Download Greece and Iran - Willis High School

The Rise of the Greeks
1000 – 500 B.C.E.
Geography and Resources
• Part of Mediterranean ecological zone
– Great area for migration, transfer of crops and
technology, trade
• Greek culture area is Greek mainland and
islands and the western edge of Anatolia.
• No water resources for irrigation
– Could not support large population
• Few metal resources, little timber
• Many harbors
Map of Ancient Greece
Emergence of the Polis
• “Dark Age” after Mycenaean period from 1150 –
800 B.C.E.
– Ended when contact and trade with Mediterranean
lands reestablished.
• Phoenicians supplied Greeks with alphabetic
writing system.
• Archaic period begins (800 – 480 B.C.E.)
– Explosive population growth
– Shift to agricultural economy, import food and
materials
– Development of urbanization, specialization, and polis
The Polis
•
•
•
•
•
•
Urban center and its rural territory
Acropolis
Agora
Fortified Walls
Public Buildings
No sharp distinction between urban and
rural inhabitants
Acropolis at Athens
Parthenon
War
• Frequent wars between
city-states
• Used hoplites in warfare
– Close formation of
heavily armored
infantrymen to break
enemy’s line of defense
• Soldiers were farmercitizens who served for
short periods of time when
needed
Colonization
• Greeks sent excess population to colonies
in the Mediterranean and Black Sea.
– Not enough resources to support them in
Greek mainland
• Brought Greeks in contact with other
peoples with new ideas
• Sharpened sense of Greek identity
• Spurred invention of coins in Lydia during
the early sixth century B.C.E.
Rule in Greece
• Emergence of middle class in Archaic
Greek society led to one-man rule by
tyrants in the mid-seventh and sixth
centuries B.C.E.
– Reduced power of traditional elites
• Tyrants eventually rejected
• Governments developed in two ways:
– Oligarchy
– Democracy
New Intellectual Currents
• Developed concepts of:
– Individualism
– Humanism
• Philosophers question traditional Greek
religion.
– Try to explain rationally why world was
created, what it is made of, why it changes.
The reason you are in class…
• Late sixth century B.C.E.
• “logographers” in Ionia gathered
information:
– Peoples of the Mediterranean
– Background of important Greek families
• This method was adopted by Herodotus in
Histories.
• Herodotus collected information about
Greeks and Persians going to war AND he
tried to explain why.
Herodotus
He developed the discipline of “history” in
its modern sense. History is the Greek
word for inquiry.
Sparta
• Polis in the Pelopponese in southern
Greece.
• Sparta took over fertile land of Messenia
and enslaved the people to feed
themselves.
• Fear of slave uprising caused Spartans to
create a severe and highly militarized
society in which all Spartan males trained
for the army.
Spartan Soldier
Spartan Spirit
Spartan Warriors
Athens
• Very large hinterland allowed for a
population of about 300,000 in fifth century
B.C.E.
• Period of rule by tyrants in sixth century
B.C.E.
– Ejected tyrants and developed a democracy.
• Pericles completed transition to
democracy in 460s-450s.
• Government included Assembly, Council
of 500, and People’s Courts.
Athens
Struggle of Persia and
Greece
526 – 323 B.C.E.
Early Encounters
• 499 B.C.E. – Greek cities in Anatolia stage
5-year revolt against Persian rule.
– Aided by Eretria and Athens
• This revolt led to the Persian Wars.
First Persian War
• Generals of Darius I:
– Captured Eretria
– Attacked Athens in 490 B.C.E.
• Attack on Athens foiled when Athenian
forces defeated Persians at Marathon.
– A messenger named Philippidès ran from
Marathon to Athens to tell of the victory. He
died from exhaustion.
• The marathon is now run to celebrate his heroism.
Second Persian War
• 480 B.C.E. – Xerxes led large army and
fleet against Greeks.
– Many Greek city-states submitted to his
domination.
• Sparta organized Hellenic League to
defeat Persians.
• Athens organized Delian League to go on
offensive and drove Persians out of
eastern Mediterranean (except Cyprus).
