Classical GreeceUnit 5

HERODOTUS• Historiae = “history”

• The first to detail the events of the Persian Wars▫ He wrote about other Greek

and Persian history and geography also

▫ Most of his works were written DECADES after the actual events

• First to apply the method of writing history▫ Includes research combined with

a critical attitude

GREEKS AND BARBARIANS•Herodotus introduced the Greeks to foreign

peoples▫ He included both ideas and knowledge about Egyptians,

Persians, Scythians etc…)

•“Barbarians” are described in philosophy, literature and medicine▫ Oftentimes, Greeks would indirectly describe themselves

when referencing barbarians

•Criticized Xerxes’ despotic rule, Persian cowardice and luxurious lifestyle

ATHENIAN NAVY• Focused on increasing their

Navy

• Primarily built the trireme

• Oarsmen were thetes, men who were too poor to be hoplites

• Financed by tribute collected from its allies and subjects

ATHENIAN DEMOCRACY• By 400 B.C., Athens was a

radical democracy▫ ANYONE could speak at

assembly, no matter what social class you were

• 9 archons – chief magistrates – and council of 500 were elected

• Assembly, or ecclesia, met 40 times a year, with about 6000 people attending

• 451 B.C. Athens allows only men with TWO Athenian parents to be citizens

ATHENIAN EMPIRE• 478 B.C. – Athenians took over

Greek forces

• Delian League – Alliance led by Athens▫ Its treasury and headquarters were

located on Delos▫ Primarily the Aegean Islands and Ionia

• 454 B.C. – headquarters and treasury moved to Athens▫ Athens began to view their allies as

their subjects

• Athens forces its allies to pay tribute

• Athens stretched to its furthest extent during this period▫ 478 B.C. – 431 B.C.

PERICLES• “First citizen of Athens”

• 461-429 B.C. – “Age of Pericles”

• Spread Athens Empire and established the Delian League as an Athenian Empire

• Introduced the building projects on the Acropolis

• Introduced the idea of paying jurors

• Athens was “In name Democracy, but in fact the rule of one man”

ATHENIAN ACROPOLIS• Acropolis – citadel or settlement

built upon a hill

• Parthenon – built to goddess Athena to honor their victory at Marathon

• Parthenon virtual tour

• Only planned, state-funded building program in Classical Greece

ATHENIAN DRAMA• Comedies and Tragedies

• Mostly done in the 5th century B.C.

• Civic festivals to honor Dionysus▫ God of wine▫ Each playwright was usually

sponsored by a wealthy citizen

• Chorus would sing and dance the ode▫ This was the foundation of the

performance▫ In addition, tragic choruses

speak for the citizens while comedic ones criticize the government

Tragic drama was invented when a poet named Thespis added speeches and an actor to the tragic chorus

THEATER OF DIONYSUS• Theaters usually overlooked a

flat area

• Orchestra = “dancing place”

• Audience organized by social status, politics, or tribes

• Were free at first, but eventually issues tickets

Pericles and the Acropolis•http://

www.youtube.com/watch?v=vHMu2gVzspA

•Begin at 29:00

Sophists• Skill in public speaking was EXTREMELY important in

Classical Athens▫ Why would it be valued more in Athens than in other city-

states?• Rhetoric – persuasive speaking

• Sophist – speaking experts who taught rhetoric▫ “sophos” = wise

• They came from all over Greece to live and work in Athens, they were both philosophers and teachers

• Protagoras – “man is the measure of all things”; He could “make the weaker argument stronger”

• Sophists were throughout the Mediterranean, often argued in abstract and theoretical terms

Thucydides and the Peloponnesian Wars• http://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=uFXJWkEvNgk

Thucydides• Fought for Athens in the Peloponnesian Wars

• Exiled in 424 B.C.

• Wrote from an Athenian perspective, constantly references their culture and society

• Pericles’ funeral oration

• Thucydides never wrote anything down until later, and even admits as much…

• Tried to use eye-witness account• Very dry writing style

▫ How is this different from Herodotus?• Eliminates divine intervention• More scientific and accurate

First Peloponnesian War• 460 B.C. – 445 B.C.

• FUNDAMENTAL PROBLEM: How a naval power like Athens could defeat a landlocked Sparta, and how Sparta, with no effective navy, could hop to capture Athens.

• Early 470s – Themistocles ostracized, Cimon takes over

• Cimon has friendly relationships with Sparta▫ He like Sparta so much, he

named his first born son Lakedaemonios

• Sparta has helot revolts approx. 460 B.C.

