Ancient Greeks Test Questions – Flashcards
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century
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a period of a hundred years
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heroic
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brave and bold
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raid
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to attack suddenly; a suprise attack
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Minoans
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the first people to develop a civilization in the area living on the island of Crete
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Mycenaeans
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The Greek civilization came after the Minoan. About 2000 B.C., people from the north moved southward into the peninsula of Greece. These people- the Achaeans built walled cities in the southern part of Greece. Their most important city was Mycenae. Because of this city, historians call the Achaeans by a second name- Mycenaeans. These warlike people sailed to other cities on the Aegean Sea and raided them; their most famous raid Troy around 1200 B.C. The Tojan War became a symbol of heroic actions.
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Trojan War
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The Trojan War was written about 500 years after the Trojan War in two long poems- the Iliad and the Odyssey by Homer. According to Homer, the Mycenaeans fought the Trojans because of a beautiful women named Helen. She was the wife of an Achaean king. Paris, a son of the king of Troy, took her back to Troy. The Achaeans fought the Trojan War to win Helen back. After ten years of war, the Mycenaeans tricked the Trojans to win the war. They pretended to sail away and left a victory gift- a wooden horse. The Trojans brought it into Troy, only to find out that it was filled with Mycenaean warriors who took the city.
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What were mountains in Greece like?
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mountains in Greece are steep and rocky (life is hard)
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Why was the sea important to ancient Greeks?
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the Greek's used the sea to establish colonies and trade with people from other lands (liquid highways)
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Why were ancient Greek communities isolated from one another?
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ancient Greek communities were isolated from one another because of the mountains, which made travel and communication difficult
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What were some dangers of traveling?
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dangers of traveling by land included rocks that could shatter wooden wheels and attack by bandits. dangers of travel by sea included attack by pirates, robbery by sailors, and storms that could drive ships into rocks.
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List crops ancient Greeks grew and animals they raised.
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Greek farmers grew wheat, barley, olives, grapes, vegetables, fruits, and nuts. They raised sheep, goats, pigs, chickens, and bees.
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Why did Greek settlements often fight with one another?
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Greek settlements often fought with each other because there was a shortage of land.
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Why did the Greeks start colonies?
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Greek communities started colonies because they needed more farmland to feed their people.
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Describe the steps Greeks followed when they started a new colony.
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First they consulted an oracle to see if their efforts would be successful. Next they gathered food and supplies, took a flame from the town's sacred fire, and began their long voyage. After they found a safe place with good farmland and harbors, they established their community.
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Why did some Greek settlements trade?
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Greeks traded to get goods they needed.
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What products did they Greek mainland trade? What products did the Greeks get in exchange?
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Olive oil, pottery, and wine from the Greek mainland were traded. In exchange, the Greeks got grain, timber, and metal.
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*sidenote- What were most Greek houses made of?
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Most Greek houses were made of marble.
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When did the Minoan civilization come?
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The Minoan civilization came before the Mycenean civilization.
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Where did the Minoans live?
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The Minoan civilization was located on the island of Crete.
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How long was the Trojan War?
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The Mycenaeans fought a ten-year war with Troy.
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Why was the Trojan War fought?
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The Mycenaeans fought the war because Paris, a son of the king of Troy, had stolen the beautiful Helen.
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Where can you read about the Trojan War?
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We can read the story of the Trojan War in the Iliad and the Odyssey.
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What city state is located in Peloponnesus?
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The city state of Sparta is located in Peloponnesus.
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What three seas surround Greece?
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The three seas that surround Greece are the Mediterranean Sea, the Ionian Sea, and the Aegean Sea.
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What tall mountain stands in the north of Greece?
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The tall mountain in the north of Greece is Mount Olmpus.
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What civilization(s) developed in the region of present-day Greece?
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Both the Minoan and Mycenaean civilizations developed in the region of present-day Greece.
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Who were great artisans?
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The Minoan people were great artisans.
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Who were expert sailors?
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Both the Mycenaean and Minoan peoples were expert sailors.
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Who were fierce warriors?
