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Ancient Greece

Mr. Giesler

Global Studies

What I Know About Greece

What I Want to Learn

About Greece

What I LearnedAbout Greece

Refer to Notes Packet

Geography

Unlike other early civilizations, Greek civilization did NOT rise in

a fertile river valley

Rugged and remote corner of S.E. Europe

Much of Greece is mountainous and rocky terrain

Has several plains.

Geography

The Pindus Mountains start in northern Greece and stretch south

to the Gulf of Patra.

Geographically no where in Greece is more than 60 km from the

sea

Greece is located on the southernmost point of the Balkan

Peninsula and is flanked by 3 large bodies of water: the Aegean

Sea, the Ionian Sea, and the Mediterranean Sea.

Geography

The Peloponnesus Mountains occupy southern part of

Greece.

Approximately 20% of Greece is made up of islands.

Crete is a large island located in the Mediterranean Sea

Most of the people in Greece live along the coast, or

along rivers and harbors.

Climate - Most of Greece has a mild climate

Summers are warm and dry

Rain is heavy during the winter months, with some

mountain areas getting snow.

Early Civilizations of Greece

Minoan Civilization

Occupied the island of Crete

First inhabitants probably migrated from Asia Minor

We do not know a lot of the Minoan Civilization

What we do know, English archaeologist Sir Arthur Evans provided

Success of the Minoans was a result of trade…not conquest

Minoans established outposts throughout the Aegean world,

including mainland Greece

Location allowed the Minoans to cross the seas to the Nile River

Valley and the Middle East


Minoan Civilization

Through contact with Egypt and Mesopotamia, the Minoans

acquired ideas and technology – Cultural Diffusion

Minoan reached its peak between 1750 – 1500 BCE

The Palace of Knossos (NAHS uhs)

Archeologist digs reveal painting suggests that women moved

freely and may have enjoyed more rights than women in most

ancient civilizations


Minoan Civilization

About 1400 BCE, Minoan Civilization vanished

Archaeologists are not sure why…maybe a volcanic eruption on

nearby island

Maybe an earthquake

Invaders definitely played a role – the Mycenaeans


The Mycenaean's

Indo-European people

Conquered Greek mainland

Dominated the Aegean world from 1400 – 1200 BCE

Sea Traders

Reached Sicily, Italy, Egypt, and Mesopotamia

Influenced by the Egyptians and Mesopotamia – Cultural Diffusion


The Mycenaean's

Lived in separate city-states on the mainland

Warrior-king ruled his village

Rulers amasses treasure; gold ornaments that archaeologists have

unearthed from their tombs)


The Mycenaean's

The Trojan War – 1250 BCE

Legend or Reality???

May had its origin due to economic rivalry with Troy

Troy – rich trading city in now present-day Turkey

Troy controlled the straits that connect the Mediterranean and

Black Sea

Trojan prince Pars kidnapped Helen, wife of a Greek King

The Mycenaeans sailed to Troy to rescue her

For 10 years, the Greeks and Troy fought


The Mycenaean's

The Trojan Horse

Seeking entrance into Troy, Odysseus ordered a large wooden

horse to be built.

Its insides were to be hollow so that soldiers could hide within it.

A number of the Greek warriors, along with Odysseus, climbed

inside.

The rest of the Greek fleet sailed away, so as to deceive the

Trojans.

One man, Sinon, was left behind.


The Mycenaean's

The Trojan Horse

When the Trojans came to marvel at the huge creation, Sinon

pretended to be angry with the Greeks, stating that they had

deserted him.

He assured the Trojans that the wooden horse was safe and would

bring luck to the Trojans.

The Trojans celebrated what they thought was their victory, and

dragged the wooden horse into Troy.

At night, after most of Troy was asleep or in a drunken stupor,

Sinon let the Greek warriors out from the horse, and they slaughtered

the Trojans.


Homer

Mycenaean power faded

1100 to 800 BCE, Greek Civilization seemed to

have step backwards; trade declined, cities were

abandoned, and people stopped writing

Homer; Greek poet; author of the Iliad and Odyssey

According to legend, Homer was blind and would wander from

village to village playing his harp and singing of heroic deeds

His tales were passed from generation to generation before they

were written down

Not This Homer


Homer

The Iliad, serves as our primary source about the Trojan

War, including several writing liberties such as gods,

goddesses, and a talking horseMother tells me,the immortal goddess Thetis with her glistening feet,that two fates bear me on to the day of death.If I hold out here and I lay siege to Troy,my journey home is gone, but my glory never dies.If I voyage back to the fatherland I love,my pride, my glory dies…

TTYN – what is Homer’s message in this passage?


