Download File - Ms. Hughes` History

Persia is a formidable enemy forming in the East. Their leader Darius has
begun pressuring fellow Greeks to succumb to his reign. The Ionians are
seeking your support in resisting his “tyranny.” A meeting has been called
to discuss potential options of whether you should come to the aid of your
fellow Greeks or remain disconnected.
Each polis has been called to attend this meeting and to discuss
involvement in conflict with the Persians, representatives from each polis
are to attend. You are the representatives.
You will need to decide as an individual polis whether you plan to fight for
the Greeks or whether you will remain independently separate from this
conflict. Furthermore, you will discuss your decision as a group to all of the
city-states present.
Your representatives should consider your particular polis background in
forming a decision.
There will be interjections by a messenger (Ms. McGray) as to recent events
that have occurred while you are in session.
All members of your group must participate in discussion to receive credit
for class; thought-provoking discussion is required. You cannot just say
“We plan to fight” without first weighing your options and discussing these
with the entire session.
Be prepared to discuss how the Persians could affect your particular polis.
(consider government, economy, etc).
Each polis should turn in a discussion of pros and cons of becoming
involved with a final decision and explanation of your decision.
I will tell you at the end how each polis responded and provide you with a
timeline of the Persian War.
Information cited from: ancientgreece.co.uk, Wikipedia, ancient.eu,
history.eu, pbs.org
Athens
Background: According to legend, the Athenian King Cecrops named the
city after himself but the gods, seeing how beautiful it was, felt it deserved
an immortal name. A contest was held among the gods on the Acropolis,
with Cecrops and the citizenry looking on, to determine which deity would
win the honor. Poseidon struck a rock with his trident and, as water gushed
forth, he assured the people that now they would never suffer drought.
Athena was next in line and dropped a seed into the earth which sprouted
swiftly as an olive tree. The people thought the olive tree more valuable
than the water (as, according to some versions of the story, the water was
salty, as was Poseidon's realm) and Athena was chosen as patron and the
city named for her. http://www.ancient.eu/Athens/
Military: A generation after the establishment of democracy Athens
became such a power under the influence of Themistocles. The fleet was
made up of triremes, wooden warships that carried 170 rowers manning
three banks of oars. The ships were 100-120 feet long and about 20 feet
wide. At her peak, Athens had a fleet of 400 ships, a force requiring close to
80,000 men. These rowers, mainly drawn from Athens' poorer citizens,
were paid and were seldom slaves. These citizen oarsmen were recognized
as early as the 5th century B.C. as a significant force in the maintenance of
the democracy. www.agathe.gr/democracy/the_athenian_navy.htm
Important Leaders:
Themistocles: Gained popularity among the poor, he was able to gain
prominence not through his aristocratic background but rather through his
political intellect. He encouraged a growth of the Athenian navy.
Pericles: Later ruler who promoted the arts in Athens. He encouraged the
involvement in the Delian League. Known for being a leader during the
“Golden Age”
Trade: As a predominant naval force in the latter part of the sixth and fifth
centuries B.C., Athens exerted its influence over sea trade. Athenian pottery
was widely exported, especially to Etruria and to the colonies in southern
Italy, where it inspired local imitations. Athenian power comes not only
from their navy but also through their trading power.
