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Ancient Greece
Geography
• Located in Southern Balkan Peninsula and on small
rocky islands in Aegean Sea
• Mild climate; rainy winters & hot summers- suitable for
some types of farming
• VERY Mountainous – serves 2 functions
– Protects Greece from invasions
– Isolates Greeks from one another
• (Greeks will have same language & religion, but
will NEVER be united under 1 single government)
Early Greek Civilizations
• Minoans (2500-1450 BCE)
– 1st Greek-like civilization, located on island of Crete
– Ruins of Minoan capitol of Knossos found in 1900 by British
archaeologist Sir Arthur Evans
– Seafaring people, many merchants (traded throughout Med)
• Spread their ideas and beliefs to others
– Polytheistic – main god was goddess Earth Mother
– Greatest king was King Minos
• Mycenaeans
– Took over after Minoan decline (some overlap)
– Ruins discovered on Greek mainland by Heinrich Schliemann in
late 1800s
– Influenced by Minoans, had same religion & similar society
– More artisans & more organized gov’t than Minoans
– Overtake by Dorians (invaders from the North)
• Greece enters Dark Age
• Legendary Writing
– The Iliad and The Odyssey composed, credited to blind bard
known as Homer
– Stories based on Trojan War between Greece/Mycenaeans &
city of Troy in 1200s BCE
New Societies
• City states begin to emerge from “Dark Ages” between
800-700 BCE
• Greek city-state
– Called a polis; usually included city & surrounding villages,
orchards, fields, etc.
– Acropolis – fortified hill in middle of city
• Had temple to local patron deity
• Agora- area used to carry out local affairs
– Citizens could vote, hold office, own property
• Most residents not citizens (many slaves)
– Women had little or no political/legal rights
Greek Society
• Trade & Economics
– Each polis had colony in Mediterranean; used for grain & food
– Economy based on barter until 500s BCE (Lydians & coins)
– Had relatively advanced textiles and pottery
• Politics
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City-states were ruled at first by kings, but lose power in 700s BCE
Many switch to gov’ts run by aristocracy
In 500s BCE, several switch to democracy (including Athens)
2 most famous & powerful city-states were Sparta & Athens
Sparta
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Founded by descendants of Dorians
Patron god Apollo
No colonies; just invaded, conquered & enslaved others
Slaves try to revolt in 650 BCE
– 200,000 Helot slaves vs. 10,000 Spartan warriors
– Takes around 30 years to fully suppress revolt
– Leads Sparta to change society- COMPLETELY focus on military
• Spartan Military Society
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Infants examined at birth; healthy lived, weak killed
Spartan boys start military school at age 7
Stay in school until age 20 – then join a company (retired at 60)
Spartan men married around age 30
Women married around 19; could own property & express opinions
• Gov’t has 2 Kings (ruled jointly); Assembly (all adult males) & Council
of Elders (28 men over age 60)
• No trade, little wealth, little intellectual achievements
Athens
• N.E. of Sparta; descendants of Mycenaeans
• Patron goddess Athena
• Gov’t began with Kings, switches to democracy
– All citizens participated (males only)
– Most not citizens in beginning, but definition of citizen expands
over time- more allowed to participate
• More focused on education
– Most intellectual advancements come from Athens
– 3 major philosophers all from Athens (Socrates, Plato, &
Aristotle)
• Men had required military service of 2 years (age 18)
– After required service, you could choose to continue in military or
choose a different career
Greek Philosophers
• Socrates
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1st of the great philosophers; born poor
Attracted to process of learning
“Socratic Method”
Sentenced to death for “corrupting the youth of Athens”; drinks
hemlock juice and commits suicide
• Plato
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Born an aristocrat, attracted to Socrates’ teachings
Continues Socrates’ teachings after his suicide
opens academy
Wrote several works; most famous was The Republic
• Aristotle
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Last of 3 great philosophers
Studied under Plato; tutors Alexander the Great
Creates his own school (Lyceum)
Syllogism- system of presenting an argument to test its logic
Persian Wars
• Persians conquer great C/S of Ionia in 546 BCE
– Ionia revolts w/ help from Athens in 499 BCE (revolt fails)
– Persia seeks revenge on Greece for interfering
• King Darius I attacks Greece in 490 BCE
– Sparta doesn’t help (religious festival)
– Athens leads fight against Persians at Plains of Marathon
– Legend says Greeks only lost 192 men (Persia lost 6400+)
• King Xerxes returns to attack Greece in 480 BCE
– Brings 200,000+ soldiers and supply ships
– Sparta has another religious festival, but sends 300 men
including King Leonides (Delphi oracle)
– Battle of Thermopylae (Spartans delay Persians)
– Sea Battle of Salamis
• Smaller Greek ships out maneuver larger Persian ships
– Persians leave and never return to attack
Peloponnesian War
• Threat of Persian Invasion remains after Salamis
• Athens convinces most of Greek C/S to ally (not Sparta)
• Delian League formed (led by Athenian Pericles)
– D.L. frees Ionia from Persia; rids Mediterranean of pirates
– Pericles misuses DL money, builds up Athens (Parthenon)
– DL becomes Athenian empire
• Sparta becomes leader in anti-Athenian alliance
• Off and on war between Sparta & Athens from 431-404 BCE
– Athens holds its own against Sparta
– Sparta builds navy with help from Persians (in exchange for Ionia)
– Plague strikes Athens, killing 1/3 of population
• Athens finally surrenders when Sparta lays siege to Athens
Alexander the Great
• Sparta & Athens weakened after war; Macedonia gains
power in 360s BCE under Philip
• Philip assassinated in 336 BCE, son Alexander takes over
• Some resistance from Greek C/S
– Alexander crushes revolts & brings Greeks under his control
(Thebes)
• Alexander attacks Persians, defeating them by 334 BCE
• Empire is expanded to Egypt, Middle East, even to India
• Alexander dies in 323 BCE from disease; generals fight over
empire causing it to quickly fall
• Known as beginning of Hellenistic Age (spread of Greek
culture to Middle East & India)