in government affairs. (Athens had this type of government.)

What cultural ties united the Greek world?

The Greeks shared the same language, myths, and religious beliefs.

Rhetoric

The art of skillful speaking, encouraged by some philosophers to question and challenge accepted ideas.

Peloponnesian War

The conflict between Athens and Sparta, in which Sparta won, but left Greece as a whole weak and ready to fall to its neighbors to the north. It ended Athenian Greatness.

What themes did Greek playwrights explore?

They explored morals, social issues, and the relationship between people and gods.

What did early Aegean civilizations rely on?

They relied on sea trade for goods.

How did noble landowners gain power in Greek city-states?

They were able to afford costly weapons, which they used to gain power.

What were the Iliad and the Odyssey?

They were epic poems composed by Homer about 750 BC.

How did trade contribute to a blending of cultures (cultural diffusion) of the Aegean world?

Trade brought elements of Egyptian and Mesopotamian culture to the Aegean world.

Section 2: The Rise of Greek City-States

While mountains separated Greek communities from one another, islands and jagged coastlines provided a common focus-the sea One result of geographic divisions was the growth of separate city-states, two of which were Sparta (with its rigorous, warrior society) and Athens (with its limited democracy).

Athens (government, education, role of women, & values)

a) Government: Limited Democracy b) Education: Boys learned reading, writing, music, poetry, and military and athletic skills. c) Role of Women: Women had no share in public life, but managed the households. d) Values: Knowledge and participation in government

Sparta (government, education, role of women, & values)

a) Government: System of strict control, Monarchy, with strong military. b) Education: Boys received strict military training. c) Role of Women: Women were physically conditioned so that they could produce healthy sons. They could inherit property and manage estates. d) Values: Discipline & strength