Upgrade to remove ads
Only $2.99/month

AP World History: Persia & Greece

Terms in this set (46)

Persians
Lived in present-day Iran
Darius
Best organizer among Persian kings
Divided empire into 23 provinces ruled by Satraps
Very tolerant (accepted diff. languages, as well as religions and laws)
Satraps
Governors
Persepolis
Artisans built this city
Most magnificent city in empire
Had huge network of roads that allowed trade and easy movement of soldiers
Royal Road
longest road in Persian Empire
Had mini-stations along roads so travelers could get resources, such as water, food and horses
Zoroastrianism
6/7th BC
Followed teachings of Zoroaster
Said there was struggle between good and evil in world
What you do now in this world will influence your position in the after-life (eternal life = good; misery = bad)
Big emphasis on free will of mankind
Did not spread farther than the Middle East
Invasions of Alexander the Great as well as Islam impacted the growth of Zoroastrianism; Declined
Aegean Area
Ancient Greece included the Balkan Peninsula & small rocky islands in the Aegean Sea
3/4 of Greek mainland = mountains
Protected Greeks from foreign invaders/attackers
Kept Greeks isolated from other communities
Prevented Greeks from uniting under one government
Between the mountain ranges = fertile plains good for farming
Mild climate
People spent much of their time outdoors
Meetings held in public squares
Teachers met students in public gardens
Open theaters
Despite lack of unity -- Greeks spoke same language & practiced same religion (polytheistic)
Greeks turned to the seas to earn a living --> no place in Greece is more than 50 miles from a coast
Aegean Civilization
2500 BCE - 1100 BCE
The Minoans
Lived on the island of Crete (off the coast of Greece)
Ruled by King Minos
Had a large palace at Knossos that contained labyrinths = mazes
Story of Minos and the Minotaur (half man, half bull)
Women enjoyed a higher status in society than in other civilizations
Chief deity = goddess of the Earth
Made a living from sea trade -- dominated eastern Mediterranean Sea trade
Protected the seas from pirates
Collapsed about 1350 BCE --> 2 theories why:
Large tidal wave destroyed cities
Mycenaeans (from mainland) attacked & invaded Crete
The Mycenaeans
Indo-Europeans that migrated to Greece
Intermarried with local people there (called Hellenes)
Adopted parts of Minoan culture
Worshipped same Mother Earth
Metalworking, shipbuilding, navigation by sun & stars
Flourished 1600-1100 BCE
Know much about them through Homer
Told the story of the Trojan War & the sack of Troy
Archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann used the works of Homer to find Troy and Mycenae
Homer
Two most famous Greek epics = The Iliad and The Odyssey
The Iliad = about the Trojan War & features the story of the Trojan Horse
The Odyssey = about the journey of King Odysseus after the fall of Troy
Stories were used to teach Greek values
Greek Religion
Religion necessary to the well-being of the state
Each polis had a patron
12 chief gods/goddesses
Mt. Olympus
performed rituals
Held festivals in honor of gods
1st gaming festival at Olympia in 776 BCE
Went to oracles (sacred shrines) to see the future through the gods' priest
Most famous was Oracle of Delphi
Greek Theater
Greeks performed plays =
1st play = tribute to Dionysus = god of wine, fertility, and parties
Started off as songs then poems then dialogue
The Polis
A city-state = center of Greek life
A town, city, or even a village along with the surrounding countryside
Social, political, & religious center
Center of polis was the hill with the acropolis - fortified building in the center
Below the acropolis was the agora or market
Above all - a community of people who shared a common identity and common goals
Citizens with political rights (adult males)
Citizens with no political rights (women & children)
Non-citizens (slaves & resident aliens)
People belonged to the polis, not to themselves
Fiercely patriotic independent states
Had aristocratic soldiers or hoplites - they formed a formation called a phalanx
Greek Colonies & Trade
750-550 BCE
2 factors
Good farmland
Growth of trade
Est. colonies in southern France, southern Italy, eastern Spain, & northern Africa west of Egypt
Set up new polis'
Byzantium the most famous polis outside Greece
Created a new wealthy aristocracy
Farmers on mainland produced wine, olive oil, and other cash crops for export
Greek trade expanded throughout the Mediterranean region
600s BCE = Greeks replaced barter system with money system
Began producing textiles (cloth) and pottery
Greek Political and Social Change
Greek communities first ruled by kings -- kings soon lost power to landholding aristocrats = nobles
Disputes between aristocrats and commoners (especially farmers) often arose
Farmers fell into debt
Aristocrats took their land in payment and farmers became sharecroppers/day laborers, or debt slaves
As a result of the unrest: tyrannies arose
Tyrant = one man --> seized power by force and ruled the polis
