Classics 1000: Midterm 2 > Lecture 2 > Flashcards

Lecture 2 Flashcards

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1
Q

What were the two major problems Greece faced after the Persian Wars?

A

Fear of another Persian invasion & political instability in Persian-controlled Greek poleis.

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2
Q

Why were Ionian poleis politically unstable after the war?

A

Persian-appointed leaders collapsed, leaving chaos and uncertainty over governance.

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3
Q

Why did Sparta initially lead the post-war Greek forces?

A

Because they had led Greek forces during the war.

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4
Q

Why did Spartan leadership fail?

A

Regent Pausanias acted arrogantly; Sparta lacked diplomatic skill; allies became angry.

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5
Q

Why did Greek states begin turning to Athens instead of Sparta?

A

Athens had shown sacrifice (their city burned), refused Persian bribes, and offered stronger leadership.

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6
Q

What was the purpose of the Delian League?

A

Prevent another Persian invasion, punish Persia, and collect compensation for Persian destruction.

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7
Q

What made membership “voluntary” to the Delian League?

A

Poleis chose to join and contributed either ships or money.

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8
Q

What did large and small poleis contribute?

A

Large: ships; Small: money.

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9
Q

Who controlled the League’s strategy and operations?

A

Athens

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10
Q

How was loot distributed(Delian League)?

A

Proportionally, based on ship contributions.

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11
Q

Where was the original League headquarters?

A

Delos

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12
Q

What evidence do we have of League membership and contributions?

A

Athenian stone inscriptions recording tribute payments.

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13
Q

What military success did the Delian League achieve?

A

Forced Persian retreat from many regions.

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14
Q

Why were most members coastal poleis?

A

They were most vulnerable to Persian naval attacks.

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15
Q

How did League wealth affect Athens politically?

A

Paid citizens for public services, increasing democratic participation.
Diminished the political advantages of aristocracy

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16
Q

How did League wealth affect Athenian culture?

A

Funded major festivals, tragedies, and monumental buildings (e.g., Parthenon).

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17
Q

Why did the Delian League become an empire?

A

States tried to leave when Persia was no longer a threat; Athens forced them to stay and pay tribute.

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18
Q

How did tribute change over time?

A

Ship contributions turned into cash payments because they had enough ships

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19
Q

How did Athens use League funds improperly?

A

For Athenian building projects, colonies, and domestic power.

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20
Q

Why did League states resent Athens?

A

Athens replaced Persian domination with Athenian domination.

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21
Q

What is a cleruchy?

A

An Athenian colony whose settlers kept Athenian citizenship.

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22
Q

What were cleruchies designed to do?

A

Provide land for poor Athenians, secure trade, supply resources, create military bases and safe harbours for Athenian fleets, and control discontent League members.

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23
Q

How did cleruchies reveal Athenian domination?

A

They appeared in areas resisting Athens, not only in strategic defense zones.

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24
Q

Why did Athens forbid League members from leaving?

A

Withdrawal threatened Athenian power.

