Greek History Exam 1

Plato refers to the Greeks as dwelling as ants of frogs around a pond because:

a) the movement of Greeks resembled the movements of frogs and ants

b) the ancient Greeks lived all over the Mediterranean

c) the Greeks viewed the Mediterranean as their highway

d) compared to the gods, the acncient Greeks were small like frogs and ants

b) the ancient Greeks lived all over the Mediterranean

c) the Greeks viewed the Mediterranean as their highway

The first Greek historian _____ wrote about the Persian Wars and was interested in ethnography, geography, and natural history, _____, the historian of the Peloponnesian War, was interested in war and politics

Herodotus, Thucydides

The belief that the ancient Greeks were white is a myth “a traditional tale with secondary, partial reference to something of collective importance.” This myth supports the story of ______, “a made up story of a set of intellectual traditions originating in ancient Greece and Rome that get passed on historically via Rome, and then via the…”

Western civilization

Although most Neolithic era settlements were small, the village of ______ shows signs of urbanization, including a megaron in a large building atop a hall. This magaron is significant because:

a. it was the one place where men and women mingles

b. it was a dance hall modelled on Minoan frescos

c. Iron Age chiefs and great men met in the megaron, signifying continuity in culture following the collapse of the Bronze Age palaces

d) it was later used as the basic model for the temple (the gods’ house) from the eighth century

Dimini

c. Iron Age chiefs and great men met in the megaron, signifying continuity in culture following the collapse of the Bronze Age palaces

d) it was later used as the basic model for the temple (the gods’ house) from the eighth century

In the fourth millennium (3000s) Greek settlements were small, but to the east settlements in ______ experienced population rise due to the waters of this alluvial plain which inhabitants learned
to tame and channel, allowing for farming innovations.

Mesopotamia

The archaeologist responsile for excavations at Mycenae and Troy in the late nineteenth cenutry was _____

Henrich Schliemann

The excavations of this archaeologist are important because

a. he discovered Linear B tablets

b. these archaeological excavations allow us to learn about Greece in the prehistorical period

c. he proved that Homer was a real person

b. these archaeological excavations allow us to learn about Greece in the prehistorical period

The archaeologist responsible for excavations at Knossos was ______. He called the civilization he found there _______ based on the mythical king whose name was ______

Sir Arthur Evans, Minoan, Minos

We refer to the Bronze Age as the Bronze Age because people learned that adding 10% of _____ to _____ creates bronze, which is harder than copper.

tin, copper

In roughly 2250 BCE _______ and other sites in central Greece were abandoned. The area was likely abandoned due to an invasion. These invaders spoke a language belonging to the ________ language family and introduced the Greek language. Only place names or borrowed words such as melissa (bee), plinthos (brick), and sukon (fig) remain from the language spoken before the introduction of Greek.

Lerna, Proto-Indo European

The first Greek speakers worshipped the weather god whose name was ____

Zeus

The reconstructed lexicon of Proto-Indo-European suggests that

a. people were organized in families

b. society was matriarchal

c. they participated in farming, herding, and weaving

a. people were organized in families

c. they participated in farming, herding, and weaving

Crete was perhaps originally settled in 700 BCE by farmers from

Anatolia

Archaeological evidence suggests there was instability on Crete around 2200, followed by an increase in ______ around 2000. As an island equidistant from three continents, Crete was important because

a. it was where all ships were made

b. all ships had to pay a tax when passing Crete

c. It was a crossroad for Mediterranean trade

Population

c. It was a crossroad for Mediterranean trade

The Minoans adopted from the New East a _______ as their economic model. In this model the palace center:

a. gathered, stored, and redistributd to the villages produce from palace and private lands

b. housed livestock

c. kept templates for pottery

d. stored grain and olive oil in case of famine

redistributive system

a. gathered, stored, and redistributd to the villages produce from palace and private lands

d. stored grain and olive oil in case of famine

The remains from the _____ at Knossos date to 1700 BCE when it was repaired after a fire

Palace

Frescoes in the Minoan palaces owed a debt to the Near East, especially _____, where frescoes were intended to glorify royal _____ and ______. In the Minoan palaces, however, frescoes depict

a. battle scenes

b. bull leaping

c. plant and animal life

Egypt, families, kings

b. bull leaping

c. plant and animal life

The palace at Knossos is 3.2 acres with 300 rooms which were organized around a central _____. The palace includes which of the following?

