Western Civilization I- topic 2

A city on the island of Crete and the center of the Minoan civilization.

Knossos

A group of gods, such as those the Greeks worshiped. The Greek gods were not perfect icons, but representations of human virtues and flaws made into figures such as Apollo and Zeus.

Pantheon

The peninsula that makes up most of southern Greece.

Peloponnese

Phoenicians

The Phoenicians, traders based in what is now Lebanon, interacted with the Greeks as well as with the Egyptians and Near East tribes. It is the Phoenicians' alphabetic method of writing that the Greeks adapted by adding vowels. In about 800 BC, writing appeared using the new Greek alphabet. Writing allowed traders to track debts and costs and provided for a standardized system of payment to be developed.

Homer's epics accurately describe events in prehistoric Greece.

false

Pericles was an aristocrat who ruled Athens in a despotic fashion.

false

The Greek polis noted for its cultural sophistication was Sparta.

false

The Greek polis noted for its promotion of military courage was Athens.

false

The Greek theater of the fifth century B.C.E. primarily concerned itself with light comic themes.

false

The Greeks based their alphabet on that of the Egyptians.

false

The Greeks were fortunate in having a large plain and river so that they could be united in one great empire.

false

The Minoans engaged in no trade, instead depending entirely on agriculture.

false

The citizen of a Greek polis thought of himself as a subject of a high king and his priests.

false

Troy won the Trojan War

false Greeks won the Trojan War

Paris was the writer of The Iliad.

false Homer was the writer of The Iliad

Slavery was illegal in ancient Greece.

false most homes had at least one slaves--it showed wealth to have many slaves

Women were able to vote in Greece.

false only men were allowed to votes (20% of population) no women or slaves voted

Doric was the _____ Greek architectural order.

first

In Greek theater, women's roles were played by_______.

men

Hesiod was a Greek ______.

poet

The Greek word for "city-state" and the basic political unit of ancient Greek civilization. Each one's influence reached out into the countryside around it.

polis

The religious center of Athens, which holds important buildings such as the Parthenon, also known as the Temple of Athena.

Acropolis

The Doric order

The Doric order used fluted columns topped by plain capitals.

The sea surrounding the Greek peninsula and islands; also often used to refer to the residents of the area.

Aegean

Greek culture

-A bigger trading network -A shared mythology and culture -A robust, differentiated economy Greek writers, thinkers, and historians developed a new conception of the world and Greek scientists began to develop complex theories of the natural world.

Architecture

-A dominant theme in Greek architecture was proportion. Mathematical principles such as the Golden Mean were used to create structures that looked harmonious. Most of the ancient Greek buildings that have survived are temples and other public buildings, such as the Parthenon. A series of columns surrounded the outside of the buildings, which had low-pitched roofs and often had sculptures along the outsides. Open-air theaters, common in most Greek cities, also reflected the desire for symmetry and harmony. -The forms of classical Greek architecture are still used throughout the world. Many ceremonial buildings in Washington D.C. are built in this neoclassical style. Examples include the Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials.

Democracy

-Although personal freedom flourished in Athens, Sparta did not practice democracy! Sparta had 2 kings, a council that consisted of 30 older men, and an assembly of adult males. The Spartan code demanded allegiance and support of the state over the individual, so anybody who was deemed a threat to the city-state was banished for 10 years. To choose the people who would be ostracized, votes were made by scratching names on broken pottery pieces, or ostraca. It was a practice that was not often invoked and was discontinued in 416 BC. -In ancient Greece, a unique political situation developed. There were no state religions or priest-kings. Control of the territory was divided between city-states. The use of slaves freed well-to-do men from constant physical labor, and the reemerging maritime trade meant prosperity. Wealthy aristocrats became politicians or influenced politicians by becoming their patrons. -One important early politician, Solon, was a poet and an early leader of the Athenian Assembly. He helped reform the Greek governmental process by repealing the Draconian laws (written in the previous century by the law scribe Draco) and replacing them with a new constitution. This constitution increased citizen participation in government and decreased punishments for crimes. -The monarchy was abolished in Athens in 683 BC and the world's first democracy was formed there in 507 BC.

