Europe/Islam

How did Socrates defend himself at his trial?

By saying he had done nothing wrong, he wouldn’t stop doing what he thought was right, he would repeat his actions, and he cared more about truth and virtue than about saving his life.

What did Socrates suggest as his punishment?

Free meals for life in the Prytaneum

What was Socrates’ view of women?

Socrates saw women as weaker or more emotional than men, and accepted women's inferiority.

Summarize the story of the Ring of Gyges

Gyges, a shepherd, finds a gold ring on a corpse that makes him invisible when he wears it. Using this power, he sneaks into the palace, seduces the queen, kills the king, and takes over the throne.

What is the point of the Ring of Gyges?

To show that people are naturally selfish and only behave because of fear of punishments and consequences.

What does Plato say about families?

Plato says that families should be abolished and children should be raised by the government

What does Plato say about women?

He said that women are the equal of men, and they must be given the same education.

What was the first of Aristotle’s main ideas?

Humans are unique among animals because they can understand certain concepts.

What was the second of Aristotle’s main ideas?

Owning property and organizing a household is necessary for living a good life.

What was the third of Aristotle’s main ideas?

In democracies, the poor can hold political power because they are more numerous than the rich.

What was the fourth of Aristotle’s main ideas?

Men and women should marry at ages that maximize reproductive success, with men marrying younger women for better timing of children.

What are the main ideas of Cynicism?

Humans live according to nature, to achieve happiness by fulfilling “natural” needs without giving into luxuries.

What are the main ideas of Skepticism?

Question/doubt everything, you can never know everything for sure, happiness comes from accepting you never know the truth, beliefs are opinions.

What are the main ideas of Epicureanism?

People avoid pain and pursue pleasure, but avoid too much pleasure, mental pleasure is better than physical pleasure so you don’t get addicted.

What are the main ideas of Hedonism?

Pleasure was the ultimate goal and there were no limits, selfishness, get what you want.

What are the main ideas of Stoicism?

Immune to emotions and misjudgement, emotions were false judgements based on overreactions.

Zeno’s Paradox: The Dichotomy

To reach a destination, you must first get halfway there. Then you must get halfway of the remaining distance, then halfway again, and again. Motion requires completing an infinite number of steps so it seems motion is impossible.

Zeno’s Paradox: The Arrow

An arrow in flight, at any single instant, occupies a space equal to itself. At any instant, the arrow is not moving (since it only occupies its position), so motion is impossible.

What were the two main city-states in Ancient Greece, Persia, Rome?

Athens and Sparta

Which city-state was known for its military?

Sparta

Which city-state was known for its direct democracy?

Athens

Who was Cleisthenes?

Cleisthenes was the Athenian leader who brought direct democracy to Athens through a series of reforms. He introduced Ostracism

What was Ostracism?

When the democracy could vote to expel a citizen for 10 years if they seemed too ambitious or might try to gain power for themselves.

Where did the Greeks defeat the Persians in the first Persian War?

At the Battle of Marathon on the plain of Marathon in Greece.

Who was Pericles?

He was a leader of Athens who made it very rich, powerful, and helped their democracy reach its peak.

What was the Peloponnesian War?

It was a conflict between Athens and Sparta, and it started because many city-states became tired of Athenian Rule and turned to Sparta for help.

What role did the Delian League play in starting the Peloponnesian War? 

Because Athens turned it into their own empire, making other city-states angry and leading them to ask Sparta for help.

Who was Cyrus the Great?

Founder of the Persian Empire

How was Cyrus the Great different than other ancient kings?

He was more humane, and this was shown through the “first declaration of human rights".

What was the first main belief of Zoroastrianism?

Only one God (Ahura Mazda) was worthy of worship.

What was the second main belief of Zoroastrianism?

The world is a battle between good (Ahura Mazda) and evil (Ahriman)

What was the third main belief of Zoroastrianism?

People are free to choose between good and evil but will be judged for their actions.

What was the fourth main belief of Zoroastrianism?

The good are eternally blessed, the evil suffer in hell.

What were the Punic Wars?

The Punic Wars were a series of wars between Rome and Carthage.

Who were the main generals for Rome and Carthage? 

Rome’s main general was Scipio, and Carthage’s main general was Hannibal.

Who became the first emperor of Rome?

Octavious (Augustus) Caesar.

What was the Pax Romana?

A time of peace and prosperity in Rome that lasted under Emperor Augustus’s rule.

What was Lysistrata’s plan to end the war?

For women from all the Greek city-states to refuse to have censored with their husbands until the men agreed to stop fighting.

