Classical Greece

Flashcards covering the Ionian Revolt, Greco-Persian Wars, the rise of the Athenian Empire, and the Peloponnesian War based on lecture notes.

Ionian Revolt

A rebellion that began in Miletus in 499 BC, where Athens sent twenty ships to help, triggering Persian vengeance.

Miletus

The location that rose up against Persia in 499 BC during the Ionian Revolt.

Battle of Marathon

A 490 BC conflict involving Darius I that demonstrated to Athenians they could win without Spartans and proved Persia was not invincible.

Envelopment

The military tactic used by the Athenians during the Battle of Marathon in 490 BC.

Pheidippides

An individual associated with the events of the Battle of Marathon in 490 BC.

Egyptian revolt of 486

An uprising that prevented Darius I from attempting a second invasion of the Greek peninsula.

Xerxes

The Persian leader who vowed vengeance on Athens and crossed the Hellespont to invade the Greek peninsula in 490 BC.

Thermopylae

Also known as the Valley of Fire, where Leonidas and a bodyguard of 300 men held the pass for 3 days.

Leonidas

The leader who defended the pass at Thermopylae with 300 personal bodyguards and 6000 Greek allies.

Ephialtes

The individual whose actions led to things going wrong for the Greeks during their defense at Thermopylae.

Oracle of Delphi

The source that advised the Athenians to hide behind wooden walls as the Persians pushed into Attica.

Battle of Salamis

A naval battle involving an Athenian-led fleet that forced Xerxes to retreat most of his army to Persia.

Battle of Plataea

A major conflict that took place in 479 BC during the Greco-Persian Wars.

Delian League

An alliance formed in 477 BC with its treasury originally at the island of Delos, intended to use Aegean islands as a buffer against Persia.

454

The year the treasury of the Delian League was moved to Athens, transitioning it into an Athenian Empire.

Strategoi

Military generals or leaders within the structure of the Athenian Empire.

Pericles

A leader from 443-429 BC who expanded democracy, removed property requirements for citizenship, and beautified Athens.

Demagogues

Paid politicians in Athens active during the expansion of democracy under Pericles.

Peloponnesian War

A series of three wars between Athens and Sparta from 431-404 BC that eventually involved every major polis in Greece.

Melos

A location cited as an example of Athens' dictatorial behavior in forcing people to stay in the Delian League.

Elephant vs. Whale

A comparison used to describe the Peloponnesian War, where Sparta was the land power and Athens was the sea power.

429 BC

The year Pericles died, leading to a period where the Athenian assembly made all governance decisions.

Spartan hegemony

The period of Spartan dominance after they won the Peloponnesian War using a navy provided by Persia.