Gym Assignment

1. Most fertile land isn't a characteristic of Greece.

2. Approximately 3/4 of Greece is covered by mountains. 

3. Barbarian was used in the ancient world as a word that came from the Greek word "Barbaros", meaning "Non-Greek".

4. A massive rough-cut stones used to construct monuments and tombs is known as a megalithic structure 

5. The term tribe refers to a social and political unit consisting of a group of communities held together by common interests, traditions and real or mythical ties of kinship.

6. Tribes were governed by warrior kings or queens, chieftains and tribal leaders that were chosen by warriors.

7. The Greeks were the first European barbarians to make contact with civilization. 

8. The United States is one of the modern-day countries that is not considered a member of "Western Civilization".

9. The sea that is located just west of the Greek mainland is the Ionian Sea

10. The sea that is located just east of the Greek mainland is the Aegean Sea 

11. The major crops the Aegean people lived on were grain, vines, and olives. 

12. Minoan was a civilization that arose on the island of Crete.

13. The Mycenaean civilization established settlements along the Greek mainland's southern shore and on some islands. 

14. The Mycenaean civilization built massive walls to protect themselves from attack.

15. The period of Greek history in which the population dropped, ships no longer sailed, and writing fell out of use was known as the Dark Ages.

16. The Greeks joined the Phoenicians as the leading commercial and seafaring nation of the Mediterranean.

17. In historical writing, the letter "c" might appear before a date as in "c 1500 BC." It means around, about or circa.

18. By 600 BC, Greek city-states dotted the coastlines around the Mediterranean Sea. These were known as colonies.

19. Although the Greek city-states varied in size, they most closely resembled countries. 

20. An oligarchy is a form of government in which a small group of citizens dominated, and the power of the majority was limited in various ways.

21. Democracy is a form of government in which decisions were made by the majority of adult male citizens. 

22. A form of government in which a self-proclaimed dictator held power is known as a tyranny.

23. Monarchy is a form of government in which power is held by a single ruler, and is often passed along from father to son.

24. Spartans used oligarchy as their training at age seven.

25. Spartan males began their military training when they were seven years old. 

26. The wealthiest city-state in the ancient Greek world was known as Athens.

27. The high fortified citadel and religious center of an ancient Greek town was known as the acropolis.

28. The name of the southern peninsula where Sparta was located was known as Peloponnesus 

29. Triremes were massive fighting ships with three banks of oars that were used to ram or board enemy ships.

30. A hoplite was a heavily armed and armored citizen-soldier of ancient Greece.

short answer:

1. You recall the time period when the Greek population dropped, ships no longer sailed, and writing fell out of use.  What years did this period begin and end?

This age was known as the Dark Age. The Dark Age lasted about four centuries  from about 1150 BC to 800 BC. 

2. During the time period when writing fell out of use, the poet Homer is said to have told stories of the Trojan War, and of a war hero attempting to return to his home.  What are the titles of these two stories?

The two stories Homer wrote were "The Odyssey" and "The Iliad." 

3. The word “Mediterranean” originally meant _____________________ .

The word "Mediterranean" originally meant "center of the earth". "Medi" stood for middle and "terranean" meant earth. 

4. What were prominent and long-established Athenian land-owners called?

They were known as the Aristocrats and they were usually the rulers of the city-states.