Key events and figures in Western civilization from ancient Greece through the 1600s, tested on the CLEP Western Civilization I exam. Front: the term, event, or figure. Back: a one to two sentence explanation of its significance.
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- Mesopotamia
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A region between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers where some of the earliest cities and writing systems developed.- Code of Hammurabi
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An early written law code from ancient Babylon that set out punishments for specific offenses.- Ancient Egyptian pharaoh
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The ruler of ancient Egypt, considered both a political leader and a divine figure.- Phoenician alphabet
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An early alphabet developed by Phoenician traders that influenced the later Greek and Roman alphabets.- Minoan civilization
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An early Bronze Age civilization centered on the island of Crete, known for elaborate palaces.- Mycenaean civilization
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A Bronze Age Greek civilization that preceded classical Greece and inspired later legends such as the Trojan War.- Greek polis
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An independent city-state, the basic political unit of ancient Greece, such as Athens or Sparta.- Athenian democracy
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A system of government in ancient Athens in which free male citizens voted directly on laws and policy.- Sparta
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A militaristic Greek city-state known for its rigorous training of citizen-soldiers.- Socrates
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A classical Greek philosopher known for a question-and-answer teaching method and for being sentenced to death in Athens.- Plato
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A student of Socrates who founded the Academy in Athens and wrote philosophical dialogues, including The Republic.- Aristotle
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A student of Plato whose writings on logic, science, and ethics shaped Western thought for centuries.- Peloponnesian War
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A prolonged war between Athens and Sparta that weakened both city-states and much of Greece.- Alexander the Great
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A Macedonian king who conquered a vast empire stretching from Greece to India, spreading Greek culture widely.- Hellenistic period
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The era after Alexander the Great's conquests when Greek culture blended with the cultures of conquered regions.
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