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Ancient Greece
Chapter 4
The Influence of
Trade
Early Greece was strongly influenced by trade.
Crete, the island where the Minoans and later the
Mycenaeans lived, was located in a region that
allowed traders to reach areas in Africa and the
Middle East, so that these early Aegean
civilizations, trading by sea, made contact with
other great early civilizations. Consider how trade
influences the culture and economies of countries
as you think about the following questions.
The Influence of
Trade
1. How might the need to access trading
routes affect a country?
2. How might trade affect the building and
settlement of towns?
3. How might contact with other groups have
an impact on people?
4. What might cause culture to spread across
different countries?
Section 1
EARLY PEOPLE OF THE AGEAN
Focus Question
How did the Minoans and Mycenaeans
shape early Greek civilizations?
The Island of Crete
Minoans
Trade and Prosper
• The island of Crete
was the cradle of an
early civilization that
later influenced
Greeks living on the
European mainland.
• The Minoans had
absorbed many ideas
from the older
civilizations of Egypt
and Mesopotamia.
The Palace
Knossos
• Housed religious shrines – areas honoring
gods and goddesses.
Frescos – colorful water paintings – on the
walls.
• Displayed elements of the culture.
• Dolphins = Sea
• Bull = Strength & Sport
Outside Knossos
Inside Knossos
Minoans Disappear
Mycenaean
Civilization Emerges
• Gone by 1400 BC.
• A natural disaster made them
vulnerable to Mycenaean invaders.
Mycenaeans
• Sea Traders
• Constructed city states ruled by
warrior kings.
• First Greek speaking culture to
leave written records.
• Influenced by Egyptian and
Mesopotamian customs.
• Conquered Crete and victorious in
Trojan War
Mycenaean Civilization
• This massive Lion Gate, erected about 1250 B.C., is
the main entrance to the fortress at Mycenae.
Homer and the Great
Legends of Greece
• After their victory over Troy, the
Mycenaeans came under attack from
Greek-speaking sea raiders, the
Dorians, invading from the north.
• Mycenaeans abandoned the cities
and trade declined.
• Skills forgotten, including the art of
writing.
• Until 800 B.C., Greek civilization
seemed to step backward.
• Epic poems like Homer’s the Iliad and
the Odyssey tell us about events in
this period. These poems were
passed on orally.
Early Aegean
Civilizations
Trojan War
• The Legend…………
• Helen, wife of a Greek King, is kidnapped by Trojan
Prince Paris.
• Mycenaeans sail to Troy to get her back.
• 10 years of war begins.
• A giant Horse is left on the shores of Troy. Believed
to be a gift from the “Gods.”
• The horse is paraded into the city.
• At night, Greek soldiers, hiding inside the horse,
come out and attack the city.
• Troy is seized and burned to the ground.
Section 2
THE RISE OF GREEK CITY STATES
Focus Question
How did government and culture
develop as Greek city-states grew?
Geography Shapes
Greece
• Mountains and sea
separated Greek citystates, which
remained fiercely
independent.
• The sea trade
brought goods and
ideas, such as the
Phoenician alphabet.
• Greeks began to set
up colonies all
around the
Mediterranean.
Governing the
City-States
• The Greeks designed each large city-state, or
polis, with an acropolis for temples and a lower
walled city for homes, a market, and public
buildings.
• With the introduction of iron weapons, more
citizens(free residents) could be outfitted with
weapons and the phalanx formation emerged as
a method of fighting.
• Different forms of government evolved over
time, from a monarchy (king), to an aristocracy
(elite landowners), and in some places to an
oligarchy (small, wealthy elite).
Forms of
Government
Sparta
Warrior Society
• The Spartans were Dorian invaders from the north who
conquered Laconia, in the southern part of Greece.
• They turned the conquered people into state-owned
slaves, called helots, and made them work the land.
• Because the helots greatly outnumbered their rulers, the
Spartans set up a brutal system of strict control.
Government Structure
• 2 Kings and a council of elders for advisers
• An assembly of native born male citizens for day to day
decisions.
• The assembly elected 5 ephors – officials to run day-today affairs.
Spartan
Gender Roles
• Born to be soldiers.
• Weak newborns abandoned
to die.
• Age 7 – training begins.
• Live in barracks to train, eat,
and be disciplined.
• Encouraged to steal to
develop skills.
• Age 20 – allowed to marry.
• Age 30 – became part of the
assembly.
• Born to mother future
soldiers.
• Exercise to produce
healthy sons.
• Obey fathers & husbands.
• Right to inherit property.
• Ran family estate when
husbands were at war.
300
Democracy
Evolves in Athens
• Athenian government
evolved from a monarchy
into an aristocracy.
• Discontent with the
aristocracy of Athens led to a
form of democracy (by the
people).
• Noble male landowners held
power and chose the chief
officials.
• Nobles judged major court
cases and dominated the
assembly.
Democracy
Evolves in Athens
• The Parthenon holds center stage on the ancient Athenian
Acropolis. Originally a temple honoring the city’s patron
goddess, Athena, the Parthenon is one of the world’s most
famous and influential buildings.
Democracy Evolves
in Athens
Athens
Limited Democracy
Role of Women
1. Guided by men
2. Played important role in religious ceremonies
3. Homemakers
4. Secluded from the public
5. Worked as weavers and potters
Education
1. Girls received little or none
2. Boys only if family could afford it.
3. Importance placed on knowledge – music, poetry, and
public speaking.
Forces for Unity
• Strong local identification, an
independent spirit, and economic
rivalry led to fighting among the
Greek city-states.
• Despite these divisions, Greeks
shared a common culture.
