Classical Greece

500 B.C.E. to 300 B.C.E.

WHAT DO ALL THESE IMAGES HAVE IN COMMON?

Ancient Greece

Minoans originally built a brilliant civilization on the island of Crete from around 200 BC-1400 BC. The civilization reached its height between 1750 BC and 1500 BC.

The Minoans were traders and traded all through the middle east. From Egypt to Mesopotamia.

By about 1400 BC the Minoan society disappeared. Possibly from natural disaster, but almost certainly from outside invaders.

Mycenaean CivilizationThe Mycenaean, like the Aryans, were Indo-European. They conquered Greece and dominated the Aegean Sea area from about 1400 BC – 1200 BC.

They are best known for their part in the Trojan War, which took place around 1250 BC. The Trojan War was a rivalry between the Mycenaean and Troy, a rich trading city located in present day Turkey. The two sides battled for 10 years before the Mycenaean captured Troy and burned it to the ground.

Mycenaean Civilization• Guarded by protective

wall 20 feet thick.• Warrior-king ruled the

surrounding villages and farmers.

• Strong rulers controlled the areas around other Mycenaean cities.

• These kings dominated Greece from 1600 to 1000 B.C.E.

Contact with Minoans

• 1500 B.C.E.• Mycenaeans came into

contact with Minoan civilization through trade or war.

• Mycenaean traders soon sailed throughout the eastern Mediterranean.

Contact with Minoans

• Minoans influenced Mycenaeans:– Mycenaeans adapted

Minoan writing system to Greek language.

– Decorated vases with Minoan designs.

– Greek religious practice– Art– Politics– Literature

Trojan War: Fact or Fiction?

Heinrich Schliemann

• How did geography influence the Greek way of life and their interaction with other people?

• What kinds of government did the Greek city-states develop?

• How did Athens and Sparta differ?

• What forces unified the Greek city-states?

The Rise of Greek City-States

Greece is part of the Balkan peninsula. Mountains divide the peninsula into isolated valleys. Off the Greek mainland are hundreds of small islands.

The geography of the region prevented the Greeks from creating a large, united empire. Instead, they built many small city-states, which they called the polis, cut off from one another by mountains or water.

The seas linked the Greeks to the outside world. The Greeks became skilled sailors, traveling and trading all over the Mediterranean.

Geography and the Greek City-States

Greek City-States

• Polis (city-state): a city and its surrounding countryside, including villages.

• 50-500 square miles of territory

• 10,000 residents or less• Acropolis – place on a

fortified hilltop where citizens gathered to discuss city government.

The acropolis at Athens

Greek Political Structures

• Monarchy government: ruled by a king; rule is hereditary; some rulers claimed divine right. (Mycenae, 2000 B.C.E.)

• Aristocracy: state ruled by nobility, rule is hereditary based on family ties, social rank, and wealth (Athens prior to 594 B.C.E.)

• Oligarchy: state ruled by a small group of citizens; rule is based on wealth or ability; ruling controls military (Sparta, 500 B.C.E.)

• Direct Democracy: state ruled by its citizens; rule based on citizenship; majority rule decides vote (Athens after 500 B.C.E.)

Athens Builds a Democracy

• In 621 B.C.E. Draco, developed a legal code: “all Athenians were equal.”

• In 594 B.C.E. Solon outlawed debt slavery

• Solon organized all Athenians into four social classes based on wealth.

• Top three classes could hold public office, but anyone could participate in assembly.

Age of Pericles (461-429 B.C.E.• Direct Democracy –

citizens rule directly and not through representatives

• Male citizens who served in the assembly establish all the important government policies that affected the polis.

Athenian Education• Sons of wealthy families

received formal education—poetry, history, math, logic, public speaking, athletics, military school

• Girls were educated at home by their mothers, i.e. child-rearing, weaving cloth, preparing meals.

• A few women were able to learn to read and write.

Sparta

Sparta’s Government• Assembly composed of

Spartan citizens who elected officials and voted on issues.

• Council of Elders – 30 older citizens proposed laws

• Five elected officials carried out laws.

• Two kings ruled over military forces.

Sparta’s Social Structure• Citizens descended from

original inhabitants – ruling families who owned the land.

• Non-citizens who were free worked in commerce and industry.

• Helots – worked in the fields or as house servants

Sparta’s Society• Sparta had the most

powerful army in Greece.• Individual expression

was discouraged.• Did not value the arts,

literature, intellectual pursuits.

• Did value duty, strength, and discipline.

Gender Roles in Sparta• Boys served in the

military until age of 60.• Boys’ lives centered on

military training.• Spartan girls received

some military training; they also wrestled and played sports.

• Spartan women had considerable freedom.

Society grew into a limited democracy, or government by the people.

Male citizens over age 30 were members of the assembly.

Rulers encouraged trade with other city-states.

Women were considered inferior and therefore were not allowed to vote.

Boys received education in many areas, not just military training.

Rulers were two kings and a council of elders.

Rulers formed a military society.

Conquered people were turned into slaves, called helots.

Only men were allowed to be citizens, women were not allowed to be citizens although they had the right to own and inherit property.

All males received military training.

Girls were raised to produce healthy sons for the army.

