Download TheGreeks

The Greeks
Minoan civilization
• On Crete-an island
•
•
surrounded by the
Aegean Sea.
Do not know the real
name of these
people.
Named after Minos
the legendary king of
Crete.
Minoan civilization
• Success was based on trade not conquest.
• Rulers lived in the palace at Knossos
• There were religious shrines-areas dedicated to
•
honor gods and goddesses.
Walls were decorated with frescos-watercolor
paintings done on plaster.
– Showed that women may have had some freedom.
• The civilization disappeared.
– Possible volcano, earthquake, or tidal wave.
Mycenae
• Indo-European people who conquered the Greek
•
mainland and then overran Crete.
They were sea traders
– Went as far as Sicily, Italy, Egypt, and Mesopotamia
• Lived in separate city-states on the Mainland
– Warrior-kings built a thick walled fortress from which
he ruled the surrounding areas.
– They had lots of treasure
Trojan war
• Thought to be a myth until Heinrich Schliemann
•
•
set out to prove it was true.
He found evidence of war and fire when he
excavated Troy.
Trojan war was between Mycenae and Troy.
– Probably for economic reasons
– Troy controlled the vital straits or narrow water
passages that connected the Mediterranean and Black
Seas.
Legend of Troy
• Legend says that the War resulted from when
the Trojan prince Paris kidnapped Helen who
was the wife of a Greek king.
• Mycenaeans sailed to Troy to rescue her.
• The war lasted 10 years-the Greeks won and
•
burned the city to the ground.
http://troymovie.warnerbros.com/
Trojan Horse in Turkey
The Age of Homer
• Mycenaean civilization crumbled not long
after the fall of Troy
– Because of sea raiders
– People abandoned the cities
• Civilization took a step backwards
– People forgot many skills including writing.
Homer
• We get hints about this
life from two poems
written during this time
by Homer.
– The Iliad
– The Odyssey
• The Iliad is about the
•
Trojan War and Achilles
The Odyssey is about
Odysseus returning home
to Penelope after the
Trojan war
Geography of Greece
• Greece is part of the Balkan peninsula
• Mountains divide the peninsula and isolate
it.
• They didn’t create a large empire but
small isolated city-states.
• This caused many wars.
The Seas
• The sea was the link to the outside world
– Had 100’s of bays that provided safe harbors for
ships.
– Became skilled sailors
• Adapted ideas too
– Changed the Phoenician alphabet
– This became the basis for our alphabet
• Population growth caused them to expand
outward
City-States
• Greeks had a city-state called a Polis
• It was built on two levels
– The acropolis (high city) was built on a hilltop
and had great marble temples dedicated to
the different gods and goddesses.
– On flatter ground below lay the walled main
city
• Marketplace, theater, public buildings, and homes
Early Government
• Early government-ruler of the polis was like a
king.
– Monarchy is a government in which a king or queen
exercises central power
• Power shifted to a class of noble landowners
– They got power for themselves and ruled according to
aristocracy-rule by landholding elite
• Trade expanded and a new middle class
emerged
– This caused and oligarchy-power in the hands of
small, powerful elite
Two different city-states
• Sparta
• Athens
Sparta
• Sparta is in Peloponnesus
• They were Dorians who conquered
Laconia
• They turned the conquered people into
state owned slaves known as helots
– Helots were supposed to work the land
– The helots outnumbered them so they had to
have strict control.
Spartan culture
• They had two kings and a council of elders
and an assembly made up of all citizens to
approve major decisions
– Citizens were male, native-born Spartans over
30.
Being a citizen
• From childhood Spartans prepared to be part of
•
•
a military state.
All newborns were examined and the sickly ones
were left to die.
At 7 boys began training for a lifetime in the
military.
– They moved into barracks
– They slept on hard palates, ate bad food, had hard
exercise, and strict discipline
– They were encouraged to steal food but were
punished if caught.
A soldier’s life
• Spartan youth became excellent soldiers
• At 20 they could marry, but they lived in
the barracks for another 10 years and ate
there for another 40 years.
Women in Sparta
• Girls were to produce healthy soldiers and sons
•
•
for the army.
They were to exercise and strengthen their
bodies.
They had to obey their fathers or husbands
– They could inherit property
– Because of wars they took on more responsibilities.
Spartans
• Isolated themselves from their neighbors
• Looked down on trade and wealth
• Travel was forbidden
• “Spartans are willing to die because they
have no reason to live”
Athens
Athens
• Athens is in Attica
• Government went from
•
monarchy to aristocracy
Under the aristocracy
wealth and power grew
but people were not
happy
– They demanded change
and didn’t want the nobles
to have all of the power.
– In hard times, farmers had
to sell their land and even
themselves sometimes to
pay debts.
Call for change
• Athens moved slowly towards
a democracy-government by
the people.
• Solon was appointed chief
official and was told to make
reforms.
– He outlawed debt slavery and
freed those in debt slavery
– Opened high offices to more
citizens
– Gave citizenship to some
foreigners
– Gave the assembly more say
in important decisions
Not really that reformed
• Solon’s reforms helped but only for some
• Citizenship was still limited
• This led to the rise of tyrants-people who
gain power by force.
More reforms
• An the assembly was made this was a
legislature-a law making body.
– They debated laws
– All male citizens over 30 were members
Government still limited
• Democracy still limited
• Only male citizens could participate
Slaves and women had no voice
• BUT Athens gave people more of a say
than anybody else.
Bellwork-Be able to answer the
following:
• What kind of Government did Athens move
towards?
• How did Athens treat women?
• What were some things that united Greece?
• Describe the religion of the Greeks.
Women in Athens
• Women had no part in
•
public life
In wealthy homes, Athenian
women were secluded
– They managed the
household, spun and wove,
took care of the children, and
prepared food.
• Poor women worked
outside of the home
Education in Athens
• Only boys attended school if their families
could afford it.
– They learned to read and write, studied
music, poetry, and public speaking
– They received military training
– But they were encouraged to explore and
learn new things.
Unity in Greece
• Despite the rivalries between city-states
there were forces for unity.
– Religion
Religion in Greece
• The Greeks were polytheistic
• They believed that their gods
lived on Mt. Olympus in
Northern Greece.
• Zeus was King of the gods and
presided over the affairs of
humans and gods.
– His wife was Hera and his
children included:
• Aphrodite-goddess of love,
Ares-god of war, and Athenagoddess of wisdom
Bellwork
• Begin reading article at desk.
The Persian Wars
Thermopylae
Battle of Salamis
Bellwork
• Explain this quote in at least 50 words:
• You carry your helmet for you but you
carry your shield for the entire line.
• Use the terms hoplite and phalanx in your
answer.
• Use the article from yesterday.