Download The Spread of Greek Culture (p

The Spread of Greek Culture (p.126)
I.
The Persian Wars
A. 5th century B.C. Persia threatened Greek city-states
B. 499 B.C. some Greek city-states who were already controlled
by Persia rebelled with help from Athens but were unsuccessful
C. 490 B.C. 20,000 Athenian men attacked the Persian force at
Marathon and crushed the Persians
D. 480 B.C. Persia attacked again and defeated Spartan forces in
the mountains of Northern Greece but the Athenian Navy
defeated the Persians at the straits of Salamis
E. 479 B.C. the Persian threat finally ended after a defeat by a
combined army of men from all the Greek city-states and the
Athenian Navy
II.
The Golden Age
A. The Greek navy now opened ports in the Mediterranean Sea to
Greek trade.
B. Money poured into Greece and Greek culture developed.
C. The Golden Age of Greece (480 B.C. to 399 B.C.) was marked
by advances in arts, science, and philosophy.
III.
The Peloponnesian Wars
A. The Delian League was formed to protect the Greek city-states
from another attack by Persia and Athens was the league’s
leader because it gave the group the most money and troops.
B. Athens started to rule like an empire and resentment against
Athens began to form, especially from Sparta, which feared the
rising power.
C. 431 B.C. Sparta and Athens began to war
a. Athens had a better Navy
b. Sparta had a better land force
D. During the Peloponnesian Wars (431 B.C.-404B.C.) Greek citystates choose sides (Athens or Sparta) and fought against each
other.
E. Athens surrendered in 404B.C., its empire broken up, and the
Golden Age came to an end.
F. As Persia and Sparta fought for control over parts of the Greek
empire and city-states fought among themselves, the Greeks
became weak
Discussion Questions:
1. How did the Persian Wars unite the Greek city-states and make
Athens a leading power?
2. How did the Persian wars lead to the spread of Greek culture?
3. How did the Peloponnesian Wars bring an end to the power of
Ancient Greece?
Vocabulary:
StraitGolden Age of GreeceDelian League-
IV.
The Macedonian Empire
A. 4th century B.C. Philip II was leader of Macedonia
B. While imprisoned he learned much about Greek culture
C. Upon returning to Macedonia he trained his army and
conquered Greek city-states one by one.
D. 338B.C. he was the master of Greece-including Athens
E. He declared war on Persia but was assassinated
V.
Alexander The Great
A. Inherited the throne at 20 years old and wanted to enlarge the
Macedonian empire
B. At 13 Aristotle was his teacher and he soon admired Greek art,
drama, and philosophy
C. 334 B.C. defeated the Persians in Asia Minor
D. Soon moved on to conquer Egypt & Mesopotamia
E. By 331B.C. he was King of Persia, Pharaoh of Egypt, King of
Babylon, and King of Macedonia
F. He came to greatly admire Persian culture as well as Greek and
thought of himself as a Greco-Persian emperor
G. 327B.C. his army refused to go any farther east than the Indus
river and he returned home in 323B.C. and died at age 33
H. After his death, his generals divided up his empire into smaller
dynasties and the empire continued to prosper
VI.
Hellenistic Culture (a blending of Greek and eastern cultures)
A. His greatest and most lasting achievement was to mix Greek
and Persian cultures creating a new culture called the
Hellenistic culture.
B. Alexandria in Egypt became the center of trade, science, and
learning during the Hellenistic Age
C. Many Greeks emigrated to the cities Alexander founded while
expanding his empire, and these Hellenistic cities became the
centers of Greek culture for hundreds of years.
D. Greek interest in science, arts, and learning grew and libraries
were founded in every Hellenistic city
Vocabulary
PhalanxHellenistic AgeEmigrate-
Discussion Questions:
1. How did the Macedonians build an empire?
2. How did Alexander help to spread Greek culture?
3. How does the story of Alexander the Great and the rise of
Hellenistic culture compare to American culture?