Classical Greece Flashcards

Basileus

Kings or monarchs that ruled some city states. A few (like Sparta) had multiple. “Rule of One”.

Aristocracy

“Rule of the Best”. Those with the best intentions for the city ruled.

Oligarchy

“Rule of the Few”. Exclusive rule that was not necessarily bad. Came to replace monarchs.

Tyranny

Rule seized by an individual usually through overthrow. Known as a bad thing today, but not always in Greece. They are just self made monarchs.

Democracy

“Rule by Mob” or “Tyranny of the Majority”. Also the rule of the people.

Polity

“Rule of Many”. Better known now as a Republic.

Evolution of the Greek Government

Kingship → Oligarchy → Tyranny → Democracy

Agora

Marketplace or gathering grounds.

Citizens

Males that could vote and hold office.

Residents

Free people that could not vote or hold office.

Underclass

Often slaves and indebted people or prisoners of war. Not determined by race or ethnicity.

Arkhons

Governors that served one-year terms in Athens.

Council

Two main ones in Athens: The Boule (those who held the most power) and the Areopagos (made of former arkhons).

Athenian Assembly

All citizens that could vote. Could vote on and propose policies.

Pnyx

Place/”Tightly packed together”, meeting area of the Athenian assembly.

Ekklasia

Body (people)

Draco

Athenian lawgiver that was known for his strict laws. Made many death sentences the punishments for breaking certain laws.

Solon

Athenian lawgiver that made many changes to Draco’s code of law. Forgave debts to prevent debt slavery, but did not reform the land. He split the boule into four groups of 100 people, each representing different classes.

Tyranny of Persistratidai

Pisistratus took the rule after Solon left Athens. The Tyranny by his sons led to an overthrow led by the aristocracy, eventually leaving Kleisthenes in power.

Kleisthenes

He was a member of the aristocracy and reformed the law again. He created a new constitution in Athens. He expanded the boule to 500 members (50 from each new tribe).

Kleisthenes’s Constitution

1. 10 new tribes representing all classes

2. All adult males became Assembly members

3. Introduced ostracism; removed discredited leaders

4. Equality of laws & freedom of speech.

Ostracism

Developed by Kleisthenes, it was a protocol to remove potential tyrants. Annually, Athenian citizens voted via pottery shards on which figure had the most power and may become a tyrant. The figure with the most votes would be exiled for ten years.

Base Principles of Athenian Democracy

No professional bureaucrats, and each citizen could hold office (nobody could serve on council more than twice).

Polis

“City”, and in this case, it meant ‘city-state’. Some banded together and formed alliances, examples being the Delian or Peloponnesian League.

Synoikism

“To dwell together”. A process by which small villages grouped to form a confederation.

Acropolis

Inner fortress of the polis, often housing the treasury.

Agora

Center for commercial and public activities. This is where religious ceremonies and trading took place.

Demes

“Neighborhoods”

Hoplite

Heavily armored fighters, typically middle class farmers that want to defend the city-state.

Hoplite Equipment

Heavy bronze helmets and chest plates, large shields, long-ish leather skirts, and bronze/boiled leather greaves (shin guards).

Phalanx

The formation that the hoplite warriors fought using. The soldiers focused only on the man in front of them, and used their shield to cover them and the man next to them.

Laikadamion

Sparta

Lykourgos

Person credited with establishing the Spartan government. Created rhetra. He created the constitution, but laws were not written.

Rhetra

Lifestyle of the Spartans that was based on the codes of their military-based society.

Agoge

At an early age, Spartan boys had to be sent to military training. The brutal system favored the most cunning and strongest warriors, but many lost their lives in the system. This led to a smaller, but elite force.

Spartan Women

Men and women were mostly separated, resulting in a smaller population than other city-states. Wives were allowed to reject husbands and held some rights.

Kings

There were two in Sparta that held ceremonial power, positioning as the religious and military leaders in Sparta.

Ephors

Administrators of Sparta. There were 60 of these, and they also decided which babies would live or die.

Gerousia

Council of 28 elders in Sparta, all over 60 years old. They made proposals for legislation. Sparta was an oligarchy.

Spartan Assembly

Voting population in Sparta that were all male. You had to be 60 to be part of the oligarchy. These men voted on (but did not propose) policies.

Homoioi (Spartiates)

Full citizens of Sparta. These were Greek males that had graduated from the Agoge.

Perioikoi

Residents of Sparta, also known as “the dwellers around”.

Helots

Similar to slaves, they are tied to a specific piece of land and had to work on it.