• Athens send 4,000 men led by Cimon to assist▫ How does Sparta respond?

• Cimon is exiled

• Athens then took control of Thessaly, Argos and Magara

Battle of Tanagra• 457 B.C.

• Phocis and Doris were fighting

• Doris was allied with Sparta, Phocis was allied with Athens

• Sparta supports Doris and fights Athenian forces on Boeotia

• Sparta wins, but Athens rebounds

• Athens takes Boeotia, Aegina, finishes its walls, and begin to sack Peloponnesian cities and docks

Truce• Following an

unsuccessful trip to Egypt, Athens created a truce with Sparta

• 451 B.C. – Cimon returns negotiates a 5 year truce

• 446-445 B.C. – Thirty Years’ Peace▫ Megara was returned to

Sparta

Second Peloponnesian War• 431-404 B.C.

• PHASE 1 (431-421): Archidamian War – Sparta attacks Athens on land, Athens attacks Sparta by sea

• PHASE 2 (415-413 B.C.): Sicilian Expedition – disastrous Athenian expedition

• PHASE 3 (413-404 B.C.): Sparta is supported by Persia, promote uprisings in the Athenian Empire

BREAKDOWN OF PEACE•433 B.C. - Battle of Sybota - Athens

supports Corcyra against Corinth

•432 B.C. - Athens encourages Potidaea to revolt, Corinth supports with troops▫This directly violates the Thirty Years Peace

•432 B.C. – Airing of Grievances in Sparta▫Corinth is furious Sparta is too passive, talks

them into war

The “Archidamian War”• 431-421 B.C.

• Few decisive battles, particularly because of the stark differences between Athens and Sparta

• Invaded land surrounding Athens, try to siege the city

• How did Pericles keep Athens from fighting?

• The Hoplites only stayed for a few weeks at a time though! They needed to go home for the harvest and for support in case of a helot rebellion.

Pericles’ Funeral Oration• Delivered following the first

year of battle

• Honoring the Athenian dead soldiers

• Recorded by Thucydides in History of the Peloponnesian War

• Often compared to the Gettysburg Address

• Sometimes viewed as “a eulogy of Athens in and of itself..”▫ WHY?

Pericles’ Funeral Oration• PRAISE OF THE DEAD – SUPPORT FOR THE WAR

• “the reputations of many brave men" should "not be imperiled in the mouth of a single individual“

• "That part of our history which tells of the military achievements which gave us our several possessions, or of the ready valour with which either we or our fathers stemmed the tide of Hellenic or foreign aggression, is a theme too familiar to my hearers for me to dwell upon, and I shall therefore pass it by." Instead, Pericles proposes to focus on "the road by which we reached our position, the form of government under which our greatness grew, and the national habits out of which it sprang". This amounts to a focus on present day Athens; Thucydides' Pericles thus decides to praise the war dead by glorifying the city for which they died.

Pericles’ Funeral Oration• THE GREATNESS OF ATHENS

• "If we look to the laws, they afford equal justice to all in their private differences...if a man is able to serve the state, he is not hindered by the obscurity of his condition. The freedom we enjoy in our government extends also to our ordinary life. There, far from exercising a jealous surveillance over each other, we do not feel called upon to be angry with our neighbor for doing what he likes...“ The liberality of which Pericles spoke also extended to Athens' foreign policy: "We throw open our city to the world, and never by alien acts exclude foreigners from any opportunity of learning or observing, although the eyes of an enemy may occasionally profit by our liberality..." Yet Athens' values of equality and openness do not, according to Pericles, hinder Athens' greatness, indeed, they enhance it, "...advancement in public life falls to reputations for capacity, class considerations not being allowed to interfere with merit...our ordinary citizens, though occupied with the pursuits of industry, are still fair judges of public matters...at Athens we live exactly as we please, and yet are just as ready to encounter every legitimate danger."

Pericles’ Funeral Oration• THE GREATNESS OF ATHENS

• In the climax of his praise of Athens, Pericles declares: "In short, I say that as a city we are the school of Hellas; while I doubt if the world can produce a man, who where he has only himself to depend upon, is equal to so many emergencies, and graced by so happy a versatility as the Athenian."[16] Finally, Pericles links his praise of the city to the dead Athenians for whom he is speaking, "...for the Athens that I have celebrated is only what the heroism of these and their like have made her...none of these men allowed either wealth with its prospect of future enjoyment to unnerve his spirit, or poverty with its hope of a day of freedom and riches to tempt him to shrink from danger. No, holding that vengeance upon their enemies was more to be desired than any personal blessings, and reckoning this to be the most glorious of hazards, they joyfully determined to accept the risk... Thus, choosing to die resisting, rather than to live submitting, they fled only from dishonor..." The conclusion seems inevitable: "Therefore, having judged that to be happy means to be free, and to be free means to be brave, do not shy away from the risks of war". With the linkage of Athens' greatness complete, Pericles moves to addressing his audience.