a. conduits and drains to supply running water

b. a system by which lamps were lit at the same time throughout the palace

c. a hydraulic grain distribution system

d. multiple stories

Courtyard

a. conduits and drains to supply running water

d. multiple stories

In 1628 a volcano on the island of Thera erupted, preserving the town of ____. The influence of Minoan civilization on the island suggests that:

a. cities on the island of Thera and Crete were trading partners

b. citiies in Thera were under Minoan control

Akrotiri

a. cities on the island of Thera and Crete were trading partners

The depiction and representation of nature, both plant and animal, on items of ritual significance suggest that Minoan religion focused on _____. Communal rituals took place in______ and in shrines called_____, as well as in palaces, villas, and houses.

fertility, caves, peak sanctuaries

The open courtyard in Minoan palaces may have been the setting for rituals as well as ____

bull leaping

In 2000, the _____ began trading in southern and central Greece. 

Minoans

The Bronze Age Greeks shared many similarities with the Minoans including

a. palace structure

b. food storage system

c. writing system.

a. palace structure

c. writing system.

At Mycenae, deep rectangular pits containing bodies were found. These pits are called _____.

Shaft graves

The pits containing bodies at Mycenae include metals and items from Crete, Cyprus, Egypt, Mesopotamia, Syria, Anatolia, and western Europe. This is important because:

a. it suggests extensive trade networks for a period about which little is known

b. archaeologists had assumed that there was no contact between mainland Greece and the East due to an ongoing conflict

c. it violates the terms of a contract outlined in a Linear B tablet

a. it suggests extensive trade networks for a period about which little is known

_____ tombs suggest the growing power of an elite class at Mycenae. This style of tomb was likely derived from a similar type in ____. Unfortunately, these were pillaged, although items that have been found suggest wealth on part with earlier graves. Heinrich Schliemann mistakenly called one the _____

Tholos, Crete, Treasury of Atreus

In 1939, 600 Linear B tablets were found at the Mycenaean palace of ___, the legendary home of the Trojan War leader, Nestor. In 2015, archaeologists at this site discovered a tomb from 1500. Over 75% of the objects in the tomb came from ______. Archeologists do not know who the warrior was who was buried inside.

Pylos, Crete

Michael Ventris built on the previous work of Alice Kober to decipher ____. This decipherment led to the following discovery:

a. Greek was the language of the Mycenaeans

b. the Minoans conquered the Mycenaeans

c. the Mycenaean Greeks adapted Linear A to the Greek language to keep records

d. The Mycenaean Greeks ruled Crete by the 15h century BCE

Linear B

a. Greek was the language of the Mycenaeans

c. the Mycenaean Greeks adapted Linear A to the Greek language to keep records

d. The Mycenaean Greeks ruled Crete by the 15h century BCE

In 1375 ____ was burned and looted, leading to the decline of Minoan civilization

Knossos

Mycenaean palaces differed from Minoan palaces because Mycenaean palaces

a. had walls and Minoan palaces did not

b. were situated on hilltops

c. had thatched roofs

d. were smaller

a. had walls and Minoan palaces did not

b. were situated on hilltops

d. were smaller

Mycenaean freescos focus on the following themes:

a. personal combat

b. hunting

c. portraits of ancestors

d. siege warfare

a. personal combat

b. hunting

d. siege warfare

While Minoan palaces have a central courtyard, Mycenaean palaces have a ____: a rectangular hall with an antechamber and porch. Inside the hall was a raised circular hearth flanked by four columns that supported a balcony.

Megaron

During the Bronze Age, the most important Mediterranean powers were Egypt and the Hittie empire which covered most of ____ and _____.

Anatolia, Syria

According to Hittite records, a group of people known as the ____ were involved in a series of conflicts. Scholars believe this group of people refers to the ____. If this is true, then it would suggest that the Trojan War would have happened roughly in the later 13th century, and it suggests that the Greeks, along with the Egyptians and Hittites were important Mediterranean powers.

Ahhiyawa, Acheans

The Linear B word for king is ____. This is significant because Homer used the title of ____ in his epics. This king, however, did not consider himself divine.

