Intro to Greek Civilizations - Midterm

Iliad

- a Greek epic poem (attributed to Homer) describing the siege of Troy

- composed by multiple people, done by mouth rather than written; centuries

Hero

- typically male, don't want to emulate them
→ designates a period in human history
→ first group made by the gods
→ stand between us and the gods (the creators, gave rise; "founders")
→ self absorbed, destructive etc.
→ end of the age of heroes comes with the Trojan war
→ hero is made by male gods having sex with mortal women

Achilleus

name means "pain or grief of the people"

Antithesis

opposition, something that is put against; Ancient Greeks love it

8th century

known as the archaic period (old)

Archaic period

- the period of beginnings, when things start (500-800 bc)
→ when the ancient Greek world began to form
→ polis (city/citizen state)
→ learn how to write again, making buildings (building in stone), emerging of parameters for a new world
→ technologies were beginning again

Hephaistos

god of the forge

Agonism

- extreme competitiveness
- aggressive self-assertion, men get to manifest it; masculine thing; elite people engage in it the most; most associated with elite male behaviour, the Ancient Greeks related it to elite masculinity

Philoi/Philos

- the people who are dear to you
- what one regards as their home (the people regarded as home)

Achaians

Iliad word for Greeks (people of pain)

Thetis

minor sea god; connections to Hephaistos (he owed her a favor)

Reciprocity

- return a favor with a favor, return a harm with a harm

Athene

strategic warfare, heroic excellence, patron of heroes (on Achilleus shield)

Ares

god of battle fury; draws a person out and sends them into the zone to fight (on Achilleus shield)

Demeter

god of grain and grain production (on Achilleus shield; through description)

Dionysus

god of grape and wine production (on Achilleus shield; through description)
→ exception to seeing the gods
- very important god for the Athenians. Dionysos is second most important God for the Athenians. Dramas were performed at festivals in honor of him. Agricultural god: growing grapes and producing wine. He is God of the chorus. He is also God of the mask (mask hanging on a post). God who makes all the green things grow. God of group experience.

Technology

Athene, Demeter, Dionysus, Hephaistos

Cosmos

the whole organized universe

Chorus

dancing groups; fundamental common ways that human communities honor their gods

Timē

honor as what a person is deserving of; "this is a correct accurate assessment of who you are and your accomplishment"

Oikos

is household that consists of the members of the family and anyone else who lived there (ex. Slaves); root of the English word economy; the household is the building, the family and anyone else who inhabits it; private; it is a generational thing (inheritance, honoring ancestors)
- First institution that the citizen was taught to serve, person is less important than the institution
- women are associated with the oikos; grow up, get married and produce offspring; private world

Ekthros/ekhthroi

my personal enemies, it is possible to inherit enemies. Anyone who has done a person harm (ex. Messes with business, harms someone you care about, friend betrays someone)

Aidōs

shame; rooted in concern for what other people think
- proper concern for what other people, philoi, think of you.

Polis

the city state/citizen state; self-determining entity; all the households that exist in Athenian territory; public
- men are associated with the polis

Liturgy

a work for the people; a service; peaceful way of engaging in competitiveness

Justice

is rooted in reciprocity; the idea that one returns a good deed with a good deed and a harm with a harm; justice is to help you philoi and to harm your ekhthroi

Dikē

its root is justice

Dikasteria

the places of dikē; citizens judge disputes

Ekklēsia

is the assembly; they made all the decisions in Athens; every citizen could attend and vote
- the citizens; big support system; under Kleisthenes the ekklēsia became the biggest political power; all citizens had the right to attend meetings, speak and vote, and amend proposals at meetings

Polemoi

enemies of the city state

Plato

an Athenian who lived from about 429-347. Plato wasn't his real name, he was part of a very elite wealthy family. When he was a young man he liked spending time with the character Socrates. He established a school where young men went to study philosophy. When talking about Socrates he was more so a character and creation based on Socrates. His characters were typically based on real people. Not a historian.

Crito

friends with Socrates in Plato's story. Thinks he can get Socrates to accept his points and do what we wants (escape from the jail). Crito wants to persuade his friend. Crito tells Socrates that he is helping his enemies by staying in jail. Calls Socrates a coward. Says that Socrates is harming his friends and making them look bad. Crito's views are to beak the law, look after your friends, don't leave your children. Priories philoi rather than polis. Expressing views that are standard Athenian views. Crito is consider about doxē and aidōs. He is motivated by that everyone thinks.

Doxē

reputation; what people in your community think about you.