What was the Norman Conquest?

When Duke William of Normandy invaded England and claimed the English Throne.

What was the Battle of Hastings?

Duke William of Normandy defeated King Harold II of England and became the king of England.

Why didn’t the Holy Roman Empire have a strong government?

Because constant conflicts between the popes and emperors weakened their power and kept them from uniting under one strong authority.

What was the Magna Carta and when was it signed?

The Magna Carta was a charter of liberties signed by King John in England in 1215.

What were some of the specific rules from the Magna Carta?

The King could not imprison anyone or confiscate their property without following legal procedures, the King had to follow the law, and he could not take property without paying for it. 

What was the Byzantine Empire?

It was the eastern Roman Empire centered in Constantinople. It preserved Roman Culture, supported Christianity, and created Justinian’s Code. Religious disagreements split it from the Roman Catholic Church.

What differences led to the Schism?

Usage of icons and what they were actually worshipping, whether priests should be celibate, and the language of church services (Greek in the East and Latin in the West).

What was the Battle of Tours?

When Charles Martel defeated Muslim Invaders from Spain who were trying to expand into Western Europe.

Who was Charlemagne?

Charlemagne was the king of Franks and the grandson of Charles Martel. He spent much of his life at war, expanding and uniting most of Western Europe. He promoted education and Christianity and was crowned Holy Roman Emperor by the Pope.

What was the main point/goal of the Crusades?

For Christians to take control of the Holy Land of Jerusalem from Muslim rulers.

Who called for the first Crusade?

Pope Urban II.

Why was it somewhat surprising that he agreed to help the Byzantines?

It was surprising he helped the Byzantines because the Eastern and Western Churches were already split over religion.

What happened in the Children’s Crusade?

Thousands of European children tried to reach Jerusalem after claiming God told them to fight Muslims. Many died from hunger, disease, or storms, some were sold into slavery in Egypt, and a smaller group in Genoa was helped and sent home.

How did the Crusaders often treat the people who lived in the territory they conquered?

The Crusaders often treated people in the lands they conquered very cruelly, looting shops and killing thousands of Jews, Muslims, and even Christians, with some civilians being tortured or killed in horrific ways (beheaded, shot with arrows, thrown from towers, burned, massacred)

What was considered virtuous in pre-Islamic Arabian culture?

Bravery in battle, patience in misfortune, persistence in revenge, protection of the weak, defiance toward the strong, hospitality to visitors, generosity to the poor, loyalty to tribe, fidelity in keeping promises.

Which of these virtues may have carried over into Islam (explain how)?

Bravery, generosity, hospitality, loyalty, and honesty were valued. In Islam, bravery meant defending justice, generosity became helping the poor, hospitality stayed important, loyalty shifted to the Muslim community, and honesty became a duty

What two roles did Muhammad have in Medina?

He was a prophet/law giver and religious/political leader.

Who founded the Ottoman Empire?

Osman Gazi

Where were the Turks defeated in 1571? In 1683?

The Turks were defeated in the Battle of Lepanto in Lepanto in 1571. They were defeated at the Battle of Vienna in Vienna in 1683.

What did the people in Vienna do to celebrate their victory?

They created crescent shaped desserts called croissants to celebrate (Turkey has Crescent on Flag)

What were Janissaries?

Janissaries were elite soldiers in the Ottoman Empire, and they were Islam men who were skilled in the use of firearms, and they were trained as foot soldiers to serve the sultan.

What Ottoman leader conquered Constantinople?

Mehmet II conquered Constantinople

What invention does the textbook credit with allowing him to take the city? 

Massive Cannons

What was Impalement?

An Ottoman execution where a person was pierced with a stake alive, left to suffer, and sometimes later shot or burned.

What does Painter say about the role of women in Mediaeval Europe?

Women were always under male authority, could only rule a fief through her husband, had no rights at home, but shared their husband’s status to others, managing the household and estate

What was Katz thesis?

All major historical events have multiple causes.

List the first broad category he and other scholars said led to the fall of Rome and one piece of evidence they gave to back it up

Economic Factors - The government devalued the currency, causing prices to rise and food riots (Doc 6).

List the second broad category he and other scholars said led to the fall of Rome and one piece of evidence they gave to back it up

Military Factors - Troops stopped getting paid, so many soldiers left the army (Doc 7).

List the third broad category he and other scholars said led to the fall of Rome and one piece of evidence they gave to back it up

Religious Factors - Christianity led people to focus on the afterlife instead of Rome’s problems (Doc 2).