6.3 WHAP: Classical Civilizations

c. 550 BCE—330 bce

Reign of the Persian Achaemenid Empire; founded by Cyrus

539 bce

Persians defeat Babylonians

509-44 bce

Roman Republic

499-449 bce

Greco-Persian Wars

480-404 bce

Golden Age of Athens

431-404 bce

Peloponnesian War. Sparta wins, but all poleis are weakened

403-221 bce

Era of Warring States (China)

334 bce

Alexander invades Persia

323 bce

Alexander the Great dies

322-184 bce

Mauryan Dynasty

265 bce

Ashoka converts to Buddhism

264-146 bce

Punic Wars (Rome vs. Carthage)

221-206 bce

Qin Dynasty

206 bce -220 ce

Han Dynasty

141-87 bce

Reign of Han Wudi

44 bce

Julius Caesar assassinated

27 bce - 180 ce

Pax Romana

9-25 ce

Han dynasty in China overthrown, then restored

184 ce

Yellow Turban Rebellion

319-540 ce

Gupta Dynasty

476 ce

Fall of Western Roman Empire

Polis

A city-state in ancient Greece.

Persian Wars

Conflicts between Greek city-states and the Persian Empire, ranging from the Ionian Revolt (499-494 B.C.E.) through Darius's punitive expedition that failed at Marathon. Chronicled by Herodotus.

Battle of Marathon

(490 B.C.E.) Battle where the Persians who invaded Greece were defeated on the Plain of Marathon by an Athenian army.

Battle of Thermopylae

(480 B.C.E.) Battle in which Spartan king Leonidas and his army of 300 Spartans and other Greeks refused to surrender to the numerically superior Persian army at the pass of Thermopylae; they were annihilated to the man but allowed the other Greek forces to prepare for the Persian invasion.

Delian League

Alliance between Athens and many of its allied cities following the first attempted invasion of Persia into Greece. Caused a lot of wealth to flow into Athens and thus contributed to the Athenian "golden age."

Athens

A democratic Greek polis who accomplished many cultural achievements, and who were constantly at war with Sparta.

Democracy

government by the people

Citizen

a legal member of a country

Pericles

Athenian leader noted for advancing democracy in Athens and for ordering the construction of the Parthenon.

Sparta

Greek city-state that was ruled by an oligarchy, focused on military, used slaves for agriculture, discouraged the arts

Oligarchy

rule by a few

Hellenism

Myths and legends of the ancient Greeks concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices. Part of Greek religion.

Polytheistic

Belief in many gods

Golden Age of Athens

a period of growth in ancient Athens in intellectual & and artistic learning, including drama, sculpture, poetry, philosophy, architecture, & science

philosophy

the study of the fundamental nature of knowledge, reality, and existence, especially when considered as an academic discipline.

Socrates

(470-399 BCE) An Athenian philosopher who thought that human beings could lead honest lives and that honor was far more important than wealth, fame, or other superficial attributes.

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.

Aristotle

Greek philosopher. A pupil of Plato, the tutor of Alexander the Great, and the author of works on logic, metaphysics, ethics, natural sciences, politics, and poetics, he profoundly influenced Western thought. In his philosophical system, which led him to criticize what he saw as Plato's metaphysical excesses, theory follows empirical observation and logic, based on the syllogism, is the essential method of rational inquiry.

Tragedy and Comedy

two types of drama

Archimedes

(287-212 BCE) Greek mathematician and inventor. He wrote works on plane and solid geometry, arithmetic, and mechanics. He is best known for the lever and pulley.

Pythagoras

A Greek philosopher and mathematician, this man was credited with the discovery that numbers are useful for more than counting physical things.

Pelopnnesian War

In 431 BC, Sparta vs Athens, lasted 25 years, Athens surrenders and Sparta wins.

Alexander the Great

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.

Achaemenid Empire

First great Persian empire (558-330 B.C.E.), which began under Cyrus and reached its peak under Darius.

Shah

Persian word for king

Divine Right

Belief that a rulers authority comes directly from god.

Theocracy

A government controlled by religion

Cyrus the Great

A remarkable leader who managed to reunite he Persian Empire in a powerful kingdom. Under Cyrus, Persia began building an empire larger than any yet seen in the world

Satraps

Persian administrators, usually members of the royal family, who governed a satrapy.

Royal Spies

The king's Eyes and Ears; Formed under Cyrus the great, these individuals were spread throughout the Persian empire and reported any rebelliousness or dereliction to the king.

Royal Road

A road for the government use built by the ancient Persian ruler Darius which helped unite the empire

Persepolis

A complex of palaces, reception halls, and treasury buildings erected by the Persian kings Darius I and Xerxes in the Persian homeland

tributes

gifts given to those in power by people who have been defeated or who want protection

Darius

The third king of the Persian Achaemenid Empire. He ruled the empire at its peak. He organized the empire by dividing it into provinces and placing satraps to govern it. He organized a new uniform money system, along with making Aramaic the official language of the empire. He also worked on construction projects throughout the empire.

Xerxes

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

Zoroastrianism

A religion that developed in early Persia and stressed the fight between the forces of good and the forces of evil and how eventually the forces of good would prevail.

