Download Unit 6 — Ancient Greece - Union Academy Charter School

Unit 6 — Ancient Greece
Test Date _____________________ Vocab Crossword Puzzle Due ___________________________
Portfolio — Sparta vs. Athens Due ___________ Cost Benefit Chart — Due ________________________
Essential Question — - How have the Ancient Greeks contributed to the world we live in today?
Unit Vocabulary — polis, acropolis, philosopher, Hellenistic, phalanx, direct democracy, ephor, helots
Lesson 1 Geography in Greece
Homework: Read and answer questions
Generalization: Geography often impacts the development of a culture.
Geography Shapes Greek Civilization
The Greeks lived on rocky, mountainous lands surrounded by water. The mainland of Greece is a
peninsula, an area of land that is surrounded on three sides by water. But the Greek peninsula is very irregular.
It is one big peninsula made up of a series of smaller peninsulas. The land and sea intertwine like your hand
and fingers in a bowl of water. Look at a map of Greece and notice the rugged coastline. In your mind, picture those peninsulas and islands dominated by mountains that run almost to the sea. Just a few small valleys
and coastal plains provide flat land for farming and villages. Now you have an image of Greece, a land where
one of the world’s greatest civilizations developed.
Mountains and Settlements – Because mountains cover much of Greece, there are few flat areas for
farmland. People settled in those flat areas along the coast and in river valleys. They lived in villages and
towns separated by mountains and seas. Travel across the mountains and seas were difficult, so communities
were isolated from one another. As a result, the people created their own governments and ways of life. Even
though they spoke the same language, Greek communities saw themselves as separate countries.
Seas and Ships – Since travel inland across the rugged mountains was so difficult, the early Greeks
turned to the seas. On the south was the huge Mediterranean Sea, to the west was the Ionian Sea, and to the
east was the Aegean Sea. It’s not surprising that the early Greeks used the sea as a source of food and as a way
of trading with other communities. The Greeks became skilled shipbuilders and sailors. Their ships sailed to
Asia Minor (present-day Turkey), to Egypt, and to the islands of the Mediterranean and Aegean seas. As they
traveled around these seas, they found sources of food and other products they needed. They also exchanged
ideas with other cultures.
Questions
1. Identify – On what geographic feature is Greece located?
2. Draw Conclusions – How did mountains affect the location of Greek settlements?
Lesson 2 — The Rise of Hellenic Civilization
Homework: Read and answer questions. Underline any word you do not know the meaning of.
Generalization: People create systems to meet their needs
During the four centuries BC following the Mycenaean civilization, Greece fell into a period of decline. The prosperity and wealth of the Mycenaean period had gone. The flourishing arts, monumental architecture and knowledge of writing disappeared. Trade declined, and the Mycenaean palaces were abandoned.
The period is known as the “Dark Ages,” and it lasted from about 1200 to 750 BC.
Homer, who wrote about the heroic deeds of Mycenaean kings in the Iliad, also described the events
within the social and political background of this dark period. Agriculture had returned to a simple level of
subsistence. Every man owned and cultivated his own small plot of land for individual survival. The king was
no longer the supreme and authoritative ruler, but was advised in regard to what action should be taken by a
small group of nobles or aristocrats. The monarchy of the Mycenaean period, where the king was supreme,
was replaced by a “rule of a few men,” called an oligarchy. A small group of wealthy nobles had all the power.
Another significant change that occurred at the beginning of this period was the introduction of iron making
tools and weapons. Accordingly, this period is also known as the “Iron Age.”
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One major event that characterized the “Dark Ages” was the migration of Greeks across the Aegean
Sea. Thucydides, a fifth century BC Greek Historian, called this the Ionian Migrations. Three groups of
Greeks, based on dialects they spoke, moved to and settled on the western coast of Asia Minor. The Dorians,
who spoke Doric, settled in the southern part; the Ionians, who spoke Ionic, inhabited the middle part; and
the Aeolians, who spoke Aeolic, went to the northern part of the area. The Greeks living in this coastal area
were later to be the cause of conflict between the Greeks and the Persians.
By the middle of the eighth century BC, Greece had recovered from its darkest period in history, and a
new civilization emerged. This was called the Hellenic (or Greek) civilization. Trade once again began to
flourish. The alphabet was introduced into Greece from Phoenicia. Because the alphabet contained no vowels, vowels were added to adapt to the Greek language. Most importantly, a new political institution emerged,
which typified the rest of Greek political history – the city-state or polis. Because Greece is a very mountainous region, small independent political units developed rather than a large political union. Another factor in
the development of city-states was the Greeks’ love for freedom and independence. Each city-state was autonomous with its own laws and constitution, leaders and army, system of taxation, and sometimes its own
coinage system. The largest and most important of the Greek city-states were Athens in Attica, Sparta in the
Peloponnese and Thebes in Boeotia.
