Download The Greek City

THE GREEK CITY-STATE
4-2
Polis
• Polis – Greek city-state
• Acropolis – fortified area on top of a hill, used for
meetings
• Fortress and religious center
• Agora – Below an Acropolis
• Open area that served both as an assembly place and market
• Adult Males
• Political rights (vote, hold office)
• Serve in the Military
• Adult women, children & noncitizens
• No political rights
Military
• Nobles on horseback
• Hoplites
• Heavily armed foot soldiers equipped with a round
shield, short sword, thrusting spear (9 feet long)
• Phalanx
• Marching soldier to shoulder in rectangular formation
• Created a wall of shields to protect the hoplites
Greek Expansion
• Reasons:
• Overpopulation at home, desire for good farmland, growth of
trade
• Each Greek colony became a new polis, independent
of the polis that had founded it
• S. Italy, S. France, E. Spain, N. Africa, West of Egypt,
Thrace, shores of the Black Sea, Hellensport, Bosporus
straits (Byzantium, later Constantinople, now Istanbul)
• Trading
• Pottery wine, olive oil
• Grains, metals (W), Fish timber, wheat, metals and slaves form
the black sea region
Tyranny in the City-States
• Tyrants
• Rulers who seized power by force from the aristocrats
• Supported by the newly rich and peasants (who owed
aristocrats money)
• Help poor and launch public works
• Increased popularity
• By 6th Century – Fallen out of favor
• Rule of Law, and tyranny was an insult to that idea
• Led to democracy – gov by the people or rule of the
many
Sparta
• Sparta needed land
• Conquered neighboring Laconians
• Messenia 730 BC
• Herlots - a captive person who was forced to work for
the conqueror
• To keep them in line, created a military state
• Children are taught military discipline
• Military service at age 20
• Live in barracks until 30
• After 30, could vote, live at home, but stayed in army
till 60
Sparta
• Women lived at home
• Greater freedom
• Expected their husbands and sons to be brave in war
• Oligarchy headed by 2 kings
• Ephors
• A group of five men, were elected each year and were
responsible for the education of youth and the conduct of all
citizens
• A council of elders, composed of the two kings and 28 citizens
over the age of 60, decided on the issues that would be
presented to an assembly made of male citizens. This assembly
did not debate; it only voted on the issues.
Sparta
• Foreigners were discouraged from visiting,
except for military reasons
• Spartans were not allowed to travel abroad
• Might encounter ideas dangerous to the stability of the state
• Discouraged from studying philosophy, literature or the
arts
• Art of war was the Spartan ideal
Athens
• Early Athens ruled by king
• Oligarchy under the control of the Aristocrats
• Owned the best land and controlled political life
• Was an assembly but had little power
• Verge of Civil War
• Draco, a politician added harsh penalties to the laws
• Many farmers sold into slavery because of debts
• Solon, reform-minded aristocrat
• Cancelled land debts, freed people fallen into
slavery
• Would not give land to the poor
Athens
• Peisistratus, aristocrat
• 560 BC seized power from Solon
• Aided Athenian trade to please merchants
• Gave aristocrats’ land to peasants
• Athenians rebelled against Peisistratus’s
son in 540 BC
Athens
• Cleisthenes 512BC took over
• New council of 500 that supervised foreign affairs,
oversaw the treasury, and proposed the laws that
would be voted on by the assembly
• The Athenian assembly, composed of male
citizens, was given final authority to pass laws
after free and open debate.
Homework
• 4-2 Review; Page 84 Q. 1-5