Socrates

An actual guy. Lived in Athens. Was a philosopher. Most famous for the idea of definition. Athenian young men really liked him. His close associates were people who did not like democracy. During the pelopolyesian war, he served as a hoplite. Not involved in politics, not talk in assembly but did do his duty as a citizen. He was born around 469 and died at 70. He was put on trial late in his life on a charge of impiety. He did not believe in the gods of the Athenians and he corrupted the youth of Athens (happened in 399). He was found guilty of impiety. He was sentenced to death. Honor and shame does not matter to Socrates (not binding). This is because he does not care about what everyone thinks he cares what those who know things. He is very agonistic. Likes to make people confused to win. Jury followed the laws when prosecuting Socrates. Believed people should always abide by just agreements.

In the story:
Decided that the son is too stupid and gets kicked out of the thinkery. Was not actually a sophist. The teahcing in the play isnt just about perusiave speech but also in the rejceiton of all the values that allow them to fucntion as a community.

Nomos/nomoi

the law; nomos means written down law that has been approved by legislation; it also means old traditions

399

Socrates corrupted the youth of Athens

Hoplite

the heavily armed infantry, in the Athenian army reflection of class was by paying money. Equipment was not cheap; helmet, breastplate, shield, sword, leg protection, spears (not cheap)

Imperialism

A policy or practice of extending your states power and influence through either direct territorial acquisition or by gaining control of other states economies and political life
- the policy and practice of taking control of other states through conquest of territory or through economic and political life

Isonomia

equal in the laws (what Greeks called democracy)

Turranos

a man who took power in his city state, not using legal channels; he wasn't elected, didn't inherit the power; typically took power through a coup (internal violence, supporters); always a member of the elite in the city, always a member of the city over which he ruled; happened in community when there was internal descent, emerged out of an oligarchy; makes sure no other elite man can replace him; wants his position of power to be inherited by his sons

Peisistratos

he was a tyrant of Athens (turranos), starting ruling 546 and died twenty years later; his sons then take over ruling; refer to him as turranos; did things to exclude the elite and enhance the erst of everyone; he followed what Solon drew up; he was always arkhon or it was one of his friends and all of the lower offices were his supporters; got the lower class to like him because he spent money on them, buildings that they could use; personally agreed to loans for poorer citizens; provided financial stability for lots of people (also did this through the building programs); new festival in honor of Dionysus run by the people

Boulē

council; elite men get together and make decisions for everyone in the city

Arkhōn

guy with political authority in the city

Dareios

Persian king

Kleisthenes

the name attached to isonomia; put in new laws with his colleagues; he abolished all of the old tribes (phulē); created ten groups, but under his constitution at the beginning what determined which phule you belonged to was based on where you live; the most powerful government in unit became the ekklēsia; boule and Arkhōn followed the powerful of the ekklēsia

Oligarchy

ruled by the few; members from the elite family were the sovereign body; the council always made a pretense of involving the larger citizen body; made of the boulē, members who had authoritative offices (arkhons), then the assembly of citizens the ekklēsia; boule and arkhon make decisions and then the ekklēsia officially ratify the decisions of the boule; inherited the right to be part of this (family)

Dēmos

the people; citizen body; deme - smallest political unit

Solon

a real person; he was Athenian and part of the elite; it is clear that for the second half of the 7th century bc leading into the early 6th century the political situation in Athens was getting very bad (strife, political violence, people being driven out) the oligarchy realized that they cant address the problems on their own; made the decision to choose Solon to try and address the problems; Solon is one of the seven wisemen of antiquity; he did his work in Athens and then went traveling and wrote poems; wrote poems about how to rule; his laws addressed every aspect of society (economy, criminal law, etc.), still remain in affect until 4th century bc (well liked laws)

Attiekē

the Greek city states

Phulē

tribe or clan; the large kin group in any city state; the citizen army; important for religious festivals, armies, helps organize citizens within the ekklesia

508/7

the year in which Kleisthenes was elected arkhōn and he and his colleagues, proposed massive revisions to the Athenian constitution and the massive revisions form the beginning of the democratic government of Athens; isonomia

490

the Persians invaded

480

Persians invaded again; for the fist time in their history a group of Greek city states united against a common enemy (30% of Greek city states); resisted the invasions together; the leaders were the Athenians and the Spartans (loyal to each other after the successful routing of the Persians), the Athenians were in a new position within Greece; Athenians became famous

593/4

date attached to Solon; the Athenians made Solon an arkhōn with special powers; his job was to rewrite the laws to fix the problems that were going to lead to the death pf the city