http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/angk/hd_angk.htm
Government: Developed around the fifth century BC in the Greek citystate (known as a polis) of Athens, comprising the city of Athens and the
surrounding territory of Attica. Athens is one of the first known
democracies. Other Greek cities set up democracies, most following the
Athenian model, but none are as well-documented as Athens. It was a
system of direct democracy, in which participating citizens voted directly on
legislation and executive bills. Participation was not open to all residents: to
vote one had to be an adult, male citizen, and the number of these "varied
between 30,000 and 50,000 out of a total population of around 250,000 to
300,000." en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athenian_democracy
Sparta
Background: In Greek mythology the founder of the city was
Lacedaemon, a son of Zeus, who gave his name to the region and his wife’s
name to the city. Sparta was also an important member of the Greek force
which participated in the Trojan War. Indeed, the Spartan king Menelaos
instigated the war after the Trojan prince Paris abducted his wife Helen,
offered to Paris by the goddess Aphrodite as a prize for choosing her in a
beauty contest with fellow goddesses Athena and Hera. Helen was said to
have been the most beautiful woman in Greece and Spartan women in
general enjoyed a reputation not only for good looks but also spirited
independence. (ancient.eu)
Military: Spartan culture was centered on loyalty to the state and military
service. At age 7, Spartan boys entered a rigorous state-sponsored
education, military training and socialization program. Known as the
Agoge, the system emphasized duty, discipline and endurance. Although
Spartan women were not active in the military, they were educated and
enjoyed more status and freedom than other Greek women. Because
Spartan men were professional soldiers, all manual labor was done by a
slave class, the Helots. The Spartans’ constant military drilling and
discipline made them skilled at the ancient Greek style of fighting in a
phalanx formation. In the phalanx, the army worked as a unit in a close,
deep formation, and made coordinated mass maneuvers. No one soldier
was considered superior to another. Going into battle, a Spartan soldier, or
hoplite, wore a large bronze helmet, breastplate and ankle guards, and
carried a round shield made of bronze and wood, a long spear and sword.
Spartan warriors were also known for their long hair and red cloaks. (pbs)
Important Leaders:
Leonidas: Leonidas was the son of the Spartan king Anaxandrides (died c.
520 B.C.). He became king when his older half-brother Cleomenes I (also a
son of Anaxandrides) died under violent, and slightly mysterious,
circumstances in 490 B.C. without having produced a male heir. As king,
Leonidas was a military leader as well as a political one. Like all male
Spartan citizens, Leonidas had been trained mentally and physically since
childhood in preparation to become a hoplite warrior.
www.history.com/topics/ancient-history/leonidas
Trade: Spartan citizens were debarred by law from trade or manufacture,
which consequently rested in the hands of the Perioikoi. The Periokoi
monopoly on trade and manufacturing in one of the richest territories of
Greece explains in large part the loyalty of the perioikoi to the Spartan
state. Lacedaemon was rich in natural resources, fertile and blessed with a
number of good natural harbors. The periokoi could exploit these resources
for their own enrichment, and did. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sparta
Government: All healthy male Spartan citizens participated in the
compulsory state-sponsored education system, the Agoge, which
emphasized obedience, endurance, courage and self-control. Spartan men
devoted their lives to military service, and lived communally well into
adulthood. A Spartan was taught that loyalty to the state came before
everything else, including one’s family. Two kings ruled the city, but a 28member 'council of elders' limited their powers. These men were recruited
from the highest social class, the aristocratic Spartiates. Rather like
medieval knights, the Spartiates were a class of military professionals who
lived most of their lives in communal barracks. Rarely seeing their wives
and children, their lands were farmed by slaves, leaving them free to pursue
to the arts of war. www.history.com/topics/ancient-history/sparta
Corinth
Background: The mythical founder of the city was believed to have been
King Sisyphus, famed for his punishment in Hades where he was made to
forever roll a large boulder up a hill. Sisyphus was succeeded by his son
Glaucus and his grandson Bellerophon, whose winged-horse Pegasus
became a symbol of the city and a feature of Corinthian coins. Corinth is
also the setting for several other episodes from Greek mythology such as
Theseus’ hunt for the wild boar, Jason settled there with Medea after his
adventures looking for the Golden Fleece, and there is the myth of Arion the real-life and gifted kithara player and resident of Corinth - who was
rescued by dolphins after being abducted by pirates. (ancient.eu)
Military: Corinthian wealth was a major focus for the polis. Corinthians
employed both land soldiers as well as a navy. The army had numbers but
could not compare to the military prowess of Sparta or the Athenian navy.