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The Mycenaean people were fierce warriors.
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Who were destroyed by invasions?
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Both the Minoan and Mycenaean peoples were destroyed by invasions.
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What happened 509-508 B.C.?
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Rome becomes a republic and a democracy begins in Athens.
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What happened 146 B.C.?
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Romans conquer Greeks.
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When and where did the Minoan civilization develop?
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The Minoan civilization developed in 3000 B.C. on the island of Crete.
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When the Minoans become sea traders?
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The Minoans became sea traders in 2000 B.C.
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What was the Minoan capital?
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Knossos was the Minoan capital.
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What were the four Minoan palace cities?
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The capital of the Minoans was the palace city Knossos and the other palace cities were Phaistos, Mallia, and Zakro.
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How long did Minoan civilization last?
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Minoan civilization lasted for 1,550 years.
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Why do people trade?
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to get something they need or want
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What do people need in order to trade with another group of people?
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something that the other people want but don't have
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What was a valuable trade good produced by ancient Greeks?
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olive oil
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How did money change trade?
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People usually sold goods and used money to buy what they needed, instead of exchanging goods directly.
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What did Sicily trade?
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grain
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What did Cyprus trade?
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silver
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What did Egypt trade?
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ivory.
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What were reasons of travel by land?
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no fear of damaging boat, no fear of being caught in storms
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What were difficulties of travel by land?
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rocks shatter wooden wheels, bandits, unpaved roads, rocks and mud damage wagons, inns were basic providing only shelter, not food and drink
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What was reason of travel by sea?
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easier to travel then by land
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What was difficulty of travel by sea?
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attack by pirates and sailors, storms drive ships into rocks, no compasses or charts, storms, rocky shorelines
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List Greece's geography features
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steep and rocky mountains, peninsula, little arable (growable) land, many islands
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List one effect Greece's geograhy had on food ancient Greeks ate.
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Greeks ate food that grew in smaller spaces like grapes and olives. Many Greek villages could not grow enough food to feed their people because there was little arable land.
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List one effect of Greece's geograhy.
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Mountains made travel by land hard. This made travel difficult causing isolation.
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List one effect Greece's geography had on relations with others.
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Because seas made Greece a peninsula, they used sea trade, and the Mycenaeans raided other cities because the lack of arable land caused food shortages.
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Was ancient Greece a country?
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no
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Did all Greek city-states have the same language and religion?
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yes
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Did all city-states have the same form of government?
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no
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Were Athens and Sparta the two most powerful city-states?
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yes
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Who established territories along the seacoasts?
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Greece and Phoenicia
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What continents were Greek and Phoenician lands located on?
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Europe, Asia, and Africa
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What islands did both Greece and Phoenicia control
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Sicily and Cyprus
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What seas did trade routes link Greece with its colonies?
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Mediterranean Sea, Aegean Sea, and Black Sea
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What were three Greek city-states without colonies?
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Sparta, Athens, and Knossos
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What were two Greek city-states with colonies?
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Corinth and Ephesus
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What was one method of transportation used by the Persians to invade Greece?
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traveling by ship
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Why do you think the Persians might have used this method of transportation?
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Greece is surrounded by water, the route from Persia to Greece was more direct by sea.
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Why was the Greek victory so suprising?
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Persia had built a huge empire by conquering lands and Greece was relatively small.
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When did the Peloponnesian War begin?
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431 B.C.
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Who started the war?
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Sparta
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What culture region was an ally of Sparta?
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Macedonia
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How many important Spartan victories were there?
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seven
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How many important Athenian victories were there?
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four
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What three events helped Sparta win the war with Athens?
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Athen's allies switched to Sparta's side, the Persian Empire provided aid to Sparta, Spart blockaded Athens.
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What year did the Peloponnesian war end?
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404 B.C.
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How many years did the Peloponnesian war last?
