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Ancient Greece
Ancient Greece
SECTION 1
The Impact of Geography
• Greece is a mountainous peninsula
• Made up of small, independent communities
• Sailed the Aegean, Black, and Mediterranean
Seas
The Minoan Civilization
• Established 2800 BC on Crete
• Named after King Minos
• Flourished Between 2700 and 1450 BC
The Minoan Civilization Cont…
• 2 possible causes of Collapse
– Tidal wave from volcanic eruption on Thera
– Invasion of mainland Greeks : Mycenaeans
The First Greek State: Mycenae
• Thrived between 1600 and 1100 BC
• Made up of an alliance of powerful monarchies
• Warrior culture
• Most famous adventure comes to us in the poetry of
Homer
• War, earthquakes, and invaders caused their collapse
Discussion Question
• What values do you think are important to
a warrior culture?
The Greeks in a Dark Age
• Dark Age 1100 to 750 BC
• Few records exsist
• Population declines food production falls
• Many Greeks immigrated to Ionia
• Iron replaced bronze
• Greeks adopted the Phoenician alphabet
Homer
The
Real
Homer
Homer Cont…
• Wrote epic poems (long poem that tells of
a great hero’s deeds.)
• Wrote:
– Iliad – tale about the destruction caused by
Greek hero Achilles.
– Odyssey – tells of Greek hero Odysseus’ tenyear return to his home and family
Homer Cont…
• Poems gave Greeks an Ideal past and set
of values
• Basic values – courage and honor
• Arete – excellence won in a struggle or
contest
THE GREEK CITY-STATES
SECTION 2
CENTER OF GREEK LIFE
• The polis (city-state) is the center of greek
life.
• Acropolis – fortified place of refuge &
sometimes place of worship at top of hill.
• Agora – place where people assembled &
was market (below acropolis).
GREEK LIFE CONTINUED…
• The polis shared a common identity and
common goals.
• One famous Greek philosopher, Aristotle,
believed all citizens were responsible to
the state.
• City-states distrusted one another, and this
divided Greece.
MILITARY SYSTEM DEVELOPS
• In 700 B.C. a new military system
emerged that was based on hoplites
(heavily armed foot soldiers).
• The strength of the army was based on
the phalanx (rectangular shoulder to
shoulder formation.)
GREEK COLONIES
• Greeks set up new colonies along the
Black Sea.
• This spread their culture and political ideas
throughout the Mediterranean.
• Increase of trade created wealthy
individuals who desired more power.
TYRANNY IN THE CITY-STATES
• Tyrants were rulers who seized power by force
from the aristocrats.
• It ended the aristocracy’s rule.
• It led to the development of democracy (rule by
the people), and oligarchy (rule by a few).
• Most famous and powerful city-states:
– Sparta
– Athens
SPARTA
• Conquered neighbors to gain more land.
• The captured people became known as
helots, and were made to work for the
Spartans.
• The Spartans set up a military state
SPARTA CONTINUED…
• Spartan men were raised to be military warriors.
• Women had great freedom, and were to remain
healthy and fit so that they could bear and raise
healthy children.
• The government was an oligarchy headed by 2
kings.
• Ephors – responsible for education of youth and
conduct of all citizens – Group of 5 men.
ATHENS
• The Athenians went through a series of tyrants
that tried to fix Athens problems.
– Solon
– Pisistratus
– Cleisthenes
• Eventually the Athenian democracy that we
know today was formed
• Known for their intellect
Classical Greece
Section 3
Classical Greece
• This is the name given to the period of
Greek history from around 500B.C. to the
Conquest of Greece by the Macedonian
King Philip II in 338B.C.
• This period is marked by a brilliant culture
but disastrous wars among the Greeks.
The Challenge of Persia
• The Ionian Greek
cities in western Asia
Minor, had fallen to
the Persians.
The Legend of Marathon
• In 490 BC Persians
land near Marathon
and attack an
outnumbered
Athenian army.
• The Athenians
defeats the Persian
decisively.
• Aries the God of War
Pheidippides
• The runner Pheidippides brings news to
Athens.
• He ran 26 miles from Marathon to Athens.
• With his last breath he cried, “Victory, we
win!” He then dropped dead.
Challenge of Persia Cont…
• After Marathon, Xerxes, Persian ruler,
vows to get revenge.
• Sends 180,000 troops and thousands of
warships to Greece.
• A Greek force of 7000, including 300
Spartans, hold off the Persians for 2 days
at Thermopylae until they are betrayed.
Challenge of Persia Cont…
• In 479 BC the Greeks form the largest
army ever and defeat the Persians at
Plataea.
The Growth of the Athenian Empire
• In order to battle the Persians, the Greek CityStates formed an alliance known as the Delian
League.
• Headquarters was on Delos.
• The league’s officials, treasury, and navy were
Athenian.
• By controlling the Delian League, Athens had
created an empire.
The Age of Pericles
• Pericles was a
dominant figure in
Athenian politics
between 461 B.C.
