Ancient History: Greece : The Archaic Period (750- 480 BCE)

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for Ancient History: Greece

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Example Questions

Example Question #1 : The Formation Of City States

Which of these is not one of the four main ethnic identities that existed in ancient Greece?

Possible Answers:

Ionians

Dorians

Achaeans

Aeolians

Dacians

Correct answer:

Dacians

Explanation:

The four main ethnic identities in ancient Greece were the Ionians, the Dorians, the Aeolians, and the Achaeans. Historians disagree strongly over how distinct these ethnic identities were and how important they were in they way Greeks saw themselves - some historians believe that ethnic tensions were the primary reason why the Peloponnesian War broke out.

Example Question #2 : The Formation Of City States

Which of these city-states were located in Ionia?

I. Ephesus

II. Delphi

III. Olympia

IV. Miletus

V. Pylos

 

Possible Answers:

I, III, and V.

III and V.

I, II, III, and IV.

II and IV.

I and IV.

Correct answer:

I and IV.

Explanation:

Ephesus and Miletus are two of the more important city-states located in Ionia. Ionia is the name usually given to the region of coastal Anatolia that was inhabited by Greek speaking people during the Archaic Era. The Ionians made notable contributions to the development of philosophy, poetry, and mathematics.

Example Question #3 : The Formation Of City States

Sparta is located in __________.

Possible Answers:

Laconia

Arcadia

Attica

Ionia

Thessaly

Correct answer:

Laconia

Explanation:

These are all names of regions of Greece, during the Archaic and Classical Eras. Sparta was the most powerful city-state throughout much of Greek history, with the notable exception of the Classical Era (when Athens was dominant). Sparta is part of the region of southwestern Greece called Laconia.

 

Example Question #1 : The Formation Of City States

Which of the Gods was the patron of Sparta?

Possible Answers:

Apollo

Hera

Athena

Aphrodite

Ares

Correct answer:

Athena

Explanation:

During the formation of Greek city-state identity, many of them embraced an individual God as the patron God of their city. Most famously, Athens embraced Athena as their patron. Interestingly, Athena was also the patron God of Athens’ great classical era rival, Sparta.

Example Question #4 : The Formation Of City States

The ancient Greeks were generally geographically isolated from one another, yet experienced a shared heritage and identity, why?

Possible Answers:

They observed the same ceremonies and practiced the same forms of government.

They spoke the same language and practiced the same religion.

None of these answers are accurate; the ancient Greeks did not see themselves as part of one larger nationality.

They were responding to the rest of the world, who viewed them as one entity.

They formed a political union, designed to protect them from outside invasion.

Correct answer:

They spoke the same language and practiced the same religion.

Explanation:

The ancient Greeks, be they from Sparta, Athens, Thebes, or Ionia, saw themselves as part of one larger community — the community of Greek people. Although the city-states they lived in were geographically isolated from one another, the Greeks still felt a shared heritage and identity. This is primarily because they all spoke (discounting regional variations) the same language and practiced the same religion.

Example Question #5 : The Formation Of City States

Which of these ancient city-states was not controlled by the Dorian Greeks?

Possible Answers:

Corinth

Argos

Sparta

Thebes

Pylos

Correct answer:

Thebes

Explanation:

All of these ancient city-states were controlled by the Dorian Greeks, except Thebes, which was controlled by the Aeolic Greeks. The ancient Greeks were subdivided into several distinct ethnicities, including the Dorians, the Ionians, the Aeolics, and the Achaeans.

Example Question #6 : The Formation Of City States

The unique nature of Greek geography led to __________.

Possible Answers:

the rise of powerful Greek Empires

the emergence of democracy and republican values

the emergence of theocratic states in the north and oligarchic states in the south

wealthy city-states, growing rich from overland trade

the growth of strong, independent city-states

Correct answer:

the growth of strong, independent city-states

Explanation:

Greece is an extremely mountainous land. The Greek people might have lived in relative close proximity to one another, but their city-states and small communities were isolated from each other by immense geographical barriers. These mountains, present throughout mainland Greece, kept city-states distinct from one another and led to the development of unique city-state cultures. These geographic barriers also discouraged the formation of a single Greek Empire and allowed city-states to grow strong and independent.

Example Question #7 : The Formation Of City States

Around what time period did the Greek city-states begin to coalesce and organize after the end of the Dark Ages?

Possible Answers:

900 BCE

750 BCE

480 BCE

625 BCE

550 BCE

Correct answer:

750 BCE

Explanation:

Around 750 BCE, the Dark Ages were drawing to an end in Greece and city-states were beginning to coalesce and organize themselves as distinct polities.

Example Question #2 : The Archaic Period (750 480 Bce)

The Bacchiads were __________.

Possible Answers:

a ruling family in the oligarchy of Sparta

a ruling family in the oligarchy of Corinth

a group of philosophers who founded the first school of philosophy in Athens

a family of wealthy merchants who led the Spartan colonization of the Mediterranean

a group of religious devotees who built the Temple of Apollo in Corinth

Correct answer:

a ruling family in the oligarchy of Corinth

Explanation:

The Bacchiads were a ruling family that controlled the oligarchy of Corinth during the Archaic era. They ruled during the eighth and seventh centuries and presided over a prolonged period of growth and prosperity in Corinth. Corinth, perfectly situated to take advantage of Mediterranean trade, became the wealthiest city-state in Greece and founded several overseas colonies. Nonetheless, the brutal rule of the Bacchiads encouraged the rise of the tyrant and populist Cypselus to power.

Example Question #8 : The Formation Of City States

Which of these men was remembered by the ancient Greeks as the founder of Sparta?

Possible Answers:

Periander

Lysander

Leonidas

Lycurgus

Milo

Correct answer:

Lycurgus

Explanation:

The Spartans tended to credit one man with the founding of their city and with the creation of their legal and social codes. That man was Lycurgus, and he probably lived in the ninth or tenth century BCE. Whether he actually founded the city of Sparta seems unlikely, but it is probable that a single individual did provide the foundation for Sparta’s social code of behavior sometime in the ninth century.

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