Wanaka, wanax

Before 1600 there is little evidence of Mycenaean religion. After 1500 the Mycenaeans seem to have adopted elements of ____ religion.

Minoan

Only _____ gods are represented in Mycenaean art. In the Linear B tablets, however, over thirty gods and goddesses are mentioned, including Hera, Poseidon, and Artemis. ___ is also mentioned, known as the Proto-Indo-European sky father. 

female, Zeus

Pottery from the Mycenaean palace at Tiryns depicts soldiers riding in chariots. The Bronze Age Greeks adopted the battle chariot from the ____, where soldiers fought from chariots. In Greece, however, the chariot was used to:

a. transport the wives of soldiers to the edges of battle

b. transport extra weapons to men in the frontlines

c. transport warriors to the edges of battle

Near East

c. transport warriors to the edges of battle

By the end of the twelfth century the Bronze Age palaces had collapsed. In addition, many cities throughout the Mediterranean suffered catrastrophes. The capital of the Hittite Empire, ______, was destroyed. In Egypt, a group of people led by the Libyans and perhaps including Greeks attacked Egypt several times These men are describe as ______ in Egyptian inscriptions.

Hattusa, people of the countries of the sea

The Bronze Age palaces may have collapsed for the following reasons:

a. invasion

b. plague

c. revolts of peasants and slaves

d. depletion of arable land

e. natural disasters such as earthquakes or floods

a. invasion

c. revolts of peasants and slaves

d. depletion of arable land

e. natural disasters such as earthquakes or floods

For a long time, historians referred to the Iron Age as the Dark Age due to the lack of ___ evidence

archeological

Literary sources for the Iron Age include the works of ______ who wrote about the time period he was living and ______ who worte about events that would have occurred in the Bronze Age.

Hesiod, Homer

By 950, almost every weapon found in graves was made not from bronze but from

iron

We refer to pottery during the Iron Age as ______. Innovations in this style of pottery include:

a. the use of hand techniques to create textures

b. the use of a compass

c. arcs and circle designs

d. glazing at higher temperatures

geometric

b. the use of a compass

c. arcs and circle designs

d. glazing at higher temperatures

The migration of 1050 is called _____. In this migration people moved from mainland Greece to _____

Ionian migration, the west coast of Asia Minor

While most of Greece experienced population declines in the Early Iron Age, ____ remained stable. In fact, some Mycenaean Greek migrated there, building temples on the foundations of earlier Phoenician templers.

Cyprus

In the Iron Age, communities were led by chiefs, referred to in Greek as ___. The archaeological evidence for the existence of chiefs comes from sites like ____ and ____.

Basileus, Nichoria, Lefkandi,

At ____, the finds include a spacious megaron with a porch. This “chieftain’s house” was remodelled several times. This structure is believed to be a chieftan’s house because:

a. it was made of better materials

b. it was identical to other houses, but bigger

c. a storeroom of weapons was found

Nichoria

b. it was identical to other houses, but bigger

At _____ the finds include a cremated man, a woman buried, and two pairs of buried horses. Soon after the funeral the entire building was demolished and a cemetery appears shortly after. This site is significant because:

a. this is the oldest cemetery in Greece

b. it suggests stratification

c. there are no children buried in the cemtery

Lefkandi

b. it suggests stratification

The period from 900 to 750 is distinct from the earlier period of the Iron Age because

a. new designs and shapes appear on pottery, including humans and animals

b the alphabet emerges

c. the Greeks start using gold to create weapons for burial

a. new designs and shapes appear on pottery, including humans and animals

b the alphabet emerges

Which of the following is believed to have been the political organization of Homeric society? 

a. each region has its own basileus

b. a paramount basileus would lead communities, each of which would have its own basileus

c. two kings would rule jointly on alternating days over their followers

b. a paramount basileus would lead communities, each of which would have its own basileus

_____ governed all relationship in the Homeric. According to its principles, iving and receiving should be balanced, and following a raid, the leader receives a share of plunder and then he distributes prizes for valor. The rest is divided equally among men. This system helps us understand the conflict between _____ and ____ in Book One of the Iliad

Reciprocity, Achilles, Agamemnon

____ was a reciprocal relationship in which men from different cities and regions pledged to offer one another protection, lodging, and assistance whenever they traveled to one another’s demos. The relationship was passed down generation to generation, and it was cemented through the exchange of ____.

