History Study Guide (Mesopotamia/Ancient Egypt/Ancient Greece)
Megara
Megara was the first wife of Hercules. She was the daughter of King Creon of Thebes who gave her in marriage to Hercules in gratitude for his help in winning back Creon's kingdom from the Minyans.
New Kingdom
(1550 BC - 1077 BC) Egypt expanded greatly after they conquered modern-day Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Iraq, and Iran. The empire then began to decline after they fell to the Roman Empire and became a Roman province.
Middle Kingdom
(2050 BC - 1640 BC) The period in the history of ancient Egypt stretching from the reunification of Egypt under the impulse of Mentuhotep II of the Eleventh Dynasty to the end of the Twelfth Dynasty.
Old Kingdom
(2686 BC - 2181 BC) This marked the first continuous peak of civilization in Egypt.
Polis
A city-state in Ancient Greece.
Trojan War
A famous war between the Trojans and the Greeks because of a dispute between over Homer's wife, Helen. http://www.classics.upenn.edu/myth/php/homer/index.php?page=trojan
Peloponnesian League
A group formed in response to Athens' new power led by Sparta. This group consisted of other city-states who were against Athens.
Phalanx
A group of troops standing tightly together while advancing the group forward. - Why was it successful? The phalanx was successful for Athens because it could easily push back mangled and disorganized Persian warriors.
Nile River
A north-flowing river in northeastern Africa.
Menes
A pharaoh of the early dynastic period who united Upper and Lower Egypt.
Akhenaten
A pharaoh who ruled for 17 years and died around 1336 BC. He was best known for abandoning old polytheistic religion and introducing a new religion worshiping the god Aten.
Myth
A traditional story about supernatural beings or events, usually a false belief or idea.
Neolithic Revolution
A transition of human culture from hunting and gathering to agriculture and settlement, allowing for an increased population.
Alexander the Great
Alexander III the Great, the King of Macedonia and conqueror of the Persian Empire is considered one of the greatest military geniuses of all times. http://www.historyofmacedonia.org/AncientMacedonia/AlexandertheGreat.html His accomplishments: - Freed Ionian Greek cities of western Asia - Defeated large Persian army in Issus - Conquered Syria, Palestine, Egypt - Named cites like capital of Eygpt (Alexandria) after him - Fought Persia at Gaugamela, won, and got control of entire Persian empire
Tyrant
An absolute ruler who didn't have to follow rules or a constitution.
Delian League
An alliance of Greek city-states led by Athens. It was formed around 478 BC.
- Philosophy - Art - Architecture - Math - Science
Ancient Greek contributions to Western Civilization
Argos
Argos lies on the fertile Argolid plain in the eastern Peloponnese in Greece. The site has been inhabited from prehistoric times up to the present day. Ancient Argos was built on two hills: Aspis and Larissa, 80 m and 289 m in height respectively. Argos, along with Mycenae and Tiryns, was a significant Mycenaean centre, and the city remained important throughout the Greek, Hellenistic, and Roman periods until its destruction by the Visigoths in 395 CE. - http://www.ancient.eu/argos/
- Glazed bricks - Seeder plow * Babylonians did use inventions of the Sumerians and added onto them.
Babylonian Innovations
- Cities - Complex religions - Social classes - Art and architecture - Organized central government - Job specialization - Writing - Public works
Characteristics of a Civilization
Cuneiform
Cuneiform is a system of writing first developed by the ancient Sumerians of Mesopotamia (3500-3000 BCE).
Cyrus
Cyrus the Great (600 - 529 BCE) was a towering figure in the history of mankind. As the "father of the Iranian nation", he was the first world leader to be referred to as "The Great". Cyrus founded the first world empire - and the second Iranian dynastic empire (the Achaemenids) - after defeating the Median dynasty and uniting the Medes with the other major Iranian tribe, the Persians.
Democracy
Democracy was a system of government run by the people. They elected leaders and voted on which laws should be passed.
- Delian League was formed - Athens became the most powerful city-state in all of Greece. - In response to Athens' new power, Sparta formed the Pelopennesian League. - The two powers then went to war and left Greece extremely weak.
Effect of Persian Wars on Greece
Gilgamesh
Gilgamesh is the main character of the Epic of Gilgamesh, an Akkadian poem that is considered the first great work of literature.
Hammurabi
Hammurabi was the sixth king of the First Babylonian Dynasty, reigning from 1792 BC to 1750 BC. He developed the Hammurabi Code, which was the Babylonian code of law.
Hatsheput
Hatsheput came to the throne at around 1478 BC and was one of the few female pharaohs.
Darius
He was the third Achaemenian king and was considered by many to be "the greatest of the Achaemenian kings." During his reign, Darius completed the work of his predecessors, and not only did he "hold together the empire," but he also extended it in all directions. - http://www.ancient.eu/Darius_I/
Pericles
Pericles (495-429 BCE) was a prominent statesman, famous orator, and general of Athens during the Golden Age of Athens. So profound was his influence that the period in which he led Athens has been called the 'Age of Pericles'. - http://www.ancient.eu/pericles/
Persia
Persia became known as a relentless and ruthless empire. They were later known as the Persian Empire. - http://www.ushistory.org/civ/4e.asp
Ramses II
Ramses II is often regarded as the greatest, most celebrated, and most powerful pharaoh of the Egyptian Empire. Ramses II led several military expeditions into Levant, reasserting Egyptian control over Canaan. He also led expeditions to the south, into Nubia.
