Download Greek Civilization Geography of Greece and Crete Greece is located

II.
Greek Civilization
A. Geography of Greece and Crete
1. Greece is located at the southern end of the Balkan Peninsula in Europe
2. The mountains divide Greece into isolated valleys
3. The rugged coastline cut deep inlets and bays into the Greek mainland, while
hundreds of small islands also became home to early Greeks
B. Minoan and Mycenaean Civilization
1. The Minoan civilization was located on the Mediterranean island of Crete
2. The Minoans were advanced, and dominated overseas trade in the area until its end
around 1400 B.C.
3. The Minoans influenced traders from the Greek mainland called Mycenaean
4. The Mycenaean civilization waged a war with another city state in Asia Minor
(Turkey) called Troy, this war is the basis for the Iliad and its sequel The Odyssey
credited to a poet named Homer
5. The Mycenaean civilization ended around 1100 B.C., and Greece was overrun by the
Dorians, and entered a period of “dark ages”
C. Rise of the Polis
1. A polis is an independent Greek city-state from this period….each polis had its own
style of government that was sometimes radically different that other Greeks
(contrast Athens and Sparta)
2. The geography of Greece and the independent minded Greeks prevented unity in
Greece, until they were finally conquered as a result
D. Persian Wars
1. In 490 B.C. the Greeks won a major victory at Marathon against the powerful Persian
Empire (modern day Iran) this saved Greece from being conquered by Persia
2. Ten years later, in 480 B.C. the Persians again invaded this time by land and sea
with Athens being the major target
3. The Spartans (300) held the Persians for days in a narrow mountain pass at
Thermopylae, until betrayed, this delayed the Persian advance against Athens and
allowed the Greeks time to prepare
4. The Battle of Salamis Bay was the first important naval battle in history, the Greek
victory doomed the Persian invasion, and they soon retreated to Persia
5. After this victory the Greeks formed a defensive alliance known as the Delian League
in case the Persians returned
E. Rise of Athens(and Democracy) …Sparta
1. Athens was the most famous Greek polis. Most of what we consider as contributions
by the Greeks came from Athens
2. The most important of these contributions was a form of government known as
democracy (Greek demos= people and kratos=power)
3. Athens went through several reforms over a couple of centuries before achieving the
direct democracy that made Athens famous
4. Democracy in Athens reached its golden age during the time Pericles led the polis
5. Sparta, by contrast, established a military society to counter the threat of an uprising
by the growing number of slaves (helots), Sparta’s government was an oligarchy but
still featured a great deal of citizen input
6. Disagreements in the Delian League led to a Greek civil war called the Peloponnesian
War, where Sparta and her allies defeated Athens and her allies….this was then end
of Athenian domination
F. Greek Cultural Contributions
1. Mythology : Stories about gods and goddesses and their influence on the lives of
mortals.
2. Philosophy and Learning : Some Greek thinkers rejected the idea that the gods were
responsible for all events. They used observation and reason to examine events.
These philosophers (lovers of wisdom) extended logic or “rational thinking” to various
activities (music ,art, government) but they also attempted to discover the scientific
laws that governed the universe. Much of modern science can trace roots to these
thinkers. Several scholars contributed to the development of Greek philosophy and
education.
a. Socrates: He challenged traditional views about life and government. He
developed a teaching method (Socratic method) based on asking a series of
thought provoking questions, that is still used today.
b.
Plato: He was the most famous student of Socrates, and he established a school
called the Academy. He based his teaching on reason to examine unchanging
ethical values, recognize beauty, and organize society. He is most famous for a
controversial book called The Republic. In it he challenged democracy and
outlined a perfect government led by “philosopher-kings”.
c. Aristotle: He was taught by Plato. He also established his own school called the
Lyceum. Aristotle developed his own views about government and society. He
stressed that reason could lead people to know how they ought to live….a
principle he called the “golden mean”. Aristotle not only studied and wrote about
politics, ethics, and logic he also wrote about biology, literature, and other
subjects. Aristotle heavily influenced the first universities that developed 1,500
years later.
3. Architecture and Art
a. Both art and architecture in the “classical “ Greek period were based on order,
harmony, and balance.
b. Greek art was reflected in sculpture (human form) and painted vases.
c. The Parthenon, which still stands today, was built as a temple to Athena, the
patron goddess of Athens. It is a good example of the balance and order that the
Greeks valued in life as in art.
4. Literature
a. Homer: epic poems of the “Heroic Age”: The Iliad and its sequel The Odyssey.
b. Herodotus was one of the first to apply observation and reason to history
(research). The Persian Wars was based on research which earned him the title
‘Father of History”
c. Thucydides lived through the turbulent period of the Peloponnesian Wars and
wrote a history in which he tried to avoid bias.
d. Drama is the aspect of literature where the Greeks made their greatest literary
contribution. They performed plays called tragedies (stories of human suffering)
and comedies ( satires that mocked people and customs). The fact that Greek
leaders allowed comedies to make fun of or criticize their policies is great
evidence about the freedom of thought we get from the Greeks.
G. Alexander the Great and the Hellenistic World
1. In 338 B.C. Philip II, king of Macedonia, conquered the disunited Greeks.
2. He was soon assassinated and his 20 year-old son Alexander takes his place.
3. Alexander “the Great” led a combined Macedonian and Greek army on an invasion of
the mighty Persian Empire. He followed up his early victories by marching south and
conquered Egypt. By 331 B.C. Alexander had conquered the Persians, he then led
his forces into India where he won a hard-fought battle in 326 B.C.
4. Afterward, his army refused to continue and he returned to Babylon where he died
from a fever at age 32.
5. Alexander had been taught by Aristotle, and saw his duty to export Greek culture to
Asia.
6. Alexander’s conquests created a blending of Greek, Egyptian, Persian, and Indian
cultures into what became known as Hellenistic culture.
7. Alexandria (Egypt) became the center of Hellenistic thought with its library and
cosmopolitan (international) atmosphere.
8. Hellenistic art became more elaborate but realistic.
9. Hellenistic philosophies: Stoicism (Zeno) and Epicureanism (Epicurus)
10. Science and Math : greatest Hellenistic contributions
a. Pythagoras and Euclid: geometry
b. Aristarchus: astronomy …heliocentric view
c. Eratosthenes: astronomy …the earth was round
d. Archimedes: physics…use of lever and pulley
e. Hippocrates: medicine