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Transcript
CORINTH Corinth is an ancient city about 48 miles west of Athens on the narrow stretch of land that joins the Peloponnese to the mainland of Greece. Corinth was an important city in ancient Greece. Its commanding position on the Isthmus of Corinth, the narrow strip of land that separates the Peloponnese from northern Greece, was the primary basis of its importance. Being a leading naval power as well as a rich commercial city enabled ancient Corinth to establish colonies in Syracuse on the island of Sicily. These colonies served as trading posts for the richly ornamental bronze works, textiles, and pottery that Corinth produced. The Doric Temple of Apollo, one of Corinth's major landmarks, was constructed in 550 BC at the height of the city's wealth. THEBES The city-state of Thebes was located on the eastern plain of Boeotia (pronounced bee-OH-sheh) in central Greece. Thebes was situated on wide farmlands, and it controlled northern and southern trade routes, sot he city was able to maintain a strong farming economy. An oligarchy governed Thebes’ large population. The Theban possessed a strong army that often enabled them to dominate the surround ding city-states in their region. In ancient times, it was a small village and the main rival of Athens. This round shaped city was surrounded by a huge wall with seven gates, a major obstacle to enemies. Thebes gradually lost its power and about 150-s BCE it was conquered by the Romans. Thebes was the birthplace of the legendary hero Herakles and men of importance like Pindar and Epameinondas, played a major role in the affairs of Greece, from its early history as the many legends of the city testify. Though not a great power overall, it was powerful for a short time thanks to the genius of Epameinondas and its well trained army that took control of Greece by defeating the invincible Sparta. Among other achievements of Thebes was the formation of a league under its leadership, which united almost all the Boeotian cities. MANTINEA The city-state of Mantinea was located on the central plain of Arcadia, a mountainous region on the Peloponnesus landmass. Around the sixth century BCE, Mantinea emerged as a city out of a group of villages populated by various tribes. The city supported its small and rather poor population with a very modest farming economy. Mantinea’s first real form of government, which formed around 470 BCE, was a democracy. Mantinea was the site of two significant battles in Classical Greek history. The First Battle of Mantinea, in 418 BCE, was the largest land battle of the Peloponnesian War. On one side were Sparta and its remaining allies, and on the other were Athens, its allies, plus the cities that had revolted against the Spartans. After Laches, the Athenian commander, was killed, the battle turned into a swift and disorderly retreat of the Athenian and allied armies because of greater Spartan courage. The Second Battle of Mantinea, in 362 BCE, led to the fall of Thebes having complete power over Greece. In that battle, Athens and Sparta were actually allied against Thebes. Thebes won the battle, but its greatest general, Epaminondas, was killed in the fighting. DELOS The city-state of Delos was located on an island in the Aegean Sea, among a small group of islands situated east of the Peloponnesus landmass. Although the island was only two square miles, Delos was a thriving port. Its strong trade economy allowed it to easily support its small population. The ancient Greeks believed that Delos was the birthplace of the god Apollo, and the island was considered a sacred site. Various tyrants ruled Delos until the mid 400s BCE, when a democracy became its form of government. ARGOS The city-state of Argos was located three miles inland, on the rim of a plain on the northeastern portion of the Peloponnesus landmass. Using its large areas of farmland and its proximity to the sea, Argos engaged in a combination of farming and trade to support its mediumsize population. Until the fifth century BCE, an oligarchy ruled Argos. However, around 480 BCE, the people overthrew the oligarchy and installed a democratic government. Despite the change to democracy, Argos continued to look for ways to make its government more stable and powerful. olympia Temple of Zeus Olympia is located in the part of Greece which is called Peloponnesus. Olympia is known for having been the site of the Olympic Games in classical times, comparable in importance to the Pythian Games held in Delphi. Both games were held every Olympiad (i.e. every four years), the Olympic Games dating back possibly further than 776 BC. Olympia is also known for the gigantic ivory and gold statue of Zeus that used to stand there, sculpted by Pheidias, which was named one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World by Antipater of Sidon. The classical period, between the 5th and 4th centuries BC, was the golden age of the site at Olympia. A wide range of new religious and secular buildings and structures were constructed. The Temple of Zeus was built in the middle of the 5th century BC, its size, scale and ornamentation was beyond anything previously constructed on the site. Further sporting facilities, including the final iteration of the stadium, and the hippodrome (for chariot-racing) were constructed. The Prytaneion was built at the north west side of the site in 470 BC. MARATHON Marathon is the Greek word for fennel. It is believed that the town was originally named so because of an abundance of fennel plants in the area. Marathon was also the site of the Battle of Marathon in 490 BC, in which the heavily outnumbered Athenian army defeated the Persians. The name of the athletic long-distance endurance race, the "marathon", comes from the legend of Pheidippides, a Greek soldier, who was sent from the town of Marathon to Athens to announce that the Persians had been miraculously defeated in the Battle of Marathon. It is said that he ran the entire distance without stopping, but moments after proclaiming his message "Nenikekamen" ("We were victorious!") to the city, he collapsed from exhaustion. DELPHI Delphi is located in lower central Greece, on multiple terraces along the slope of Mount Parnassus, and includes the Sanctuary of Apollo, the site of the ancient Oracle. Delphi was the site of the Delphic oracle, the most important oracle in the classical Greek world, and a major site for the worship of the god Apollo after he slew the Python, a deity who lived there and protected the navel of the Earth. Delphi hosted the Pythian Games competition. These games, though, were different from the games at Olympia in that they were not of such vast importance to the city of Delphi as the games at Olympia were to the city of Olympia. Delphi would have been a renowned city whether or not it hosted these games; it had other attractions that led to it being labeled the (navel or belly button) of the earth, in other words, the center of the world. In the inner hearth of the Temple of Apollo, an eternal flame burned. After the battle of Plataea, the Greek cities extinguished their fires and brought new fire from the hearth of Greece, at Delphi; in the foundation stories of several Greek colonies, the founding colonists were first dedicated at Delphi.