ANCIENT GREECE

Potential exam questions:

A. The Greeks made more important contributions to sub. civilization than any other ancient people, despite the fact that they were constantly at war--or maybe because of the fact that they were constantly at war. Comment.

 B. The most important contribution of the Greeks to subsequent civilization is probabably the development of philosophy. Comment.

I. Introduction

II. Art (Parthenon, sculptures of Phidias, etc., source of inspiration for Roman and all sorts of sub. art)

III. Sports (Olympic games)

IV. History (first and some of greatest historians, including HERODOTUS, Thucydides, and Xenophon)

V. Political science

A. First political science (Plato, Aristotle)

B. Vocabulary for political science (monarchy, etc.)

VI. Poetry

A. Among greatest epic poems (HOMER)

B. Among greatest lyric poems (SAPPHO)

C. Vocabulary for analyzing poetry (iamb, trochee, etc.)

VII. Greek science

A. Thales/Democritus/Aristotle

B. Euclid/Pythagoras in math

C. Eratosthenes (Circumference of the earth)

D. Aristarchus of Samos ("Copernican" theory)

E. Archimedes (specific gravity, etc.)

VIII.  Short overview of Greek history:

A.  The Minoans: the first European civilization (2000-1400)

B.  The Mycenaeans (1400-1200)

C.  Dorian Invasion, Dark Ages

D.  The Emergence of the Polis

--acropolis, agora, emphasis on schole

--Corinth, Thebes, Argos, Lesbos

E. SPARTA

1. Conquest of Messenians, domination of helots and perioikoi

2. Mixed constitution

b. Gerousia

c. Kings

3. Spartan lifestyle

4. Women in Spa rta

5. Spartan contributions

F. ATHENS

1. Development of democracy: Solon/Cleisthenes/Pericles

a. Ecclesia

b. Law Courts

c. Ostracism

2. Expansionist policy

G. PERSIAN WAR and its results

1. Marathon

2. Thermoplylae

3. Salamis

4. Plataea

H. PELOPONNESIAN WAR and its results

I. PHILIP OF MACEDON

J.  ALEXANDER THE GREAT

H.  The Hellenistic Age

IX. CONTRIBUTIONS TO THEATER AND PHILOSOPHY

A. Theater

1. First plays (Thespis)

2. Some of greatest comic playwrights (Aristophanes/Menander)

3. 3/4 greatest tragedians (Aeschylus/Sophocles/Euripides)

4. What makes plays great: example ANTIGONE

5. What makes plays great: example TROJAN WOMEN

B. Philosophy: The Most Important of Greek Contributions?

1. First philosophers

a. THALES

b. Democritus

c. Heraclitus

d. Parmenides

e. Sophists

2. SOCRATES

a. motivation

b. dialectic

c. example/influence on others

3. PLATO

a. Political ideas

b. Religious ideas

3. ARISTOTLE

a. Contributions to science, politics, literature

b. Idea of the telos

4. DIOGENES (Cynics)

5. STOICS

6. EPICUREANS