Corinth would ally with Spartan military and come to the aid of Sparta
when requested.
Important Leaders:
Corinth had struggled under tyrannical leaders. Following the end of these
leaders, Corinth focused on having a general council of men.
Adeimantos: a commander of Corinthian ships. Athenians claimed he
would take flight at discussion of war but Corinthians viewed him as a
strong leader.
Trade: Ancient Corinth was a very busy trading city, which led to its
cosmopolitan character. It was known as "Wealthy Corinth". The reason for
its wealth was its location. It was able to control the only land access to the
Peloponnese and so dominated the trade in both the Saronic gulf (to the
east) and the gulf of Corinth (to the west). www.visit-ancientgreece.com/ancient-corinth.htm
Government: An oligarchy, consisting of a council of 80, gained power in
Corinth in c. 585 BCE. Concerned with local rival Argos, from c. 550 BCE
Corinth became an ally of Sparta. Together, an expedition was launched
against Polycrates of Samos in c. 525 BCE but was ultimately unsuccessful.
During Cleomenes’ reign though, the city became wary of the growing
power of Sparta and opposed Spartan intervention in Athens. Corinth also
fought in the Persian Wars against the invading forces of Xerxes which
threatened the autonomy of all of Greece. (ancient.eu)
Thebes
Background: In mythology the city was founded by Kadmos, son of
Agenor, brother of Europa, and ancestor of Oedipus. After killing a giant
serpent (or dragon) which Ares had sent to protect the Areia Spring, Athena
instructed Kadmos to sow the serpent’s teeth into the ground from which
sprang up warriors who would found the city of Thebes. The myth of
Kadmos may hint at the eastern origins of the city, as his name may derive
from the Semitic word qedem, meaning east. Also, according to Herodotus,
it was Kadmos who introduced the Phoenician script to Greece. Thebes
was, according to legend, the birthplace of the mythological pan-Hellenic
hero Hercules. It was also the place where the Sphinx - a mythical creature
with a woman’s head and a winged lion’s body - appeared to terrorize the
area until her riddle was solved. Her riddle asked passersby to identify the
creature that may have two, three, or four feet, can move in air, water, and
on land, and moves more slowly the more feet it has. Oedipus solved the
riddle - man - and in a rage the Sphinx leapt to her death from the Theban
acropolis. www.ancient.eu/Thebes_(Greece)/
Military: An unusual feature of the Theban army was the Sacred Band.
This was a military corps founded by Gorgidas and consisting of 300
infantrymen linked in homoerotic pairs, the idea being soldiers would fight
better if their lover were at their side. The Sacred Band, used for the first
time as an independent unit by Pelopidas, defeated the Spartans at the
Battle of Tegyra in 375 BCE. Even more decisive was the Battle of Leuktra
in 371 BCE, where the Spartans were roundly defeated.
www.ancient.eu/Thebes_(Greece)
Important Leaders:
Pelopidas came from a wealthy family, but was noted for his generosity
and the frugal lifestyle he adopted from his lifelong friend, Epaminondas,
another Theban general and statesman. Their relationship dated from at
least the battle of Mantinea (385), when Epaminondas saved Pelopidas' life.
When the oligarchical party in Thebes invited in a Spartan force, which
took the Cadmea, Pelopidas fled into exile, but Epaminondas was permitted
to remain as being too poor and too wrapped up in philosophy to be a
threat (383 or 382). Pelopidas led a dozen Theban exiles from Athens to
assassinate the leaders of the oligarchical party. They joined another 36
resistance fighters at a safe house in Thebes, and in the chaos produced in
the assassinations they managed to dislodge the Spartan garrison (379).
ancienthistory.about.com › ... › Ancient Greeks A-Z
Trade: From 2500 BCE there is evidence of food and wool production and
storage - grinding stones and terracotta loom-weights and spools, and
bronze carpentry tools. Trade, both local and further afield, is suggested by
the presence of precious goods such as gold, silver, ivory, and Cycladic
influenced stone vessels. From 2000 BCE the site expanded with the first
presence of stone cists and pits for burials and shaft graves which contained
precious objects. www.ancient.eu/Thebes_(Greece)
Government: Thebes had an oligarchic form of government with a strong
aristocracy ruling.