Delian League

the navy became a corner stone for the Delian League. Greek city states on the water/coast. Headcourters were on Delos and there was no city state there and what was there was a massive temple in honor of the god Apollo. Delian league was naval states and its goal was to defend the Aegean sea against the Persians and to drive the Persians out of the Aegean. Hunted down Persian ships, helped Greek settlements drive them out. All members were equal, each city state got a single cote at each meeting of the Delian League. The league met once a year on Delos and then went to protect the Aegean. In practice, the Athenians were very dominant in the league they contributed more ships then any other city state. The guy who was in charge was an Athenian (Kimon). At the meetings the chair of the meeting was always an Athenian. Other city states contributed a quota of ships, which was decide by the Athenians. In summary the Athenians ran everything. As time passed fewer and fewer cities contributed ships. More and more of them replaced these things with cash. The Delian league was referred to as "the Athenians and their allies". They stopped calling it that and said it was "the Athenians and the cities they ruled".

Themistokles

dominant politician in Athens for 10-15 years. He was a big fan of Isonomia constitution, he was not himself a member of the traditional elite in Athens, he was rich and he came from a new group of wealthy people (became wealthy through trade). He supported the interest of his own group. Politician during Persian invasion. He was involved in getting the Athenians to build a navy and the navy became crucial for driving out the Persians. After the Persians were driven away, the Athenians had rebuilt the city and Themistokles made it possible to rebuild the city because of his diplomacy to not anger Spartē. Went to Spartē to talk to them about building walls and other things and while he was talking to them, the Athenians rebuilt their walls. He was ostracized in 472.

Long Walls

walls that surrounded Athens

Persia

Occupied Attieke twice and absolutely rampaged through the place. Athenians abandoned Athens and waited for the Persians to leave

Perikles

Occupied Attieke twice and absolutely rampaged through the place. Athenians abandoned Athens and waited for the Persians to leave
- he died in 429 due to the plague. A policy that can be contributed to him. One of the ten generals (strategoi) in 431. Elected the men every year. Athenian land forces are fine but they are not up to the armies of the Spartans. His death made room for new politicians.

Ephialtes

gets murdered fast but was a radical democrat

Delos

island where the Delian league was held

Peloponnesian League

the league that the Spartans were in; not fans of Athens

Spartē

Not like other Greeks. Only city state in Greece that had a standing army. Standing army only existed in Spartē. They had enslaved people to do things for themselves, these people were called helots. If you owned the land on which these people resided then you owned them. They did not have walls around the city, did not think it was necessary. They didn't like when others had walls. Spartē told Athenians not to build walls. Spartē started looking to expanding control over other Greek city states, they tried it and it did not work for them. When they sent out emissaries they made poor decisions. Spartē by the 460's became isolationists and did not want to help others (retreated from aggressive position).

Helots

were serfs

Kimon

Picked him after Themistokles. Big fan of Spartē. He was head of the Delian from the 478-463. Kimon became the person who came up with stopping people from wanting to leave the Delian league. People began to get tired of Kimon in 466

478/7

Athens was approaching the status of Spartē because of the victories over the Persians. Delian league started.

472

aristocracy became more interested.

466

there was a massive earthquake in the territory of Spartē. The big thing that happened was that the helots took the opportunity to rebel and get their freedom back. Kimon persuaded the ekklēsia in Athens to send him to Spartē with troops to help Spartē against the helots. The ekklēsia said yes. Kimon got there and Spartē said no get lost. That was a real blow to kimon's prestige (embarrassment).

461

the Athenians ostracized Kimon. In this period there is another shift in Athenian politics.

460-446

first Peloponnesian war. Not on the same scale as the other war. Perikles made a truce called the thirty year truce (lasted fifteen years). One of the terms was that neither Spartē or the Athenians would interfere in the foreign policy of each other. Athens messed with Corinth which gave them
- Athenians and the Spartans had been in serious war with each other. Some call it the first Peloponnesian war.

454

The Athenians moved the treasury from Delos to Athens. They took direct physical control of all of the cash and they used the cash to benefit themselves and rebuild the city. Most members of the Delian league were contributing cash and the Athenians used it. This is when the Acropolis and the Parthenon were all built because of the money they used. Perikles is responsible for the treasury and the building campaign.

450

there were only three city states besides the Athenians that still contributed ships to the Delian League: Lesbos, Chios, Samos.

451

when Perikles and his colleagues changed citizen requirements. Both parents have to be Athenians to be recognized as a citizen. Average working men were starting to get money.