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tweny-seven years
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city-states
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a name for ancient Greek cities
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monarchy
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having the ruling power in the hands of one person, usually a king
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oligarchy
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when he ruling power is in the hands of a few people
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tyranny
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when the ruling power is in the hands of a person who seizes the power illegally
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democracy
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all citizens share in the ruling power
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monarch
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a single ruler such as a king, queen, or emperor who holds all the power in the country or empire
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oligarch
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one of several people who rule a country or empire together, sharing the power
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aristocrat
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a member of the most powerful class in ancient Greece
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tyrant
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a person who seizes power illegally, different from monarch because (1) cannot claim that he has a legal right to rule, and (2) a tyrants son does not usually inherit his father's power
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citizen
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a member of a democracy who has certain rights and responsibilities
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direct democracy
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when every citizen can vote on every issue
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representitive democracy
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when people vote for representitives who decide issues in their name
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assembly
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a group of citizens in an ancient Greek democracy with the power to pass laws
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Why did monarchs lose power?
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They depended on aristocrats to help them during war, but the aristocrats demanded more power and finally overthrew the monarchs (governing of one)
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Why did oligarchs lose power?
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They ignored the needs of most people. Oligarchs passed unpopular laws and used the army to enforce them. They past laws that protected their wealth. The rich got richer, the poor got poorer, and eventually the poor turned to leaders in the army. Those new leaders overthrew the oligarchs (aristocrats)
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Why did tyrannts lose power?
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sometimes they ruled harshly and ignored the needs of the people, and the people forced them out.
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Mount Olympus
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tall mountain in the north of Greece
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isolated communities
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communities separated from each other
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colonies
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settlements in distant places
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trade
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the exchanging of goods and services
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settlement
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a small community or village
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shelter
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a place that provides protection from weather, such as a house
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colonist
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a person who lives in a colony
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merchant
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a person who makes money by selling goods.
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when did the Greeks start using monarchs?
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around 1400 B.C.
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When did Greeks start using Oligarchs?
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around 700 B.C.
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When did Greeks start using tyrants?
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around 600 B.C.
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When did Greeks start using democracy?
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around 550 B.C
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Polis
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the Greek name for a city-state
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acropolis
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a hill on which the people in a Greek city built their main temple
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independent
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self governing, separate, frree
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theater
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a place where people present plays
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What was the most important contribution the ancient Greeks made to civilization?
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democracy
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enslave
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to force people to become slaves
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Helot
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a slave in Sparta
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migrate
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to move from one place to another
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patriotic
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loyal towards one's country; love for one's country
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architecture
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the art of building
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assembly
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a meeting; a group of people who meet to pass laws
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lottery
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a system of picking names from a container so that each person has an equal chance of being chosen
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public
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having to do with government; having to do with people
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vote
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to choose leaders and pass laws
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bribe
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to pay someone to do something in a certain way
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jury
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a group who listens to court cases and decides what is right
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What was the ratio for Spartan citizen to helot
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1:5
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At what age did Spartan boys begin training to be soldiers?
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7
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Who was Solon?
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Solon helped create democracy in Athens around 594 B.C.
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What is the Greek word for marketplace?
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agora
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Peloponnesus
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the peninsula forming the southern part of the mainland of Greece
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agora
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marketplace in ancient Greece
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priestess
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a female preist
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fleet
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a group of ships
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outnumber
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to have more soldiers, ships, or war machines than someone else has
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independence
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being free; being able to govern oneself
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maneuver
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to move around
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Pheidippides
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Athenian who ran 150 miles in to days on one occasion to ask Sparta for military aid, and who ran 25 miles from Marathon to Athens to announce the victory where he collasped
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King Darius and King Xerxes
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two Persian kings
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What were three ways Sparta was different from other people in Greece.
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1 discouraged trade 2 feared new ideas 3 didn't believe in art and architecture
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Why didn't Sparta built a protective wall around their city?
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they thought their military skill would protect them
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What were some important events in a Spartan man's life?
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7- trained to fight 20- became citizen 30- married 60- returned to family
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Who did Persia plan to attack by sea?
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Athens
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Who won the battle of Marathon?
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Athens
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What was a narrow pass where the Persians defeated the Spartans
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Thermoplae
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What was a small city near Athens where the Athenians defeated the Persian fleet?
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Salamis
