Vocab
Polis
City
Panathenaic Way
Built from the main gate of Athens to the Acropolis for the purpose of the Panathenaia religious festival
Leonidas
King of Sparta
Died during Battle of Thermopylae
Herodotus
Greek historian
Famous for "The Histories"
Regarded as primary source for reliable information on the ancient world he observed
Seige
A military operation in which enemy forces surround a town, cutting off essential supplies
Acropolis
Agora
High city
Marketplace
How is Athens known in myth?
Both Poseidon and Athena wanted the city to be named after them
Poseidon struck a rock to make water come forth and assured they would never suffer drought
Athena dropped a seed which became an olive tree
The people found the olive tree more valuable and Athena was named patron
How do the Persian Wars start?
Darius, King of Persia expanded into Ionia (east of Greece) and Macedonia (north of Greece)
Ionians rebelled with the help of mainland Greek city-states
Darius sends envoys to call for Greeks’ submission to Persian rule
The Greeks kill the envoys; Athens and Sparta form an alliance for Greece’s defense
Darius launches a massive navel force to Greece
Founder, Lacedaemon, was a son of Zeus - gave his name to the region and his wife’s name to the city
Spartan king, Menelaus, instigated the Trojan war to get his wife, Helen, back
What are the two leagues that Athens and Sparta are in (respectively)?
Athens - Delian League
Sparta - Peloponnesian League
Ostracism
The citizen body could vote in a public assembly to exile any person thought to be dangerous or too powerful for the city’s welfare
What is significant about the Greek alphabet?
Developed out of the Phoenician alphabet
Shows the increase of trade and exploration between the two areas
What is significant about the Battle of Salamis and the Battle of Plataea?
Salamis: Naval battle; Greeks tricked the Persian fleet into narrow straits at Salamis so they had nowhere to retreat to; Greek victory
Plataea: Similar to the Battle of Marathon (massive Persian army against a smaller Greek army; Persian warfare (long-range archers) vs Greek warfare (short-range hoplites)); Greek victory; Ensured survival of Greece and its culture
What are some possible positives and negatives about the Delian League?
Alliance of Greek city-states led by Athens to liberate eastern city-states from Persian rule; Also used as defense against possible future attacks from Persia
Treasury controlled by Athenian treasurers
City-states swore an oath and had an equal vote (also expected to give tribute to the treasury which was used to build and maintain Athens’ navy)
Pericles began to use League funds for a massive re-building project in Athens
City-states who disagreed with large tributes and wanted to leave were attacked by Athens
Why is the Battle of Aigospotamoi significant?
Final battle of the Peloponnesian Wars
Spartans tricked the Athenians into thinking they were battle shy until attacking and destroying the Athenian navel fleet
Hoplites
Helots
Foot soldiers
Enslaved agricultural laborers in Sparta
What are the differences between black figure pottery design and red figure pottery design?
Black: Named after the color of the scenes painted on vessels; Depicted animals and human silhouettes in naturalistic detail
Red: Red comes from the original red-orange color of the clay; Most often figures of humans (allowed for greater detail that could be drawn onto the figure as a more 3-D depiction)
What are some similarities and differences between the fighting styles of the Persians and the Greeks?
Persians: Long distance archers, bigger army
Greeks: Short distance hoplites, smaller army
How was living in Athens different from living in Sparta?
Government, military, architecture, ideals, societies, size of space
What are some reasons the Peloponnesian Wars started?
Athens and Sparta as the two major powers
Sparta alarmed at Athens’ growing power and suspicious of their rebuilding project
(Second War: 432 BCE Athens wanted resources from Thrace (city-state) but Thrace asked for Sparta’s protection; 431 BCE Sparta invaded and sacked Attica (area where Athens is))
Aristocracy
Oligarchy
A government ruled by a small group of noble, land-owning families
A government ruled by a few powerful people
Describe the differences between Draco’s, Solon’s, and Cleisthenes’s governments.
Draco: Laws known for cruelty, severity, bias
Solon: Re-structured the Athenian class system by creating four distinct groups classified by wealth
Cleisthenes: Re-structured the Athenian class system by location and then groups
Describe the significances, similarities, and differences between the Battle of Marathon and the Battle of Thermopylae.
Battle of Marathon: Massive Persian army against a much smaller Greek army, Greeks gained the upper hand by attacking from the front, left, and right, Greek victory
Battle of Thermopylae: Persians must go through the mountain pass to enter mainland Greece, Greeks held the Persians back for two days, Battle claimed legendary status even though the Greeks lost, Viewed as a great defense of the Greek way of life against foreign aggression
What are some similarities and differences between Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle?
Socrates: Questioned “wise” people but found that they were lacking while “common people” who were looked down on were much more intelligent; Focus on how to live a good and virtuous life; Inspired followers to think for themselves instead of following the dictates of society
Plato: Overall concerned with the quest for Truth and the understanding of what is Good; One universal truth which humans needed to recognize and strive to live in accordance with; Theory of Forms
Aristotle: Focused on systematic, scientific examination of every area of human knowledge; Everyone and everything had a purpose for existing; What makes someone good is because they had been taught the value of living a good life
Describe some tactics Athenians and Spartans used during the Peloponnesian Wars.
Spartan strategy to annually attack Athenian lands (focus on destruction of burning farms, chopping trees and vineyards)
Athenian wall around Athens and major port (Piraeus)
Siege - a military operation in which enemy forces surround a town, cutting off essential supplies
Strategies: repeatedly attacking the city directly, surrounding the city with a wall