Download Unit 3 Ancient Greece and Rome Review Questions

Unit 3 Ancient Greece and Rome Review Questions
Unit 3 Chapter 1
1. What was the typical Greek city-state like?
It included a town or small city as well as the farmlands surrounding it. Most had a
population of no more than 20,000 and covered an area of only about 100 square
miles.
2. What languages were spoken in Greek city-states?
All Greek city-states spoke Greek, but dialects varied from city-state to city-state.
3. What religions did Greek city-states observe?
Greek city-states were unified by their religious worship of the Greek gods believed
to inhabit Mount Olympus.
4. What were the forms of government that existed in Greek city-states? What was
special about each form?
Tyranny in which one man was the dictator; aristocracy in which a few nobles or
upper-class families held power; oligarchy in which power was held by a few wealthy
men; democracy in which power was shared by a large number of citizens.
Unit 3 Chapter 2
1. What did the Athenian Assembly do?
The assembly levied taxes, passed laws, voted on issues of war and peace, and could
ostracize citizens who posed a danger to the polis.
2. How did Athenian Juries differ from American juries? What explains this difference?
Athenian juries were larger- sometimes they had as many as 501 citizens. They
believed that larger juries were less likely to be corrupted.
3. What were the conditions for citizenship in Athens?
Citizens were male, at least 18 years old, not slaves, and born of Athenian parents.
4. Who were metics? What kind of rights did they have?
Metics were foreign residents in Athens. Many were artisans or craftsman who were
important to the Athenian economy, but most never became citizens.
5. What are some of the subjects taught in Athenian schools?
Logic, reading, writing, arithmetic, and music
Unit 3 Chapter 3
1. How many years were Spartans required to train for the military?
23 years
2. What were some of the ways Spartans made sure their children grew up to be tough?
Spartan children were not coddled when they cried; they were made to go barefoot; at
the age of seven, Spartan boys began military training in barracks away from home;
they were punished by whipping if they questioned authority.
3. What were some of the features of Spartan government?
Sparta had 2 kings who were in charge of the army and were supposed to keep each
other honest. There was also a council of elders and an Assembly, in which debates
and elections were decided by shouting for or against a candidate or measure.
4. What was one difference between Athenians and Spartans in their public speaking?
Athenians were trained in rhetoric and public speaking. Spartans were famous for
avoiding long speeches and were known for being “laconic”.
5. How did Athens and Sparta differ in their attitudes toward foreigners?
Athens welcomed foreigners, who were important to their maritime economy. Sparta
was an inland city that preferred to isolate itself from outsiders.
Unit 3 Chapter 4
1. What was the Olympic truce?
An agreement between warring city-states that they would stop fighting during the
time it took for athletes to travel to Olympia, to compete, and to return to their citystates.
2. How frequently were the games held, and how were they initiated?
The Olympic Games were held every 4 years. Several months before the games
began, a sacred engraved disk was carried to all the Greek city-states that were
expected to compete, informing them when the games would be held and the terms of
the truce.
3. What are some of the Olympic events?
Javelin toss, running races, wrestling, riding a horse, discus throw, long jump,
pentathlon, and pancratium.
4. How do modern Olympic Games differ from those in ancient Greece?
The modern Olympic Games take place in different cities, people from all parts of the
world compete, men and women athletes participate, and there are many more events.
5. What were the original athletic contexts of the Greeks based on?
The original athletic contests were based on the physical skills Greeks needed for
survival.
Unit 3 Chapter 5
1. What caused the Persian and Greek conflict in Asia Minor?
They city-state of Miletus rebelled against Persian rule, and the Greeks agreed to help
them overthrow the Persians. The Greeks burned the Persian controlled city of Sardis
and gained control for 3 years.
2. What was significant about the Battle of Marathon in 490 B.C.?
The Athenians were badly outnumbered by the Persians, but they managed to defeat
the Persians. The battle filled the Athenians with self confidence. The Athenians
began to think that they were all powerful.
3. How did the Persians defeat the Greek army at Thermopylae?
A traitor revealed to the Persians how they could use a mountain path to pass the
Greeks, who were blocking the narrow pass along the sea.
4. What kind of behavior did Leonidas and his men display at Thermopylae?
They were brave and willing to sacrifice themselves to slow the Persian advance.
5. What does Xerxes’ behavior at the battle near Salamis suggest about his character?
Xerxes was arrogant enough to assume that his navy would defeat the Greek navy.
When his men were defeated, Xerxes fled like a coward and sailed home.
Unit 3 Chapter 6
1. What was the Delian League?
It was an alliance of Greek city-states formed in 478 B.C. Members agreed to support
each other and swore and allegiance to Athens.
2. What was Pericles’ reputation in the Golden Age?
Pericles was known as a skilled orator, a dedicated worker, and a great patron of the
arts.
3. What was the Acropolis? What was its most famous building?
The Acropolis was a complex of buildings on a bluff overlooking Athens. The
Parthenon, a temple to Athena, was the most famous of all the Acropolis buildings.