Persian War

-Around 550 BC, Cyrus the Great founded the Persian Empire in what is now Iran. His successor, Darius I, attempted to invade the Greek peninsula twice in the early years of the fifth century BC. The Persians had already conquered the Greek colonies in Ionia and in Anatolia (now a region in Turkey), and were attempting to expand their empire. Darius's troops were beaten by soldiers from Athens and Plataea (a city near Thebes) in the Battle of Marathon in 490 BC, and Darius died 5 years later. -Darius's son Xerxes attempted to invade Greece again but was beaten at the Battle of Plataea in 479 BC. The Persian troops were met by a combined force from Athens, Sparta, and Corinth. -The Greeks, primarily led by Athens, managed to keep the Persians from invading permanently, and even helped the Egyptians fight against the Persians. Around 450 BC, it is believed that the Persians and the Athenians signed a peace treaty, and the Persians left the Aegean. -The first attempted invasion of Athens by the Persians was stopped following the Battle of Marathon. According to legend, after the battle, a soldier was sent to run from Marathon to Athens to alert the townspeople of the victory. This is the origin of the term "marathon."

Civic Culture

-Athens had a thriving civic culture. As we will see, philosophers such as Socrates encouraged inquiry and rational debate and developed some of the first rules of logic. Athens and other Greek poleis became some of the first real metropolitan cities in the world, as far as diversity of background and labor went. This flowering of Athenian culture was not a given, however. As was seen with Sparta, diversity and strength did not have to mean open debate, but in Athens' case, it did. -Athenian democracy and civic culture strongly influenced later Roman forms of government, as well as the formation of later democracies such as the United States. -Most democracies in the modern world are representative democracies, including the United States. -In a representative democracy, voters elect people who represent their interests to the government. Athens was a direct democracy, though, where each male citizen who owned property was allowed to have a direct vote on government issues. Free male citizens made up only around 20% of Athens' population, however, and women and slaves were not able to vote. Although Athens was the first democracy in Western history, most Athenians were not able to participate in the democratic process.

The Oracle at Delphi

-Divination and prophecy were key parts of the Greek religion. The most famous example of this is the Oracle at Delphi, known as the Pythia. -The priestess Pythia was a priestess of Apollo, the god of prophecy. She predicted the future from inside the caves at Delphi. But, her predictions were often vague and could be interpreted in several ways. For example, King Croesus asked the Oracle's advice on a war with the Persians, and the Oracle proclaimed that an empire would fall. Unfortunately for Croesus, it was his empire that fell. Similar oracles were located across Greece.

Art

-Greek art is some of the best known in the world. The Greeks were some of the first people to create representational art. Earlier geometric forms shifted in favor of scenes of people and places. Particularly in sculpture, Greek art reflects an interest in human anatomy and the ideals of the human form. -The Greeks also mastered a variety of decorative art, including ceramics, pottery, mosaics, and murals.

Gods and Goddesses

-Greek gods were powerful beings, but not ideals of perfection as in many other cultures. It was believed that the gods lived on Mt. Olympus. Familiar names include those of Zeus and Athena. According to belief, Greek gods --Could transform themselves into animals or become invisible --Could cause humans to do things against their will --Were immortal -The Greeks adapted many of their gods from earlier cultures such as the Minoan, Mycenaean, and Egyptian cultures. After the Roman conquest of Greece, Greek gods were adapted into the Roman pantheon.

Theater and Literature

-Hesiod, one of the earliest Greek poets, lived at approximately the same time as Homer. His work Works and Days was an 800-verse poem that discussed the role of man on Earth and the nobility of labor. -By the golden age of Greek civilization, theater had become a popular form of literature. Playwrights such as Sophocles, Euripides, Aeschylus, and Aristophanes wrote plays for the festivals of Dionysus held yearly in Athens; the most famous work of these four is the story of Oedipus, written by Sophocles. Greek playwrights such as Sophocles wrote the first comedies and tragedies, as well as political satires. -Greek theater had several unique characteristics. Most plays had a chorus that stood at the back of the stage and sung and danced. Women were not allowed to act, so male actors played the female roles.

