Western Civ Exam #2 Barnett

Ostracism

deliberate social exclusion of individuals or groups

Xerxes

son of Darius; became Persian king. He vowed revenge on the Athenians. He invaded Greece with 180,000 troops in 480 B.C.

What is Thebes known as?

Capital city of Egypt and home of the ruling dynasties during the Middle and New Kingdoms.

Which deity was the patron god of Thebes?

Amon, who became one of the chief gods of Egypt.

Where were the monarchs buried in relation to Thebes?

Across the river in the Valley of the Kings.

Thessaly

fertile region in northeastern Greece bounded by mountains, the most famous of which was Mount Olympus, the legendary home of the major gods of the Greek pantheon.

Themistocles

Athenian statesman who persuaded Athens to build a navy and then led it to victory over the Persians (527-460 BC)

Leonidas

king of Sparta and hero of the battle of Thermopylae where he was killed by the Persians (died in 480 BC)

Where is Thermopylae located?

100 miles from Athens

What happened at Thermopylae during the battle?

Greek soldiers held off the Persian army for 3 days

What was the outcome of the battle at Thermopylae?

Persians killed every soldier guarding the pass and then marched on to Athens where they set it on fire

Salamis

Battle location in the Persian Wars where Persian ships were too large to maneuver and were defeated by the Athenian navy.

What was the Delian League?

An alliance between Athens and its allied cities after the first Persian invasion of Greece.

What was the impact of the Delian League on Athens?

It led to a flow of wealth into Athens and contributed to the Athenian 'golden age.'

Aeschylus

father of greek tragedy

Who was Euripides?

A playwright who wrote about 90 tragedies and included strong female characters and smart slaves.

What is Euripides known for?

Being one of the greatest tragic dramatists of ancient Greece (480-406 BC).

Sophocles

Greek writer of tragedies; author of Oedipus Rex and Antigone

Phidias

Athenian sculptor who supervise the building of the Parthenon. built a statue of Zeus at Olympia was one of the seven wonders of the world

Ictinus

A Greek architect active in the mid 5th century BC perhaps most well known for co-constructing the Parthenon.

Plato

(430-347 BCE) Was a disciple of Socrates whose cornerstone of thought was his theory of Forms, in which there was another world of perfection.

Who was Socrates?

An Athenian philosopher

What were Socrates' beliefs?

Honor was more important than wealth, fame, or other superficial attributes

When did Socrates live?

470-399 BCE

Sophists

Greek teachers of philosophy, reasoning, and public speaking

Who is considered one of the founders of sophism?

Gorgias

What does sophism emphasize?

Practical application of rhetoric toward civic and political life

Protagoras

father of debate, said "man is the measure of all things"

Pericles

Ruler of Athens who zealously sought to spread Athenian democracy through imperial force

Parthenon

A large temple dedicated to the goddess Athena on the Acropolis in Athens, Greece. It was built in the 5th century BCE, during the Athenian golden age.

Peloponnesian War

(431-404 BCE) The war between Athens and Sparta that in which Sparta won, but left Greece as a whole weak and ready to fall to its neighbors to the north.

Who was Alcibiades?

Athenian nobleman during 450 - 404 BCE

What was the Sicilian expedition?

Campaign that Alcibiades persuaded the Athenian assembly to embark on

What was Alcibiades known for during the Peloponnesian War?

Switching sides between Athens and Sparta

How did Alcibiades influence Athens with Persian money?

He helped Athens with an infusion of Persian money

Where was Alcibiades murdered?

In Thrace

What event took place in Syracuse in 213-212 BC?

The siege of Syracuse by the Roman Republic

What did the Romans achieve by storming Syracuse?

Control of the entire island of Sicily

Who developed weapons to protect Syracuse during the siege?

Archimedes

Who was Lysander?

Spartan military and political leader.

What significant event did Lysander lead in 405 BC?

He destroyed the Athenian fleet at the Battle of Aegospotami.

What was Lysander's goal for Sparta?

He wanted to overthrow the Athenian Empire and replace it with Spartan hegemony.

How did Lysander contribute to Sparta's dominance in Greece?

He played a key role in Sparta's domination of Greece for the next decade after the Peloponnesian War.

Where did Lysander meet his death?

At the Battle of Haliartus.

What is another name for the Hellespont?

Dardanelles

Why was the Hellespont important for the Persian Empire?

It was a crucial pass-through point for their forces during attempts to subdue Greece.

Which empire found greater success in utilizing the Hellespont?

A later empire after the Persians faltered. (Ottoman)

Socratic Method

way of teaching developed by Socrates that used a question-and-answer format to force students to use their reason to see things for themselves

Examined Life

Socrates means to examine your life ethically (the rightness or wrongness of what you do) before making choices and taking action.

Herodotus

Greek Historian, considered the father of History. He came from a Greek community in Anatolia and traveled extensively, collecting information in western Asia and the Mediterranean lands.

What is the name of the three-play series written by Aeschylus?

Oresteia

Who is the central figure in the Oresteia?

Agamemnon

What is the main theme of the Oresteia?

Betrayal, murder, and revenge within the house of Atreus

Agamemmon

Mycenaean king, most closely associated with the legend of the Trojan War

Clytemnestra

(Greek mythology) wife of Agamemnon who had him murdered when he returned from the Trojan War

Orestes

son of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra who eventually avenged his father's murder by killing Aegisthus (his mother's lover)

Antigone play

Greek play in which the main character Antigone buries one of her brothers who was considered a traitor by king Creon so she is put to death despite the disapproval of the people

Euripedes

playwright whose tragedies focused on realism such as in The Trojan Women where he showed the misery of war

Who wrote the play Madea?

