Cyrus the Great
Persian ruler and conquerer
Mesopotamia; Asia Minor
lands conquered by Cyrus the Great
Favorable treatment for favorable treatment in return
Strategy used by Cyrus the Great
left local leaders in power; allowed for religious freedom; Freed captive Jews and allowed them to return to Israel
Examples of Cyrus’s strategy
dependency and trust in public; seen as a “weak” leader
downsides to Cyrus’s strategy
Brings Persian empire to greatest size; organizes land into provinces (appoints own governors) ; royal road construction
Darius’s accomplishments
Daric
standard currency appointed by Darius
Spy network
used by Darius to keep eye on governors
Royal Road
a road in Persia used to transport items and news
fear-based traditional ruling
strategy used by Darius
Zoroastrianism
Persian religion; good vs evil; good will ultimately prevail
Tax dispute leads to war between Persia & Greek city-states
Why the Persian empire declined
Minoans, Mycenaeans
Civilizations before “Greece”
mountains and water separating areas
geographical reasons for independent city-states
small size, small population, on hill, public meeting place
features of Greek city-states
agora
name for a public meeting place
acropolis
word meaning “built on a hill”
government; laws; calendar; money; military; value system; identity
differences between city-states
language; superiority complex; common ancient ancestor; Religion; yearly festivals
common Greek traits
barbarians
non-greek speakers
city-state first, country second
greek loyalty
Kingdoms
what city-states began as
nobles
people with wealth and status
aristocracy
government ruled by nobles
economic and military strength
How nobles overthrow kings
Hoplites
non-aristocratic warriors that are highly skilled in combat
tyrant
someone who seized power in defiance of law, but ruled with the people’s support
popular government
government ruled by the people in Greece
democracy
later government given rise by popular government
kingdom; aristocracy; tyrants; popular government
list of Greek governments
Athens aids rebellious Greek city-states
Why Darius attacks Athens
The Persian Wars
500 BC-479 BC; Persia conquering Greece
Athens; they knew their land
who won the Battle of Marathon and why?
cold war
10 years of tense peace
invade Greece from north with 100,000 men
What Xerxes does after 10 years of cold war
Battle of Thermopylae
2nd Battle during Persian war; during the Greek festivals
King Leonidas
most famous military king in Spartan history; at the Battle of Thermopylae
Phalanx
a body of troops standing and moving in close formation; carried shields with interlocking parts on the side to create wall; rotation of troops
Pincer formation
what the Persians intended to do at the Battle of Thermopylae; surrounding your opponent and trapping them in crowd of soldiers.
narrow mountain pass
battle site of Battle of Thermopylae
moral victory
losing but accomplishing said goal
trireme
big ship with 3 rows of rowers
Themistocles
this Athenian leader sent a fake traitor to the Persians
Pericles
leader of Athens during its “golden age”
all male citizens
who could hold office during Athens “golden age”
Delian League
alliance of 140 Greek city-states
The Athenian Contradiction
Athens unfairly ruling the Delian League
Peloponnesian War
Greek civil war; Athens vs Sparta
Battle of Salamis Strait
fake traitor alerts Persia of Greek position; last major battle
Philip II of Macedonia
conquerer of Greece; assassinated
Alexander the Great
son of Philip II; raised Greek; never lost a battle
drinking contaminated water
how Alexander the Great died
Hellenistic Age
the time between Alexander & the rise of the Roman Empire
largely responsible for the spread of Greek culture
importance of Alexander the Great
From Susa to Sardis
which two cities does the Royal Road connect
Aegean Sea
which sea did Greece reside in
Mt Olympus
Mountain in Greece with legends related to the gods
Asia Minor
Part of the Persian empire’s land at height of Greece
Elders
Sparta’s government included the Council of ____
seven
Spartan military training began at this age
Macedonia
region that conquered Greece after civil war
Asia Minor
greek city-states in this region were the first to resist Persian rule
Hellenism
Alexander’s empire caused the spread of this
plague
weakened athens in the civil war
three
greeks held the line at Thermopylae for this many days
Darius
persian ruler at start of the Persian wars
xerxes
persian leader at end of Persian wars
parthanon
temple built in Athenian “golden age”
trade
the athenian economy was based on
persepolis
persian capital city
polis
greek term for city-state
Zoroaster
Persian prophet; Greek name
Athena
god of Athens; wisdom and victory