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Ancient Greece
World History
Early Greek History
 1900 B.C. – Greek
speaking IndoEuropeans move into
Greece
 By 800 B.C. – the
city-state had
emerged
 By the 5th century –
height of the Greek
classical period
Impact of Geography
 Greece occupies a small
area compared to
Mesopotamia and Egypt
(is the size of Louisiana)
 Mountain ranges, islands,
and seas isolated Greeks
from one another – caused
communities to develop
their own unique ways of
life
 Climate (48°-80°)
encourages outdoor/public
life: athletic competition,
plays, & public speaking
Geography (cont.)
 Communities became
fiercely independent
and fought to gain
advantage
 The sea also
influenced Greek
society
 Long seacoast with
bays, inlets, harbors,
and islands – the
Greeks became
seafarers as a result
The First Greek State: The
Mycenaeans
 Indo-Europeans that came
from north of the Black
Sea region
 Reached its high point
between 1400 and 1200
B.C.
 Powerful monarchies
with fortified palaces
 Were a warrior people
 Influenced by Minoans
(trade, language, vase art)
 Trojan war: myth or
reality?
The Mycenaeans
 May have conquered the
Minoans on Crete and sacked
Troy (over trade routes to the
Black Sea
 Homer wrote of their military
adventures
 Earthquakes and infighting
caused their downfall
 Conquered by Greek speaking
invaders from the north &
collapsed
 Dorians move in and replace
The Mycenaeans
 Homer’s epic poems
Iliad and the Odyssey
appeared (the values
of courage, honor, &
excellence were
displayed)
 Iliad – account of the
Trojan War
 Odyssey – account of
the Greek hero
Odysseus and his
return home.
The Dark Ages (1100-750 B.C.)
 Population declined
 Food production
dropped
 Few records exist
 Greeks left the
mainland and sailed to
islands or settled in
Ionia
 Use iron and adopt
Phoenician alphabet
Ancient Greece
The Agora
Phalanx
Greek military formation of hoplites
Heavy infantry (hoplites), column
formation
If the front row falls, the next row takes
their places
Greek hoplite (soldier)-6th c. BC
Athens Builds a Democracy
 Many different forms of government in
Greece (monarchy, aristocracy, oligarchy,
tyrants, democracy)
 Athenian rulers w/democratic reforms:
 Draco: legal code w/equality under law
 Solon: outlawed debt slavery & all citizens allowed to
participate in Athenian assembly
 Cleisthenes: Council of 500 created with random membership
& all citizens could submit laws to Athenian assembly
 Citizenship – free adult males born in Athens
(no women, slaves or foreigners)
Athens
 Attica Peninsula; leading
Greek city-state (Polis) after
750 BCE
– Monarchyaristocracytyr
annydemocracy
 Early Problems:
– Small farmers unable to
compete with imports
• sold land, forced into slavery if
unable to pay debts
– Common people had no
voice in Government
Athens
•Democratic society
•The Assembly was the major political
body
•All citizens (free adult native born
males) could belong to the assembly;
•All were equal & had freedom of
speech
POLITICS
• Polis-another name for city-state
- this was the basic political unit
• Citizens-those who took part in
govt.
• Men who owned land could be a
citizen
Athens
• A jury system for court cases
• Had to educate sons-participate in
government
• 2 years military service at age 18
• Could ostracize undesirable
politicians if more than 6000
agreed
The Greek Mind
a. Early scientists – Pythagoras (math) & Hippocrates
(father of medicine)
b. Socrates (469-399 BC) was a philosopher who
believed in absolute truth
1. He was interested in how people learned to
think for themselves
2. Developed the Socratic Method: asking
pointed questions and giving no answer. He
would oppose their answer with logical
arguments
3. Socrates was viewed as a threat to the polis and
was sentenced to death
Philosophy
 Socrates – critic of
Sophists (believed
absolute truths did exist
for truth and justice);
Socratic line of
questioning; Athenian jury
condemns to death
Socrates
Philosophy
 Plato – student of
Socrates; wrote The
Republic (vision of
perfectly governed
society); founded a school
called the Academy
(lasted 900 yrs)
 Aristotle – student of
Plato; method for arguing
logic w/rules; applied
methods to psychology,
physics, & biology;
tutored Alexander the
Great
Plato & Aristotle
•C. Plato (427-347 BC) started the Academy and wrote
the first book on political science, The Republic (state
more important than individual – anti-democratic &
pro-Sparta). Also had the “Parable of the Cave” –
concept of forms
D. Aristotle (384-322 BC) wrote on philosophy,
science, & govt. – influenced western thinkers
greatly until the Renaissance (c. 1500 AD).