Science, Medicine, and Engineering

-Hippocrates was one of the first physicians in Western tradition. -His interest in the human body led him to develop the theory of humors, which posits that illness is due to an imbalance in humors within the body, not due to mystical factors or punishment by the gods. Hippocrates' discipline and observational skills laid the foundation for a more scientific study of illness, anatomy, and physiology. -Archimedes lived on the island of Sicily in the last years of the Greek civilization. He combined his interest in physics with the need to defend against the sieges of the Romans by developing the concepts for items such as a heat ray made of mirrors and improved weapons such as the catapult. Archimedes discovered the laws of buoyancy and of equilibrium of fluids, and approximated the size of pi, among many other mathematical feats. -Modern physicians still take the Hippocratic oath, which begins "first, do no harm."

Summary

-In the earliest days of Greece, Minoan and Mycenaean groups lost their hold, and Greece faded into its Dark Age. Quickly, however, Greek civilization rebounded and the poleis came to dominate the Mediterranean. -Although the reign of the city-states was short and full of conflict and war, great art, literature, and politics came out of this turbulent time. Greek civilization had an impact far greater than its size or length. In Greece, the foundation was laid for all of Western civilization that has followed it. Philosophers, poets, politicians, and ordinary people helped create a unique place whose legacy has been strikingly powerful. -Socrates has been quoted as having said, "I am not an Athenian or a Greek, but a citizen of the world."

Greek Dark Ages

-It is unknown what precisely triggered the Greek Dark Ages, which began around 1200 BC. There was a volcanic eruption that may have destabilized regions, and there may have been invasions by the Dorians, people from northern Greece. During this period, the skill of writing was lost, so we have no documents telling us what life was like. Archaeological evidence suggests that trade networks fell apart during this period and that people were less wealthy-because fewer items have been found buried with people who died during this period. -Trojan War was fought during the dark ages -Homer's The Iliad describes the Trojan War

Mathematics

-Like Aristotle, Pythagoras was both a philosopher and a scientist. He lived in southern Italy in the sixth century BC, the century before Socrates. He and his students developed a view that the universe could be completely explained by numbers. Pythagoras developed many ideas in number theory and geometry, including the Pythagorean theorem for geometry. -Euclid utilized Pythagoras's and other Greek mathematicians' theories, as well as his own, when he compiled his Elements, which is still used as a geometry textbook. It is thought that Euclid was a student of Plato.

Greek Slavery

-Slavery was common in ancient Greece, although less severe than later forms of slavery. It was not race-based, although foreigners (non-Greek citizens) were often slaves. Slaves came from all over the Greek Empire, including Asia Minor and the northern coast of Africa. Some slaves had been abandoned as children and later were found and taken by slave traders. -Large gangs of slaves were used in mining and quarrying stone, and their lives and work were unpleasant. Other slaves were more fortunate and worked as domestic servants or in the shops of small craftsmen. -Fortunate slaves were often able to save up and buy their own freedom and/or buy property. But most were slaves for life, unable to participate in government or choose their own work. -As we have seen, slavery played a key role in the Spartan economy, because Spartan citizens were busy with military activities. Slave labor was an important part of the economies and cultures of each Greek polis-Athen's police force was made up of slaves.

Philosophy and Inquiry

-Socrates, the father of Western philosophy, lived in Athens in the fifth century BC. He developed the form of questioning known as the Socratic method. Socrates was tried and sentenced to death for the supposed corruption of youth with his beliefs. -Greek philosophers had a major influence on Roman and Islamic culture, and continue to influence scholars to the present day. Greek thinkers established the rules and methods of discourse that remain the framework of Western thought. For example, philosophers today still discuss ideas about the role of people in the universe that were first developed by Socrates and Plato.

