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World History I
Mrs. Rogers
Sem. 1 2012
Chapter 4 Study Guide:
Ancient Greece
Section 1: Early People
Vocabulary:
Aegean Sea: (uh-gee-un): part of the Mediterranean Sea that forms the eastern border of
Greece.
Minoans (min-o-uhns): the people who lived on Crete and formed the earliest
civilization which later serves as the beginning of Greek civilization.
Knossos (no-sohs): city on Crete that is home to the Minoans.
Trojan War: a long struggle between Greece and Troy.
Homer: Greek poet who took the stories about the war between Greece and Troy and
put them in writing; The Iliad and The Odyssey.
Fresco (fress-coh): a type of art used to decorate the interiors of Greek buildings.
Artists painted pictures over wet plaster that covered ceilings and walls.
Mycenaeans (my-suh-nee-uns): a people that conquered the Minoans and also settled
the Greek peninsula.
Dorians (dohr-ee-uns): another early people that invaded Greece. They weakened the
Mycenaeans and became part of early Greek civilization.
Key Ideas:
(Study Map on page 219.)
Minoan Civilization: (1600 BC – 1500 BC)
 Developed on the island of Crete. Provided a foundation for the development of
future Greek peoples. A series of earthquakes and invasions from outside groups
destroyed the Minoans.
Mycenaean Civilization: (1400 BC – 1200 BC)

After defeating the Minoans, a new civilization developed which extended from
Crete to the Greek mainland. The Mycenaean people adopted ideas from the
Egypt and Mesopotamia.

They formed communities in the form of city states. Separated by mountains
each city state included a walled city for protection surrounded by nearby
countryside. They operated as a self-contained unit of government.
Trojan War: (1250 BC)
 A ten year battle over control of trade in the Mediterranean. The war included an
effort to rescue of Helen, the Greek queen who was kidnapped by the Trojans; a
wooden horse; a number of famous warriors including Achilles.
 Stories are part of Greek tradition found in the Iliad and Odyssey.
Dorian Invasion: (1100 – 900 BC)
 Outsiders from the north attacked the Mycenaean Greeks, leading to a period of
weakness and decline in Greek civilization.
Section 2: Greek City States
Vocabulary:
Polis (pohl-us): Greek word for city state.
Athens (ath-uhnz): city state located on the sea; responsible for many developments in
education, trade, and democracy.
Sparta (spar-tuh): city state located in the mountains; many aspects of life centered
around maintaining a strong military.
Peloponnesus (pella-poh-nee-sus): general name for the peninsula that is Greece; it is
surrounded by water including the Aegean and Mediterranean Seas.
Monarchy (mon-ar-kee): a type of government where people are ruled by a single leader
in the person of a king, queen, emperor, etc.
Oligarchy (all-ih-gar-kee): a type of government where people are ruled by a small
group of leaders often people of wealth and status; early Greece was ruled by an
oligarchy.
Key Ideas:
Greek Contributions:
 Made changes to the Phoenician alphabet to create a new Greek alphabet:
Examples include Π for pi and Δ for delta.

Early city-states were ruled by kings. Later in some locations wealthy
landowners ruled by small groups in a form of government called an oligarchy.

Sparta: one of the most important of Greek city states. Famous for developing
strong armies. All aspects of life were directed at developing warriors and
planning for their defense.

Athens: the most important of Greek city states. An early emphasis on trade
increased the wealth of Athens. People demanded more freedom. Athenian
leader Solon (594 BC) began economic and political reforms including early
examples of limited democracy sharing power with citizens.

Greek Gods: a new religion based on many Gods with human qualities was
established. The gods lived on Mt. Olympus in Athens. Zeus (zooss) is the main
god.
Section 3: Greek Wars
Vocabulary:
Pericles (Pear-uh-klez): strong leader of Athens who expanded Greek power and began
direct democracy among the people.
Direct Democracy: citizens are allowed to participate in making decisions for the
country by voting on important questions and laws.
Darius (dare-ee-us): Persian leader who led an assault on Greece, conquering many parts
of the country.
Xerxes (zerk-seez): son of Darius.
Key Ideas:
Persian Wars: (490-479 BC)

Darius tried to expand the Persian Empire by attacking Athens. He ran into
strong resistance and was turned back at the battle of Marathon.

