history final exam study guide - ancient history

7/29/2019 History Final Exam Study Guide - Ancient History

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History Final Exam Study Guide

Attila - leader of the Huns in the mid-400's; launched

an attack on Gaul in A.D.451, where he was defeated by

an army of Romans and Visigoths.

Ptolemy - Roman astronomer; developed a system of

astronomy and geography (the Ptolemaic system) based on

the belief that the sun, the planets, and the stars

revolved around the earth.

Pompey - part of the First Triumvirate, along with

Caesar and Crassus; was made sole consul in 52 B.C.;

went to war with Caesar when Caesar crossed theRubicon, declaring war.

Cleopatra - put on the throne by Caesar; "power-

hungry"; later sided with Antony (who was part of the

Second Triumvirate), which led to her committing

suicide to prevent humiliation.

Paul - played a large role in spreading Christianity;

founded churches throughout the eastern Mediterranean.

Hannibal - Carthaginian general who assembled a huge

army (for the Second Punic War) that included foot

soldiers, horse soldiers, and elephants; was defeated

by Scipio in 202 B.C.

Jesus - begun teaching around A.D. 27 using parables

and miracles; Romans feared that he would lead an

uprising, so they had him crucified (nailed to a cross

and left to die); he arose from the dead and remained

on Earth for 40 more days.

The Gracchi (Tiberius and Gaius) - were popular among

the plebeians in Rome due to the fact that they

supported distributing land among the poor.


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Augustus Caesar - first emperor of the Roman Empire;

was part of the Second Triumvirate, then beat out

Antony and Lepidus for the top spot.

Julius Caesar - part of the First Triumvirate (along

with Pompey and Crassus); made dictator for life in 44

B.C., and was murdered that same year (Ides of March).

Constantine - won civil war and became sole emperor in

A.D. 324; supported Christianity; died in A.D.337, but

the empire was stable for about 50 more years

Julio-Claudian Emperors - first five Roman emperors:

Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius, and Nero

Cincinnatus - served as consul in 460 B.C. and dictator

in 458 B.C.; famous for his simplicity and for

returning to his farm after serving as dictator.

Nero - last of the Julio-Claudian Emperors; accused of

starting the "great fire" so he could build his palace.

Sulla - elected consul in 88 B.C.

Cicero - statesman; good speaker

Theodosius - last emperor to rule both the eastern and

western sides of Rome.

Caligula - third Julio-Claudian Emperor; ruled from age

37 to 41.

Plebeians - lower class; poor

Patricians - higher class; rich; more involved inpolitics

Vandals - invaded Rome in A.D. 455; leads to today's

use of the word meaning "terror and destruction"


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Etruscans - in the area corresponding roughly to

Tuscany

Consul - highest elected office of the Roman Republic

Diocletian - made emperor in A.D.284; he appointed a

co-emperor and two assistants; he ruled the east, and

his co-emperor ruled the west; under whom government

controlled almost every aspect of life.

Martyrs - someone who suffers death for refusing to

renounce a belief or cause, usually religious

Shi Huang Di - first emperor of China

Homer - Greek poet; author of the Iliad and the Odyssey

Pericles - Greek statesman, orator, and general of

Athens during the city's "Golden Age"

Archimedes - Hellenistic Period; calculated the value

of pi

Darius I - Persian ruler, who expanded Persian rule;

invaded Greece in the 400s B.C. but failed to conquer

it.

Confucius - leading philosopher of the Zhou era; lived

from 551 B.C. to 479 B.C.; ideas and teachings are

collected in the Analects, and his teachings later

became known as Confucianism.

Laozi - founded Daoism

Cleisthenes - seized power in Athens in about 507 B.C.and turned it into a democracy

Plato - recorded Socrates' ideas; founded the Academy,

which was a special school in Athens for teaching

philosophy.


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Sophocles - wrote Greek tragedies; Oedipus Rex

Socrates - the Socratic Method (students should be

trained to think for themselves)

Pythagoras - Pythagorean theorem (a2+b2=c2)

Phillip II - became kind in 359 B.C. (Macedon).

Aristotle - student of Plato, teacher of Alexander the

Great; a Greek philosopher

Aristophanes - known for sharp wit in his comedies;

wrote "Clouds"

Phidias - Greek sculptor, painter, and architect

Hippocrates - wrote between 60 and 70 medical studies

based on observation, experiment, and experience.

history final exam study guide - ancient history

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