hellenic and hellenistic greece. greece and rome ancient west mediterranean-centered cities and...
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Hellenic and Hellenistic Greece
Greece and RomeAncient West
• Mediterranean-centered
• Cities and trade
• Self-government
• Rise of empire
• Decline and discontinuity
• Shared culture (Greco-Roman)– Chart: RGH p. 136
Classical Greece and the Mediterranean basin, 800-500 BCE
Acropolis: the highest, most easily defensible part of the polis.
Athens
Greek Civilization
• Considered one of the foundational sources of “Western civilization”
• The source of philosophy, democracy, architectural ideals
• …yet its transmission to Europe was not direct and unbroken…
Chronology of Ancient Greece• 2200-1100 BCE Minoan society
• 1600-1100 BCE Mycenaean society
• 800-338 BCE Era of the polis
• 500-479 BCE Persian Wars
• 431-404 BCE Peloponnesian War
• 359-336 BCE Reign of Philip of Macedon
• 336-323 BCE Reign of Alexander of Macedon
Greece in the Hellenic Period7th-3rd BCE- “Before Empire”
The Polis (city-state)
“one of the wonders of human social organization”
“like a hothouse flower, could only thrive under the right conditions”
Autonomy (Independence) and Autarky (self-sufficiency)
Amateurism vs. Professionalism
Political evolution—Athens (democracy) and Sparta (monarchy)
Monarchy Aristocracy Oligarchy Tyranny Democracy
Classical Greece and the Mediterranean basin, 800-500 BCE
Two approaches to population & social problems:
• Sparta– “closed society”
– Turned Sparta into a police state
– Men and women lived a “Spartan lifestyle”
• Athens– “open society”
– birth of “democracy”
– emphasis on individualism and wealth from trade
The “Spartan” Lifestyle
• Boys were taken from families to begin military training at 7
• They didn’t establish their own households until they were 30
• They remained in the military until they were 60
• Enslaved “helots” did farming for polis
• Spartan women were encouraged to be physically fit in order to bear strong sons
Athenian “democracy”
• Debates on issues were public
• Decisions were made directly by casting lots
• All “citizens” could speak out at assemblies and vote
Democracy How did Athenians define it?
“We alone regard a man who takes no interest in public affairs, not as harmless, as worthless” (Pericles)
• Rights vs. Duty• Citizenship—who? • Participation – how?
– Military service-the Phalanx– Wealthy subject to special taxes– All citizens attended the 40 annual
sessions of the Assembly– Offices chosen by lot, with no pay– Must be ready to serve in any capacity
…but “citizens” did NOT include
• Landless males
• Slaves [1/3 of population]
• Women
• Which meant only 10-15% of the population voted
• Compared to modern democracies, Athenian democracy was more exclusive and directly participatory
Legacies of Greece: Olympic Games
• Competition and sports were important parts of Greek life
• Games figured in local and Pan-Hellenic festivals [including at Nemean, Isthmian, Pythian, Olympia
• Olympic games established 776 BCE [?]
Greek, made in Athens about 367-366 BCFound at Teucheira, Cyrenaica
(modern Libya)A prize for a victor at the Athenian games
The Olympics
What Greek values did the Olympics reflect?
Are the same values still important for us today?
1. Individualism (Humanism)
2. All-around excellence (Arête)
3. Devotion to your polis (Nationalism, Patriotism)
4. Amateur ideal
5. Patriarchy
6. Militaristic values
7. Intellectuality and Art
http://www.museum.upenn.edu/new/olympics/olympicintro.shtml
What happens to Hellenic Greece?
Persian Wars490-
460BCE
Persia: “The Enemy”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wDiUG52ZyHQhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wDiUG52ZyHQhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wDiUG52ZyHQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wDiUG52ZyHQ
Persian Invasion of Greece
Two attacks:
• 490 BCE:
Battle of Marathon
• 480 BCE:
Xerxes attacks again
Statue of Pheidippides
The Persian Wars 500-479 BCE
But Greece wins!
See Pericles’ Funeral Oration (RGH pp. 136-140)
Greek naval technology
Greek Trireme170 rowers in tiers
Empire Strikes Back!
“Progress Broke the Polis”
Athenian Imperialism
Greek Colonies and Greek Empire
Delian League and Peloponnesian War
• Formed as defensive alliance against Persia
• As the threat of war waned, became tribute system to Athens / “Athenian Empire”
• Height of Athen’s “golden age”
• Resentment against Athens led to Peloponnesian War
Peloponnesian Wars (431-404BCE)
'A War Like No Other': Where Hubris Came FromNew York Times Article, 10/23/05
Athens vs. Sparta
Athens Loses, but so does all of Hellenic Greece
Why?
Legacies of Greece
Architecture
• Key themes: balance, harmony, proportion
LincolnMemorial
White House
Classical (Golden Age of Greece) 5th BCE
• Pericles• Ideals and Values
– Humanism and Secularism– Reason– Individualism
“Athens among her contemporaries is superior to
the report of her”» (Pericles)
The Death of Socrates by Jacques-Louis David, 1787
Legacies of Greece: Olympic Games
• Competition and sports were important parts of Greek life
• Games figured in local and Pan-Hellenic festivals [including at Nemean, Isthmian, Pythian, Olympia
• Olympic games established 776 BCE [?]
Greek religion
Zeus
Athena
Apollo
Aphrodite & Pan
Diadoumenos of Polykleitos, c. 430 B.C.. National Museum Athens.
Lacoon and His Sons, 200 bce.
Hellenic: ideal manHellenistic: real man
In the meanwhile, to the north…
Philip II of Macedonia
Alexander of Macedonia
Mosaic of Battle of IssusThe heroic personality of Alexander the Great is apparent in a painting by Philoxenos of Eretria, from about 300 B.C.E., which survives only in this Roman mosaic form. It is believed to be of Alexander's victory over the Persian king, Darius III, in 33 B.C.E. at the Battle of Issus. (National Museum, Naples/Art Resource, NY)
Alexander’s Empire
Hellenistic Greece
• Cosmopolis• Hellenistic Philosophies—
individualistic, mystic• Philosophy – Aristotle• Science – Archimedes, Euclid,
Eratosthenes, Hippocrates• Hellenistic Exchange-Greek,
ideas, food, trade-blending of Greek and Asian cultures
Alexander the Great
Alexander the Great
Alexander the Great’s EmpireAlexander the Great’s Empire
The Hellenization of Asia
The Hellenization of Asia
The Economy of the Hellenistic World
The Economy of the Hellenistic World
Hellenistic PhilosophersHellenistic
Philosophers$ Cynics Diogenes
ignore social conventions & avoid luxuries.
citizens of the world.
live a humble, simple life.
$ Epicurians Epicurus avoid pain & seek pleasure.
all excess leads to pain!
politics should be avoided.
Hellenistic PhilosophersHellenistic
Philosophers$ Stoics Zeno nature is the expansion of
divine will.
concept of natural law.
get involved in politics, not for personal gain, but toperform virtuous acts for the good of all.
true happiness is found ingreat achievements.
Hellenism: The Arts & SciencesHellenism: The Arts & Sciences
$ Scientists / Mathematicians: Aristarchus heliocentric
theory.
Euclid geometry
Archimedes pulley
$ Hellenistic Art: More realistic; less ideal than
Hellenic art.
Showed individual emotions, wrinkles, and age!
Eratosthenes’ Map of the World