Flashcards Western Civilization Exam 2

Polis/poleis

a. "the city state"

b. Greeks developed and new social and political institution

i. Founded more than 1000 of these

c. each city state had its own rule of law, state institutions, etc that ruled the city itself and the surrounding areas

i. Politically divided and fighting each other; collectively they formed a coherent culture and cultural sphere called the "Greek world"

Oligarchy

a. A society ruled by a handful of powerful families

b. Had two kings; to check each other's power

Sparta

a. One of the most powerful and influential polis in this period

b. An oligarchy and warrior society

i. All adult men were expected to become professional soldiers

Miletus

a. Located in modern day Turkey

b. Mercantile society

i. Merchants had a lot of power

ii. Polis ruled by a council of merchants

iii. A male adult would be a successful merchant, not soldier

c. Philosophy

i. Birthplace of philosophy in Europe

ii. "Love of wisdom"

Athens

a. Not an oligarchic or militaristic or mercantile society

b. Athenians really disliked doing business, so commerce was not a respected activity

c. Agrarian

i. Agricultural society

d. Democracy came much later

Colonies

a. many Greek polis sent members of their community to establish a settlement overseas

b. Each colony was a separate stay often competing with each other, but they shared a common culture and language

Megara

Established an important colony in Byzantium

Byzantium

Megara established an important colony here

Corinth

a. Corinth sent members of their community to what's now Italy and established a colony called Syracuse

i. Formed by Greek colonists

Syracuse

Colony established by Corinthians

Phocaea

Migrants from Greek polis Phocaea established a colony in southern France called Massalia (Marseille)

Massilia

Colony established by Phocaeans

Philosophy

a. Miletus was the birthplace of Philosophy in Europe

b. "Love of wisdom"

Sporting festivals

a. Different Greek polis run their own sporting festivals; mostly local in nature

b. Most popular and biggest sporting festival to emerge in this period was the Olympic Games

Olympic games

a. Organized by the Greek polis of Olympia; held every four years and blended sports with religion

b. Became popular because Olympia had a religious sanctuary/shrine where the Greeks believed that the king of the gods Zeus took up residence in this sanctuary

c. All the inter-fighting was put on hold and there were ceasefires to stop fighting so the athletes could compete with each other on a level playing ground

Zeus

a. King of the Gods

b. Greeks believed that he took up residence in a sanctuary in Olympia

Amphora

a. ancient jar with two handles and a narrow neck

i. Given as a trophy to winners of sporting events

ii. Depictions of the sporting games

iii. Sometimes filled with olive oil

Etruscans

a. Italy was populated by the Etruscan people

i. Building their own city states

i. Mostly in northern and central Italy

1. Not Indo-European, just lived in Italy

Latins

a. Spoke a Latin language

i. They were Indo-European

b. Emerged in the region of Latium

Latium

Where the Latin people originated

Romulus

Founded the city of Rome according to legend

Democracy

A government ruled by its people

Cleisthenes

a. 508 BCE is the year when Athens drafted a new constitution that turned it into a democracy

i. Cleisthenes drafted the constitution

ii. Goal was to break localized allegiances and focus people's loyalty to Athens

Boule (Council of Five Hundred)

a. Elected by lottery

b. Set the agenda for what to talk about in the assembly

Ecclesia (Assembly)

a. Every male adult was a member; direct democracy

b. 2nd most important body

Golden Age of Philosophy

a. Had to make speeches to persuade the public in a democracy; going to war, financing temples, making treaties, passing legislation, etc

i. Adult men had to convince the public by deploying reason, wisdom, and logic

b. Strong relationship between democracy and philosophy

Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle

a. Plato was the student of Socrates and Aristotle was the student of Plato; a lineage

b. Socrates and Plato were Athenian but Aristotle was not, got his education in Athens

Naturalistic sculpture

a. More natural and realistic depictions of the human body

b. Human (male) body was favored by the Athenians; masculine and patriarchal society

Roman kingdom

a. 90% of the years of 508-338 BCE, Rome was at war

b. Those wars ultimately led to the dominance of Rome in central Italy

c. Kingdom system

Roman republic

a. King system was replaced by a republic

b. In a Republic, power was held by many elected officials; it was shared

i. succession happened in elections and they held these every 2 years

c. Republican = "a public thing"

i. The system was so messy that the Romans didn't know what to call it

ii. The change was driven by a struggle between the Patricians (elites, 2% of pop.) and plebians (regular people, 98% of pop.)