ATHENS SPARTA

Athens and Sparta

©2012, TESCCC

• They honored the same ancient heroes.• They participated in common festivals.• They prayed to the same gods.• They shared the Greek language.• They felt superior to non-Greeks, whom they

called “barbaroi,” people who did not speak Greek.

Local ties, independent spirit, and economic rivalries led to fighting among the Greek city-states. Despite these divisions, the Greeks shared a common culture.

Unifying Forces

Persian Wars• Danger of helot revolt led

Sparta to become military state.

• Struggles between rich and poor led Athens to become a democracy.

• Invasion by Persian armies moved Sparta and Athens to their greatness.

Impact of Technology on Warfare• Before 750 B.C.E., only

the rich could afford bronze spears, shields, breastplates and chariots.

• Iron later replaced bronze in manufacture of weapons.

• Because iron was common and cheap, ordinary citizens could afford to arm and defend themselves.

• The phalanx emerged.

Battle at Marathon• In 546 B.C.E. Darius

conquered Greeks in Ionia.• Athens helped Ionians and

Darius vowed revenge.• In 490 B.C.E. Persian fleet

of 25,000 men landed in Marathon.

• 10,000 Athenians easily defeated the unprepared Persians.

• Pheidippides raced 26 miles from Marathon to Athens to protect city.

The Persian Wars (490 to 479 B.C.E.)

• Persia and the Greek city-states battled for over 10 years.

• Persians were unsuccessful in their efforts to conquer Greek city-states.

• Greek city-states formed alliance called Delian League.

• League members eventually were successful in driving the Persians from the territories surrounding Greece.

Consequences of Persian Wars

• Athens emerged as a leader of the Delian League which had 200 city-states.

• Athens used power to control other league members.

• In time, city-states became provinces of Athenian empire.

• Prestige and wealth of Athens set the stage for a golden age.

The Parthenon

• 23,000 square feet• In traditional style of Greek

temples• Built to honor Athena,

goddess of wisdom and protector of Athens

• Figures were graceful, strong, and perfect.

• Set standards for classical art.

The Hellenistic Age

• Age of Alexander and his successors

• Greek culture expanded influence beyond Greece.

• They facilitated trade and made is possible for culture to spread over large distances.

Alexander the Great’s Empire• Phillipp II conquered Greece in

338 B.C.E. • His son Alexander took over at

age 20. • Alexander conquered the

Persian Empire, including Egypt in 332 B.C.E. Alexandria was established in his name.

• By 326 B.C.E. Alexander and his army reached the Indus Valley. After 11 years of fighting his men wanted to go home.

Alexander’s Empire

Alexander’s Legacy• After Alexander’s death, his

generals fought among themselves for control of the empire.

• The empire was divided:– Antigonus – king of Macedonia

and Greek city-states– Ptolemy – pharaoh of Egypt– Selecus – Persian empire

• These rulers and their descendants ignored democratic traditions.

Alexandria

• Wealthiest of Hellenistic Empires was Ptolemaic Egypt.

• Huge harbor of 1,200 ships

• Culturally diverse• Famous Alexandrian

Museum – philosophy, literature, science

• Famous Alexandrian Library of more than 700,000 works

Alexander’s Legacy• Alexander adopted Persian

dress and customs and married a Persian woman.

• Persians and people from other lands made up his army.

• In time, Greek settlers throughout the empire adopted new ways.

• A blend of Greek and Eastern customs emerged.

Agriculture in Ancient Greece

• Mountainous, rocky terrain• Depended upon maritime

trade.• Cultivated olives, grapes,

olive oil, and wine• Grain came from Egypt,

Sicily, and southern Russia• Cities relied more on

commerce than agriculture.

Greek Society

• Patriarchal – women spent time in the family home; could not own property but sometimes operated small businesses

• Literacy was common among upper class Greek women; poet Sappho was active.

• Slaves came from those who couldn’t pay debts, conquests and Africa (Egypt)

Socrates (470-399 BCE)

• Posed questions that reflected on human issues, i.e. ethics and morality.

• Honor was more important than wealth or fame.

• “The unexamined life is not worth living.”

• Condemned to death for “immorality and corruption of Athenian youth” who joined him to discuss moral and ethical issues.

The Death of Socrates by Jacques-Louis David (1787)

Plato• Socrates’ student or follower• Presented thought in dialogue

between Socrates and a student• The Republic: • Disturbed that intellectual control

over the world was not possible because world is constantly in a state of flux.

• Advocated intellectual aristocracy; philosophical elite rules while less intelligent classes work.

Aristotle• Believed philosophers could rely

on their senses to provide accurate information about the world, and

• Use reason to sort out its mysteries.

• Wrote on biology, physics, astronomy, psychology, politics, ethics, and literature.

• Christian and Islamic theologians tried to harmonize religious convictions with the philosophical views of Plato and Aristotle.

Popular Religion• Most Greeks of classical era

did not have advanced education.

• Polytheistic• Constructed myths related to

stories of the gods.• Myths sough to explain the

world and its forces.• Women were the most

prominent devotees of Dionysus, god of wine.

• Euripides’ play The Bacchae.

Philosophy: The Stoics

• Taught individuals they had the duty to aid others and lead virtuous lives.

• Focused on reason and nature.• Sought ways to bring individuals to a state

of inner peace and tranquility.