• Pericles then turns to the audience and exhorts them to live up to the standards set by the deceased, "So died these men as becomes Athenians. You, their survivors, must determine to have as unfaltering a resolution in the field, though you may pray that it may have a happier outcome."

The “Archidamian War”• Pericles recommended that

Athens “sit tight” and refuse to challenge the Spartans on land

• 430 B.C. – Plague hits Athens, 30,000 Athenians,, Pericles and his two sons perish

• Athens is now ruled by aggressive politician Cleon and brilliant military commander Demosthenes

• 425 B.C. – Battle of Pylos – Athens supported Helot refugees, capture 400-600 hoplite warriors, gain huge bargaining chip

Peace of Nicias•422 B.C. – Battle of Amphipolis – Sparta

takes silver deposits, Cleon dies, Thucydides exiled for his failure!▫Spartan leader Brasidas died also

•421 B.C. – Peace of Nicias▫Returns all land back to what is was

prior to the war

▫Was supposed to last 50 years….

Second Peloponnesian War• 431-404 B.C.

• PHASE 1 (431-421): Archidamian War – Sparta attacks Athens on land, Athens attacks Sparta by sea

• PHASE 2 (415-413 B.C.): Sicilian Expedition – disastrous Athenian expedition

• PHASE 3 (413-404 B.C.): Sparta is supported by Persia, promote uprisings in the Athenian Empire

PHASE 2: SICILIAN EXPEDITION• 415-413 B.C. –

Athenian allies in Sicily was under attack from Syracuse

• Led by Alcibiades; who later defected

• Syracuse defeats Athens

• Syracuse assisted by Sparta

• Bad omen (lunar eclipse) delayed their retreat and Athens lost a huge naval battle

• The ENTIRE Athenian fleet was destroyed or captured…

Alcibiades• 450-405 B.C.

• Born into a wealthy family

• Accused of defaming hermai in Athens and fled▫ Athens gave a reward for his head▫ He was responsible for giving

secrets to Syracuse once he realized Athens was going to arrest him

415 B.C. - Helped war strategy with Sparta

Fell out of favor, traveled to Persia to work for Tissaphernes

• 411 B.C. – organizes the “oligarchic revolution”

• 406 B.C. – leads Athenian naval failures

• 405 B.C. – Arranged to be murdered

PHASE 3: SPARTA TRIUMPHS• 413 B.C. - Sparta built

fortifications at Decelea▫ This interrupted Athenian

overland supply routes and freed 20,000 silver mine slaves!

• Where does Athens need to turn for $??

• Athens is weak, but Persia, Sparta and Syracuse delayed and failed to take advantage of their opportunity

• 411 -410 B.C. – Battle of Syme and Battle of Cyzius – Athenian reserve fleet is victorious, regain momentum

PHASE 3: SPARTA TRIUMPHS• 406 B.C. – Lysander scores

a naval victory at Notium

• 405 B.C. – Battle of Aegospotami – Another Spartan naval victory ▫ Destroyed 168 Athenian

ships!!

• Thebes and Corinth wanted Athens destroyed, Sparta actually saved it from destruction

Greece After the War

Corinthian War•395-386 B.C.

•Persia stimulated a revolt against Sparta by Thebes and Corinth▫ Why were Thebes and Corinth angry at Sparta?

•Sparta suffers and Corinth later turns on Athens

•Persia’s king Artaxerxes takes control of Greece and appoint Sparta to be its enforcer

Fall of Sparta and Victory of Thebes• 382-379 – Sparta intervenes

in Thebes and gets thrown out

• Sparta then launches an attack on Athens that is unsuccessful

• Battle of Leuctra (371 B.C.) – Sparta loses to Thebes, second-rate city▫ The Sacred Band

• Thebes power lasted from 371-362 B.C.

Syracuse and Carthage• 405 B.C. – Dionysius takes over

Syracuse

• Tyrannical leader, implementing a united state in Eastern Sicily

• Constant war with Carthage

• Participated in wider Greek world▫ Wrote poems, tragedies, sent

chariots to the Olympic games, etc.

