Slide 1

The Greek Civilization

THE EARLY GREEK WORLDCreteMycenaeAegean Civilization: Crete, the IslandSettled by the Minoans

They developed a thriving trading center from their capital city, Knossos.

A rich economy of finely crafted pottery, gold and silver jewelry, and elaborate palaces marked the Minoan culture until its collapse, perhaps due to a natural disaster (a tidal wave may have destroyed the capital) or foreign invaders.Knossos video clipKnossos 3DThera eruption

http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSls0d8BZP6fc-8gTiKsSUUnhdJ8fyl-zf2c8Qk_dwVMsczWxY3WwLike the Minoans, they traded throughout the Aegean and Mediterranean Seas.

Unlike the Minoans they relied on warrior-kings to rule surrounding villages. Whereas the Minoans portrayed scenes of nature an sport in their art, the Mycenaeans chose war and hunting scenes as their subjects.

Struggles with neighboring states led to war with Troy, ending when the Greeks gifted the Trojans with the famous horse filled with soldiers.Aegean Civilization: Mycenea, the MainlandFighting between Mycenaean cities and invasions by the Dorians led to the collapse of Mycenea.

The once-prosperous traders reverted to a simpler lifestyle centered on local villages and less contact with areas outside the Aegean. This internal focus formed what would become a common Greek culture valuing courage, honor and excellence

This time is also know as the Homeric Age because much of the knowledge from this time comes from Homers epics (a long poem that tells the deeds of a great hero), the Illiad and the Odyssey. Through his writings Greeks saw a heros struggle for arete as a struggle for excellence of Greek virtue which they could imitate.The Greek Dark AgesThe Role of the City-States

The mountains of the Aegean peninsula led to isolation; the city became the ultimate source of authority, protection and livelihood.

Polis: city which exercised the powers usually associated with a national state; a city-state

Government of the City-State developed over time in different forms to serve different needsTHE GREEK CITY-STATESAthensSpartaBegan with a king and progressed to a democracyOligarchy led by two kings (foreeign & miltary) and a council of ephors (domestic political and economic)Maintained the creative and intellectual heritage of the Minoan and Mycenaean culturesA thoroughly militaristic state centered on the training of warriorsEncouraged commerce and domestic projectsRelative isolationRivalry of Two City-StatesTHE GREEK WARSThe Persian Wars (Persia vs. Greek City-States). The basic issue: Persian expansion (militarily) westward conflicted with Greek expansion (economically) eastward

The Battle of Marathon. Athens supported colonies who revolted against Persian rule in Asia Minor (modern day Turkey). Darius led his Persians to attack Greece near Athens, but met with defeat.

The Battle of Thermopylae. Xerxes continued the war against Greece by crossing the Hellespont and travelling around the Aegean Sea to the Peloponnesus. The Greeks, under a defensive league led by Sparta and supported by an Athenian navy, made their stand at the narrow mount pass at Thermopylae. The famous defense by 300 Spartans delayed the advance, but could not stop the Persians.26.326.1THE GREEK WARSThe Battle of Salamis Bay. The Persians razed Athens. The people, under the leadership of Themistocles, had withdrawn to safety. Within a year, the Athenian navy, which the Spartans had originally not been in favor of building, trapped and destroyed the Persian fleet. Without support from or a means of escape by the sea, the remaining Persian army was defeated.

http://teaspoonofhistory.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/trireme.jpg

http://www.soue.org.uk/souenews/issue5/jenkin1.jpgAn Athenian Empire

After the expulsion of the Persians, Athens led the Greeks to form a defensive alliance, the Delian League, against further Persian aggression. Under Pericles, the Athenians expanded their empire abroad and cultivated democracy at home.

Athens began a direct democracy in which every male citizen participated in the governing assembly.

Building projects repaired the damage done by the Persians: public building, temples, and statues to extol Greek greatness.The Peloponnesian War (Athens vs. Sparta)

The success of Athens and the Delian League bred competition with Sparta and its supporters, the Peloponnesian League, and eventually brought civil warGreeks vs. Greeks.

The clash between the two city-states fundamentally favored the Spartans: its militaristic heritage prompted an offensive strategy and the citys inland location negated the Athenian navy. Athens, on the other hand, relied on a defensive position within its walls as supported by the navy. A plague weakened the Athenians, assuring victory for the Spartans.

The weakened Greek states failed to see the growing power of Macedonia, ready to conquer the quarreling city-states.THE GREEK CULTUREThe Essence of Greek Culture

The values and character of the people: beauty, justice, knowledge, self-control, balance, creativity, physical ability

The Golden Age: the time which represents the best a society has to offer

A focus on man. The word HUMANITIES describes studies that explain the characteristics and qualities of man (philosophy, history, language, etc.). The word HUMANISM describes an approach that puts man and mans ideas above all else.

