Ancient Greece Lessons 1-5

Acropolis

"high city" in Greek; the upper part of an ancient Greek city, where public buildings and the city's defenses were located

Polis

A city-state in ancient Greece.

Oligarchy

A government ruled by a few powerful people

Politics

An art and practice of government.

What was the main difference between the military power of Athens and the military power of Sparta?

Athens had a stronger navy and Sparta had a stronger army

What action by Athens laid the groundwork for its eventual defeat?

Athens invaded Sicily and lost a large part of its fleet.

What was the main difference between Athens and Sparta?

Athens was a democracy;Sparta was an oligarchy that tightly controlled its society.

What is one thing that Minoan and Mycenaean civilizations had in common?

Both civilizations developed a system of writing, both rulers lived in large stone palaces or fortresses and both fell to outside invaders.

What was the main difference between citizens and non-citizens?

Citizens were completely free and were able to participate in government. Non-citizens had limited rights.

How did the concept of citizenship make Athens different from other places in the ancient world?

Citizenship gave people the right to help make government decisions and decide the laws they had to live by.

How did Athenians use education to maintain their democracy?

Education produced citizens who were prepared to take an active part in their government.

How did Greece's climate affect its development?

Grain did not grow well in the dry summers, so the Greeks had to get grain form other countries. They were able to grow olives and grapes for trade.

Phalanx

Greek military formation of heavily armed foot soldiers who moved together as a unit

Battle of Marathon

Greek victory over the Persian army that ended the First Persian War

Battle of Salamis

Greek victory over the Persian navy during the Second Persian War

Delian League

Greek victory over the Persian navy during the Second Persian War

What aspect of Greek culture kept potential colonists from seeking a new place to live?

Greeks were very tied to their Polis.

How do an oligarchy and tyranny differ?

In an oligarchy, a small group of people rule. In a tyranny, there is one strong leader

How is the modern democracy of the United States different from Athenian democracy?

In the United States, women can vote. In Athens, only men could vote.

Why was the legend of the Trojan War and important part of Ionian culture?

It kept the heroic past of the Mycenaeans alive for the Ionian Greeks.

The Iliad is the version of the events of the Trojan War that has come down through history. Is Homer's account likely accurate in all the details? Why or why not?

It was probably not accurate because it was written from the Greek point of view long after the event occurred.

Why did Sparta rely on conquests to meet its needs?

It was too far from the coast to trade.

Helot

Messenian person forced to work as a lowly farmer by Sparta

What other factor led to Athens's defeat?

Persia helped Sparta rebuild its navy, making Sparta stronger than Athens at sea.

How did rich Athenian women's lives compare to poor Athenian women's lives?

Poor Athenian women left the home to work on farms or sell goods at markets, while rich women were encouraged to stay home as much as possible.

In what ways did Solon's reforms promote early democracy in Athens?

Solon ended slavery for people who could not pay their debts. This in turn gave more people the right to vote for officials and gave non-aristocrats a greater role in society

What was the one reason Sparta did not turn to trade for growth?

Sparta was inland, and was unable to use the sea for trade.

What finally led to the downfall of Greece?

The Greek city-states kept fighting one another; this made them weaker and allowed Macedonia to conquer Greece

Who fought at the Battle of Marathon and the Battle of Salamis?

The Greeks and Persians fought in this battle.

How did being near the sea affect development of Greek civilization?

The Greeks became sailors and merchants. This allowed them trade with other, more developed, countries.

What was the cause of the first Persian War?

The Persian kin, Darius, decided to conquer Greece because Athens had burned the Persian city of Sardis.

What was the connection between the introduction of the phalanx and the beginning of democracy?

The introduction of the phalanx allowed men who could not afford horses and armor to join the army. It then gave more political power to more people.

Why was the Delian League an alliance more in name than in practice?

The league was supposed to be made of equals but Athens took control and ran it like an empire.

How did the role of women differ from city-state to city-state?

The role of women in Athens was restricted to the home. Spartan women were educated, had athletic training and enjoyed property rights.

What does this suggest about ancient Greeks and how they regarded their defeated enemies?

The slaves were spoils of war and were considered to be property.

In the centuries before the Iliad and the Odyssey were written down, the poems were recited many times. What might have happened to the poems over the centuries?

The story probably changed from the original version as it was told each time.

How did Homer's Iliad and the Odyssey shape Greek Culture?

The values of bravery, strength, and honor that were told in the story became parto of the Greek identity.

Why did the Peloponnesian War last so long?

The war lasted so long because the Athens's strong navy and Sparta's strong army, neither side could defeat the other.

How were the Greeks able to defeat the superior Persian force at the battle of Marathon?

They caught the Persians by surprise.

Why did Sparta become a military state?

They could control the helots after their revolt through oppression and terror.

What was the major factor that drove the greeks to establish new colonies?

They had to feed the increasing population.

How did the mountain ranges affect Greece's development?

They isolated the city-states , which developed independently and did not unite under one government.

How were the Greeks able to defeat the superior Persian naval force at the Battle of Salamis?

They kept their ships hidden until the huge Persian navy filled a narrow body of water, then they rammed the Persian ships and broke them up.

What was the aristocrats' claim to power? What was their real reason for power?

They were descendants from kings or gods. Their real power came from owning large plots of land

How did most enslaved people in Greece become slaves?

They were prisoners of war.

What were some of the limitations of Athenian democracy?

Women could not vote or hold office; foreigners had no voice in government; slaves had to rights.

What was the cause of the second Persian War?

Xerxes, Darius's son, became king and was determined to conquer Greece.

Representative Democracy

democracy in which people elect representatives to make the nation's laws

Metic

foreigner in a Greek city-state, often a merchant or artisan

Democracy

form of government in which citizens hold political power

Direct Democracy

government in which citizens take part directly in the day-to-day affairs of government

Aristocracy

hereditary class of rulers, Greek for "rule by the best people"

city-state

independent state consisting of a city and its surrounding territory

Citizen

legal member of a country or city-state

Ephor

man responsible for the day-to-day operation of the government in Sparta

citizenship

membership in a state or community which gives a person civil and political rights and obligations

Peloponnesian League

military alliance led by Sparta

Barracks

military housing

Slavery

ownership and control of other people as property

Tenant farmer

person who pays rent, either in money or crops, to grow crops on another person's land

Military State

society organized for the purpose of waging war

Tyranny

unjust use of power, or in ancient Greece a government run by a strong ruler