Ancient Greece

Greece and PersiaThe Big Idea

Over time the Persians came to rule a great empire which eventually brought them into conflict with the Greeks.

Main Ideas

• Persia became an empire under Cyrus the Great.

• The Persian Empire grew stronger under Darius I.

• The Persians fought Greece twice in the Persian Wars.

The Persians fought Greece twice in the Persian Wars.

• Darius was angry that the Greeks had aided a revolt against the Persians, so he invaded Greece in a series of battles known as the Persian Wars.

• Greece won these battles, even though the Persians were bigger and had more material resources ( from money to soldiers). The Greeks won because they had better weapons and more clever leaders.

• Battle of Marathon: Athenians defeated the Persians. Phiddepedes ran for 25 miles to tell the Athenian they won. He collapsed and died after telling the news. This was the first marathon race.

The Second Invasion of Greece

• Years later, Xerxes I tried to conquer Greece again, this time joined by the Persian navy.

• The Greeks lured the Persian ships into a narrow channel and the Greek heavier ships rammed and sank the Persian ships, ending the Persian War.

Sparta and AthensThe Big Idea

The two most powerful city-states in Greece, Sparta and Athens, had very different cultures and became bitter

enemies in the 400s BC.

Main Ideas

• The Spartans built a military society to provide security and protection.

• The Athenians admired the mind and the arts in addition to physical abilities.

• Sparta and Athens fought over who should have power and influence in Greece.

The Spartans built a military society to provide security and

protection• Daily life in Sparta was dominated by the army, and boys were

trained from an early age to be soldiers.– Spartan men reached full citizenship at age 30 and could then

move back home, but they stayed in the army until they turned 60.

• Courage, strength, self-discipline, and obedience were the most important qualities to have.

• Because men were often at war, women had more rights than other Greek women.– They ran the household and owned property.– They also received physical training and sometimes competed

with men in sporting events.

Spartan Warriors

Government

• Sparta was officially ruled by two kings who jointly led the army, but elected officials actually had more power than the kings.

• These officials handled dealings between Sparta and other city-states.

• Sparta’s government was set up to control the city’s helots, or slaves.

Girls and Women in Athens

• Sparta’s main rival in Greece was Athens.• Though they also worked to improve their bodies, they had to devote

only two years to the army.• They learned to read, write, count, and sing. • Wealthy boys continued their education with a private tutor.• Boys from poor families usually became farmers.

• Unlike boys, girls received almost no education, because men did not think they needed to be educated.

• Athenian women had fewer rights than women in many other city-states; in fact, they hardly had any at all.

The Athenians admired the mind and the arts in addition to physical

abilities.Boys and Men in Athens

Sparta and Athens fought over who should have power and

influence in Greece.

• Sparta and Athens worked together to win the Persian Wars.

• After the Persian Wars, city-states joined an alliance, which historians call the Delian League.

–“Alliance” means they agreed to work together.

• Sparta formed its own alliance, called the Peloponnesian League.

• Sparta declared war on Athens, starting the Peloponnesian War.

• The war lasted for ten years before they decided to call a truce.

• The war started up once more when Athens tried to expand its empire. They fought for 10 years before losing the war.

• Sparta defeated the Athenians and Athens never again dominated the Greek world..

The Peloponnesian War• Other city-states

started to resent Sparta, leading to a period of war.

• Control of Greece shifted from one city-state to another for years.

Alexander the GreatThe Big Idea

Alexander the Great built a huge empire and helped spread Greek culture into Egypt and Asia.

Main Ideas

• Macedonia conquered Greece in the 300s BC.

• Alexander the Great built an empire that united much of Europe, Asia, and Egypt.

• The Hellenistic kingdoms formed from Alexander’s empire blended Greek and other cultures.

• Phillip II became king of Macedonia and targeted Greece for an invasion.

• He beat Athens, and the rest of Greece agreed to make him their leader after seeing Athens’s defeat.

• Phillip was a brilliant military leader.

• His soldiers fought as a phalanx with spears that were longer than the Greeks.

• He also had a cavalry and archers supporting the phalanx.

Macedonia conquered Greece

in the 300s BC.•When

Phillip died, his throne and his plans were passed on to his son, Alexander.

Alexander the Great built an empire that united much of Europe, Asia, and Egypt.

• Alexander began his rule by ending the revolt in Thebes, setting an example to the Greeks not to rebel.

• He then set out to build an empire and earned the name Alexander the Great.

