The Rise of Greece

The Birth of Western Civilization

c. 2000-500 B.C.

GeographyGreece is made up of two major peninsulas and many islands

*The Peloponnesus makes up the lower part of the Greek mainland *most of mainland Greece sits on the end of the Balkan Peninsula

Greece has many waterways, including the Dardanelles, the strategic passage from the Aegean to the Sea of Marmara and the Black Sea

Balkan Peninsula

The Peloponnesus

Dardanelles

• Mainland Greece is 75% mountains– Separated different city-states

from each other• Helped city-states gain

individuality (different governments)

• BUT, it hurt their ability to work together

• Each city-state thought it was better than the others

– Greece lacked enough agricultural output to support its population

• BECAUSE: Only 20% of the land was arable (farmable) due to the mountains

– overpopulation led to the Greeks colonizing new lands for farming AND the expansion of trade throughout the Mediterranean region

• The large amount of water affected Greece and enabled them to trade primarily by water:

• Profitable trade through the Mediterranean, Aegean, and Ionian Seas

• Early on, Greeks shifted from an economy based on barter to one based on money, making trade even easier

Greek City-States• Early cities focused on two ideas:

– Promoting civic participation• Getting citizens (free-born men)

involved in decisions of city• Women, foreigners, and slaves had

no political rights– Promoting commercial/business life

• Getting people to trade products/ideas

• A city-state is known as a polis– Polis: city and surrounding countryside

• Ex—Washington DC and its suburbs– Agora: city center—like business

district– Acropolis: fortified (protected) area of

city• Not all had one• Some cities put agora in acropolis

Athenian Acropolis

The Early Greeks

Mycenaeans (a group of Indo-Europeans) ruled from c. 2000 B.C.-1200 B.C.

• Name came from premier city: Mycenae

• Cities included Athens and were ruled by warrior-kings (monarchs)

Trojan War (c. 1200 B.C.) weakened the Mycenaens and contributed to their collapse

Dorians dominated from 1150-750 B.C., very few written records survive, age of Homer’s epics –The Iliad and The Odyssey

Greek Religion and Mythology

• Polytheistic system emerged by 700 B.C.

• Mythology had 3 purposes:– Explaining natural phenomena

(Storms, thunder, lightning, etc)– Explaining human qualities (speed,

knowledge, strength, sight, etc)– Explaining life events (births,

deaths, marriages, etc. )• Greek gods spread to Rome and can

still be seen in everyday life today– Literature, art, monuments, politics,

architecture

Video Guide Questions I:• As we watch the video clip on “The Earliest

Days of Athens,” look for evidence to help you answer the following questions:

1.What were the general conditions in early Athens?

2.Why was Greece an unlikely candidate to produce a great civilization such as those of Egypt or Persia?

3.How and why did Sparta emerge as a dominant city-state by 500 B.C.? How did the Spartans organize their society? Who were the helots and how did the Spartans treat them?

The Rise of Athens*Unlike militaristic Sparta, Athens took a very different approach to government, ultimately producing the first democracy by 508 B.C.*Athenians generally opposed tyranny and sought rule of law:

- Draco drafted the first code of laws in 621 B.C. (allowed debt slavery)

- Solon (“the lawgiver”) amended the laws (starting in 594 B.C.) to

make them more responsive to the needs of the people

*In 508 B.C., after a popular revolt against a hated ruler, Cleisthenes was chosen to create the first direct democracy in the world

Solon of Athens (above); Cleisthenes (below)

Video Guide Questions II:

• As we watch the video clip on “The Birth of Democracy in Athens,” look for evidence to help you answer the following questions:

1.How and why did the Athenians revolt against Isagoras in 508 B.C.? What role did the Spartans play in this conflict?

2.Describe the government that Cleisthenes established in Athens after the revolt. How did this revolution change Athenian society and influence the development of its culture?