Tutored Alexander the Great.
Pericles
Golden Age of Athens
a. Pericles led Athens in this period (461 BC)
b. Athens stood for all that was the best in
Greek civilization (“school of the Hellas”)
c. Artists excelled at:
1. Architecture
2. Sculpture: Classical Art-nothing to
excess
3. Painting
4. Built huge, beautiful public
buildings-Parthenon
Politics
Citizens could:
1. Vote
2. Hold public office
3. Speak for themselves in
court
4. HAD to serve in government
5. HAD to fight in war
Sparta
Military society
Outnumbered by slaves
Invaded other cities to fulfill needs
If a child was born sickly or deformed
they were left in hills to die
• At age 7, boys were sent to military,
at 60 they could retire
• Suspicious of new ideas-NO CHANGE
• Sparta lagged far behind other cities
in economic development
•
•
•
•
Persian War
 Persian Empire controlled Middle East and Greek
colonies on Asia Minor
– Colonies Revolted(with aid of Athens), Persian king
(Darius) determined to punish Athens
 Battles
– Marathon: Persia attacks, Athens defeats (490 BCE)
– Athens built huge navy and organized the city-states
(Themistocles)
– Thermopylae; attack by Xerxes (son of Darius), Persia
won (480 BCE)
– Naval battle of Salamis, Athens won
– Final battle of Platea, land battle won by Spartans,
drove off Persians
 Greek Democracy prevailed and were able to
have a “golden age”
PERSIAN WARS
1. 546 BC-Persia conquers Ionia;
world’s largest empire
2. 499 BC-Ionians revolt-didn’t
like one all powerful ruler
3. Persia, under Darius, defeats the
Ionian Greeks
Thermopylae & Salamis
Persian Wars
•
480 BC-Xerxes, son of Darius,
invades Greece
-Sparta leads the Greeks (united)
-Themistocles, an Athenian General,
says to defeat Persia at sea
-to delay Persia, the Spartans slow
them at THERMOPYLAE (a mtn.
Pass)-Greeks lose & Athens burned
-Greeks lure Persian navy into the
shallow waters of SALAMISGreeks victorious
Persian Wars
A. 490 BC-Darius attacks
at MARATHON
-for days nothing
happened (Athens
outnumbered);
B. -Persians decide to
attack Athens-sent most
of army away
C.-Athenians attack with
most of the Persians
waiting to board ships
Leonidas & the Spartans hold the
Persians at Thermopylae pass
-Pheidippides runs to Sparta for help – later
runs to Athens to tell of the Greek victory
(Nike!), then dies
-Persians are defeated (6400 dead vs. 192 for
the Greeks)
Battle of Salamis, 480 BC
Effects of the Persian Wars
With supply ships gone, Xerxes
returns to Asia for good
1. Greek civilization miraculously
saved from “barbarians”
2. Classical age begins – art,
literature, commerce flourish
3. Athens becomes dominant citystate
Warring City States
Peloponnesian War (431 BC-404 BC)
 Most cities joined the Delian League for protection
against the Persians, pirates
 Athens led the D.L., which really turns into the Athenian
Empire
 Sparta & others create an anti-Athens alliance
 Sparta had no navy, made a deal w/Persians to get $ for
navy
Peloponnesian War (Athens & Sparta)
(431 BCE-404 BCE)
 Athens formed Delian League for protection against the
Persians, pirates
– really turns into the Athenian Empire
 Sparta & others create an anti-Athens alliance;
Peloponnesian League
 Part I – Spartans invade Athenian territory & burned
food supply; city remained safe with colonial & foreign
trade; plague in Athens; truce signed
 Part II – Athens send fleet to attack Syracuse (ally of
Sparta); expedition was a failure (fleet & army) was
destroyed; surrendered 9 years later
Peloponnesian War
Continued…
 Effects:
– Ruined fields, city-states ripe for take over, Athenians
lose faith in their democracy
– Sparta broke, detested for being anti-democratic
– Weakened both and allowed for Macedonians to
dominate
This picture actually
represents the Persian War,
but it looked cool. Notice
the Phalanx behind
Leonidas!
