Download Study Guide for Greece Test

Geography
1) What is the Balkan Peninsula like in terms of geography? Mountainous, rocky with
small, fertile vallies
2) Why did the Greeks develop into smaller city-states rather than one large empire? Due to
the terrain; there were mountains isolating the small vallies so they settled in
independent city-states
3) How were the surrounding seas important to the Greeks? They used the surrounding
seas for trade and settlement in other lands (due to the fact that they did not have
enough farmable land).
PEOPLE TO MEET
Who are these people and what are the known for…?
-Minoans – lived on
Crete, early
predecessors to the
Greeks, highest
power in
Mediterranean;
palace at Knossos
with paintings
-Mycenaean’s –
overtook Minoans,
settled on Greek
mainland 2000 B.C.,
fought Troy in Trojan
War
-Dorian’s – took over
Mycenaean’s; could
not read & write;
Greece experienced a
“Dark Age” under
them; also Age of
Homer
-Homer – blind storyteller; created epics
Iliad and Odyssey
-Spartans – war-like
society; built up a
strong military;
children raised in
military from young
age; fought Athens in
Pelopponesian Wars
-Draco – developed
legal code based on
the idea that all
Athenians were equal
under the law
-Solon – ruler of
Athens; outlawed
slavery
-Cleisthenes – leader
of Athens around 500
B.C. created Council
of 500 & broke up
power of nobility
-Athenian People
(society) –
democratic,
educated, only sons
of wealthy were
educated, studied
philosophy,
astronomy,
mathematics, rhetoric
-Cyrus the Great –
developed vast
Persian Empire, 1st
emperor of Persia
who conquered
Ionian Greeks
-Darius 1 – lead
invasion force on
Athens in 1st round of
Persian Wars, was
unsuccessful
-Xerxes – assembled
enormous invasion
force the Athenians
-King Leonidas –
famous King of
Sparta during Persian
Wars
-Themistocles –
military leader of
Athenian force in
Persian Wars
-Pericles – leader of
Athens during
Athenian Golden Age
-Euripides – author of
play Medea, often
featured a strong
women in his works
-Socrates – critic of
Sophists; taught
Socratic method, 399
B.C. put to death for
“corrupting youth of
Athens”
-Plato – student of
Socrates;
philosopher; famous
work Republic, set
forth idea of a perfect
society
(farmers/artisans,
warriors, ruling class)
-Aristotle –
philosopher, most
famous for
questioning nature of
world, taught Philip II
and Alexander
-Zeus – King of all
gods/goddesses
-Hera – goddess of
the hearth, wife of
Zeus
Aphrodite – goddess
of love
Aeschylus – Greek
playwright
Sophocles – wrote
more than 100 plays,
including tragedies,
Oedipus and
Antigone
Herodotus – famous
Greek historian wrote
book called Persian
Wars
Thucydides -Phidias – architect,
constructed much of
the Parthenon
Archimedes – used
knowledge of physics
to make useful
inventions such as
lever and pulley
Hippocrates –
Hippocratic oath,
gave standards for
medical care
Euclid – wrote “The
Elements” which is
basis for modern
Geometry
Pythagoras – derived
(A2 + B2) = C2
Phillip II (King of
Macedon) – Ruler of
Macedonia,
conquered Greek
city-states
Alexander the Great –
son of Philip,
conquered Persia,
Egypt, Mesopotamia
and parts of India,
spread Greek culture
Eratosthenes –
calculated the Earth’s
true size; also poet
and historian
Pheidippides –
messenger who ran
26.2 miles from
Marathon to Athens
to warn the Athenians
of the Persian attack
Ionian Greeks –
captured by Persians,
fought for their
independence w/ help
of Athens
EVENTS NOT TO MISS – outline these events to the best of your ability
Early Civilizations of Aegean emerge – the early Greeks were the Minoans, Mycenaean’s and
Dorians (see notes)
Trojan wars – fought between the Mycenaean’s and the Trojans for 10 years; the
Mycenaean’s will win by using a wooden horse where they hid soldiers
Spartan Society (making of a Spartan Soldier) – youth of Sparta lived in army barracks and
trained until they were 30; led very tough lives
Persian Wars
 Key player: Athens/Persia
 Causes/Effects: Persia would try to conquer Athens; unsuccessful
 Battle of Marathon: see notes
 Battle of Thermopylae: see notes
 Battle of Salamis: see notes
Golden Age of Athens
 Paintings and Sculpture
 Greek Drama- tragic and comedy
 Architecture- Parthenon a masterpiece of agriculture designed in craftsmanship
 Discoveries and Inventions
 Olympic Games- happens every four years
Development of Checks and Balances -Rivalry between Athens and Sparta after Persian Wars – because Athens didn’t give any credit
to Spartans after Battle of Thermopylae; Athens formed Delian League, and Sparta formed
Pelopponesian League to be a rival to Delian League
Peloponnesus Wars – 431-404 B.C.
 Key Players: Athens vs. Sparta
 Who practiced siege warfare: Sparta
 Who experienced a famine/plague: Athens
 Cause/effects: Sparta won; but both Athens and Sparta were weakened b/c they
fought for 27 years…then Philip II of Macedonia would be able to come down
and conquer them.
Rise of Phillip of Macedon – took over Greek city-states because they were weakened by
Pelopponesian Wars, his dream was to take over Persia, was murdered before he could
conquer it
Empire of Alexander the Great – started in Greece (where his father had conquered), went to
Egypt where he was claimed pharaoh, Mesopotamia next, then Indus River Valley!
Hellenistic Age
 Blending of Greek culture – with Egyptian, Mesopotamian and Indian cultures
 Spread of Hellenistic culture through trade – main place for Hellenistic culture
called Alexandria, Egypt; people went there to trade and it was so beautiful that
many people settled there; very diverse community
 Advancements of the time – had palaces that could look over the harbor, beautiful
buildings, had lighthouses, traders learned many different languages
WORDS TO KNOW
Dark Age – economy
collapsed, trade came to
a standstill, no written
historic records, all b/c of
the illiterate
Dorians…1150-750 B.C.
Palace of Knossos -Minoans
Barter System -- trade
Polis – Greek city-state
Monarchy- a government
in which a power is in the
hands of a single person
Oligarchy-a government
in which power is in the
hand of few people.
Phalanx- a military
formation a foot soldier
armed with spears and
shields
Aristocracy-
Agora- marketplace
Democracy- a
government controlled
by its citizens either
directly or through
representatives
Debt slavery – when
person sells himself as a
slave to get out of debt
Direct democracy – govt.
controlled by its citizens
directly
Duties of citizen
Colonization
Acropolis- fortified hilltop
in ancient Greek city
Delian League- Athens
and other city-states
Peloponnesus League –
Sparta and other citystates
Golden Age
Tragedy- serious form of
drama dealing with the
down fall of a heroic or
noble character
Comedy- humorous form
of drama that often
includes slapstick and
satires
Parthenon – temple
dedicated to goddess
Athena, protector of
Athens