And 429 B.C.
• 3 Major
Accomplishments of
Pericles:
– Direct Democracy
– Ostracism
– Rebuilding of Athens
Age of Pericles Cont…
• Direct Democracy – People participate
directly in government decisions through
mass meetings.
• Wealth did not matter!
• Athenians practiced Ostracism – protect
society by banning over ambitious people
considered harmful to the city.
The Parthenon
The Great Peloponnesian War
• After the Persians were defeated Greece
split up into two different camps:
• Athenian Empire
• Sparta
• A series of Disputes led to the Great
Peloponnesian War in 431 BC
Spartan Strategy
• Sparta and its allies surrounded the city of
Athens. They hoped to draw the Athenian
army out to fight in open field beyond their
walls.
• Pericles, knew the Spartans were superior
warriors and felt Athens could wait it out
behind their walls.
ATHENIAN STRATEGY
• Athens planned to
remain behind the
city’s walls and hoped
to receive supplies
from colonies and the
navy.
• Athens stayed put.
The Great Peloponnesian War Cont…
• By the second year of
the siege, the plague
struck Athens. Over
one third of the
population died
including Pericles.
• Even with these
severe losses, Athens
would hold on for
another 25 years.
The Great Peloponnesian War
cont…
• The Athenian Navy will face a crushing
defeat in 405 B.C.
• Within a year Athens will surrender and its
walls torn down.
• The Great Peloponnesian War will be
over.
Effects of the War
• 1. The Great Peloponnesian War
weakened the all of the major Greek CityStates.
• 2. During the next 66 years, the Greeks
continued their petty fighting.
• 3. The Greeks would over look the
growing strength of Macedonia.
Religion and Philosophy
SECTION 4
Greek Religion
• Religion affected every aspect of Greek
life.
• Greeks considered religion necessary to
the well-being of the state.
• The Twelve Greek Gods and Goddesses
were thought to live on Mount Olympus
Greek Religion Cont…
• Greek religious rituals involved prayers
often combined with gifts to the gods
based on the principle “I give so that you
[the gods] will give [in return].”
• Greeks used the oracles to learn the will of
the gods.
GREEK PHILOSOPHY
• Philosophy refers to an organized system
of thought.
• The term comes from a Greek word that
means “love of wisdom.”
SOPHISTS
• Argued that it was simply beyond the
reach of the human mind to understand
the universe.
• It was more important for individuals to
improve themselves.
SOCRATES
• Was a critic of the sophists who taught
many pupils
• Believed the goal of education was only to
improve the individual
• Socratic Method – Uses a question
answer format to lead pupils to see things
for themselves by using their own reason
• Believed all real knowledge already exists
within each person
Plato
• Student of Socrates
• Was fascinated with the question, “How do we know
what is real?”
• Wrote THE REPUBLIC
• Believed that there were three classes of people:
– Philosopher-Kings
– Warriors
– The Masses
Started a school in Athens know as the Academy
ARISTOTLE
• Studied at Plato’s Academy for 20 years
• Analyzed and classified things based on
observation and investigation
• Until the 17th century, science of the
western world was based on his ideas
• He favored constitutional government as
the best form for most people
THE WRITING OF HISTORY
• Herodotus was the western worlds first
real historian.
• Wrote History of the Persian Wars
• Thucydides was the greatest historian of
the ancient world
• He saw war and politics as purely human
activities rather than acts of the gods.
Alexander the Great
and Hellenism
SECTION 5
THE THREAT OF MACEDONIA
• In 359 BC Philip II came to the throne and
turned Macedonia into the chief power of
the Greek world.
• He dreamed of uniting all of Greece under
Macedonia
• Because of the powerful army he created,
Philip II crushed the Greeks in 338 BC.
MACEDONIA CONT…
• After gaining control of Greece, Philip II
was assassinated before he could
undertake his task of invading Asia.
• The task was left to his son……
ALEXANDER THE GREAT
• Prepared for kingship by his father,
Alexander took the throne at the age of 20.
• He moved quickly to invade the Persian
Empire.
• He was motivated by the desire for glory
and empire, but also to avenge the
Persian burning of Athens in 480 BC
ALEXANDER’S CONQUEST
• Never content, Alexander conquered many
lands, greatly increasing the size of
Greece.
• After reaching India, his soldiers refused to
go any farther, so he turned back and
headed home.
• In June 323 BC, Alexander died at the age
of 32 from wounds, fever, and too much
alcohol.
LEGACY OF ALEXANDER
• He was a reckless fighter who tried to
model his life after Achilles.
• Because of his conquests, Greek
language, architecture, literature, and art
spread throughout Southwest Asia and the
Near East.
• The Greeks also absorbed aspects of
Eastern culture.
HELLENISTIC KINGDOM
• Hellenistic means “to imitate the Greeks.”
• Alexander created a series of new cities
and military settlements.
• Alexandria, Egypt was the largest city in
the Mediterranean region by the first
century BC