Historical Perspectives

Battle of Chaeronea

Alexander the Great was given control of cavalry in this battle. Greatest victory or Phillip II

Battle of Salamis

Naval battle. Athenians outmanuvered the Persian fleet even though they were outnumbered.

Battle of Plataea

After battle of Salamis. Final battle in Southern Greece.

Battle of Marathon

490 B.C. Greeks and Persians. Greeks defeated Persians. Athenians gained confidence.

Battle of Issus

Fought on a narrow field. Macedonian victory. Darius exited before it was determined who would win.

Battle of Hydaspes River

Alexander won brutally fought battle. Afterwards, soldiers refused to continue campaigning.

Battle of Gaugamela

331 B.C. Alexander's men clearly outnumbered. Turned into a rout and Darius managed to escape.

Neolithic Revolution

Shift from hunter-gatherer society to agricultural society.

Paleolithic Age

Creation of shelters. use of tools and fire.

Minoan Civilization

Palace at Knossus. Named after Minos who was a legendary Crete king. Love of nature.

Summerians

Large brick structures. Irrigation throughout cities.

Indo-Europeans

Lived on fringes of farming regions.

Akkadians

Created 1st dynastic empire.

Mycenae

Indo-Europeans that fortified palace centers. Warrior people, proud of performance in battle.

Attalid dynasty

Pergamum. Freed itself from Seleucid. Brought in Romans as allies, allowing them to conquer Seleucid. Gave kingdom to Rome in will.

Seleucid dynasty

Syria and the east. Founded by general Seleucis. Largest of Hellenistic kingdoms. Extended empire to include most of India.

Antigonid dynasty

Wanted control of Greece but didn't wish for outright conquest. Fell to Roman power.

Ptolemaic dynasty

Egypt. Macedonian general Ptolemy. Lasted longer than other Hellenistic dynasties. Didn't fall until Cleopatra VII allied herself with the wrong side of Roman civil war.

Ninsun

Human queen. Mother or Gilgamesh.

Shamash

God of the sun.

Alcibiades

Athenian statesman. Changed sides often. Many enemies. Mutilation of hermai. Asked to be put on trial before he went into battle.

Nicias

Athenian politician during Peloponnesian war. Peace of Nicias.

Solon

Made laws for Athenians.

Themoistocles

Persuaded citizens to pursue new military policy. Development of navy.

Ephialtes

Betrayed the Spartans and told Persians about mountain path. Rejected by Spartans originally because of his deformity.

Alexander the Great

Attacked Persian empire. Conquered much of Asia Minor. Built cities in Egypt. Made a pharoh. Took over Persia when Darius died. Died in Babylon.

Darius III

Persian king. Wanted to make peace with Alexander but it was refused. Killed by one of his own men.

Leonidas

Leader of Spartans. Thought to be a descendant of Hercules. Killed in battle.

Sargon

Over-ran previous city-states around his conquered territory.

Hammurabi

Creation of 1st justice-based law code.

Hatsheput

1st female pharoh.

Croesus

United territory surrounding his kingdom. Plans to take over Persia before Solon shared knowledge. Dies because of hubris (Herodotus)

Cyrus

559 B.C. Ruler of Persians. Restored temples and permitted worship of natives. Died 530 B.C.

Darius

Organized satrapies more rationally. Introduced tributes.

Xerxes

Persian monarch. Bent on revenge and expansion.

Phillip II

Instituted military reforms that transformed Macedonia into a major military power. Lighter armor than Hoplites. Hegemon. Assassinated.

Pericles

Embarked on policy of expanding democracy and empire. State pay for office holders.

Demosthenes

Philippics. Phillip: ruthless, deceitful, treacherous. Called on Athenians to undertake a struggle.

Plato

Wrote a great deal. Pupil of Socrates. Focused on essence of reality and ideal forms. Women could rule.

Euclid

Elements. Systematic organization of the fundamental elements of Geometry.

Archimedes

Geometry of spheres and cylinders. Established value of pi. Science of Hydrostatics. Creates inventions that helped in battles.

Epicuris

Believed that gods did not play an active role in everyday life. Self-interest as basic motivational force. Pleasure was freedom from turmoil.

Aristarchus of Samos

Greek. Heliocentric model of the universe.

Socrates

Left no writings. Stone-mason but had a passion for philosophy. Questioned authority. Sentenced to death.

Zoraster

Prophet of 'true religion'. Ahuramazda was the only true god. Wrote book of Zend Avesta.

Zeno

Concerned with how individuals find happiness. Virtue was harmony with divine will. Nature was a manifestation of the gods.