1. The system was always changing due to this class conflict

Roman empire

emerged after the republic was overthrown by Octavian, who declared himself emperor

Patricians

Elites, 2% of the population

Plebeians

Regular people, 98% of the population

Separation of powers

a. The core principle of the system was the separation of powers

i. Acts as checks and balances on each other

1. Different political bodies have checks so no one becomes more dominant over the others

Senate

the governing and advisory assembly of the aristocracy in the Roman Republic

Peloponnesian War

a. Lasted for 27 years; 431-404 BCE

b. So many poleis were fighting each other; the Greek polis formed into a coalition of Athens vs. another coalition of Sparta

i. Greek world took sides, either Athens of Sparta

ii. Such a big war that even Persia got involved; sided with Sparta

c. Sparta won and defeated the Athens coalition; but very costly victory

i. Everyone came out of it weakened economically and militarily

ii. Greece became an easy prey to outside pressure

1. Macedonians exploited this weakness

Macedonians

a. Conquered the Greeks

b. Capital was Pella

c. The Macedonians adapted the Greek as a language of politics and spoke it as a second language; also invited Greek teachers to educate their kids

How the Macedonians differed from the Greeks

a. Ethnically

i. Macedonians didn't speak Greek; we don't know their native tongue

b. Economically

i. Greeks were farmers and maritime traders; Macedonians were herders, specialized in raising horses

c. Culturally

i. Macedonians were heavy drinkers

d. Politically

i. Greeks were organized into a polis, Macedonians were ruled by a king

Philip II

a. Educated in Greece and turned to Pella and brought the kingdom of Macedonia into a superpower status

b. Two major accomplishments

i. Built a powerful military army that was a coalition with the Greeks

1. Conquered a lot of neighbors, first place he conquered was Greece in 338 BCE

ii. He raised a capable successor: Alexander the Great

Alexander of Macedonia

a. Alexander was a genius military leader and highly intellectual

i. tutored by Aristotle

b. Alexander succeeded his father in 336 BCE

Battle of Issus

a. Most important battle in Alexander's campaigns was the Battle of Issus

i. Took place in 333 BCE

b. Fought in modern day Turkey

c. Prussia King Darius III

i. Defeated by Alexander and forced him to leave with his family

d. Led to Alexander's conquest in Africa and Asia

Darius III

King of Prussia; defeated by Alexander

Ptolemaic Kingdom

a. After the death of Alexander, the Macedonian empire was divided into 3 Macedonian kingdoms each led by a military officer

b. One kingdom was established in Egypt by Ptolemy

i. Ptolemaic Kingdom

Seleucid Kingdom

a. After the death of Alexander, the Macedonian empire was divided into 3 Macedonian kingdoms each led by a military officer

b. Second kingdom to succeed Alexander was in Asia by Seleucus

i. Seuleucid Kingdom

Antigonid Kingdom

a. After the death of Alexander, the Macedonian empire was divided into 3 Macedonian kingdoms each led by a military officer

b. Third kingdom was established by a general of Alexander named Antigonus

i. Antigonid Kingdom

Hellenism

a. 338-30 BCE is the Hellenistic period

b. This is the time when the Macedonians were able to spread Greek civilization and culture to the rest of the world

i. Cultural and demographic mixing

1. Greeks and Macedonians in Egypt, Turkey, India, Afghanistan, etc

2. 3 states but one cultural unit

How was Hellenism a two way process?

a. All of the Asian and African societies began to behave like the Greeks

b. One major is example is when we see Greek become the most dominant language in this part of the world

1. Needed to learn Greek for trade, politics, etc because most people spoke it

b. The Greeks and Macedonians adopted the culture of the societies they conquered

i. Tried to behave like these societies

1. Ex. the Ptolemaic rulers (Greek/Macedonian) dressed like the Pharaohs

2. Figures from Greek mythology were represented in the art of other Asian societies

Phoenician

a. The settlers from Tyre were called Phoenicians

i. Maritime people; traveled by sea and established colonies

b. Over time they became a regional power and extended their rule into Spain

Tyre

Carthage was founded by settlers coming from modern day Lebanon, in a city called Tyre

Punic Wars

a. Rome and Carthage butted heads in Sicily and fought it out due to both expanding

i. As a result of these tensions, a series of wars called the Punic Wars happened

1. Lasted from 264-146 BCE

2. Made one of the most popular generals: Hannibal

3. Rome acquired territory outside of Italy (146 BCE conquest of Carthage); first possession of Africa

Carthage

Carthage was a city state in what is now Tunisia

Hannibal

a. Carthaginian/Phoenician general who grew up in Carthage controlled Spain

b. Conquered Italy but not Rome

Octavian

a. A Roman general named Octavian conquered Egypt

i. Important because Egypt was the richest region in the world

b. 27 BCE Octavian given the title of Augustus ("worthy of honor")

i. The Roman Senate voted to give him this title

ii. The date that historians use to say Rome transformed from a republic to an Empire

Augustus

senior emperor called "Augustus" in the tetrarchy system

Caesar

a. each Augustus had a junior emperor/successor called "Caesar" in the tetrarchy system

b. Caesar would take over the throne after the death of the Augustus

Diocletian

Established a new system called the Tetrarchy that divided the empire into two halves