Homer

The Odyssey,

Homer tells the reader a story of the struggles of the Greek hero

Odysseus to return home to his faithful wife, Penelope, after the fall

of Troy.

During his journey home, Odysseus encounters a sea monster, a

race of one-eyed giants, and beautiful sorceress who turns men into

swine.

TTYN – The Iliad and the Odyssey tell us what about the ancient

Greeks?

Homer depicts the heroism and courage of the ancient Greeks

The Rise of Greek City-States

How Geography played a big role in the development of Ancient

Greece

The mountains divided the peninsula into isolate valleys

Beyond the coastline sat hundreds of rocky islands

The Greeks did NOT establish a large empire as the Egyptians and

Mesopotamians had – they built many small city-states

City-states were cut off from one another by either land or water

Strong loyalty to their own city-state

Fiercely defended their independence

Frequent wars between the city-states


The Polis

750 BCE, a unique version of the city-state called the polis

The top of the city sat the acropolis or high city, with great marble

temples dedicated to gods and goddesses

On flatter grounds lay the walled main city with its market place,

theater, public buildings, and homes

Men would spend time in the marketplace, debating issues that

affected their lives


Early Governments

750 – 500 BCE

Different forms of government

First, Monarchy – king or queen exercised power

Next, Aristocracy – class of noble landowners would win power for

themselves

Trade expands and new middle class of wealthy merchants emerge

Challenged the landowning nobles for power.

Oligarchy – power is in the hands of a small, powerful elite, usually

from the business elite


Changes in Warfare

Technology contributes to military strategies and power

Iron weapons replaced bronze; iron cheaper; now the common man

could acquire iron helmets, shields, and swords

New fighting methods emerge

The Phalanx emerges – formation of heavily armed foot soldiers

The phalanx reduces class differences

TTYN – why did the phalanx impact class differences?

Defense was now in the hands of ordinary citizens


What I Want to Learn About Greece

What I Have Learned So farAbout Greece

Sparta and Athens

The effect of new technology and warfare lead to emergences of

two dominate city-states: Sparta and Athens

Developed very different ways of life

Sparta stressed military virtues and discipline

Athens glorified the individual; would extend political rights to

more citizens

Sparta and Athens

Sparta

Spartans conquer Laconia

This region lies in the Peloponnesus (southern part of Greece)

Conquered people turned into slaves, called helots

Helots worked the land

Spartans administered a brutal system of strict control

Spartan Government – consisted of two kings and a council of

elders who advised the elders

Assembly, made up of all citizens approved major decisions;

citizens were male and over 30

Sparta and Athens

Life as a Spartan

Young boys were bred to be strong Spartans

Spartan boys were only allowed to wear one layer of clothing

Spartan youth became excellent soldiers

Encouraged to steal to develop cunning and supplement their diet;

if caught they would be beaten

Spartan women wrestled and took part in sports

Had to obey their fathers or husbands

The culture of Sparta changed from normal Archaic Greek to

military and athletic.

Sparta and Athens

Life as a Spartan

Elders judged whether Spartan babies were strong or weak enough

to live.

If they were judged too weak, they were hurled into a gorge or

left to die in a hillside.

Life was made tough for the Spartan citizens so they could forever

control the Messenians.

Even alcohol was banned to the Spartans, but the helots were

allowed to drink.

