Studied by 18 PeopleTags & Description
knossos
wealthiest and most powerful city on minoan crete
center of civilization
surrounding area fell due to invasion by myceneaen’s from the mainland (1450 - 1400)
destroyed sometime between 1400 and 1200
aristotle
384 - 327 bc
star pupil of plato
tutored alexander iii
founded his own school (the lyceum)
overarching goal: to collect and test all availible information
scientific method
teleological doctrine
formal cause + form and matter
humans are animals that live in polis'
thought a polis was the best system of government
trojan war
1193 - 1184
paris (son of the trojan king prium) abducts helen (wife of menelaus of sparta)
agamemmnon (king of mycenae) assembles a group of greek states to attack
war fought between the myceneaen greeks and the city of troy
homer
illiad (750) and odyssey (725)
common stories
horrific violence
fluid authority
gods portrayed as a closely connected family on olympus who seldom work in unity
mycenaean (bronze age) and contemporary (iron age) elements
unknown identity
wrote down oral poetry
didactic
hesiod
around 700 bc
theogony
act of creation
primitive and tempestuous gods
dark depths of human psyche
works and days
phases of history
justice (dike) w zeus as its protector
dawning of a new age
sappho
630-570 bc
archaic greek poet from lesbos
wrote lyrical poetry that was to be sung with music
focus on sensuality
only one complete poem (hymn to aphrodite)
archilochus
680-645 bc
first poet to write on his own experiences and emotions
described his life in a new colony
dropped his shield in battle, but saved his own life
unheard of humiliation
old greek values challenged by a world that values initiative andgood luck
marathon
490 bc
first persian war
persians badly outnumbered the athenians, so pheidippedes was sent to run for spartan help
they were in the middle of a celebration for apollo, so they came
one day after the battle
still an athenian victory
philip ii
359-336 bc
becomes king of macedon in 359
father of alexander the great
consolidation of macedonia in northern greece (359 - 357)
took part in the third sacred war (355 - 346)
battle of chaeroneia (338)
created league of corinth (337)
alliance w all of greece (below olympus) except sparta
was assassinated at a macedonian royal wedding in 336
socrates
470 - 399 bc
dialectic method
no notes or writings
wisest man ever according to the oracle
ethics: virtue and knowledge
trial and execution by hemlock (399)
polis
community of several villages with the goal of self-sufficiency
formation during 9th or 8th century
unification of several pre-existing villages
urban center w agricultural territory
dorian invasions
1200 - 800 bc
explanation for the end of mycenaean culture
destruction of all palace except athens
agoge
training/discipline
system of military education for youth of sparta
began at age seven and lasted thirteen years
used from 3rd century onward
helots
lowest class in spartan society
in bondage to spartans by 6th century
slaves
worked for spartan citizens
draco
621/0 bc
first law giver
appointed bc of severe civil unrest due to debt
first written laws
all laws except homicide were annulled by solon
biased against aristocrats
distinguished between intent
lasted a generation
didn’t actually end civil strife
solon
594/3 bc
overhauled constitution/laws
"shaking off of burdens"
canceled all existing debt
created four property classes based on land ownership
timocracy: political power based on wealth
new law code
mediator
peisistratus
561/0 - 528/7 bc
started the peisistratid tyranny
"good" tyrant
constitutional rule (but didn't actually follow the constitution bc tyranny was punishable by death)
followed and did not change the constitution
comparatively low taxes
coinage
cleisthenes of athens
created reforms around 508/7 bc
birth of athenian democracy
tribal system
created ten tribes instead of four
council of 500
second council
annual office
equal representation
fifty members from each of the ten tribes
ostracism
voted on each year
essentially a ten year exile that, if broken, results in kill on sight orders
anti-tyranny and anti-persian measure
served as chief archon
herodotus
484 - 425 bc
father of history
divine and human causation
focus on humans
wrote his histories (440s) to explain why persian-greek conflicts came to be
why the persian war happened
obtained info by inquiry
linear b
contemporaneous w linear a but still slightly different
pre-greek
tablets (~1200 bc) show existence of olympic gods and worshipping of the majority of the later pantheon
burned, therefore they survived
alexander iii (the great)
336 - 323 bc
planned invasion and conquest of persian empire
four stages of conquest
darius iii (334 - 330)
inland provinces of persian empire (329 - 327)
failed attempt to conquer india (327 - 325)
return and death (325 - 323)
died from excessive drinking at babylon (june 323
literally the end of an era
end of classical, beginning of hellenistic
zeno of elea
early 5th century
series of paradoxes used to disprove pythagorean views
olympic games
first olympiad occurred 776 bc
only one event (footrace)
only greek men could compete but anyone could watch
cultural unity
heavy events
wrestling, boxing, pankration
occurred every four years in the summer
magna graecia
southern italy + sicily
most popular place to colonize from 8th to 5th century
thermopylae
480 bc
three day battle
pass of thermopylae (very narrow)
xerxes meant to have a coordinated land-sea attack
the naval part was a disaster
a greek informant told xerxes of a path above the mountain, allowing his land attack to arrive quickly
greeks surrounded and walls breached
other greeks fled, but leonidas and the 300 spartans stayed and fought (either spartan king dies or sparta dies)
salamis
480 bc
naval battle
themistocles vs xerxes
decisive victory for the greeks
turning point in the war, when it became a stalemate
pericles
died during plague of athens (430)
didn’t want to conflict with spartans in north attica
ordered a retreat behind the walls
athenian statesman during peloponnesian war and brilliant orator
extended his influence, but never abused his power
sophocles
496 - 406 bc
193 plays, 7 survived
won contest 24 times
oedipus rex
can’t escape fate
antigone
trapped by her own conscience
focus on community ⇾ focus on individual
earlier archaic world
thucydides
460 - 399 bc
detailed plague and war
societal breakdown
no interest in society or culture
no illusions of human behavior
causes of war
complaints and disputes: corinth, aegina, and megara complained abt athenian influences
truest allegation: athenian growth during inter-war period + spartan fear
peace of nicias
421 - 413 bc
named after an athenian general
not a true peace, more of a cold war
alcibiades and the sicilian expedition (415 - 413)
absolute disaster
lycurgus
8th century
came back from oracle with the great rhetra
foundation of the spartan constitution
council of elders
contested existence
all info abt him comes from the life of lycurgus by plutarch
myth of sparta
oedipus
bound to his fate
first preformed around 429 bc
delian league
478 bc
in the beginning, ionian cities would rather be lead by athens rather than sparta
soon becomes an athenian empire
stated goal: revenge on persia
named after the island of delos
plato
428 - 347 bc
star pupil of socrates
left athens after socrates' execution
apology of socrates
started an academy
doctrine of forms
the physical world is not as real or true as timeless, absolute, unchangeable ideas
allegory of the cave
also a metaphor for the life and death of socrates
ionian revolt
499 - 494 bc
campaign to capture sardis
burned the temple of cybele at sardis (498)
ended with the garrison pushing ionians out
uprisings in the ionian cities against persian rulers
oracle of apollo at delphi
where apollo killed the python
sanctuary was believed to be the center of the world
messages of apollo relayed and interpreted by a priestess, the pythia
variety of questions brought forth
answers needed interpretation
consulted for colonization, and any other big political decision
dates back to 1400 bc