Constantine I

a. 312 CE

i. Constantine converts to Christianity

ii. Important because he was the most powerful in Europe/Middle East; but he is only one ruler

1. Other Augustus in the east did not convert

b. Most important figure in the transformation of religion for the Roman Empire

c. Adopted Christianity as the official religion

Tetrarchy

a. This system is called the Tetrarchy

i. "Rule of four"

b. Europe is divided into two cultural spheres

i. West speaks Latin and the East speaks Greek

Diocese

a. Each district was called a Diocese

b. Augustus in the east was based in Nicomedia and the Augustus in the west was based in Milan

c. Caesar in the east based in Sirmium and the Caesar in the west was based in Trier

Jupiter

King of the Roman gods

Mars

a. Romans worshipped minor gods like Mars

b. God of war

Household gods

a. Romans also worshipped the spirits of their ancestors: household gods

i. Hoped that the spirits of their ancestors would watch over the household and their properties

Julius Caesar

a. After Augustus

i. deification of emperors; had to have own festivals, temples, etc

ii. Emperors declared gods after death and they received temples, appointed priests, and to keep the memory alive through worship

iii. Worshipped Julius Caesar

Steps in reorganization of the Roman Empire

a. First step happened around 300 CE

i. Tetrarchy system established

b. Second step: the centers of the Eastern and Western Roman Empires changed over time

i. By 400 CE, we see the rise of two prominent centers: Constantinople (east) and Ravenna (west)

ii. The eastern half becomes more powerful and richer than the west

c. Third step in 500 CE

i. The eastern half grew so powerful and the western half was so weak that there was no longer an Augustus in the west

Edict of Milan

a. 313 CE

i. Date of the Edict of Milan

ii. The Roman Augusti sign an edict in Milan and declare that they grant Christians/all religions religious freedoms

1. These cults and religions were persecuted in the Roman world

Edict of Thessalonica

a. 380 CE

i. Date of the Edict of Thessalonica

ii. Christianity becomes the formal religion of the empire by emperor Theodosius

1. He starts to persecute non-Christians

2. He said they were demented and insane and they were threatened with divine and corporal punishment

1. Olympic Games were also abolished

- Saw this as pagan practices

How did Constantine convert to Christianity?

a. During his military campaign against Italy

b. A guy was claiming to be Augustus and undermining the imperial reign of Constantine → he went to Italy to defeat this guy

c. Converted during this campaign; don't know why

Theories of why Constantine converted to Christianity

a. One theory is the formal narrative told to us by Roman historians

i. There was a miracle; on his way to Italy, Constantine allegedly saw signs in the sky that Christ promised him victory against the rebels

ii. Became a Christian and supported Christianity

iii. One problem is that this theory comes from later Roman writers who did not live during Constantine's time and were Christian; later invention or what really happened?

b. Another theory is Constantine decided to convert in order to win support or powerful Christian communities in Rome

i. Wanted to win the hearts and minds of the people of Italy and isolate his rival

ii. The rival would become and easy prey and easily defeated

iii. Did it for political convenience

iv. A problem with this theory is how do you know? Can't ask Constantine what his motives were, just speculation

Hierarchy

The Roman empire gave the church a hierarchy (a system of organizing people by rank) that still exists today

Bishop

a. In the early years of Christianity, every major city had a bishop (the leader of the Christian community in that district/area)

b. Area controlled by the bishop was the diocese

i. Christian leaders borrowed the administrative system from the Romans (Diocletian)

Patriarch

a. Most prestigious bishops were patriarchs

i. Rome, Constantinople, Antioch, Jerusalem (birth of Christian faith), and Alexandria

Germanic people

a.. A linguistic label of people who spoke related languages (language group)

b. All different varieties of the Germanic languages; Dutch, English, German, etc

Germania

The Germanic people come from northern Europe, specifically the region historically north of the Danube River and east of the Rhine River

Barbarian

a. Romans saw the Germanic people as uncivilized and called them Barbarians

i. Uncultured, un-Christian, uncivilized

What made the Germanic people so powerful?

a. Long contact with Rome

i. Traded, conducted diplomacy, and those contacts with Rome taught the Germanic people Roman tactics, habits, and technology

b. Romans depended on them

i. Romans tried to recruit Germanic people into their army

Pathway to power

c. Gradually they moved into the west

i. By 410 CE, they take over the city of Rome

1. Specifically the Visigoths

2. Never conquer Byzantium, so Roman empire becomes concentrated in the east

3. Western Europe becomes politically fragmented and each part is ruled by the Germanic peoples

- Ex. England is ruled by the Angles and the Saxons

Visigoths

Germanic peoples who ended up ruling Iberia

Byzantine Empire

a. After 500 CE, the Roman Empire only had one center (Constantinople)

i. Constantinople was originally a Greek colony called Byzantium, but its name was changed by Constantine

b. The Byzantine elites and peoples called themselves Romans

i. Called Constantinople "the New Rome"

ii. Modeled the city to look as much like Rome as possible

Justinian

a. Able to reconstitute the collapsing Roman Empire and the territories it lost

i. Conquered Italy back from Germany and took North Africa back

b. Corpus Juris Civilis

c. Construction of the Hagia Sophia Church (Church of Holy Wisdom)