Magi

Priests of the ancient Persian religion of Zoroastrianism who paid special attention to the stars.

Caravanserai

an inn with a central courtyard for travelers in the desert regions of Asia or North Africa.

Qanat

A water management system that originated in Persia thousands of years ago. It provided water to people even in hilly, desert, hot, and arid areas (like Iran).

Tiber River

a river flowing southward from north-central Italy across the Latium plain, and into the Tyrrhenian Sea

Alps

Europe's Largest Mountain system

Mare Nostrum

a Roman name for the Mediterranean Sea meaning "Our Sea"

Republic

A form of government in which the people select representatives to govern them and make laws.

Plebeians

the common people of ancient Rome

Patrician

In ancient Rome, a member of the privileged upper class.

Twelve Tables

Completed in 449 BCE, these civil laws developed by the Roman Republic following demands by plebeians.

Senate

A group of 300 men elected to govern Rome in the Roman Republic.

Consuls

Two officials from the patrician class were appointed each year of the Roman Republic to supervise the government and command the armies

Assemblies

The third part of Rome's government, who represented the common people and were the patricians and plebeians whose primary job was to elect the magistrates who ran the city of Rome. They could take part all their adult life.

Dictator

A ruler who has complete power over a country

Carthage

City located in present-day Tunisia, founded by Phoenicians ca. 800 B.C.E. It became a major commercial center and naval power in the western Mediterranean until defeated by the expanding Roman Republic in the third century B.C.E.

Punic Wars

A series of three wars between Rome and Carthage (264-146 B.C.); resulted in the destruction of Carthage and Rome's dominance over the western Mediterranean.

Julius Caesar

100-44 B.C. Roman general who became the republic's dictator in 45 B.C.

Caesar Augustus

The great-nephew and adopted son of Julius Caesar who emerged as sole ruler of the Roman state at the end of an extended period of civil war (r. 31 B.C.E.-14 C.E.).

Aquaducts

Structures built by the Romans to transport water

Coliseum

Roman arena for gladiator fights, mock battles, and entertainment

Bread and Circuses

A Roman bribery method of coping with class difference. Entertainment and food was offered to keep plebeians quiet without actually solving unemployment problems.

Pax Romana

A period of peace and prosperity throughout the Roman Empire, lasting from 27 B.C. to A.D. 180.

Jesus Christ

A teacher and prophet whose life and teachings form the basis of Christianity. Christians believe Jesus to be Son of God.

Christianity

A monotheistic system of beliefs and practices based on the Old Testament and the teachings of Jesus as embodied in the New Testament and emphasizing the role of Jesus as savior.

Monotheistic

Belief in one God

Martyr

A person who is killed because of their religious or other beliefs

Constantine

(274 CE - 337 CE) Roman Emperor between 306 CE and 337 CE. He issued the Edict of Milan which outlawed the persecution of Christians. He also founded the city of Constantinople, the future capital of the Byzantine Empire.

Paterfamilias

the head of the family or household in Roman law -always male- and the only member to have full legal rights. This person had absolute power over his family, which extended to life and death.

Germanic Tribes

Nomadic groups that invaded the Roman Empire from the North and East. They caused the fall of Rome.

Huns

large nomadic group from northern Asia who invaded territories extending from China to Eastern Europe. They virtually lived on their horses, herding cattle, sheep, and horses as well as hunting.

Ganges River

Located in India, this river is considered sacred to Hindus and is used for spiritual cleansing, funeral rites, and other Hindu rituals.

Himalayas

The world's highest mountain range, forming the northern border of the Indian subcontinent.

Monsoon Winds

The seasonal wind of the Indian Ocean and southern Asia, blowing from the southwest in summer and from the northeast in winter. (in India and nearby lands) the season during which the southwest monsoon blows, commonly marked by heavy rains; rainy season. any wind that changes directions with the seasons

Patiliputra

Capital of the Mauryan Kingdom.

Also the capital city of the Gupta dynasty. Became the intellectual and cultural center of the empire

Chandragupta Maurya

founder of Maurya dynasty; established first empire in Indian subcontinent; first centralized government since Harappan civilization

Mauryan Empire

The first state to unify most of the Indian subcontinent. It was founded by Chandragupta Maurya in 324 B.C.E. and survived until 184 B.C.E. From its capital at Pataliputra in the Ganges Valley it grew wealthy from taxes.

Sidhartha Gautama

founder of Buddhism, aka buddha

Buddhism

the teaching of Buddha that life is permeated with suffering caused by desire, that suffering ceases when desire ceases, and that enlightenment obtained through right conduct and wisdom and meditation releases one from desire and suffering and rebirth

Noble Truths

life involves suffering, suffering originates in our desires, suffering stops if all desires stop, this state is achieved by the Eight Fold Path

Middle Way

A basic Buddhist teaching that rejects both the pleasures of sensual indulgence and the self-denial of asceticism, focusing instead on a practical approach to spiritual attainment.

Nirvana

The state of enlightenment for Buddhists.

Ashoka

Third ruler of the Mauryan Empire in India (r. 270-232 B.C.E.). He converted to Buddhism and broadcast his precepts on inscribed stones and pillars

Edicts

a command that is obeyed like a law