Most were fair; a few were cruel and unjust
Tyrannies ruled until 500 BCE
500 BCE - 336 BCE = city-states were oligarchies or democracies
Oligarchy = a few wealthy people hold power
Democracy = government by the people
2 most famous Greek city-states:
Athens = democracy
Sparta = oligarchy
Athens vs. Sparta
2 leading city-states = Sparta & Athens; very different from one another
Sparta
Founded by descendants of Dorian invaders (from "dark ages")
Located on the Peloponnesus Peninsula (southern Greece)
Invaded neighboring city-states & enslaved people
Slaves were called helots
Slaves farmed the estates of the Spartans
Spartans developed a militaristic society to keep control over the people
Started this after they suppressed a 30 year revolt by the helots
All life revolved around the army
Only healthy babies were allowed to live
Boys entered the military at age 7
Stayed in the military until age 60
Role of Women in Sparta
Women, like men, were expected to exercise and be strong
Spartan women trained in gymnastics, boxing, and wrestling
Needed to produce healthy babies
Had more freedoms than other Greek women
Could go shopping in the marketplace, express political opinions, own property, etc.
Could NOT take part in government though
Sparta Gov.
2 kings ruled Sparta, but had little power
Led the army & conducted religious services
Assembly had most power = group of male citizens over age of 30
Council of Elders served as Supreme Court and proposed laws to the Assembly = 28 men over age of 60
Sparta was behind other city-states in economics, philosophy, science, and arts
Rulers afraid of change; afraid of outside influence
Athens
Founded by descendants of Mycenaeans
Lived on Attica peninsula
Athens' citizenship included more people than Sparta's did
Constitution = all free, Athenian-born men were citizens, regardless of land ownership
Reduced friction between social classes
Athenian Rulers
Draco = 621 BCE
Issued an improved WRITTEN code of laws with very harsh penalties
Because the laws were written down, everyone knew what they were
Draconian = word that has come to mean harsh or severe
Solon = 594 BCE
Cancelled all land debt & debt slavery
Placed limits on how much land a person could own
Promoted trade by making farmers grow cash crops
Required fathers to teach their sons a skill
Allowed all citizens to participate in the Assembly & courts of law
Cleisthenes (ruler - 508 BCE)
Considered the Father of Athenian Democracy
Assembly
most powerful Athenian political body
Members were chosen by a lottery system - limit of 500 citizens
Athenian Democracy
Citizens still only 20% of population
This excluded slaves, women, and foreign-born
Citizens considered equal before the law; granted freedom of speech
Jury system established
System of Ostracism = Athenians could get rid of undesirable politicians
Athenian Education
Depended on social & economic status
Athenian citizens were required to educate their sons
Main textbooks were the Iliad and the Odyssey
Learned arithmetic, geometry, drawing, music, gymnastics, and rhetoric (art of public speaking)
At 18, boys entered the military for 2 years
Girls didn't receive a formal education - were trained in household duties
The challenge of Persia
499 BCE, revolt of Ionian states in Persian empire
Aided by Athenian navy
Darius (leader of Persia) wanted revenge
490 BCE - Persians landed on Marathon (26 miles from Athens)
outnumbered Athenians (4:1) defeated Persians
Pheidippides' run
486 BCE - Xerxes (leader of Persia after Darius) attacked @ Thermopylae
7,000 Greeks led by King Leonidas stood firm for 3 days until betrayed by another Greek
Leonidas sent home most of his troops to save them
He and 300 Spartans stayed to fight
They lost, but gave Athenian General Themistocles time to carry out his plan to defeat the Persians at sea
Themistocles
Oracle at Delphi said Greeks would be safe behind a "wooden wall"
Athenian General Themistocles believed "wooden wall" meant fleet of ships & that they needed to challenge the Persians at sea
Greek army had to set up a distraction on land to build this fleet at sea
Greeks chose Thermopylae as place for distraction
Battle of Salamis
Themistocles drew the Persian fleet to the Strait of Salamis
Greek navy destroyed Persian fleet in the strait
479 BCE - Greeks finally defeated Persians at Plataea ending the war
Athens emerged as a powerful city-state
The growth of Athens
After war Athens formed a defensive alliance w/ other Greeks against Persians - Delian League
By controlling the League, Athens created an empire
Age of Pericles
Height of Athenian power & brilliance
Built the Parthenon
Quest for Beauty and Meaning
Greek civilization reached its peak in the mid-400s BCE, particularly in Athens
Known as the Golden Age
Artistic style was classical = simple, graceful, and balanced
Advancements in philosophy, literature, and drama
Greek Arts
Excelled at portraying the human form
Krater = for mixing water and wine
Amphora = large vase for storing oil & other supplies --> decorated with art showing mythology