• How different history may have been

• This shows that one man can seize power and mobilize wealth and resources

• Dionysius reportedly entered his play in an Athenian festival, won and drank himself to death celebrating…

Socrates• 470-399 B.C.

• Fought in the Peloponnesian War

• Was not involved in politics, did not charge for his teachings▫ Rumored to have stood still and

been lost in thought for 24 hours…

• Never wrote anything down, we rely mostly on Plato

• Soul is character of a person; needs to find the “good” through reason

Socrates• To find the good, one needs to recognize the limitation of life

• “An unexamined life is not worth living”

• Believes everything needs to be discovered by reason▫ He was wisest man alive b/c he realized his own ignorance

399 B.C. – accused of “corrupting the young”.

Demanded he be given food and shelter for life as payment for his teachings!

• Found guilty and eventually put to death by poison

“I owe Esclepeus a chicken, please don’t forget to pay the debt.”

Plato• 428-347 B.C.

• Did not like democracy – mob rule and atmosphere of the moment

• Believed spirit exists externally; everything has an ideal Form

• Allegory of the cave▫ What is it?

• The Republic – happiness of individual is dependent on happiness of the polis

• Government must be given to those with the intellectual ability to grasp these concepts▫ What does he think about the common

man?

• Democracy is a ship without a captain

Plato• Described his ideal republic

▫ Military and mathematical training▫ Serve the state at 35; understand Forms of the soul at

50▫ Sex life is limited, so is comedy and drama▫ Politicians gain nothing from their position

• Traveled all over Italy and Egypt studying mathematics, astronomy and science

• 385 B. C. - Established “The Academy”▫ Stayed open for over 900 years!!▫ Eventually closed because it was “unchristian”

• s

Aristotle• 384 -322 B.C.

• Born in Macedonia

• Studies at “The Academy” for 20 years

• Later became Alexander the Great’s personal tutor

• Established the Lycaeum

• Father of science, studied natural objects▫ Split animals into those with and without

blood▫ Then divided them into life-bearing or egg-

bearing▫ Then divided them into whether they lived on

land or in water

• d

Aristotle• Wrote a lot about ethics – how people should behave

• People needed to have virtue▫ People needed to decide to have virtue and to do the

right thing▫ The right thing is usually in between two bad things;

i.e. confidence

• Those with the most virtue? – Philosophers of course!

Symposium• Drinking party with

prostitutes

• “Men’s room”▫ Sexual relations with both

male and female

• Male sexual advancement was regarded highly by many, but not if you were submissive

• “pedagogue” – chaperones for sons in public

• Plato believed through love humans can gain a vision of divinity

Science and Medicine• Hippocrates (460-370 B.C.)– wrote a canon of medical

treatises –Hippocratic Corpus

• Believed the that the body was composed of liquids and blood vessels

• Aristotle was first to perform dissections

Oratory and Honor• A lot of rhetoric was seen in the

courtroom or assembly

• Oratory was extremely important

• Jury – 6,000 people! Majority vote

• Long standing feuds – speeches include past transgressions

• Hybris – “insult” or “outrage”▫ Courts offered a way for Athenians to

play out their drama and determine the winner of the perpetual contest of honor

Athenian Citizens

• After 451 B.C. – two Athenian parents were required for citizenship

• Hold office, participate in assembly, serve as jurors

• Wealthy citizens had more political influence▫ Why?

• Liturgies – taxes that supported the city

The Agora• Marketplace

• Open space for public use

• Shop, watch a contest, parade, or lawsuit

• Ostracisms

• Temples, governmental buildings, altars to gods

Slaves and Metics• Large part of society, many

families owned multiple slaves

• Slaves were owned by citizens, the city-state, or hired out for agricultural work

• Citizens could never become slaves and vice versa

• Non-citizens were metics. Couldn’t own land, excluded from politics

Women• Every woman was under power of a kyrios, or guardian

▫ This was usually a parent or husband

• No legal authority, couldn’t inherit land

• Marriage was arranged between the groom and the bride’s male relatives

• Ideal wife: stays in the house, only comes out on special occasions, doesn’t speak much, presents herself as chaste and wholesome

• Reality: many wives did household chores, visited friends, went to the agora to shop. Nurses, shopkeepers, dancers and prostitutes

• Hetairai – “companions”; prostitutes who formed lasting relationships with men▫ Pericles - Aspasia