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25
What happened when Naxos tried to leave (467 BCE)?
Athens crushed them, confiscated their fleet, and imposed cash tribute.
26
What precedent did this set?
No League member could withdraw.
27
What were Themistocles’ political goals?
Naval expansion, rivalry with Sparta, stronger democracy.
28
What were Cimon’s political goals?
Maintain peace with Sparta, oppose radical democracy.
29
Why was Themistocles ostracized?
Accusations of corruption and alleged ties to Persia.
30
Who dominated politics after Themistocles’ exile?
Cimon
31
What event destroyed Athenian–Spartan relations?
Sparta rejected Athenian aid during the Helot revolt after a major earthquake
32
What happened to Cimon as a result?
He was blamed for the failure of the Athenian-Spartan relationship and ostracized.
33
Who rose to power after Cimon’s fall?
Pericles
34
What did Pericles stand for?
democratic, anti-Spartan faction and further strengthened Athenian influence over the Delian League
35
What caused the "First" Peloponnesian War?
Corinth opposed Athens’ trade restrictions and influence. Corinth led the Anti-Athens campaign
36
Main complaint Corinth had agaisnt Athens?
Athens was discouraging the members of the Delian league from engaging in trade with Greek communities outside of the Delian League Corinth sat a central path on land and sea(major commercial centre)
37
Why was Megara important?
It sat between Corinth(Spartan ally) and Attica; joined Athens, increasing tensions.
38
What major Athenian building project continued during the war?
The Long Walls connecting Athens to Piraeus.
39
Why were the Long Walls important?
Made Athens safe by land and ensured supply by sea (“turn the city into an island”).
40
How did Sparta get involved?
Joined Corinth’s anti-Athenian coalition (457 BCE).
41
At its height, what lands did Athens control?
Megara, Boeotia, and several Aegean islands.
42
What disastrous campaign weakened Athens?
The failed Egyptian expedition (40,000 dead).
43
What did Athens do with the League treasury after their failed expedition in Egypt?
Moved it from Delos to Athens—marking the shift to the Athenian Empire.
44
How did Athens make peace with Sparta?
-Cimon, previously exiled, returned and negotiated a five-year truce between Athens and Sparta
45
Collapse of the Athenian Land Empire
A major revolt in Euboea weakened Athenian land power
46
How long did the Thirty Years' Peace treaty last?
15 years
47
Rules of the Thirty Years' Peace Treaty
1. No interference with each other’s alliances 2. Neutral states free to choose sides 3. Mandatory arbitration of disputes 4. No switching alliances 5. Each side autonomous within its own league 6. Athens could not force statesto join; Sparta couldn't meddle with League members
48
Why did the treaty eventually fail?
It ignored deeper tensions caused by Athenian imperialism.
49
Who was Pericles?
Dominant Athenian statesman; brought democracy to its most radical form.
50
How often did the Assembly meet by Pericles’ time?
About every 10 days (~40 meetings/year).
51
Who could participate in the Assembly?
Male citizens over 18.
52
What did the Assembly decide?
War, laws, treaties, ostracism—almost everything.
53
What assemblies had to most participations?
Those regarding something important (i.e. going to war)
54
T/F: Pericles believed citizens would learn political wisdom through active participation
T
55
Why did Socrates hate the democratic government of Athens?
argued this empowered amateurs and encouraged the belief that anyone could do anything simply by majority vote
56
What did Pericles’ citizenship law require?
Both parents must be Athenian for a child to be a citizen. Before only one had to be Athenian
57
Consequences of Pericles Citzenship law?
-Reduced intermarriage between Athenians and foreigners -Weakened ties between poleis, increasing rivalry and isolation, contributing to later conflicts -Athenian women gained new importance because only they could bear legitimate citizen children -Encouraged marriage within citizen body, but also produced domestic tension due to limited marriage choices
58
What was a liturgy?
A required public service funded by wealthy citizens.
59
Examples of liturgies?
Funding a trireme, sponsoring a chorus, paying for festivals.
60
What was the purpose of liturgies?
Tax the rich indirectly and fund key civic functions.
61
How did state pay expand under Pericles?
Jurors, boule members, and Assembly attendees were paid for their services
62
Demokratia
kratos (power) in the hands of the demos (people).
63
What was ostracism?
A vote to exile a citizen for 10 years to prevent tyranny.
64
How did Ostracism work?
Assembly voted if ostracism was needed; then citizens wrote a name on an ostrakon; most votes = 10-year exile.
65
What happened to the ostracized person?
Kept property and status; only had to leave Athens.
66
Why use ostracism?
To neutralize overly powerful or dangerous individuals peacefully.
67
Why was someone ostracized?
-Considered too powerful or politically dominant -Gave dangerous or harmful advice -Was believed to be undermining the democracy in some way
68
What types of cases did Athenian courts hear?
Civil (property, debt) and criminal (theft, violence, religious crimes).
69
Who prosecuted cases?
Private citizens—no state prosecutors.
70
Who organized trials?
Archons.
71
How were juries selected?
By lot from male citizens; paid for service.
72
Why were juries huge (201–2001)?
To avoid bribery and family influence.
73
Why were juries always an uneven number?
To prevent ties
74
What kind of Athenian is most likely to put their name down for jury selection?
-Poor people -Older men who could no longer work(most common), often poor Often have a hostility toward the wealthy
75
Were appeals allowed?
No, jury decisions were final -There was no higher court in Athens - “the people” were the ultimate authority
76
How long did trials last?
One day
77
How were speech time measured?
By a water clock (jug draining into another) HAd to make full case within the time limit
78
Who delivered the speeches?
Plaintiffs and defendants were required to speak for themselves and present their own speech and arguments - could hire a logographer(speechwriter) but had to deliver the speech personally
79
What kinds of evidence were used?
-Relied on eye-witnesses mainly -Slave evidence Slaves could be tortured for evidence, but their testimony was unreliable because they might say anything to stop the pain -Written statements Often used due to time constraints
80
Did witnesses and cross-examinations occur?
No not enough time
81
What argument style was allowed?
-Almost anything—emotional appeals and irrelevant stories included. -Trials often felt like popularity contests, creating anxiety about persuasive speakers dominating the system
82
Did most crimes have pre-set punishments?
No
83
How were punishments decided?
1. Prosecutor proposes a punishment (often extreme) 2. Next the defendant proposes an alternative punishment (very miled) 3. Jury chooses one of the two options (nothing in between)
84
Gamesmanship in trial?
Both sides try to appear reasonable while pushing outcomes in their favour
85
Why were murder trials special?
-Murder cases carried special procedures due to the religious pollution associated with shedding blood -Blood guilt was believed to offend the gods, requiring ritual and legal handling different from other crimes
Classics 1000: Midterm 2
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