Xenia, gifts

A man who is _____ exhibits bravery and skill in fighting and athletic contexts. A man who is ____ is useless in battle. Men must strive to be the best, or ____ when they participate in contests. This is how they aquuire ___, defined as honor or esteem in the eyes of other men. 

Agathos, kakos, aristos, time

Free persons who did not own land and had tow work for anothe rperson were known as ____

thetes

In the Iron and Archaeic Age, fathers would divide their ancestral land, known as ____, evenly among their songs

kleros

In the Iron Age, people emigrated because

a. there was was a land shortage

b. they were curious about other people

c. trade

a. there was was a land shortage

c. trade

The Euboean Greeks traded all over the Mediterranean. In the east they traded at ____ in Northern Syria, and in the wester they traded at ___ in the bay of Naples.

Al Mina, Pithecusae

The evidence of the Euboean Greeks’ trading routes comes primarily from

a. temple inscriptions

b. pottery

c. shipwrecks

b. pottery

The Greeks adapted the _____ alphabet to their language shortly after 800. 

Phoenician

The new alphabet was more accessible than Linear B because

a. it was prettier

b. it had 24 letters rather than 87 signs

c. it included letters for vowel signs

b. it had 24 letters rather than 87 signs

c. it included letters for vowel signs

Which of the following are features of the archaic period

a. tyranny

b. atheism

c. hoplite warfare

d. colonization

e. glassware.

f. synoecism

a. tyranny

c. hoplite warfare

d. colonization

f. synoecism

The process by which territories were incorporated into a capital city from the ninth century was around 750 or 700 is called _____. For example, people living in the territory of ___ accepted Athenas as their political center and referred to themselves as Athenians. Some cities did not undergo this process. Cities with a common culture and heritage sometimes formed federations and joined forces when needed. These are called _____.

synoecism, Attica, ethne

The council or boule was powerful because

a. the penalty for opposing the council was exile

b. all office-holders became members of the council for life after holding office

c. its decrees were binding

b. all office-holders became members of the council for life after holding office

In many city-states in the early Archai period, gene such as the ____ of Corinth dominated political offices. The later Greeks referred to this type of government as either ___ or ___. In 657, this family was overthrown by _____, whose son was ____. 

Bacchiads, oligarchy, aristorcracy, Cypselus, Periander

Which of the following were responses to inequality during the archaic period?

a. extended families

b. daughters were permitted to inherit land

c. colonization

d. intense raiding

e. synoecism

c. colonization

d. intense raiding

e. synoecism

Evidence for the process of establishing a colony comes from the colonization of ___, a city in North Africa colonized by people from the island of ____.

Cyrene, Thera

In General, it was much easier to become poor in the Archaic period than wealthy. The reason for this is

a. it was easy to lose a job because of harsh. labor practices

b. fathers were disinheriting sons due to lack of birth control

c. the poor relied on the wealthy for loans of seed after a bad harvest, which left them in debt

c. the poor relied on the wealthy for loans of seed after a bad harvest, which left them in debt

While many people wanted to believe that Achilles was blond, the word for blond in Greek, xanthos, describes not only color but also the smell of ___ or the shimmering quality of ___

cooking oil, water

Hesiod is generally considered one of the mesoi because

a. Homer says he was one of the msoi

b. there are roughly 10-12 people living on his farm and he would have had 10-15 acres

c. Herodotus says he was

d. he expresses anger at the rulers, a common theme among the middle class

b. there are roughly 10-12 people living on his farm and he would have had 10-15 acres

d. he expresses anger at the rulers, a common theme among the middle class

One of the best sources for ideologies of hoplite warfare is the poet

Tyrtaeus

Hoplites are called hoplites because

a. they hop

b. their unique shield, which is called a hoplon

c. their spear, which is called a hoplon

b. their unique shield, which is called a hoplon

Hoplite formation consists of tightly packed rows, we call this formation ___

Phalanx

Aristocrats may have been upset about hoplite warfare because

a. everyone wore roughly the same armor and weapons, making it difficult to distinguish themselves

b. since everyone had the same armor, they experienced this new armor as a downgrae compared to the old armor

c. creating new armor provided work for the poor, equalizing incomes

a. everyone wore roughly the same armor and weapons, making it difficult to distinguish themselves