Study Guide – Judaism, Persia, and Classical and Hellenistic Greece
Remember that this study guide is no substitute for studying your class and reading notes; it is not exhaustive,
as everything in class is fair game to test!
Vocabulary
People
Classical Greece Civilization
-
Define polis, acropolis
Spartans: myth vs. reality
Messenians & their revolt
Rise of Spartiates & new gov’t
structure to Spartan society
Persian Empire
-
Where was it and why
so successful?
-
Persian innovations (spy
network; satraps; Royal
Road)
- Ruled through “client
kings” overseen by
Governors
The Achaemenid Dynasty (what
justified their rule?)
- Cyrus, “The Great”
Places & Things
Greece: Polis; Acropolis
Geography of Greece (less than 20%
arable; very mountainous)
Hoplite (armed and armored with
what?)
Phalanx (what is it? Why
important?)
- How did it fight?
-
Why did it fight the way it
did?
First Persian War (Ionian revolt;
Athens helped; Darius intent on
punishing Athens)
- Battle of Marathon, 490 BC
(where fought? Who won?
Why?)
- Aftermath of 1st Persian War
Second Persian War
-
Darius, “King of Kings”
Xerxes (Persian, from
“300”)
-
Spartan citizenship idea
(Agoge; lifetime training; State
more important than individual)
King Leonidas of Sparta & “the
300”
Socrates (bio & beliefs)
-
-
-
Massive Persian army &
navy (how big? Where
from?)
Goal of Xerxes?
Battle of Thermopylae
(where / why a good spot to
defend?)
Sack of Athens by Xerxes &
Persians
Battle of Salamis (how did
Athenians win?)
Battle of Platea, 478 BC
Ideas / Concepts
Homer’s Iliad (what was it a story
of?)
Greek Dark Ages: 1200-900 BC
(civ almost lost after invasion)
Political structures of polis
-
Monarchy / Aristocracy
-
Oligarchy
-
Tyranny
-
Democracy
Spartan Society (Helots /
Messenians; Spartiates)
Spartan government (how did it
represent so many different forms
of government? WHY?)
- Two kings
-
Five ephors
-
Council of Elders (Senate)
Assembly
Athenian government
-
Originally based on class
conflict (rich, poor)
Importance of law codes
(Draco, Solon)
-
Trial of Socrates (what
happened? Why?)
Plato (his bio; devoted student
of Socrates)
- The Republic
(importance?)
-
Who preserved his
work?
Aristotle (bio & beliefs)
-
Situational ethics (right
& wrong depends on
circumstances)
Alexander the Great (review
your reading notes from
textbook!)
Judaism: Abraham, Moses,
Solomon
“Babylonian Captivity” –
freedom of Jews by Persians
Importance of Persian Wars? (first
conflict, East v. West; freedom vs.
slavery; free gov’t vs. kings)
Peloponnesian War (see book, for
details!)
Four Greek Wonders of the World
(2 temples, a lighthouse, and
Colossus)
Greek Styles of Art (Archaic,
Classical, Hellenistic)
The Parthenon (Why significant;
what happened to structure?)
-
Oligarchy (small group
ruled)
Athenian Democracy (what does
word mean?)
- Who were citizens? How
did direct democracy
work?
Athenian Democratic Gov’t
-
10 “Tribes” elected 50
representatives to
Assembly (legis / court)
Offices filled by chance
Know examples of each period’s
sculpture styles!
-
Three styles of Greek architecture
(Doric, Ionian, Corinthian – be able
to tell difference!)
Be able to identify styles from each
period of sculpture and the three
style of Greek architecture
Difference between religion,
philosophy
Bases of Judaism
-
10 Strategos (generals)
elected for 1 year term
-
Ostracization for
unpopular citizen (10 yrs)
-
Torah (1st five books of Old
Testament)
-
Talmud (body of laws, rules
of faith)
10 Commandments
-
Significance of Democracy?
Judaism: “B’Rit” = covenant
between Jews, God
Judaic belief in selves as “Chosen
people” of God: What does that
mean / not mean?
Questions to Consider
 Discuss the reasons why the Persians were so successful at both forming, and then maintaining, their huge
empire.
 Discuss the city state of Sparta & Athens. Be sure to review its form of government, concept of citizenship
and how these two things reflected its society or culture.
 Provide a history of the First AND Second Persian Wars What started each war? Where were each war’s
major battle or battles? Who won? What was the impact of their victory?
 Provide a history of the First AND Second Persian Wars What started each war? Where were each war’s
major battle or battles? Who won? What was the impact of their victory?
 Review the three periods of Greek sculpture and architecture. Be able to list the characteristics of each
period in sculpture and architecture.
Geography - Be able to label on a map . . .
● Peloponnese (Peninsula, of Greece)
● Athens
● Sparta
● Anatolia (Turkey) ● Macedonia
● Israel
● Extent of Alexander’s Empire
Persian Empire
Alexander the Great’s Empire
● Extent of Persian Empire