Leonidas, warrior-king of Sparta

Sparta and Athens

Life as a Spartan

Sparta isolate itself from its neighbors such as the Greeks

Looked down and wealth

Forbade their citizens from traveling

Had little use for new ideas or the arts

Were willing to die for their city

TTYN – Why would Sparta’s rigid system and inability to change

lead to their decline in power

Sparta and Athens

Athens

Athens was located in Attica, north of Peloponnesus

Government would evolve from a monarchy into an aristocracy

700 BCE, noble landowners held the power and chose chief officials

Nobles judged major cases in court and dominated the assembly

Merchants and soldiers resented the power of the nobles

Argued that their service to Athens entitled them to more rights

Demands for change also came from farmers

During hard times, farmers were forced to sell their lands to

nobles; some were forced to sell themselves and family into slavery

Sparta and Athens

Athens

Athens moves closer to democracy; government by the people

Solon’s Reform

Solon – Chief Official granted permission to make needed reform

Outlawed slavery because of debt

High office to more citizens

Granted citizenship to foreigners

Gave Athenian assemble more say in important decisions

Sparta and Athens

Athens

Economic Reform

Encouraged the export of wine and olive oil; helped merchants and

farmers by increasing demand

Citizenship still remained limited

Wealthy landowners still held onto the highest positions of

authority

Rise of the Tyrants – people who gained power by force

Won support by imposing reforms

Sparta and Athens

Athens

Athenian tyrant, Pisistratus (pi SIHS truh tuhs) seized power in

546BCE

Helped farmers by giving them loans and land taken from nobles

New building projects – gave jobs to the poor

Gave the poor a voice and weakened the aristocracy

507BCE, reformer Cleisthenes created the Council of 500

members were chosen by lot of all citizens

Created law and supervised the day-to-day work of government

Created a legislature – lawmaking body, debated law

All male citizens over 30 were members

Sparta and Athens

Athens

Limited Rights

Only males citizens could participate in government

Slavery still existed

Slavery provided the citizens with the time to participate in

government

Sparta and Athens

Athens

Women, as in other Greek city-states had no share in public life

Women must be guided by men

Managed the house, cared for the children, and prepared food

Boys received an education, girls received very little, if any

Young men received military training and encouraged to explore

many others areas of knowledge

Studied to become public speakers

TTYN – why would it be necessary to become a good public

speaker?

In a democracy you were expected to voice your opinion and views

Sparta Athens

Sparta and Athens

Athens

Common Culture

Spoke same language

Honored same ancient heroes

Participated in common festivals such as the Olympic Games

Prayed to the same gods (polytheistic)

Sparta and Athens

Athens

Believed the gods lived on Mt. Olympus in Northern Greece

Zeus – the most powerful god

Hera – goddess of marriage

Poseidon – god of the sea

Aphrodite – goddess of love

Ares – god of war

Athena – god of wisdom, gave her name to Athens

Sparta and Athens

Athens

View of non-Greeks

Trade expanded and so did Greek colonies

Came in contact with people who had different cultures and

languages

Felt superior to non-Greeks

Called outsiders or non-Greeks barbaroi; people who did not speak

Greek

English word Barbarians comes from barbaroi

This feeling of superiority and what they learned from other

cultures would help the Greeks face a threat from the mightiest

power in the Mediterranean world – The Persian Empire

Sparta and Athens

The Persian Wars

“Earth and Water”

492 BCE, King Darius of Persia sent messengers to the

Greek city-states demanding gifts of “earth and water” as a

symbol of surrender

Many states obeyed

Athens and Sparta declined

Prior to the Persian demand, the Greek city-states, despite

their cultural ties, were often bitterly divided.

However, when Persia made their threat, they united to

defend their freedom

Sparta and Athens

The Persian Wars

By 500 BCE, Persian authority had stretched into the Ionian Sea

Ionian Greeks rebelled against Persian rule

Athens sent ships to help

Persians crush the rebellion within the Ionian cities.

Persia looks to punish Athens for interfering

Battle at Marathon – 490 BCE

Marathon, north of Athens

Sparta and Athens

The Persian Wars

Persian outnumbers the Athenians two to one

Despite being outnumbered, the Athenians used an element of

surprise

Persians retreated….The Greeks were victorious

The Greek sent a runner to Athens to share the news

He sprinted nearly 26 miles

Sparta and Athens

The Persian Wars

480 BCE, Xerxes, Ruler of the Persians sends a much larger force to

Athens

Sparta is on-board

Persians marched south to Athens; burn Athens; however, Athens

was empty

Athens puts their faith in the fleet of ships that they had build

Strait of Salamis; Athenian ships trapped, rammed, and sank the

Persian fleet

TTYN – What effect would the victory over the Persians represent

for the Athenians?

Sparta and Athens

The Persian Wars

The Delian League – alliance with other Greek city-states designed

to meet the continued threats from Persia

Athens dominates the league

Creates an Athenian Empire

Forced its allies to remain in the league against their will

The League and the power it gave Athens over the rest of Greece

were to become one of the major reasons for the Peloponnesian War

against Sparta and its allies.

The Legend of Pericles

The Golden Age – the years after the Persian Wars

Pericles leads Athens

Economy thrived

government became more democratic

490 – 429 BCE – The Age of Pericles

Architects and sculptors to rebuild the Acropolis

New temples for the gods to remind Athens that the gods favored

them

Building projects increased prosperity by creating jobs for artisans

and workers

Athens became the cultural center of Greece


Pericles believed that all male citizens should take part in

government

Began to pay salaries to those who helped in public office; enabled

poor men to serve in government

The Assembly met several times per month

At least 6K members would participate

Direct Democracy – large number of male citizens took part in the

day-to-day affairs of government

TTYN – How do we (today) participate in democracy?