Peloponnesian War

-Sparta won -Pericles was the leader of Athens during the building of the Parthenon and was elected as general 15 times. He was a brilliant orator, and promoted literature and the arts during his rule. He negotiated a treaty that was meant to bring a balance of power with Sparta for a period of 30 years. The treaty failed in 431 BC and conflict with Sparta erupted. These were not happy times. As if a bloody long-term war wasn't enough to deal with, a disastrous plague hit Athens in 430 BC, and Pericles died in 429 BC. -Elimination of the Persian threat meant that once again, the Spartans and the Athenians were at each other's throats. From 431-404 BC, the Peloponnesian War was fought in Greece. The primary combatants were Sparta and Athens. -The impact of the Peloponnesian War was immediate. Before the conflict, Athens had been the strongest power in Greece. After it, Sparta dominated the Greek world. The effect of the war on the people of Greece was also significant. The costs of the war bankrupted Athens and caused many Greeks to become poverty-stricken. Civil war between poleis became common. -The philosopher Socrates was sentenced to death in Athens just after the end of the Peloponnesian War. He was found guilty of criticizing the Athenian system of government and praising the government of Sparta.

Sparta

-Sparta, a polis south of Athens on the Peloponnesian peninsula, was Athens' primary rival. Unlike Athens, Sparta's focus was military rather than economic. Spartan military might allowed them to have the strongest force in Greece. Sparta conquered the whole of the Peloponnese. -The conquered people were forced to work as slaves while the Spartan male citizens concentrated on warfare. Women in Sparta were also encouraged to be physically strong and independent in order to defend themselves if necessary. The slave class was known as the Helots, named after the town of Helus. Spartan citizens were of Dorian background. In between the citizens and the slaves was the class of Periocci, or freedmen, who worked in industry but did not have all the rights of Spartan citizens. -Sparta and Athens were often in conflict, and the series of battles they fought is called the Peloponnesian War.

Minoan civilization

-The Minoan civilization was centered on the island of Crete, southeast of the Greek mainland, in the Aegean Sea. The Minoans were able to capitalize on their central location and their knowledge of sailing and trading to create a maritime power by around 2000 BC. -It is unknown what Minoans called themselves. Much of the information about them has come from archaeology. The palace of King Minos in Knossos was the first to be explored, in 1900, and this is how the Minoans got their name. -Minoan settlements each tended to consist of an unfortified palace complex, which included lodging for the king and his soldiers; a space for trading and commerce; and a religious shrine. Minoa had a form of writing (Linear A, adapted from cuneiform) and beautiful frescoes and paintings in their palaces. Minoan religion focused on a goddess of fertility and a bull-headed god. -After 1500 BC, Minoan culture lost its dominance of maritime trade and was taken over by the Mycenaean culture from the Greek mainland. -The Minoan palace at Knossos had many advanced features. There was an extensive plumbing system that included a flush toilet and a sewer. The throne room featured a ceremonial bath.

Mycenae culture

-The Mycenae civilization took over the Greek mainland from the Minoans. The Mycenaeans were a warlike people who lived in fortified towns. -The Mycenaeans were influenced by many other cultures -The Mycenaean civilization was the last period of Bronze Age Greece and ended with the coming of the Greek Dark Age.

The Ancient Olympics

-The ancient Olympics were games of strength and endurance held in Olympia from the early eighth century BC. At first, they were held irregularly and were quite small. There are many legends that attempt to explain the creation of the games, but it is unknown who actually started them. They were held every four years, and the term "Olympiad" became known as a period of four years and was used by the Greeks to number dates. Allegedly, after a woman attempted to sneak into the games as a trainer, all of the men at the games performed naked. -Similar games were held in other Greek poleis. In Sparta, the Gymnopaedia was a celebration with athletic dancing and contests. -The Pythian games, named after the Pythian Oracle at Delphi, were held every four years, two years after each Olympic game. -These games served as celebrations as well as a way to train for military service. The games were non-religious, but closely related to religious activities. Early Olympic events included running, pentathlon, discus throw, wrestling, boxing, and chariot races. -The modern Olympics began in 1896 as an effort to recreate feelings of international and civic harmony.