4. Who were Aristophanes and Sophocles? What was different about them?
Both were Greek playwrights. Aristophanes wrote comic plays that made fun of
statesmen like Pericles and other important contemporary figures. Sophocles wrote
tragedies; such as Oedipus the King.
Unit 3 Chapter 7
1. What was the Peloponnesian League?
An alliance named after Peloponnesus, a mountainous peninsula in which Sparta,
Thebes, and Corinth all were located; the league was designed to counteract Athenian
supremacy.
2. How did the Peloponnesian War begin?
During the 430’s B.C., relations between Athens and the Peloponnesian League
deteriorated, and war broke out in 431 and continued for 25 years.
3. What was the Athenian strategy for victory in the war?
Pericles believed that the Athenians had a stronger Navy and could defeat the
Spartans if they could avoid a major land battle. The Athenian plan was to refuse to
fight a land battle, but a plague foiled Pericles’s plan.
4. What was Alcibiades’ strategy for winning the war? Did his plan succeed?
He thought that if the Athenians conquered Sicily, they could use the island as a new
base from which to attack the Spartans. The invasion was a disaster.
5. What did the Spartans force the Athenians to do when they defeated them?
They made the Athenians tear down their walls, prevented them from having a navy,
banned democracy, and put Spartan kings in charge.
Unit 3 Chapter 8
1. How did early Greeks explain phenomena such as a storm at sea or thunder?
The early Greeks looked to their gods for explain nations of such natural occurrences,
so a storm at sea was caused by the anger of the sea god Poseidon, and a
thunderstorm meant the Zeus was throwing his thunderbolt.
2. What did the early philosopher Heraclitus think about the universe?
He thought that the universe was made up of opposites that were in constant conflict
with each other.
3. How was Socrates different from earlier Greek philosophers?
Socrates was less interested in questions about where the world came from and more
interested in how human beings ought to behave.
4. On what two principles did Socrates base his conversations?
Socrates believed that it was important never to do wrong and that people who
understood what was right and good couldn’t choose the wrong thing.
5. What is the Socratic Method?
A series of questions and answers- a conversation- designed to help the students
figure things out for himself or herself, as opposed to being lectured by the teacher.
Unit 3 Chapter 9
1. How did Plato differ from Socrates?
Plato was more idealistic than Socrates. He was more traditional in his teaching
methods than Socrates and taught his students in the Academy rather than in the
market.
2. Why didn’t Plato believe in democracy?
Plato thought that democracy gave power to the people who did not understand
justice and who did wicked things like execute Socrates.
3. What did Aristotle’s collection of facts and analysis of them anticipates? In other
words, if his collection was a cause, what was the effect?
Aristotle’s theories based on his observations anticipated scientific research, and he
helped move philosophy down the path that would eventually lead to modern science.
4. What was the golden mean?
Aristotle believed that living moderately, without any extreme behavior, was the best
kind of life. His ideal is sometimes called the golden mean.
Unit 3 Chapter 10
1. What lands—or parts of lands—did Alexander conquer?
Greece, Persia, Iran, Afghanistan, Turkey, the Middle East, Egypt, and part of India.
2. Why were Alexander’s troops loyal to him?
Alexander was a fearless fighter who was unafraid to put himself in the worst part of
the battle.
3. Why was Alexander’s conquest of much of the world so significant?
Alexander brought the people who lived around the Mediterranean Sea into contact
with Greek culture, which changed their civilizations forever.
4. What were some of the aspects of Greek culture that spread in the Hellenistic Period?
Kings made coins like Greek coins, and imitated Greek education, architecture,
philosophy, and science.
5. Why was the library at Alexandria a magnet for scholars?
The library at Alexandria had more then 700,000 scrolls and attracted many thinkers
of the ancient world, including the astronomer Ptolemy.
Unit 3 Chapter 11
1. In the legend of Rome’s creation, who founded the city?
Romulus and Remus, twin brothers, were allegedly thrown into the Tiber River by
their wicked uncle. A she-wolf saved them and raised them, and they founded the
city and named it after Romulus.
2. What was the Roman Republic?
The Republic was a system in which two consuls were elected each year by the
senate, an assembly of 300 Roman aristocrats. The senate advised the consuls once
they were elected.
3. What were the categories of citizens in ancient Rome?
The patricians- noblemen and members of the aristocracy- had access to the best
education and privileges. The plebeians were common people with few rights.
Women and slaves were virtually without rights in the society.
4. How important was the army to ancient Rome?
From early on, Roman society was based on the army. Gradually, as the Roman army
began conquering more lands, the army became very desirable as a career choice,
because it led to increased wealth and power.
5. How did Rome treat the conquered peoples?
Rome allowed conquered people to serve in their army, and eventually some of them
were eligible to become citizens.
Unit 3 Chapter 12
1. What were the Carthaginians trying to do to Sicily before Rome stepped in?
The Carthaginians wanted to expand their control to Sicily. The Sicilians asked
Rome to defend their island and keep the Carthaginians away.
2. What was the result of the First Punic War?
The Romans defeated the Carthaginians, took over Sicily, and made it part of the
Roman Republic.
