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Ancient Greece
1750-133 BCE
Discuss Thrower and Venus
Early People of the Aegean
Minoan Civilization – 17501500 BCE
- Started in Crete (island)
and began the Greek
Civilization
- Acquired technology and
culture through trade with
Egypt and Mesopotamia.
A. Rulers lived in the Palace
of Knossos; included
shrines (areas dedicated
to gods/goddesses).
- Walls were covered with
Frescoes – watercolor
paintings on wet plaster
that tell a lot about Minoan
society (religion, women,
sea, etc.)
- 1400 BCE – it disappears
with no clear reason why
II. Mycenae – 1400-1200 BCE
- Known for the Trojan War (1250)
– Mycenae vs. Troy who
controlled vital water passages
(straits) that connected Med.
Sea and Black Sea
- Started when Prince Paris of Troy
kidnapped Helen (Greek King’s
wife).
III. Homeric Age – 1100-800 BCE
- Two epic poems by blind,
nomadic poet, Homer (around
750 BCE).
- Iliad – about Greek Trojan hero,
Achilles
- Odyssey – about Odysseus who
is trying to return home from the
Trojan War.
- Heroes have honor, courage, and
eloquence and influenced writing
for 3k yrs.
The Rise of Greek CityStates
I. Geography of Greek
Homeland
- Balkan Peninsula down
East Med. Sea –
valleys and
mountainous islands.
- Due to terrain, they
created small citystates that often
warred.
- Used Sea for trade of
goods; also learned
new cultures
(Phoenician alphabet
expansion – our
writing’s foundation).
- Growth caused outward
expansion from Spain
to Egypt, expanding
Greek culture.
II. Governing City-States
- Polis – two leveled city-states with
an acropolis (high temples for
gods) and main part with markets,
homes, etc.
- First rulers were kings of
monarchies (king/queen is
central power figure) who were
supported by landowners
- Soon landowners tried to gain their
own power (aristocracy)
- Then merchants challenged for
power forming an oligarchy (rule
of the elite few).
- 650BCE – iron replaced with
Bronze and weapons were made
cheaper so that all could afford a
sword, helmet, and shield.
- Phalanx - fighting mass of foot
soldiers was created and ordinary
men warriors encouraged strong
community ties.
- Two cities grew from this discovery
in different ways.
- Warring people from
Dorian who created
state-owned slaves
from locals (helots).
- Monarchy with two
kings with councils
and public assembly.
- Boys trained as
lifetime military men
who could marry but
live a military life.
- Girls trained physically
to have strong sons
and managed family
estates.
- Hard lifestyles with
little outside
interaction (no arts,
trade, etc.)
II. Sparta
III. Athens
- Democracy was born! –
Government of the
people.
- Later Reformers:
Pisistratus (farmers
and the poor),
Cleisthenes
(legislature – law
making body).
- Women were considered
inferior to men in
reasoning and ran
secluded home lives.
- Men attended schools,
learned to write and
read, stayed physically
fit, and were cultured.
IV. Forces for Unity
- Common language,
religion, heroes,
festivals,etc.
- Polytheistic –
gods/goddesses
lived on Mt.
Olympus.
- Zeus (head god)
with brothers,
Poseidon and Hades
and children,
Athena, Ares, and
Aphrodite.
- Non-Greeks or
barbaroi (not Greek
speaking) were seen
as inferior to Greeks.
Victory and Defeat in the Greek
World
I. Persian Wars
- Persian Empire (leader:
Darius I) controlled Ionia
(containing Greeks who
wanted freedom) and
Athens sent ships to help.
- Marathon – outnumbered
Greeks pushed back the
Persians with their fury.
- Round Two: Xerxes
attacked Athens
(supported by Sparta, etc)
and eventually defeated
Persia.
- Sparta suffered the most
and Athens became the
strongest city-state;
created the Delian
Alliance (formal
agreement between 2 or
more nations).
AGH!
Those Greeks
will pay for
this
We’re on
the way
Help!
II. Periclean Athens (Golden Age)
– 460-429 BCE
- Pericles – wise statesman who
created a strong economy and
democracy.
- Direct Democracy – large
number of citizens were
directly involved and men
were paid a stipend (salary) so
poorer men could be involved.
- Created Juries – panel of
citizens to make a judgment;
also used for…
- Ostracism – ban a person from
city-state who threatened
democracy.
- Funeral Oration – speech by
Pericles stating power lies in
the whole of the people, not
just the minority.
- Decorated Athens with statues
of Gods and encouraged
thinkers, writers, and artists
with public festivals.
III. Peloponnesian War
- Many resented Athens
and created the
Peloponnesian
League to counter the
Delian Alliance.
- Athens vs. Sparta...and it
engulfed all of Greece!
- Sparta wins - Ended
Athenian domination
but Athens remained a
cultural center.
Alexander and the Hellenistic
I. Alexander the Great
Age
- Macedonian (north of
Greece) leader who loved
Greek culture and was
tutored by Aristotle.
- Through alliance and battle,
Phillip II (Alex’s dad)
conquered Greece by
338BCE, but was
assassinated before
conquering the Persian
Empire.
- Alex won battle after battle
against a weak Persia and
took Babylon in 331BCE.
- Headed farther east to India
and turned back in 326 due
to troops wanting to go
home.
- On the way home in
Babylon, he dies
suddenly…
II. Alexander’s Legacy
- People from
everywhere
adopted
Greek culture
and
assimilated,
absorbed
Greek ideas.
- Blended with
Persian
cultures by
marrying
Persian
women and
dressing
Persian.
III. Hellenistic Civilization
- Stoicism – thought that all
men and women were
morally equal with ability to
reason, but believed in
accepting what life gave
them without expectation.
- Pythagoras of Egypt wrote
the Pythagorean Theorem.
- Heliocentric – sun centered
space theory (wasn’t
adopted until 2k yrs. later).
- Archimedes – invented
practical things such as
pulleys and levers.
- Hippocratic Oath – medical
standards oath.
Foreshadowing the Romans!