Before he could launch another attack, Darius died. His son, Xerxes, became the
new Persian king. He led a new attack on Greece. Various city states joined
together to defend the country. At the battle of Salamis, the Persians were
defeated again and forced to give up their plans to control Greece.

After the Persian Wars (460-429 BC), Athens grew to be the strongest of the
Greek city states. They formed an alliance of various other city states to prepare
for the future defense of Greece. The alliance was called the Delian League.
Pericles:

Athens rise to greatness occurred during the leadership of Pericles. Trade led to
greater wealth which produced advances in democracy, science, medicine,
mathematics and the arts.
Peloponnesian War:

(431-404 BC)
Resentment of Athens success led to a lengthy war between Athens and Sparta.
The fighting weakened both city states and produced a number of famous battles.
In the end, Sparta asked for help from the Persians and eventually defeated
Athens. The result was continued fighting among various Greek city states and a
decline in the greatness of Athens.
Section 4: Advances of Greek Civilization
Vocabulary:
Philosophers: individuals who try to understand and explain the meaning of life and the
natural laws that guide the working of the universe. They often describe how people
should live to get the most out of life.
Socrates (sock-ruh-teez): philosopher and teacher who searched for truth and selfknowledge in the world.
Plato (play-toe): philosopher and student of Socrates. Famous for studying the role of
government in society. He wrote The Republic which expressed doubts about
democracy and described his ideas for a perfect government.
Aristotle (air-is-that-ul): philosopher and student of Plato. Famous for creating a school
to study and teach all branches of knowledge. He believed people should lead their lives
by reason and knowledge.
Parthenon (par-thuh-non): temple to the Gods in Athens with the arches and columns
typical of Greek architecture.
Key Ideas:

Greek Philosophers: the best known thinkers, including Socrates, Plato, and
Aristotle, produced knowledge and ideas that influenced the beginning of
European education many centuries later and are still studied today.

Greek Architecture: noted for themes of order and balance; includes features
such as the column and arch which is still widely used in buildings today.

Greek Literature: many famous plays including tragedies and comedies are still
performed today; among Greek writers is the poet Homer remembered for his epic
poems of the Trojan War.

Greek Historians: the father of history, Herodotus, is known for his history of
the Persian Wars.
Section 5: Alexander and the Hellenistic Period
Vocabulary:
Macedonia (mass-uh-do-nee-uh): a region just north of Greece.
Phillip II: King of Macedonia who conquers Athens in 338 BC.
Alexander: Son of Phillip who becomes king of Macedonia and Greece. He develops a
great empire in the Middle East and Asia.
Key Ideas:
Hellenistic Age: (323 BC - 100 AD)

Phillip II defeats Athens and brings Greece under the control of Macedonia. He
plans to expand his empire to include all of Persia to the east. Before Phillip
could realize this goal, political opponents assassinated him.

The throne passes to Phillip’s son, Alexander, in 323 BC. Alexander proceeds to
conquer Persia and extend the Macedonian empire to India. He had hopes of
moving further east, but his army resisted. Instead he returned to Babylon to
begin ruling his vast empire.

A short time later Alexander became sick and died. His empire was divided
among his generals, but they were unable to keep the empire together. The
Macedonian influence continued in Greece for centuries.

This time period in Greek history is known as the Hellenistic Age, from the word
Hellas which was the Greek name for their country.
Legacy of Alexander the Great:

Alexander spread Greek influence all over the empire blending Greek language
and culture with the influences of Egypt, Persia, and India. Many new cities were
built in the empire during this time often named after Alexander.

The most famous of these cities was Alexandria, Egypt. The city was a model of
modern architecture and became a center of culture and learning in the
Mediterranean.
Hellenistic Scholars:




Pythagoras: mathematics.
Archimedes: physics.
Hippocrates: medicine
Ptolemy: astronomy. Established the long-standing, but incorrect, idea that Earth
was the center of the universe.