3. Who was Hannibal and for what was he famous?
Hannibal was a Carthaginian who sought revenge for the loss of the first Punic war.
He is famous for his assault on Rome, in which leading his troops through Spain,
France, and across the Alps before arriving in Italy. In this second Punic War,
Hannibal was attacked many times and eventually defeated.
4. Who was Scipio Africanus and What did he hope to accomplish?
Scipio Africanus was a Roman general who wanted to conquer Carthage. He
defeated Hannibal in 202 B.C. and Carthage was forced to pay Rome for its losses in
the war.
5. What happened during the Third Punic War?
Rome tried to force the Carthaginians to leave Carthage because they broke a peace
treaty. When they refused, Rome invaded and destroyed their city, then sold
surviving Carthaginians into slavery.
Unit 3 Chapter 13
1. How did the Roman army change after the Punic Wars?
The army was manned by professional soldiers who hoped to get rich and become
powerful and felt more loyalty to their generals than to Rome.
2. What did Caesar decide he needed to do to become powerful?
Caesar decided he needed to be victorious in battle to gain soldiers who were loyal to
him, and he needed to have political allies in Rome who would help him get the
power he wanted.
3. What caused the Roman Civil War?
Julius Caesar brought about the Roman Civil War when he entered Rome with his
army, against the rules of the day, to seek reelection for consul of the Senate.
4. Who was responsible for Caesar’s assassination?
A group of about 60 conspirators was responsible for Caesar’s assassination, though
only a handful carried out the act itself. Among them was Caesar’s friend Brutus.
Unit 3 Chapter 14
1. How did Augustus restore Roman pride and confidence?
He rebuilt temples and reestablished the religions of the Romans, celebrated great
events in Roman history with statues and arches, and had his architects copy Greek
buildings.
2. What was the Pax Romana?
The period of unprecedented prosperity and peace in the Roman Empire that lasted
for 200 years and began with Caesar Augusts.
3. How did Virgil’s epic poem the Aeneid reawaken Roman pride?
The Aeneid is a powerful poem but also a powerful piece of Roman propaganda that
gave the Romans an exciting past and a national hero. It taught the Romans that
Rome was worth the sacrifices made by Aeneas.
4. How did Augustus strengthen the law?
He limited his own power and separated his power from that of the Senate and other
Roman leaders.
5. How did Augustus support the Roman army?
Augustus created a treasury to support the army, so that generals had to depend on
Rome for supplies.
Unit 3 Chapter 15
1. When did people in the Roman Empire begin to hear about Jesus Christ? Who was
he?
People in the larger cities of the empire began to hear about Jesus Christ in A.D. 40.
He was a Jew from Palestine whom his followers believed had died and had been
raised to life again.
2. How did the rise of Christianity lead to fights between Jews and Christians?
Jewish communities rejected members who believed in Jesus, and new Christians and
Jews frequently argued and fought over which faith was better. Roman authorities
had to be called in to calm things down.
3. How did Roman leaders try to keep the empire united?
The required all people pay taxes, required them to take part in religious and civic
rituals and ceremonies, and executed any citizens who were disloyal.
4. How did Christians react at having to worship Roman gods and goddesses?
They protested because they felt they were disobeying their own God.
5. What was the Edict of Milan?
A decree signed by Emperor Constantine that declared Christianity a legal religion.
Unit 3 Chapter 16
1. What were some of the causes of the problems facing the Roman Empire in the third
century?
The Roman Empire had stopped expanding; it was no longer gaining lands, people
and markets. There was a recession, with fewer jobs and goods available. There was
also inflation- when it takes more money to buy things. There was an increasing
divide between the rich and the poor. Many rulers were incompetent or corrupt.
2. What role did emperors play in the decline of the empire?
There were 80 emperors between 180 and 270, and some like the earlier emperor
Nero further damaged the empire by their reckless behavior.
3. How did Germanic tribes damage the Roman Empire?
The Germanic tribes began to invade Rome and defeat the Roman troops. In 410 the
Visigothic king Alaric attacked Rome. In 476 Odoacer, a Germanic warrior, became
the first barbarian king of Italy. In 493, Theodoric, king of the Ostrogths, overthrew
him and ended Roman rule.
4. What was Islam? Who was involved in it?
Islam is a religion that dates from the visions of a man named Muhammad in 610.
Muhammad united Arabs who became believers in Allah and the holy scripture, the
Koran.
5. How did Christian leaders adopt many Roman duties at the end of the empire?
Christian leaders divided the church along the same lines as the empire had been
divided, a Roman official called a vicarious became a “vicar”, and a dioceseformerly an area for Roman administration- became an area of church administration.
Unit 3 Chapter 17
1. What American buildings show Greek and Roman influences?
The national monuments like the Lincoln and Jefferson memorials, the White House,
and the Capitol are based on Greek and Roman architecture.
2. How does our Constitution reflect aspects of the Roman Republic?
With its mixed government, in which different offices serve as a series of “checks and
balances” against each other, the U.S. Constitution borrowers heavily from the
Romans.
3. How has our government borrowed from the Greeks?