431

Peloponnesian war starts. All the Greek city states began to take sides.
- Perikles gives a famous speech after men had died at a funeral; tells the women that their greatest glory is to know that they were never alive
- 30000 metics in Athens
- Fist period of the. Peloponnesian war started. War kicked off because Thebes (allies of Spartē) attacked Plataia. Plataia had been a close ally of Athens since the Persian invasion. Thebes weren't able to capture them immediately. Spartans began their invasion of Attieke.

Atimia

loss of citizenship; taking away your appropriate share in the city; if you were prosecuted this could happen

Politēs

Greek word for citizens; the guy who does the polis; to qualify as a citizen you needed to be the product of a legitimate marriage and the father had to be a citizen,

Metic

free non-citizens, permanent residents; comes from the Greek word; someone who has their oikos with us; the Athenian people had metics
- Population of Athens expanded a lot because of metics
- Same privileges as citizens (protected by court and law, serve in the army, could live there and do their business)
- Traders, highly skilled craftsman
- Pretty rich people

Phulai

groups that were organized by the Greek city states (tribes); organized by the large kin groups, then were reorganized by location; women could not be recognized as citizens: women cant inherit or own property

Kurios

having authority over and having responsibility; women always had to be under the authority of a kurios; kurios for children would be there father; head of the household; a woman's kurios goes from one kurios to another; women has a status of a child

Serfs

not movable property the way slaves are; serfs are semi servile; a serf belons to the land, always agricultural workers
- In Spartē: they were called helots

Perioikoi

free non-citizen; someone who has an oikos around where people live; outside of the urban centers
- Spartē had a big population
- Did all of the non-agricultural work (made economy happen)

Erastēs

the one who does the desiring; lovers

451

when Athens was dominated by the radical democrats they changed the citizenship qualifications: both parents have to be Athenians

Aristophanes

only comic poet from fifth century Athens who has any plays left. The greatest of the comic poets. Born around 457 and he died around 385. Chummy with Plato and knew Socrates. Made fun of people in his play. Everything happens in his play in present day Athens. In his plays when a character succeeds they throw a big party; in clouds they don't do that.

Strepsiades

Main character; in clouds he is a bit of an idiotēs. Athenian citizens; he sees problem with the laws and with the city and that it affects him. Only wanted to fix things for himself. He is isolated from his fellow citizens.

Thinkery

place where people teach

Comedy

the genre that is based on fiction; plot is fictional and characters are fictional

Sophist

wise guys; comes from the word Sophos which by the 300's BC means wise; associated with teaching the skill of persuasive speech, skill that was needed to succeed on highly competitive of the citizen assembly; give a speech and get support from people at the ekklesia, and needed to give public speaking at the courts; the Athenians thought they were making the unjust argument lose (persuade people and not necessarily tell the truth); many people found them disturbing

Pheidippides

Strepsiades son; wont help at first. Gets convince to go the thinkery and is used by his father to defend himself in the Athenian courts.

423

Initially the play was produced and done in this year and it came last. Aristophanes set out to rewrite his play (unclear if rewritten play was performed). The Athenians and the Spartans had suffered significant setbacks in this time. They are starting to think about not being at war against each other.

Leitourgia (liturgy)

take advantage of agonism to make people invest money in plays for the good of the cities; supports the production

Idiotēs

marked as this if you avoid your citizen duties (ekklesia, chorus etc.); someone who only wants to do his private stuff

Kleon

one of the guys that Aristophanes makes fun of. Educated in the new Sophistic speech. He came from trade. He saw ways to increase his prestige in Athens if the Athenians remained at war. He did everything he could to remain at war. He also had no policies. Kleon supported whatever policy he thought would win. His goal is whatever puts himself ahead that is what he will say and support.

Peace of Nikias

supposed to last fifty years (it did not). Very optimistic and ambitious to sign this. It might have lasted five years, more accurately it lasted for three years. The terms: Athenians gave back to Sparta the people they captured, the Athenians got to take control of Amphipolis and they returned the borders of their areas of influence to what they and been in 431. Nobody lost territory. Tried to make it seem like the ten years of war never happened.

Brasidas

encouraged the Spartans to put money. Willed them to fight the Athenians.

Demagogue

Kleon was part of this group. The guy who talks to the demos; the guy who is led by the people.

429

The plague continued. Perikles died of the plague in this year.

421

First period of the Peloponnesian war ended.

425

At Pylos when the Athenian captured a Spartan outpost and were able to take 120 spartias (full elite spartan citizen). Took them to Athens an held them as hostages.

430

When the plague first hit Athens.