rome

Macedonian professional army

advantages included a wide range of specialists, strict discipline, and elimination of large numbers of noncombatant servants

Battle of Chaeronea

ended Greek city-state freedom once and for all

Philip of Macedon

by his death he had installed his despotic rule throughout Greece

Alexander

was motivated by the desire for personal power and glory

despotism

absolute power of authority of rulers who represented themselves as at least semi-divine

Hellenistic age government

the dominant form in lands conquered by Alexander except mainland Greece was despotism

Hellenistic economics

was generally prosperous owing to the growth of trade, the emergence of an international money economy, and the rise of cities

Cynics

philosophical movement that advocated a natural and self-sufficient life

Stoics

argued that all events are rigidly determined and that therefore no individual is in control of his or her destiny

Democritus

Greek thinker that founded materialistic atomism and Epicureans basic beliefs

Epicureans

taught that the state is a mere convenience, that absolute justice is a fiction, and that no wise man would take an active part in politics

Skepticism

believed that we cannot prove anything

Hellenistic religion

people tended to embrace emotional personal religions offering elaborate ritual in this world and salvation in the next

Mithras

a lieutenant of Zoroastrianism's omnipotent god Ahura-Mazda

Mithraism

appealed to the lower classes because it offered an elaborate ritual and the promise of salvation

Menander

in his comedies, he wrote about romantic love

Polybius

historian who argued that nations pass through predictable cycles of growth and decay

Utopias

descriptive accounts of ideal states

Corinthian column

very ornate signature of Hellenistic architecture

Hellenistic sculpture

contained extreme naturalism, the desire to create something unique, and exaggerated postures

Almagest

viewed that all heavenly bodies revolved around the earth was handed down to medieval Europe as the classic summary of ancient astronomy

Euclid

was the master of geometry

Elements of Geometry

by Euclid, remained until the mid 1800s the accepted basis of that study of math

Herophilus of Chalcedon

achieved significant breakthroughs in the field of medicine

Erasistratus

founder of physiology as a separate science

Archimedes

made physics a separate experimental science

Roman geography

played a role in the ease with which the peninsula could be invaded and encouraged militarism

Etruscans

skilled in metalwork, traded, had a religion based upon the worship of gods in human form, and had great respect for women

Senate

council of elders that could exercise veto power over royal actions when absolutely necessary

consuls

senators who acted as the agents of aristocratic interests

plebians

their victories won them a larger share in government, including admission to the Senate

Roman religion

unlike its Greek counterpart, Roman religion in the early Republic served to protect and benefit the state rather than the individual

Punic Wars

the results included enormous increases in Roman territory, the beginning of Rome's westward expansion, and legal changes that gave Roman wives greater independence

Gracchi Brothers

proposed to alleviate social and economic stress by granting government lands to the landless

Julius Caesar

achievements included: settlement of unused land to relieve economic inequities, policies that aimed to eliminate the distinction between Italians and provincials, and recognition of the possible significance of northwestern Europe

On the Nature of Things

work that explained the universe in such a way as to remove all fear of the supernatural, which Lucretius regarded as the chief obstacle to peace of mind

Lucretius

usually described as a Epicurean philosopher

Cicero

was a Stoic philosopher

Battle of Actium

is significant because it solidified Rome's Western orientation

Augustus

his reforms included a new coinage system, a program for incentives of the provinces, and abolition of tax farming

Marcus Aurelius

last of the Roman Stoics, was more fatalistic and less hopeful

Roman Literature

golden age literature was vigorous and uplifting while silver age was typically less calm and balanced than that of the golden age

Roman Architecture

during the period of Principate, it was designed to symbolize Rome's power and grandeur

The Crisis of the Third Century

was marked by civil war, economic chaos, and pestilence (disease)

Neoplatonism

its doctrines included emanationism, asceticism (life of strict self denial), and mysticism (direct communication with God)

Rome's decline

its internal political, economic, and cultural failings led to collapse