Argos
Background: In ancient Greek mythology, the city gained its name from
Argos, son of Zeus and Niobe. Homer’s Iliad tells of Argos sending men to
fight in the Trojan War, as being ruled by Agamemnon, and as a place
celebrated for its horse rearing. The city is also described by Homer as
being especially dear to the goddess Hera. www.ancient.eu/argos/
Military: The Argives comprehensive defeat of the Spartans at the Battle
of Hysiae 669 B.C. have given the Argives the upper hand in the area, but
Sparta it seems had recovered enough in the interim to again challenge
Argos for Peloponnesian supremacy. Previously, many small skirmishes
and such took place, but both nemeses' now agreed to conclude hostilities
once and for all in an all in battle. Argos proved successful in competing
with Sparta initially with a strong military force. Argives would brag about
their defeats for years.
www.ancientgreekbattles.net/Pages/54620_BattleOfChampions.htm
Important Leaders:
Pheidon: flourished 7th century bc), king of Argos. The ancient Greek
historian Herodotus implied that Pheidon flourished about 600 bc, but at
this time Corinth and Sicyon, not the Argives, were in the ascendance.
Pheidon united this region (the “lot of Temenus”), marched across the
Peloponnese, and seized Olympia (perhaps in 672 or 668). The system of
standard measures that was instituted by Pheidon remained in effect in the
Peloponnese long after his death; the system was also employed in Athens
before the reforms of Solon (6th century bc). The statement of the 4thcentury Greek historian Ephorus that Pheidon was the first to coin silver
money cannot be accurate, because the beginning of coinage in mainland
Greece is today generally ascribed to the late 7th century. In general the
king made use of his royal power more effectively than was usual in an age
when the aristocracy was in control. The Argive recovery that Pheidon
instigated did not endure for long against the alliance of Sparta and Elis,
and the northeastern cities were soon independent under their own tyrants.
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/455441/Pheidon
Telesilla: Telesilla of Argos (fl. c. 494 B.C. or c. 510 B.C.) was a Greek
woman poet associated with the Battle of Sepeia, whose dates are disputed.
Herodotus says of the battle that the Spartan Cleomenes brought his army
to the river Sepeia, in the vicinity of Tiryns. There he attacked the Argives
by means of a trick or truce violation. [Hendriks] Cleomenes destroyed the
Argive army, but legend says that the Argive women, led by Telesilla,
manned the walls and Cleomenes, loath to attack the women, left the city.
http://ancienthistory.about.com/od/greekpoetry/g/Telesilla.htm
Trade: The ancient city-state of Argos had a nearby harbor for trade and
commerce, which proved vital (important) because the city-state was
located on a plain. Weather here was hot and dry in the summer, and cold
and wet in the winter. The soil was not especially fertile. The people of
Argos had to work very hard to grow food. Although they managed to grow
a decent crop each year, they relied heavily on trade to obtain food.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1dDzVp_98rkY_WesuZ3jWpVC9mkTgFtUGECY0L3y--Q/edit
Government: Árgos was probably the base of Dorian operations in the
Peloponnese (c. 1100–1000 bce), and from that time onward it was the
dominant city-state of Argolís. Under the Argive king Pheidon (7th century
bce), Árgos was the dominant city-state in all the Peloponnese until the rise
of Spartan power. The Argives defeated the Spartans at Hysiae (669). In
550 and again in 494, however, Sparta defeated Árgos. The city perhaps
reached its greatest dominance in the 7th century BCE under King Pheidon,
who is credited with introducing to mainland Greece such military
innovations as hoplite tactics and double grip shields. From the 7th to 5th
century BCE, the city was a long-time rival to Sparta for dominance of the
Argolid. Argos was a major stronghold of Mycenaean times, and along with
the neighbouring acropolis of Mycenae and Tiryns became a very early
settlement because of its commanding positions in the midst of the fertile
plain of Argolis. During Homeric times it belonged to a follower of
Agamemnon and gave its name to the surrounding district; the Argolid
which the Romans knew as Argeia. Argos experienced its greatest period of
expansion and power under the energetic 7th century BC ruler King
Pheidon. Under Pheidon Argos regained sway over the cities of the Argolid
and challenged Sparta’s dominance of the Peloponnese. The importance of
Argos was eclipsed by Sparta after the 6th century BC.
