Download Chapter 5: Ancient Greece

Connor Schultz
Pre-AP History P. 5
Chapter 5 Readers Notebooks
9/18/10
Chapter 5: Ancient Greece
I.
Section 1: Minoans and Mycenaeans
A.
Minoans of Crete
1.
They developed on Crete and lasted nearly 2000 years.
2.
Can tell by artwork that they were closely tied with the sea
3.
Structures were sturdy and were well built
4.
Minoans fell apart quickly when a volcanic island blew itself apart and
Mycenaeans took over
B.
The Mycenaean States
1.
They are considered the first Greeks because they spoke a form of Greek
2.
They took a lot of things from the Minoans like their writing system.
3.
Conquered Crete and trade was very successful. Culture revolved around
intense competition, frequent warfare, and powerful kings
4.
The Trojan War is one of the biggest myths of all time. People aren’t sure
whether or not it happened
5.
Mycenaeans entered a dark age where droughts and famines were a big part
of their downfall
C.
Greek City-States
1.
After about 300 years of confusion in Greece a new type of society started to
emerge: The society was centered on the polis, or city-state.
2.
Because Greece was rugged, travel and communication was difficult. As a
result city-states developed on their own. Each had its own government, laws and
customs.
3.
A typical polis was built around a high area called an acropolis. These
provided fortifications and housed temples to the gods.
4.
Below the acropolis were public places like the agora. An agora was a
marketplace. Shops, houses and more temples surrounded the agora.
Connor Schultz
Pre-AP History P. 5
Chapter 5 Readers Notebooks
9/18/10
5.
Surrounding the entire polis was a wall for defense. Beyond the wall were a
few scattered houses and marketplaces. Also the food for the city was farmed
outside of the walls.
II.
Section 2: The classical age
A.
Athenian Democracy
1.
The world first democracy, a form of government run by the people
2.
Democracy developed over time. The gap between the rich and the
poor was far too great and so there was conflict. Draco reformed the cities
laws and used very harsh punishment.
3.
Solon revised these harsh laws and outlawed debt slavery. He also
allowed all men in Athens to take part in the assembly.
4.
Peisistratus took the throne by force, otherwise known as a tyrant.
Despite his ugly rise to power he was popular because he pushed the
aristocrats out of rule.
5.
Cleisthenes took over after Peisistratus died and set the table for
Athenian democracy. He divided Athens into 10 tribes based on where people
lived. Each tribe elected 50 men to serve on a council of 500.
6.
Not all people could take part in the voting. You had to be free, male,
Athenians, over the age of 20, and completed military training.
7.
These people were required to vote in all elections, serve in office if
elected, serve on juries, and serve in the military during war.
8.
At its height Athens had a direct democracy, where everyone votes on
an issue.
9.
The archon was the chief of state who acted as the head of both the
assembly and the council of 500.
B.
Persian Wars
1.
The first Persian war was started because the Ionians, Greek colonies,
rebelled against Persia and Athens sent help. Darius wanted revenge for
Athens helping out.
Connor Schultz
Pre-AP History P. 5
Chapter 5 Readers Notebooks
9/18/10
2.
The Persians set out to get revenge at a town called Marathon. The
Athenians were warned so they caught the Persians by surprise and attacked.
The Persians retreated.
3.
The Greeks used a formation called a phalanx, a tight rectangle shaped
formation.
4.
In the second Persian invasion the Greeks lured the Persians into an
entrance at Thermopylae. The Spartans sent 300 warriors that held off the
Persians long enough for the Athenians to evacuate.
5.
The battle was won for the Greeks when they brought the Persians to
the Straight of Salamis where the Greek ships could maneuver far better than
the Persians’ ships.
C.
The Golden Age of Athens
1.
After the Persian wars ended, an alliance started which became known
as the Delian League because its treasury was kept on the islands of Delos.
2.
Rebuilding Athens had to be done so they started from the top with the
acropolis, on which they built a series of grand temples including the
Parthenon.
3.
Pericles introduced payment to people who served in public offices or
on juries to get more people involved.
4.
The Peloponnesian war was started in 431 BC because of tension and
fear between the Delian League and the Peloponnesian League.
5.
Plague struck Athens and killed many including Pericles. Fighting
heated up again afterward but in 421 Sparta and Athens agreed to a truce.
6.
A while later, war broke out again when Athens attacked one of
Sparta’s allies and Sparta responded. Sparta destroyed Athens and became the
power of Greece. Thebes stole the power from them but not for long because
Macedonia is going to take over.
III.
Section 3: Greek Achievements
A.
Greek Philosophy
1.
Socrates was the first great Athenian philosopher. Most of what is
known of Socrates is from his student Plato’s writings.
Connor Schultz
Pre-AP History P. 5
Chapter 5 Readers Notebooks
9/18/10
2.
Plato, who was Socrates’ student, became a great philosopher himself.
Plato wrote the republic, in which he tells how a government should be run.
He also set up The Academy.
3.
Aristotle was one of the students from The Academy. He was more
focused on logic and reason. Logic, meaning the process of making inferences,
and reason, means clear and ordered thinking.
B.
Greek Literature
1.
The most famous of Greece’s literature was the Iliad and the Odyssey
by Homer. They were written as an epic. The Iliad is about the Trojan War and
the Odyssey is about Odysseus’ journey home.
2.
Lyric poetry was also a form of Greek literature. It was named this
because an instrument called the lyre was usually played while the poem was
recited
C.
History
1.
The Greeks were one of, if not the first, society to write about and
analyze their past. Herodotus was one of the most famous historians in
Greece. He recorded events during the Persian Wars. Thucydides lived in
Athens during the Peloponnesian War. He included what we would call today
Primary Sources.
D.
Drama
1.
Two forms of drama became distinct over time. They were comedy and
tragedy.
E.
Greek Architecture and Art
1.
The Parthenon was the grandest of all Athenian building because of its
proportions and design. It had doors but no windows and had a very large
statue of Athena in the center.
2.
The Greeks sculptors were the finest the world has ever known. They
were very good at sculpting the human form, not only still but moving figures
as well. Few sculptures are still around today.
3.
Like Sculptures there are few paintings left in the world today. Some
writings have led people to believe that Greeks painted large murals in public
buildings. A lot of them were scenes from the odyssey.
Connor Schultz
Pre-AP History P. 5
Chapter 5 Readers Notebooks
9/18/10
IV.
Section 4: Alexander the Great and His Legacy
A.
The Rise of Macedonia
1.
When Phillip II came to power the first thing he did was re organize his
military. He adopted the phalanx but gave his soldiers much longer spears. He
also used a bigger cavalry and larger group of archers.
2.
He quickly conquered all of Greece except for Sparta. His conquest
might have continued but he was assassinated.
B.
Alexander’s Conquests
1.
When Alexander first took the throne he faced with revolts in Greece.
He immediately showed that he would not tolerate revolts by using harsh
punishment.
2.
After controlling Greece Alexander quickly conquered Persia and
therefore gained control of Egypt and Phoenicia. He made his way all the way
to the Indus until his troops just wanted to return home. He was forced to
keep what he had.
3.
Alexander did not get to rule long though because he fell ill and died at
the age of 33.
C.
The Hellenistic World
1.
The region was no longer solely Hellenistic, or Greek like, because
Alexander had brought together many different cultures.
2.
Alexandria was the center of the Hellenistic world because it was one
of the biggest trading ports.