The Expressions of Greek Culture

Religion. The Greeks considered religion a necessary part of life. They devoted themselves to a variety of gods and goddesses who oversaw the world from Mt. Olympus.

http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSQYr-hrKj9vAgwrpcJEO5B-sIG5A4aJBovth_85NLQqOJWApEHCeremonies or rites, called rituals, involved prayers and gifts to the gods. The Greeks held festivals to honor the gods; the Olympics grew from these religious festivals.

http://www.live-production.tv/system/files/imagecache/FW_GALLERY/London_2012_Olympic_Flame_is_Lit_in_Greece.jpgPlays became public lessons in morals and social issues.

http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTK_TJOi6n_QaJ0xVF-tgqHaWSZPLIdxfd3KgPGbCtOFcDIfKSQIn addition, the Greeks sought the will of the gods through the use of oracles, where the gods communicated to the people through priests.

http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTLVxwQQP8vPOg6FET-QUe3H3a0_Q-li0NLSXrZ3tp8gAQPu9_6KwPhilosophy. The Love of Wisdom; a system of values and beliefs that guides ones actions. Every philosophy seeks to answer three basic questions:

Where did I come from?(the origin of man)

What am I doing here?(the purpose of man)

Where am I going?(the destiny of man)

Thales of Miletus. The Father of Philosophy; the first to explain the origin of the universe in physical, not spiritual, terms.

Sophists. Traveling teachers who argued that man couldnt understand the universe, that there was no absolute right or wrong, and that wisdom came from pursuing ones own good.Socrates. Philosopher who taught his students to live by certain ethics a precise code of right and wrong. He used a method of asking leading questions followed by the analyzing of the answers (The Socratic Method). He believed knowledge already existed within each person, the task for each person was to know thyself. He emphasized reason.

Plato. A pupil of Socrates; wrote The Republic in which he described the ideal society in which everyone worked together for the common good; he believed reality was in the world of ideas (idealism).

Aristotle. A pupil of Plato; known as the father of classical realism (reality was not in ideas, but in the actual physical world); he taught that happiness came from virtue and that virtue was a balance between extreme behaviors; he also established rules for thinking, called logic (the syllogism)

All dogs have four legs.Fido is a dog.Fido has four legs.Epicurus. He believed that human beings were free to follow their own self-interest and make happiness their goal. It was to be a life not of physical pleasure, but one free from emotional turmoil and worry.

Stoicism. Unlike the Epicureans, the Stoics believed happiness came through acceptance of individual destiny, self-discipline and control of emotions.

Diogenes. He believed that human beings should live according to nature. His followers, called Cynics, avoided pleasure, wealth and social responsibility. Happiness came by fulfilling natural needs.

Pyrrho. Skeptics lived on the premise that man knows nothing, nothing is certain and everything is subject to doubt. Happiness came from accepting what life presents to you.Pythagoras. The universe could be explained in mathematical terms; the Pythogrean Theorem.Hippocrates. The Father of Medicine; illness had a natural, physical cause.

Euclid. The Father of Geometry

Archimedes. Mathematician who developed the concept of pi, invented the water screw, and devised battering rams and engines of war.

Herodotus. The Father of History; wrote history, but did not always distinguish between fact and fiction making him more of a storyteller.

Thucydides. Considered to be the first genuine historian; emphasized objectivity (writing without a bias)

Aeschylus. Playwright of the Trojan Wars who showed how pride could bring misfortune and how the gods could humble even the greatest heroes.

Sophocles. Wrote plays that de-emphasized the gods and placed man as the cause of their own suffering.

Aristophanes. Comedic writer who chose satire to criticize society, mocking people and institutions.Excellence in Art. Greek architecture expressed itself most importantly by the building of temples. The most famous temples is the Parthenon. The principles of classical Greek architecture are the search for calmness, clarity, and the freedom from unnecessary detail. Builders looked for balance through the use of simple rectangles surrounded by tall columns.

http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQEEsgaHR4kAYaMWLgqOLG20T5QCbBhImkxwXytC2hTfEw6ClhJNike of Samothrace

http://www.mlahanas.de/Greeks/Arts/Misc/Discobolos2.jpgDiscobolus by myronGreek sculpture portrayed these ideals well. Sculptors sought a standard of ideal beauty, not the real.The Rise of Macedonia. Philip II brought peace to the Greek city-states through war. He appreciated and encouraged the Greek culture. His ambition to lead the Greeks against the Persians ended with his assassination.A GREEK EMPIRE

B. The Conquests of Alexander. A student of Aristotle, Alexander epitomized the idea of scholar-warriora leader well-versed both in cultural learning and war. Alexander began a slow, eleven year conquest of the declining Persian empire, making his way through Asia Minor, Egypt, and to India where his soldiers refused to go further.

Upon reaching Babylon, Alexandersuccumbing to wounds, fever, and alcoholdied at the age of 32.

One of the greatest military minds of history, he built an empire without ever losing a major battle, yet failed to provide a way for his vast empire to be governed. His four generals divided his empire: Egypt (Ptolemy); Syria and Persia (Selecus); Macedonia and Greece (Cassander); and Thrace (Lysimachus).

http://www.kingsacademy.com/mhodges/02_The-West-to-1900/maps/MHH_300-BC_Alexander's-Empire-divided.gifThe Hellenistic Age (323-100 BC). His military exploits aside, Alexanders legacy lies with the spreading of Greek culture throughout Southwest Asia. It became a time in which the people desired to imitate the Greeks, giving rise to a blending and uniting of various cultures into what would become the cradle of western civilization.