• He went on to conquer Egypt and was crowned pharaoh without a fight.

• He then defeated Persia and became the ruler of the Persian Empire.

• Alexander wanted to push into India, but his troops were exhausted and refused to go. He began the march home, but died from sickness before making it back to Greece.

Spreading Greek Culture• Alexander’s empire was the largest the world had ever

seen. He conquered Persia, Egypt, and parts of Western Asia.

• Alexander the Great: He helped spread Greek culture to these lands and established a library in Alexandria, Egypt.

• He encouraged Greek settlers to move to the new cities he conquered.

– These settlers passed along the language and culture of Greece.

• Alexander also encouraged people to keep their own culture, so Greek and native customs blended. Historians call the culture Hellenistic, or Greek-like.

Interesting FACTAlexander the Great built the first Greek ice

house. Even normal Greeks and Roman bought snow and ice, at snow shops, that was imported on donkey trains!

Wealthy Greeks washed up and cooled down in showers with piped in water emerging from an artistic structure shaped like an animal's mouth.

Alexander the Great

• After Alexander died, his generals fought for power and divided the empire among themselves.

• The three kingdoms were Macedonia, Greece, and Syria.

• Macedonia had the weakest government and had to put down Greek revolts.

• Syria was weakened by rebellions.

• Egypt, especially Alexandria, became a great cultural center.

The Hellenistic kingdoms formed from Alexander

empire blended Greek and other cultures.

•Each empire was eventually taken over by the Romans.

Greek AchievementsThe Big Idea

Ancient Greeks made lasting contributions in the arts, philosophy, and science.

Main IdeasThe Greeks made great contributions to the arts.

• The teachings of Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle are the basis of modern philosophy.

• In science, the Greeks made key discoveries in math, medicine, and engineering.

The Greeks made great contributions to the arts.

• Greek statues look as though they could come to life at any time, because Greek artists wanted to show how beautiful people could be.

• Greek paintings are known for their realism and detail.

• The Greeks made temples with rows of tall columns rounded in the middle so they appear perfectly straight.– The Parthenon was their most impressive temple.

• The Greeks excelled at writing.– They created dramas, or plays.– The Greeks were the first to write about history.

The teachings of Socrates, Plato, and

Aristotle are the basis of modern philosophy.

Socrates taught by asking questions, a technique we call the Socratic method.

–He wanted people to question their beliefs and look for knowledge. This angered and frightened people.

–He was arrested and condemned to death for questioning the authority of the gods.

Death of Socrates “They raising the cup to his lips, quite

readily and cheerfully he drank off the poison. And hitherto most of us had been able to control our sorrow: but now when we saw him drinking …. My own tears were flowing fast; so that I covered my face and wept… Socrates alone retained his calmness. What is this strange outcry? He said…. I have been told that a man should die in peace. Be quiet then, and have patience?

Socrates

Plato• Plato was a student of

Socrates

• He started the Academy

Plato

Aristotle

Plato and Aristotle• Plato had been a

student of Socrates.

• Plato created a school, the Academy, to discuss ideas.

• He also wrote The Republic, which described his ideal society.

• Aristotle was Plato’s student.

• He taught about living life in moderation, or balance.

• He believed moderation was based on reason, or clear and ordered thinking.

In science, the Greeks made key discoveries in math, medicine,

and engineering.• Euclid spent his life studying mathematics, especially geometry.

• Pythagoras discovered the formula for calculating the area of a

right triangle.

• Hippocrates was a Greek doctor known for his ideas about how doctors should behave. He encouraged doctors to use scientific methods to help cure patients.

• Engineers like Archimedes made great discoveries, such as the water screw, which brought water to the fields, and pulleys and levers.

• Herodotus is known as the Father of history. He wrote about historical events for the first time.

Ancient Olympic Games

Religious event held in honor of

Zeus

•Winners presentedOlive wreath

•Wars were stoppeduntil games over

•Games lasted 5 days•Women weren’t

allowed to compete•Women couldn’t attend

Modern Olympic Games

Games last 15 days

•Winners presentedwith medals

of gold,silver,

or bronze

Women can compete

•Games stopped threetimes by World War I

and World War II•One time over Soviet

Union problems

Similarities of Ancient and Modern Olympic Games

Lighting the Olympic Flame

Occurs every four yearsImpressive buildings

built for the games

Compete in different events

Types of Columns

Doric-Simple (Lincoln Memorial)

Ionic- Elegant with rolled volutes

Corinthian- Ornate with shape of acanthus leaves

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