Ionian Revolt

After Persia conquered some Greek city-states, there was a rebellion led by the city of Miletus. Athens and Eretria offer aid to the rebelling cities, becoming enemies of Persia. The rebellion was suppressed, but then Persia wanted to punish Athens and Eretria.

First Persian Invasion

Sent by Darius I of Persia, he wanted to punish the Greeks for aiding the Ionian Revolt. However, Darius’s fleet was lost at sea due to storms.

Second Persian Invasion

Darius sends an expedition to Greece to punish Athens and Eretria. Eretria is destroyed, Marathon is attacked, and Athens becomes a target for the Persians. Sparta does not want to help.

Battle of Marathon

Battle of 60,000 Persians vs. 10,000 Greeks led by Miltiades. Persian casualties outweigh the Greek casualties at 6,000:200. A runner runs 26 miles to Athens to notify them of the victory.

Thermopylai

Xerxes launches an invasion in order to avenge his father, Darius. Persians attempted to create a boat bridge that takes one week to cross. Eventually, many smaller city-states surrender to Xerxes’s forces, but a group of 300 Spartans plus 1,000 other Greeks hold of Persian forces. Eventually, the Persians win.

Salamis

After the Persians burn down Athens, refugees gather at ______. The Persians try to follow the Greeks, but the Greek navy led by Themistocles destroys most of their fleet.

Plataiai

Xerxes retreats but leaves an army led by his son-in-law, Mardonius. Forces combined from Sparta, Corinth, and Athens win the battle after Mardonius is killed in early battle.

Persian War Effects

1. Athens becomes the most powerful Greek city-state

2. The Delian League is created

3. Alliance slowly turns into an Athenian empire

Delian League

Naval alliance formed by Athens in response to the Persian invasions. Named after Delos where the treasury was kept.

Pericles

Athenian leader that led the reconstruction of Athens, while adding flair with things like the Athena Parthenon in the acropolis. However, to fund this expensive reparation, the Athenians stole from the treasury on Delos, leading to some allies separating.

Peloponnesian League

Alliance formed by Sparta to rival the Delian League. Included Corinth and other city-states, with the league encouraging oligarchies.

Megara

After a city state attempts to leave the Delian League to join the Peloponnesian League, an ally of Corinth, ______ was embargoed by Athens. This leads to Sparta and Corinth declaring war on the Delian League.

Beginning of Peloponnesian Wars

Areas around Athens are destroyed. The people retreat behind the long walls, and Pericles is deposed. Sparta tries to cut of food supply for Athens.

Death of Pericles

Plague breaks out in Athens and Pericles dies. His death leads to a split in power.

Cleon

A war-supporting Athenian. He is eventually (and ironically) killed in battle.

Nicias

Wanted to create peace. Established the peace of Nicias, creating a treaty between Athens and Sparta for 50 years. In actuality, it fails and only 3 years are peaceful.

Alcibiades

Nephew of Pericles, is a war-supporting leader, however, he is not a great person. Convinces Athens to invade Sicily, an ally of Sparta. Before the invasion, ________ is detained.

Invasion of Sicily

Lamachus, the leader of the Athenian forces, is almost immediately killed. Nicias falls sick, and eventually, all of the Athenian forces, including the reinforcements, are wiped out.

Alcibiades’s Betrayal

Alcibiades goes to Sparta after running away from Athens and gives them advice. He tells them to build forts around Athens during the winter, and stay there. This cuts off their silver supply to trade from Attica.

Lysander

Naval commander that convinced the Persians to supply ships and funding to Sparta. Persia gets the best out of this.

Battle of Argunisae

While this battle was an Athenian victory, storms prevented the survivors from being rescued. The admirals faced a death penalty after returning to Athens, causing Athens to lose its final capable leaders.

Battle of Aegospotomi

Lysander, Sparta’s naval commander, wins this battle and destroys the Athenian fleet. Athens is forced to burn their remaining fleet, disband the Delian League, destroy their walls, and adopt an oligarchy of 30 men.

Persia and Sparta’s Deal

After the war, Persia asks to buy cities in exchange for gold. Sparta does not follow through, and Persia then supported Sparta’s enemies. The Spartans finally gave the Persians the cities, and thus, allowed them to control Greek affairs.

Peloponnesian War’s Effects

1. Greece returns to being multi-polar (multiple city-states)

2. Democracy returns in Athens

3. Sparta declines

4. Persia is the real winner after gaining Greek cities.

Battle of Leuktra

Thebes breaks free from Spartan rule, freeing other city-states. Theban forces under Epameinondas defeat the Spartan army. Thebes then seizes hegemonic control of Greece until Macedonia arrives.