Height of Athenian Power
480 – 323 B.C.E.
Classical Period
• Dominant role of Athens
– Imperial power because of Delian League
– Power based on Athenian navy
• Created trireme – 170 oar boat
– Lower-class men were rowers
– Because the rowers were so important, they
demanded full rights of citizenship
Wealth of Athens
• Used power to:
– Carry out profitable trade
– Extract tribute from
subject states
• Wealth of Athens
allowed it to construct
massive public works
projects, put on grand
festivals and support arts
and sciences.
Socrates
• One of the most influential philosophers of
this time.
• Focused on ethics and precise meaning of
words.
• Created Socratic Method of question and
answer.
• Charged with corrupting the youth and not
believing in the gods of the city.
• Sentenced to death.
The Death of Socrates
Plato
• Explored justice, excellence, and wisdom.
• Taught that the world as we see it is a pale
reflection of a higher, ideal reality.
• Transitioned from oral to written culture.
• Read and wrote books
• Founded a school called “The Academy”
Plato’s Academy
Athenian Democracy
• Very limited in its scope
• Only free adult males could participate
– 10-15% of total population
• Women, slaves, foreigners did not have
rights of citizens
Athenian Slaves
•
•
•
•
•
•
Mostly foreign
1/3 of the population
Regarded as property
Average family owned 1 or more slaves
Treated like domestic servants
Provided males with time for political
activity
Women in Ancient Greece
• In Sparta – women free and outspoken
• In Athens – women confined and
oppressed
• Athenian marriages – young women to
older men
• Duties of wife – produce and raise
children, weave cloth, cook, and clean
Pelopponesian War
• Imperial Athens upset other city-states
• 431 B.C.E. – Athenian and Spartan alliances go
to war.
• Sparta, with Persian navy, defeats Athens in 404
B.C.E.
Sparta
• Sparta became very arrogant.
• This inspired opposition from other citystates.
• Internal conflict allowed Persia to regain
their lost territory in Anatolia.
Macedonia
• Northern Greek Kingdom
• King Philip developed it into a great
military power
• Strengthened army by:
– Giving soldiers longer spears
– Using cavalry and infantry forces
– Developing new siege equipment like
catapults
King Philip of Macedonia
Macedonian Catapult
Alexander the Great
• Invaded Persia in 336
B.C.E. and won
• Goal was to conquer
the known world
• Built his own empire
as far as Pakistan
• Used Persian, Greek,
and Macedonian
officials in his empire
Alexander the Great
Alexander’s Empire
Hellenistic Synthesis
Death of Alexander the Great
• When Alexander died,
his empire broke into
3 kingdoms, each
ruled by a
Macedonian dynasty.
• This period is the
Hellenistic Age (32330 B.C.E.)
Seleucid Kingdom
• Core area of Mesopotamia, Syria, part of
Anatolia, Iran, and Indus Valley.
• Iran and Indus Valley territory lost in
second century B.C.E.
• Seleucids established new Greek-style
cities
• Maintained Persian style of administrative
system
Ptolemies
• Ruled Egypt and sometimes Palestine
• Took over Egyptian administrative and taxation
systems
• Made Alexandria their capital and encouraged
Greek immigration
• Lifestyle and language of most Egyptian
population did not change, but they resented
Greek rule
• Egyptian uprisings became common in early
second century B.C.E.
Antigonids
• Ruled Macedonia and parts of Greece
• Spartans and other city-state confederations
resisted Macedonian rule
• Athenians remained neutral in fight for rule
Alexandria
• Greatest city of the Hellenistic age.
• Population of 500,000
• Featured the Mausoleum of Alexander,
Library, and Museum.
• City was a political center, great center of
learning, and major trading city.
Alexandria
• Greek city – Greeks had citizenship and
participated in government (Assembly and
Council)
• City had public baths, theaters,
gymnasiums.
• City had significant Jewish population that
dominated 2 of 5 residential districts
Alexandria
Hellenization
• Intermarriage between Greeks and nonGreeks
• Spread of Greek language and lifestyle
• Synthesis of indigenous and Greek culture