Indirect democracy – through representatives


The Funeral Oration

Thucydides, historian during the Age of Pericles

“Our constitution is called a democracy because power is in the

hands not of a minority but of the whole people. When it is a question

of settling private disputes, everyone is equal before the law: when it

is a question of putting one person before another in positions of

public responsibility, what counts is not membership of a particular

class, but the actual ability which the man possesses.”

TTYN – What is Pericles suggesting?

Athenian citizens bore a special responsibility, We alone,” he stated,

“regard a man who takes no interest in public affairs, not as harmless

but as a useless character”

The Peloponnesian War

Greek vs. Greek

Many Greeks resented Athens and Athenian domination

Two camps emerge; Led by Sparta

The Peloponnesian League

Sparta encouraged oligarchy vs. Athenian democracy

431 BCE, war brakes out between Sparta and Athens

27 years of war


Athens has a powerful navy, but Sparta has a land advantage

Sparta was located inland, therefore, could not be attacked by sea

Sparta marches to Athens

Pericles moves the citizens inside the walls of Athens

Disaster – a plague emerges; kills 1/3, including Pericles

Pericles successors were less able; power struggle undermines the

city’s democratic government

Sparta aligns with Persia

404 BCE, the Spartans capture Athens, stripped the Athenians of

their fleet and their empire


The impact of the war

Athenian economy would revive

Spirit and greatness would never return

Democratic government suffered

Corruption and selfish interests replaced older ideals such as

service to the city-state

Sparta would eventually be defeated by the Thebes, another Greek

city-state

Greeks would continue to fight among themselves

359 BCE, a new power rose in Macedonia, a kingdom to the north

Stay tuned for out unit on Alexander the Great

The Great Thinkers of Greece

Some great thinkers denied that events were caused by the whims

of the gods – they used observation and reason to justify what

happened

The Philosophers

Explored many subjects – mathematics, physics, music, logic, and

rational thinking

Through reason and observation, they believed they could discover

laws that govern the universe

Ethics and moral behavior – debated the best kind of government

and what standards should govern people’s behavior


The Sophists, questioned accepted ideas about truth and justice

Urged students to develop skills in rhetoric, the art of skillful

speaking

Socrates was an outspoken critic of the Sophists – believed they

undermined traditional values

Socrates – The Wandering Teacher

Questioned fellow citizens about their beliefs and ideas

Urged his students to question and critically examine all around

them


Socrates - Although he wrote nothing, he left Western philosophy

the rich legacy of his example in the persistent pursuit of truth

The Socratic Method – to seek truth and knowledge

Devoted himself to free-wheeling discussion with the aristocratic

young citizens of Athens, insistently questioning their unwarranted

confidence in the truth of popular opinions

Charged with corrupting the youth and interfering with the religion

of the city

Convicted Socrates; sentenced him to death in 399 B.C.E; drank

hemlock in the company of his friends and died


The legacy of Socrates

Plato – emphasized the importance of reason; through rational

thought, people could discover unchanging ethical values, recognize

perfect beauty, and learn how to organize an ideal society

The Republic – described his vision of the ideal state

Rejected Athenian democracy because it condemned Socrates

Believed that the state should regulate every aspect of its citizens’

lives in order to provide for their best interests


Divided the society into 3 classes: workers, soldiers, and

philosophers

TTYN – Using Plato’s template for society, describe the role for

each of three classes

Workers produce the necessities, soldiers defend the state, and

philosophers would rule; trained to ensure order and justice; the

wisest would have the ultimate authority

Believed women could and should play an active role


Aristotle

All types of government, Aristotle found good and bad examples

Suspicious of democracy; thought it would lead to mob rule

Favored rule by a single, strong, and virtuous leader

Reason was the guiding force for living and learning

The Beauty of Ancient Greece

Greek architecture has been admired and copied for centuries

Most of our knowledge of Greek architecture comes from the few

surviving buildings of the Classical, Hellenistic and Roman

periods…..since Roman architecture heavily copied Greek

Ancient Greek architects strove for the precision and excellence of

workmanship

The Beauty of Ancient Greece

Greek sculpture emphasized the same passion for perfection as

architecture

Emphasized natural poses

Carved gods, goddesses, athletes, and famous men in a way that

showed individuals in their most perfect, graceful form

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