Euripides

What is the background story of Madea?

Former princess of Colchis, wife of Jason, who seeks revenge by killing Jason's new wife and her own sons before fleeing to Athens.

Aristophanes

an ancient Greek dramatist remembered for his comedies (448-380 BC)

What is the title of the comedy by Aristophanes?

Lysistrata

What is the main plot of the play Lysistrata?

A heroic woman rallies the women of Greece to withhold sex to end the Peloponnesian War.

What are some themes explored in Lysistrata?

Sex, gender relations, and women's roles

What technique is commonly used in Lysistrata?

Double entendre

Acropolis

Greek for "high city". The chief temples of the city were located here.

Lyceum

(From the Greek name for the ancient Athenian school where Aristotle taught.) Public lecture hall that hosted speakers on topics ranging from science to moral philosophy. Part of a broader flourishing of higher education in the mid-nineteenth century.

Thucydides

Greek historian. Considered the greatest historian of antiquity, he wrote a critical history of the Peloponnesian War that contains the funeral oration of Pericles

Alcibiades

( 450 - 404 BCE): Athenian nobleman who persuaded assembly to embark on the Sicilian expedition, a well-connected man often associated with controversy, was banished from Athens many times, switched sides during the Peloponnesian War from Athens to Sparta and back to Athens, latter helped by his infusion of Persian money, murdered in Thrace

demagogue

(n.) a leader who exploits popular prejudices and false claims and promises in order to gain power

Syracuse

the Athenian siege of Syracuse (415-413 BC) was eventually won by Syracuse

Lysander

Greek military and political leader who won the final victory for Sparta in the Peloponnesian War and, at its close, wielded great power throughout Greece.

Macedonia

Area between the Greek and Slavic regions; conquered Greece and Mesopotamia under the leadership of Philip II and Alexander the Great

Philip II

Macedonian king who sought to unite Greece under his banner until his death or murder. He was succeeded by his son Alexander.

Aegean Sea

A body of water by Mediterranean Sea that touches the borders of Greece & Asia Minor. It also has many islands in it, including Crete.

Mount Pangaeus

Where Philip II got his money (in the form of gold) to create his infantry.

Demosthenes

Athenian orator who tried to warn the Greeks of the threat Philip and his army posed

Chaeronea

a battle in which Philip II of Macedon defeated the Athenians and Thebans (338 BC) and also Sulla defeated Mithridates (86 BC)

League of Corinth

Organization of Greek cities led by the king of Macedonia for the purpose of attacking Persia

Royal Companions

the personal companions of the Macedonian king; they formed his calvary in war and his bodyguard

Troy

A kingdom that was destroyed by the Greeks in the Trojan War. It is located on the western coast of Asia Minor

Achilles

Greatest Greek warrior, husband of Briseis whom Agamemnon steals, only vulnerable place is his heel, prophecy that he would die in the Trojan war, which he does at the hand of Paris

Alexander

King of Macedonia in northern Greece. Between 334 and 323 B.C.E. he conquered the Persian Empire, reached the Indus Valley, founded many Greek-style cities, and spread Greek culture across the Middle East. Later known as Alexander the Great. (p. 136)

Darius III of Persia

king of Persia who fought a war with Alexander the Great (334 BCE.) and he lost giving Alexander control of Persia.

Gordium

legendary city featuring a knot which could not be undone, but Alexander undid it after capturing the town

Mesopotamia

A region between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers that developed the first urban societies. In the Bronze Age this area included Sumer and the Akkadian, Babylonian and Assyrian empires, In the Iron Age, it was ruled by the Neo-Assyrian and Neo-Babylonian empires.

Susa

Capital of Persian Empire

Stateira

Darius III daughter who Alexander eventually marries. Always treated respectfully by Alexander. Probably killed by Roxane after his death

Roxane

1st Wife of Alexander the Great

Bactria

Region in northwestern India ruled by Greek-speaking descendants of Alexander's veterans.

Gaugamela

The site of a battle in 331 BC between Alexander the Great and Darius III. Alexander emerged victorious. The defeat began the elimination of the Persian Empire.

The Academy

school of philosophy founded by Plato

Forms

A name Plato gave to ideal concepts

Platonism

Philosophy of Plato that posits preexistent Ideal Forms of which all earthly things are imperfect models.

The Republic

The Republic is about justice. In this dialogue, Plato undertakes to show what justice is and why it is in each person's best interest to be just, and he does so in both an ethical and a political context.

"All knowledge should be subject to examination and reason"

Aristotle

"Education is bitter but its fruit is sweet"

Aristotle- The 'roots' of education here mean the hardships every child faces while he is gaining education. It seems to be a bitter and tiring process. Ultimately, one becomes knowledgeable and the fruit we get is definitely sweet which gives us all money, name, fame and dignity in the society.

Telos

an end/purpose

Golden Mean

Aristotle's term for describing ethical behavior as a midpoint between extremes

Oresteia

A Three play series based on the family of Agamemnon, the Mycenaean king who commanded the Greeks at in the Trojan War-written by Aeschylus, depicting a powerful family (the house of Atreus) torn apart by betrayal, murder and revenge