Athens #2

-The city-state, or polis, was a function of Greek geography-with numerous islands, straits, and mountain ranges, it was impossible to govern a large area of land. Small areas were independent, but traded and interacted with each other. Poleis such as Athens, Sparta, Corinth, and Thebes developed their own unique governmental styles and cultures. -Athens was the most important polis in ancient Greece. Located on a series of hills, it became a center of trade and culture. As we will see, some of the most important temples and buildings in Greece were built in Athens, including the Parthenon and Acropolis.

Homer (continued)

-The stories of Homer:The Iliad and The Odyssey-are believed to have been originally composed during the Greek Dark Ages. These stories were passed down orally through generations of storytellers and were written down after the Greeks rediscovered writing. -Because these Homeric tales were passed down orally for generations before being written down, it is unknown whether Homer was an actual person or whether the tales were a combination of story adaptations. The Iliad tells of the Trojan War and is one of the few documents we have discussed this topic. It is known that Mycenae went to war with the city of Troy and that Troy lost the war and was destroyed. -The Iliad and The Odyssey were not only historical tales and entertaining stories-they served as guides to virtue. The conduct of the heroes of these tales was taught to children as an example. -Pioneering German archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann worked to excavate the site of Troy in the 1870s. His work helped to popularize the study of ancient Greek sites, although many saw him as an undisciplined treasure hunter.

Athens

Athens has the longest history of any city in Europe and has been inhabited continuously for more than 3,000 years.

Location of the Delphic Oracle and the Temple of Apollo. Here, the Oracle prophesied the future and served as a spiritual advisor.

Delphi

A mathematical ratio that was used in classical Greek architecture.

Golden Mean

The "author" of The Iliad and The Odyssey

Homer

A mathematical theorem developed by the Greek scientist Pythagoras. It describes the relationship between the lengths of the sides of a right triangle.

Pythagorean theorem

The Corinthian order

The Corinthian order used a slender column and an engraved capital.

Homer

The Iliad was written centuries after the actual Trojan War, and after bards, or oral storytellers, had passed down the details. Homer's poems first appeared around the middle of the eighth century BC and it is claimed that Homer came from the Anatolia Region. Whether Homer was one man, or Homeric works are actually a collection from many writers over generations, it is certain that the writings of "Homer" influenced culture and literature, and served as a moral compass for many people.

Athena

The city-state of Athens had an intimate relationship with the goddess Athena, the patron deity of the city. A 30-foot-tall gold and ivory statue of Athena wearing full armor was displayed at the Parthenon, which means "House of the Virgin Goddess." The Parthenon is still a wonder to behold and is a popular tourist destination to this day.

the Ionic order

The columns built by the Ionic order were more detailed, with scrolled capitals at the top of the columns and bases at the bottoms

The subject of Homer's The Iliad and a war between Troy and Mycenae.

Trojan War

The king of the Greek gods.

Zeus

Athens established itself as the supreme ruler of Greece by defeating Sparta in the Peloponnesian War.

false

Athens refused to assist Miletus in the Persian Wars.

false

An oracle told ______.

the future

Athens converted the Delian League into an empire by forbidding the members to withdraw and by controlling the League treasury.

true

Athens was the world's first democracy.

true

Cleisthenes's major political innovation was to redistrict the city in such a way that old alliances of geography and clan in the Assembly were broken.

true

During the Greek Dark Ages the art of writing was lost

true

Greek philosophers made the first attempts to understand and explain the world in a scientific, philosophical manner.

true

Hippocrates believed that all diseases had natural causes.

true

Mycenaean civilization was greatly influenced by the Minoans.

true

Plato did not believe that democratic government was fit for the ideal state.

true

Sparta was a warlike city-state.

true

The Persian Wars ended with Greek victories on both land and sea.

true

The Theban Plays of Sophocles revolve around the myths of Oedipus and his family.

true

The tension between heroic aspiration and dangerous individual pride became a prominent theme throughout the history of the ancient Greeks.

true

Unlike Minoan palaces, Mycenaean palaces were walled, indicating much warfare.

true

Unlike Plato, Aristotle believed in the study of the everyday world, not in the study of ideal forms.

true