E. Athens weakened by a
plague & ruined crops;
forced to make peace in
404 BC.
Effects: Ruined fields,
city-states ripe for take
over, Athenians lose
faith in their democracy
Thucydides
a. Wrote on the
Peloponnesian War
b. Rejected the idea
that gods played role
in human history
c. He only accepted
eyewitness accounts
Alexander the Great
Alexander the Great
Alexander and his Empire
a. Philip II of Macedonia, Alexander’s father, had
conquered most of Greece by the time of
his death
b. 336 BC-Alexander from Macedonia (north of
Greece) becomes King of Macedonia
c. 334 BC-Alexander invades Persian empire &
wins major victory in Asia Minor
Alexander the Great
 Phillip of Macedonia (Alex’s Dad)
– Tried to unify city-states by force
– united the militaries and planned to attack Persia, but
was assassinated
 Alexander
– Conquered Persian Empire (Middle East and Egypt),
to the Indus River
– Largest empire to this point
– Died of fever at 33
 Spread Hellenism (culture of the Greeks)
d. 332 BC-he conquers Syria, Palestine, and
Egypt (founds the city of Alexandria).
e. 331 BC -defeats Persians again, and ends
Persian rule for good
f. 327 BC-Alexander wants to keep going
until they reach the Indus River -after 3
years his men say no more-go home
g. 323 BC-Alexander dies of a fever at age
33
Alexander the Great Conquering Persia
Alexandria, Egypt
•
•
The city is the center of
Hellenistic civilization &
learning - NOT Athens
Well planned city:1st
museum, Library with 1
million volumes, Zoo,
Double harbor (1200 ships
could dock & giant
lighthouse)
Legacy of Alexander the Great
a. Ends the era of the independent
Greek polis
b. Creates Hellenism-the blending
of Greek & eastern customs
•By 150 BC –Hellenism
was in decline
•Rome was gaining
power
Writers of History
Herodotus
a. Known as the “father of history”
b. Considered the 1st true historian-he separated
fact from fiction (tried to)
c. Wrote on the Persian Wars-called Historia
d. Wrote on military, political, social & religious
customs
Philosophy
 Stoicism – founded by Zeno; people
should live virtuous lives in
harmony with the will of god or
natural laws; human desires, power,
& wealth should be checked;
promoted social unity
 Epicureanism – founded by
Epicurus; gods had no interest in
universe; virtuous conduct &
absence of pain; goal was to achieve
harmony of body and mind
 Sophists – questioned people’s
unexamined beliefs & ideas about
justice & values
Zeno
Science and Technology
 Astronomy
 Aristarchus – estimates Sun’s size
at 300 times larger than earth (was
off a bit); said Earth revolved
around the Sun
 Eratosthenes – calculated Earth’s
size at 28-29,000 miles (actually is
24,860)
 Math & Physics
 Euclid – wrote Elements
(geometric propositions & proofs)
 Archimedes – gifted in geometry
& physics; invented device that
raised water from the ground &
the compound pulley
Euclid