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/33969/Argos
Ionian Greeks
Background: According to Greek tradition, the cities of Ionia were
founded by colonists from the other side of the Aegean. Their settlement
was connected with the legendary history of the Ionic people in Attica,
which asserts that the colonists were led by Neleus and Androclus, sons of
Codrus, the last king of Athens. In accordance with this view the "Ionic
migration", as it was called by later chronologers, was dated by them one
hundred and forty years after the Trojan war, or sixty years after the return
of the Heracleidae into the Peloponnese. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ionia
Military: The defeat of Croesus by Cyrus was followed by the conquest of
all the Ionian cities. These became subject to the Persian monarchy with the
other Greek cities of Asia. In this position they enjoyed a considerable
amount of autonomy, but were for the most part subject to local despots,
most of whom were creatures of the Persian king. It was at the instigation
of one of these despots, Histiaeus of Miletus, that in about 500 BC the
principal cities ignited the Ionian Revolt against Persia. They were at first
assisted by the Athenians and Eretria, with whose aid they penetrated into
the interior and burnt Sardis, an event which ultimately led to the Persian
invasion of Greece. But the fleet of the Ionians was defeated off the island of
Lade, and the destruction of Miletus after a protracted siege was followed
by the reconquest of all the Asiatic Greeks, insular as well as continental.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ionian_Revolt
Important Leaders:
Aristagoras: Aristagoras was the main orchestrator of the Ionian
Rebellion, when the Greek poleis of Ionia on the east coast of the Aegean
Sea banded together to rebel against the rule of the Persian Empire.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ionian_Revolt
Trade: The geography of Ionia placed it in a strategic position that was
both advantageous and disadvantageous. Ionia was always a maritime
power founded by a people who made their living by trade in peaceful times
and marauding in unsettled times. The coast was rocky and the arable land
slight. The native Luwians for the most part kept their fields further inland
and used the rift valleys for wooded pasture. The coastal cities were placed
in defensible positions on islands or headlands situated so as to control
inland routes up the rift valleys. The people of those valleys were of
different ethnicity. The populations of the cities were multi-cultural and
received cultural stimuli from many civilizations in the eastern
Mediterranean, which resulted in a brilliant society able to make
contributions of worldwide and millennial significance.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ionia
Government: Neleus, son of Codrus, was one of the leaders of the Ionian
migration to Asia Minor, and was thought to have founded (re-founded)
Miletus. Along the way his followers and sons occupied Naxos and
Mykonos, driving the Carians out of the Cycladic islands. Neleus' brother
Androclus, known to Pherecydes as the instigator of the migration, drove
the Lelegians and the Lydians out of Ephesus and founded the archaic city
and the cult of Artemis. He found himself at odds with Leogrus of
Epidaurus, king of Samos. Aepetus, one of the sons of Neleus, founded
Priene, which had a strong Boeotian element in its population. And so on
for each city. Not all were settled by Ionians from Attica: some settlements
were Pylian, some from Euboea.
http://ancienthistory.about.com/od/geography/qt/072509IdentityofIonia
nsbySallieGoetsch.htm