Corpus Juris Civilis

a. Means "corpus of civil law"

i. There were a lot of legal codes around the Empire and judges didn't know what law to implement

ii. Justinian, to solve this, hired a committee of lawyers and told them to compile all of the contradictory and dispersed legal codes around the empire

1. Compiled into four books

Hagia Sophia

a. Hagia sophia = holy wisdom

b. Seat of the patriarch of Constantinople

i. This is where his base was

c. Completed in the year 537 CE

d. One of the most important churches in history of Christianity

i. In the time it was built, it was the largest church in the world and had that title for a thousand years after its construction

Iconoclasm

a. "Image breaking"

b. Movement in the Byzantine empire to ban or destroy religious icons or images and to remove them from churches

c. Many Christians / iconoclasm supporters argued that these pictures were a form of idolatry (people were worshipping them), so they need to be banned

i. Catholic church said there was nothing wrong with them and that they were aiding people in worship; means to reach God

The Byzantine Emperor embraced iconoclasm as state law in two phases:

a. 730-787 CE

b. 815-843 CE

i. Anyone who resisted destroying or covering the images would be punished by law

Theories of why iconoclasms happened

a. Christian iconoclasm was influenced by the rise of Islam and Islamic/Jewish objections to images

i. Byzantium was neighbors to Islamic societies and they embraced the Islamic ban of images

Franks

a. By 500 CE, there was no Roman Emperor in the west

i. The Germanic people migrated and took over

1. Germanic peoples established their own kingdom

ii. Most powerful were the Franks

Merovingian

a. Franks ruled by two dynasties; there was a stable political order

i. First dynasty: Merovingians (500-751 CE)

ii. Established by a warrior king named Clovis

1. Ruled most of what we now call France and Germany

Clovis

a. Established the Merovingian dynasty (500-751 CE)

b. Clovis converted to Christianity and ordered his subjects to convert to it as well through mass baptism

Carolingians

New Frankish dynasty established by Pepin the Short

Pepin the Short

a. Pepin the Short worked for the Merovingians and in 751 he decided to depose the last Merovingian king and declare himself king

b. Father of Charlemagne

Charlemagne

a. He is considered to be the founding father of the modern states of France and Germany

b. He conquered much of Europe and played an important role in converting Europe from paganism to Christianity

c. Became the protector of the Pope

Holy Roman Empire

a. On Christmas Day 800 CE, the Pope anointed Charlemagne as the Holy Roman Emperor and said they should challenge the Byzantines

i. Resurrection of the Western Roman Emperor and established a state that continued for centuries

Monasticism

a. A way of life that is characterized by austerity (solitude, celibacy, simplicity, etc)

i. Way of life by nuns, monks, and anyone living under a religious vow

ii. Live in a monastery/convent/abbey

iii. Spiritual exercise doing extreme habits to build their spiritual strength

Monastery/convent/abbey

People who follow monasticism live in these places

Rule of Saint Benedict

a. The most popular order of monasticism was the Rule of Benedict

i. 90% of monastic houses in this time followed this manual

ii. Communal handbook written by a saint, Benedict of Nursia in 529 CE

Benedict of Nursia

Saint that wrote the Rule of Saint Benedict

Monte Cassino

a. Saint Benedict established a monastery called Monte Cassino Abbey

i. His rulebook explained to this abbey how they should conduct life

Iberia/Hispania

a. Region of Europe that makes up Spain and Portugal

b. Ruled by the Visigoths

c. Biggest trend is the transformation of Iberia into a center or Arab and Islamic culture by the year 1000

Andalusia

Tariq ibn Ziyad lands in Spain and defeats the Visigoth king, Roderic and establishes Iberia as a province (Andalusia) within the Islamic empire

Tariq ibn Ziyad

a. 711 CE: Tariq ibn Ziyad lands in Spain and defeats the Visigoth king, Roderic

i. Establishes Iberia as a province (Andalusia) within the Islamic empire

King Roderic

Defeated by Tariq ibn Ziyad

Umayyad dynasty

a. Islamic Empire's capital was Damascus; ruler of the empire was a member of the Arab royal family, the Umayyad Dynasty

i. Capital of the Iberian province Andalusia was Cordoba

Caliph

The title of the leader of the dynasty had the title of Caliph (successor of Prophet Mohammad)