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Early Greek Civilization (cont.)
• Mycenae was the first Greek state that was
ruled by powerful monarchies.
• Homer wrote two epic poems, the Iliad and
the Odyssey, about the Trojan War.
• By 750 B.C., the city-state, or polis, had
become the focus of Greek life. There,
people would meet for political, social, and
religious activities.
Early Greek Civilization (cont.)
• The main gathering area was usually the
acropolis, a fortified area at the top of a hill.
• The agora was an open area below the
acropolis where people would assemble.
• The Greek city-states had different forms of
government.
− Democracy: a government by the people,
or rule by the many
− Oligarchy: rule of the few
Early Greek Civilization (cont.)
• The two most powerful city-states were
Sparta and Athens.
• Sparta
− Sparta was a military state. All men in
Sparta joined the military, and stayed in
the army until they were 60.
− The government was an oligarchy headed
by two kings who led the army.
Early Greek Civilization (cont.)
− Ephors were elected annually and were in
charge of education and the conduct of
Spartan citizens.
− Philosophy, literature, and travel were
discouraged. The art of war was the only
ideal.
Early Greek Civilization (cont.)
• Athens
− Early Athens was ruled by aristocrats who
owned the best land.
− The threat of civil war convinced
aristocrats to hand over power to Solon,
who ended the economic problems by
canceling land debts and freeing people
enslaved for debt.
Early Greek Civilization (cont.)
− Another reformer, Cleisthenes, created a
council of 500 men to oversee
governmental affairs.
− This idea of legislative assembly created
the foundations of Athenian democracy.
Classical Greece
Classical Greek ideas about
government, philosophy, and the arts
created the foundation of Western
society.
Socrates & Plato
Classical Greece (cont.)
• Pericles became a dominant leader in
Athens after the defeat of the Persians.
• The Age of Pericles witnessed an expansion
of the empire that is considered the height of
Athenian power and brilliance.
• Pericles also expanded democracy to all
male citizens and enabled all citizens to play
a role in the government, making it a direct
democracy.
Classical Greece (cont.)
• Sparta feared the growing Athenian empire,
leading to the outbreak the Great
Peloponnesian War in 431 B.C.
• Athens lost the war and the Athenian empire
was destroyed. The war weakened all of the
major Greek states.
Classical Greece (cont.)
• Classical Greece was a period of
intellectual and cultural growth.
• The most important form of architecture was
the temple that was dedicated to a god or
goddess.
• The Parthenon is the greatest example of
the classical Greek temple.
Classical Greece (cont.)
• The first Greek dramas were tragedies and
were presented in a trilogy.
• Today, the only complete Greek tragedy we
possess is called Oresteia written by
Aeschylus.
• Three Greek philosophers Socrates, Plato,
and Aristotle established the foundations of
Western philosophy.
Socrates was found guilty by a jury of 500,
sentenced to Death!
Classical Greece (cont.)
• Socrates
− Believed the goal of education was to
improve the individual
− Taught students to live their lives by a
code of ethics
− He used a question-and-answer format to
lead students to find answers for
themselves, called the Socratic Method.
Classical Greece (cont.)
• Plato
− Student of Socrates. He was fascinated
with the question of reality.
− Wrote his ideas of government in a work
entitled The Republic
− Considered by many to be the greatest
philosopher of Western civilization
Classical Greece (cont.)
• Aristotle
− Student of Plato. He believed people’s
happiness is tied to their behavior.
− Interested in classifying and analyzing
things based on observation and
investigation
− He did not seek an ideal state, but rather
studied existing governments and favored
constitutional government.
Alexander and the Hellenistic Era
Alexander the Great spread Greek
culture across Southwest Asia, into
Egypt, and to India.
Alexander and the Hellenistic Era (cont.)
• In 338 B.C. Phillip II of Macedonia invaded
Greece and defeated the Greek states at the
Battle of Chaeronea.
• When he took the throne at age 20,
Alexander the Great continued the plan of
his deceased father, Phillip II, to conquer
Persia.
• Alexander and his army took possession of
the Persian Empire and continued
moving east until he reached India.
Al e x a n d e r
t h e
E mp i r e
Gr e a t ’ s
Alexander and the Hellenistic Era (cont.)
• Alexander the Great created a new age, the
Hellenistic Era, which saw the spread of
Greek culture and ideas to Southwest Asia
and beyond.
• Alexander’s unified kingdom did not last, and
four Hellenistic kingdoms arose: Macedonia,
Syria, Egypt, and Pergamum in western Asia
Minor.
Alexander and the Hellenistic Era (cont.)
• The Hellenistic Era saw many cultural
accomplishments, especially in Alexandria
and Pergamum, where great libraries were
built and thousands of statues were erected.