Sargon
Sargon of Akkad was the first ruler of the Semitic-speaking Akkadian Empire, best known for his conquests of the Sumerian city-states in the 24th to 23rd centuries BC.
Homeric Ideals
The Homeric Ideals consist of 4 basic ideals. Homer believe these ideals made the perfect human being, no matter the case. If these 4 ideals were followed, you would be a perfect human being. - https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20120818191828AAlTkLe
Philosophy
The study of knowledge, nature, and existence.
Sparta
Sparta was one of the most important Greek city-states throughout the Archaic and Classical periods and was famous for its military prowess. The professional and well-trained Spartan hoplites with their distinctive red cloaks, long hair, and lambda-emblazoned shields were probably the best and most feared fighters in Greece, fighting with distinction at such key battles as Thermopylae and Plataea in the early 5th century BCE. The city was also in constant rivalry with the other major Greek cities of Athens and Corinth. - http://www.ancient.eu/sparta/
- The wheel - Cuneiform - Arithmetic and geometry - Irrigation systems - Boats - Leather - Chisels and hammers
Sumerian Innovations
Akkadian Empire
The Akkadian Empire was the first ancient Semitic-speaking empire of Mesopotamia, centered in the city of Akkad.
Homer
The Greek poet Homer was born sometime between the 12th and 8th centuries BC, possibly somewhere on the coast of Asia Minor. He is famous for the epic poems The Iliad and The Odyssey, which have had an enormous effect on Western culture.
Hyskos
The Hyksos were people of different origins from Western Asia, who settled in the eastern Nile Delta, some time before 1650 BC. The arrival of the Hyksos led to the end of the Thirteenth Dynasty of Egypt and initiated the Second Intermediate Period of Egypt after Egypt was conquered by the Hyksos.
Minoans
The Minoan civilization flourished in the middle Bronze Age on the Mediterranean island of Crete from 2000 BCE until 1500 BCE and, with their unique art and architecture, the Minoans made a significant contribution to the development of Western European civilization as it is known today. - http://www.ancient.eu/Minoan_Civilization/
Mycenaens
The Mycenaean civilization flourished in the late Bronze Age, from the 15th to the 13th century BCE and extended its influence not only throughout the Peloponnese in Greece but also across the Aegean, in particular, on Crete and the Cycladic islands.The Mycenaeans were influenced by the earlier Minoan civilization (2000-1450 BCE) which had spread from its origins at Knossos, Crete to include the wider Aegean. Architecture, art and religious practices were assimilated and adapted to better express the perhaps more militaristic and austere Mycenaean culture. - http://www.ancient.eu/Mycenaean_Civilization/
Peloponnesian War
The Peloponnesian War was a battle between Athens and Sparta and their respective allies. They came in two stages, the first from 460 to 446 BC and the second and more significant war from 431 to 404 BC. With battles occurring at home and abroad, the long and complex conflict was damaging to both sides, but Sparta, with financial help from Persia, finally won the conflict by destroying the Athenian fleet at Aegospotami in 405 BC. - http://www.ancient.eu/Peloponnesian_War/
Athens
The city of Athens, Greece, with its famous Acropolis, has come to symbolize the whole of the country in the popular imagination, and not without cause. Athens began as a small, Mycenaen community and grew to become a city that, at its height, epitomized the best of Greek virtues and enjoyed such prestige that the Spartans refused to sack the city or enslave the citizens, even after Athens' defeat in the Peloponnesian War. This set a model that would be followed by future conquerors who would defeat Athens but not destroy it. - http://www.ancient.eu/Athens/
The Battle of Marathon
The famous clash between a Persian invasion force and an army of Athenians around 490 BC. - Read the entire battle here: http://www.livius.org/articles/battle/marathon-490-bce/
Fertile Crescent
The fertile crescent is a crescent-shaped region that contains moist and fertile land along the Nile, Euphrates, and Tigris rivers.
Paleolithic Era
The period before the Stone Age commonly referred to as the "Old Stone Age." Characterized by the use of flint, stone, and bone tools, and the practice of hunter-gatherers.
Neolithic Era
The period commonly referred to as the "Stone Age" beginning around 10,000 B.C. in the Middle East. This era contained the development of agriculture and architecture.
Thucydides
Thucydides (460 BC-400 BC) chronicled nearly 30 years of war and tension between Athens and Sparta. - http://www.history.com/topics/ancient-history/thucydides
Xerxes
Xerxes I (ruled 486-465 BCE), also known as Xerxes the Great, was the king of the Persian Achaemenid Empire. - http://www.ancient.eu/Xerxes_I/