• They spoke the same language,
honored the same ancient heroes,
participated in common festivals,
and prayed to the same gods.
• Polytheistic – believing in more than
one God.
Section 3
CONFLICT IN THE GREEK WORLD
Focus Question
How did war with invaders and conflict
amongst Greeks affect the city states?
The Persian Wars
• After Athens sent
ships to help the
Greek city-states in
Ionia, the Persian
ruler Darius I sent
forces to crush
Athens.
• The Athenians
won a battle near
Marathon, and
later joined forces
with other citystates to maintain
an advantage over
Persia.
The Persian Wars
Greece Unites
• Darius I dies, his son
Xerxes takes the throne.
• Orders another attack on
Athens – this time Sparta
and other city states help.
• A force of 300 Spartans
led by warrior-king
Leonidas guard a small
mountain pass at
Thermopylae.
• The 300 are defeated –
Persia goes on to burn an
empty Athens.
The Age of Pericles and
Direct Democracy
• When Pericles led Athens, there was
a direct democracy - citizens take
part directly in day to day affairs of
government, with the Council of 500
deciding the issues of the day.
• Jury duty was also expected of
citizens and a single jury, could
include thousands.
• Citizens can ostracize public figures
considered to be a threat to
democracy.
• Under Pericles, the economy thrives
and Athens becomes the cultural
center of Greece.
Peloponnesian
War
• Victory in the Persian Wars leads to a Greek alliance
called the Delian League.
• Greeks outside Athens resent Athenian domination.
• Enemies of Athens, like Sparta, form the Peloponnesian
League to rival it.
• The Peloponnesian War breaks out between Athens
and Sparta.
• Fighting engulfs Greece for 27 years.
• With help from the Persians, Sparta defeats Athens.
• The war ends Athenian domination of the Greek world.
Section 4
THE GLORY THAT WAS GREECE
Focus Question
How did Greek thinkers, artists, and writers
explore the nature of the universe and
people’s place in it?
•
•
•
•
Philosophers and the
Pursuit of Wisdom
Philosopher – “lover of wisdom”
Challenged that events were the work of the
Gods; used observation and reason to explain
things.
Logic – rational thinking.
Sophists- group that questioned accepted
ideas of government and behavior.
– Success more important than moral truth.
• Rhetoric – art of skillful speaking.
Socrates
• The fallout of the Peloponnesian War prompted many to question
tradition and follow the Sophists.
• Socrates – questioned the Sophists;
• Socratic Method- uses questions and answers as steps in a reasoning
process that aims to arrive at truths by logically examining the
underlying assumptions and implications of statements.
Death of Socrates
By Jacques-Louis David
“SPAS”
Conveying Ideals in Art
and Architecture
• Plato argued that every object
on Earth had an ideal form.
• Ancient Greek art and
architecture reflected a similar
concern with balance, order,
and beauty.
• Early Greek sculptures were
rigid .
• Evolved into natural forms
showing human beings in their
most perfect state.
The Parthenon
• The builders of the Parthenon, seeking to reflect a
harmonious universe, used geometric proportions to
convey a dignified sense of order that feels balanced.
Literature
• To later Europeans, Greek
styles were a model of
perfection.
• They admired what they called
the “classical style,” referring
to the elegant and balanced
forms of traditional Greek
works of art.
• Tragedies – told stories of
human suffering that usually
ended in disaster.
• Comedies – humorous plays
that mocked people or
customs.
Studying History
• The Greeks also applied observation,
reason, and logic to the study of
history.
• Herodotus is often called the “Father
of History” because he went beyond
listing names of rulers or the
retelling of ancient legends.
• Before writing The Persian Wars,
Herodotus visited many lands,
collecting information from people
who remembered the actual events
he chronicled.
• He used the Greek term historie,
which means inquiry, to define his
work.
Section 5
ALEXANDER AND THE HELLENISTIC AGE
Focus Question
How did Alexander the Great expand his
empire and spread Greek culture
throughout the realm?
Mighty Macedonia
• In 338 B.C., Phillip II, king of
Macedonia, a rugged and
mountainous kingdom, defeated
Athens and Thebes at the Battle
of Chaeronea.
• Took control of Greece, dreamed
of conquering Persia.
• Assassinated at his daughter’s
wedding.
• His queen, Olympias,
outmaneuvered his other wives
to put her son, Alexander on the
Throne
Rise of Alexander
• Only 20 years old, tutored by
Aristotle, Alexander the Great, set
out to conquer Persia.
• Persia has a weak ruler, Darius III,
with provinces rebelling often.
• Empire still stretches 2,000 miles
from Egypt to India.
• Alexander’s 1st victory: defeated
Persians at the Granicus River.
• Stormed through Asia Minor,
Palestine, and Egypt.
• Darius III murdered before
Alexander arrives in Persia
Fall of Alexander
• Ruled Macedonia and Greece,
Persia, Egypt.
• Fought warriors on elephants
after crossing the Hindu Kush.
• His men tired, reached Babylon,
but fell ill to a fever and died at
32.
• While dying, he whispered he
left his empire “to the
strongest.”
• Empire divided amongst 3
generals whose descendants
ruled for the next 300 years.
Legacy of Alexander
• Lasting achievement: the spread of
Greek culture from Egypt to India.
• Greek temples, athletic
competitions, art, and traditions
found throughout the
Mediterranean and Middle East.
• Hellenistic Civilization – Blend of
Greek, Persian, Indian, and Egyptian
cultures.
• Alexandria, Egypt – cultural capital of
Hellenistic world.
• Museum with a library, laboratories,
and a zoo.
• Markets with Greek marble, Arabian
spices, African ivory