Kylix = drinking cup --> decorated with scenes of everyday life
The Symposion
Upper-class men participated in symposia
Symposion = drinking session following a banquet
Discussed public affairs, philosophy, literature
The Peleponessian War
Greece divided into 2 camps:
1) the Delian League
2) the Spartan Confederation
431- 404 BCE
Due to plague and military defeat, Athens lost to Spartans
Caused chaos & ruined any chance of cooperation between Greek city-states
Greek Drama
Wrote plays presented in outdoor theaters
1st dramas were tragedies built around a common theme (made into trilogies)
Ex. the Oresteia by Aeschylus
Sophocles - Oedipus trilogy
Euripides - Medea
Aristophanes = most famous writer of Greek comedies
Medicine
Hippocrates --> "father of medicine"
Believed that diseases had natural causes
Strongly advocated proper hygiene (health care), a good diet, and plenty of rest
Wrote a code for ethical medical conduct = Hippocratic Oath --> still used today
Greek Philosophy
Philosophy ("love of wisdom")- organized system of thought to explain life's questions
Their philosophy laid the foundations for history, political science, biology and logic (science of reasoning)
Pythagoras - universe could be understood through math and music
Pythagorean Theorem
Sophists - a group of teachers in the 5th century BCE
Rejected speculation
Stressed rhetoric - art of persuasive speaking in winning debates and swaying an audience
Socrates
Taught through dialogues based on question and answer
Socratic Method
"the unexamined life is not worth living"
Taught many including Plato
Questioned authority
accused & convicted of corrupting the youth of Athens by teaching them to question & think for themselves
A jury sentenced him to die by drinking hemlock (poison)
Plato
Wrote a great deal of material
Theory of Forms
Belief in a higher world of eternal, unchanging Forms has always existed
Forms make up reality & only the trained mind can become aware or understand these Forms
The cave
Studied gov't in his book the Republic
Individuals could not achieve a good life unless they lived in a just & rational state
Best gov't has 3 groups
Philosopher-kings
Warriors
The masses
Aristotle
Studied under Plato
Did not accept idea of Forms
Thought that by examining individual objects one could perceive their form
Ideas lay in analyzing & classifying things based on observation & investigation
Would influence modern scientific method
Studied ethics, logic, politics, poetry, astronomy, geology, biology, & physics
In his Politics, Aristotle says the 3 best forms of gov't are: monarchy, aristocracy, & constitutional gov't
History
History was created by the Greeks
Herodotus wrote the History of the Persian Wars
Called the Father of History
Thucydides (considered to be the best historian of the ancient world) wrote History of the Peloponnesian War
Rejected the idea that deities played a role in history
Writings were accurate and impartial
Macedonia
As Greece fought each other during the 5th cent. BCE, Macedonia grew in power
By the mid-4th century BCE Macedonian king Phillip II overwhelmed the other Greeks to control all of Greece.
Alexander the Great
Son of Phillip II
Taught by Aristotle
Marched into Persia with 37,000 men & over 5,000 cavalry
By 333 BCE, freed all of Asia Minor from Persia
Over the next 6 years, Alexander and his armies conquered every land from Greece to India
Legacy of Alexander
Spread Greek language, architecture, literature, & art throughout SW Asia & the Near East
Hellenistic - means "to imitate the Greeks"
Cultural diffusion
Greeks also absorbed aspects of Eastern culture
Hellenistic Kingdom
June 323 BCE - died at age 32
Alexander's kingdom was divided into 3 by his generals:
1) Antigonus took Greece & Macedonia
2) Ptolemy took Egypt
3) Seleucus took Asia
By 300 BCE - no unity
Period of cultural accomplishment
Library @ Alexandria the largest in Ancient world (over 5,000 scrolls)
Jewish scholars translated the Old Testament into Greek
Leaders spent money to beautify cities
Created baths, theaters, & temples
1000s of statues erected
Apollonius of Rhodes wrote the Argonautica (about Jason & the Golden Fleece)
Hellenistic Science
Euclid - wrote textbook on plane geometry
Archimedes - famous for work on geometry of spheres & cylinders
established the value of pi
Devised water screw for irrigation
Hellenistic Philosophies
Epicureanism, Stoicism, Cynicism & Skepticism
Epicurus - founder of Epicureanism
Humans should follow self-interests
Happiness - goal in life
To achieve happiness one must pursue pleasure
Pleasure - freedom from emotional turmoil & worry
Free oneself from public activity

Cynicism - founded by Diogenes
Belief that humans are driven by selfish interests
Scorned pleasure, wealth, and social responsibilities
Virtue is the only good

Stoicism - est. by Zeno
Men should be free from passion and bear what life gave them
Public service was noble

Skepticism - developed by Pyrrho
Questioned the validity (truth) of knowledge considered factual
THIS SET IS OFTEN IN FOLDERS WITH...