World History I Mrs. Rogers Sem. 1 2012 Chapter 4 Study Guide: Ancient Greece Section 1: Early People 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 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 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 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 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.