Until about 650 BC, most city-states were ruled by the aristocrats. They had an oligarchic form of government. The political power was in the hands of a few wealthy families who owned the best land and abused
the majority of the city-state’s citizens who were poor farmers. Sometimes these farmers got into debt and
were forced to work for the aristocrats to pay off their debts. Some even became slaves.
Starting about 750 BC, due to poverty and insufficient farming land, these poor farmers began to leave
their homelands and seek new opportunities elsewhere. Other reasons for emigration, even though less important, were trade, personal adventure, and political refuge. A phase of “Greek colonization” was launched.
Colonies were set up along the coasts of southern Italy and Sicily (known as Magna Graecia or Greater
Greece), France, Spain and along the coast of the northern Aegean and Black Seas. Some important colonies
include Syracuse (Sicily) Phaestum and Cumae (Italy) Massalia (modern Marseille, France) and Byzantium on
the Black Sea (modern Istanbul). The Greek city-states that took part in this colonization process were mostly
Athens, Corinth in the Peloponnese, Eretria and Chalkis on the island of Euboea, and the Greek-Asiatic cities
of Miletus and Phocaea. The Greek colonies became city-states of their own and were politically and economically independent. The only ties that remained with their mother city-states were cultural and religious. By
600 BC, the Greeks had spread their people and ideas throughout the regions of the Mediterranean and Black
Seas. This Greek influence was later to have a profound effect on Roman culture.
One of the results of Greek colonization was the emergence of a new social class of people, the middle
class or merchants, who had become wealthy through industry and trade. This new middle class also wanted
to share in the political power of the city-states. Consequently, at home in Greece, the discontent of the poor
was solved in another way. Tyrants, men from the new middle class, came to power in many city-states between 650 and 500 BC with the support of the people. This type of government is called a tyranny. A Greek
tyrant, however, unlike today’s tyrant, was not a brutal ruler, but a ruler who had not taken power according to
the constitution. In fact, most Greek tyrants were good rulers and brought many benefits, such as power and
wealth, to the city-states. Coinage was introduced, trade and colonization were encouraged, and athletic, musical, and dramatic contests were established. One notable tyrant was Peisistratus of Athens (560-529 BC), who
embellished the city with monuments, stimulated trade and industry, and helped the poor farmers. He increased the prestige of Athens.
A very important change that took place during this time, and one which may also have helped the rise
in power of tyrants, was the development of an infantry army. A new type of heavily-armed soldier (hoplite),
placed within a tight formation, called a phalanx, fought many successful battles for the next three centuries.
The rule of tyrannies did not last very long, however, because some of the tyrants in power became too
authoritarian. Instead, the governments of the city-states became once again oligarchies or changed to a new
form of rule, democracy. Democracy, or “rule by the people,” was first developed in Athens. Sparta, on the
other hand, retained a form of oligarchic rule. The other Greek city-states followed the lead of either Athens
or Sparta
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Questions
What are the three developments that led to the recovery of Greek civilization by 750BC?
What new social class emerged as a result of Greek colonization?
What is an oligarchy?
Lesson 3 Government in Greece and Athens
Generalization: New types of governments have both advantages and disadvantages
Homework: Read and answer questions
Greeks Create City-States
The Greeks of the Dark Age left no written records. All that we know about the period comes from
archaeological findings. About 300 years after the Mycenaean civilization crumbled, the Greeks started to join
together in small groups for protection and stability. Over time, these groups set up independent city-states.
The Greek word for a city-state is polis. The creation of city-states marks the beginning of what is known as
Greece’s classical age. A classical age is one that is marked by great achievements.
Life in a City-State – a Greek city was usually built around a strong fortress. This fortress often
stood on top of a high hill called the acropolis. The town around the acropolis was surrounded by walls for
added protection. Not everyone who lived in the city-state actually lived inside the city walls. Farmers usually
lived near their fields outside the walls. In times of war, however, women, children, and elderly people all
gathered inside the city walls for protection. As a result, they remained safe while the men of the polis formed
an army to fight off its enemies.
Life in the city often focused on the marketplace, or agora in Greek. Farmers brought their crops to
the market to trade for goods made by craftsmen in the town. Because it was a large open space, the market
also served as a meeting place. People held both political and religious assemblies in the market. It often contained shops as well. The city-state became the foundation of Greek civilization. Besides providing security
for its people, the city gave them an identity. People thought of themselves as residents of a city, not as
Greeks. Because the city-state was so central to their lives, the Greeks expected people to participate in its
affairs, especially in its economy and its government.
City-States and Colonization – life in Greece eventually became more settled. People no longer had
to fear riders swooping down on their cities. As a result, they were free to think about things other than defense. Some Greeks began to dream of becoming rich through trade. Others became curious about neighboring lands around the Mediterranean Sea. Some also worried about how to deal with Greece’s growing population. Despite their different reasons, all these people eventually reached the same idea: the Greeks should establish colonies. Before long, groups from city-states around Greece began to set up colonies in distant lands.
After they were set up, Greek colonies became independent. In other words, each colony became a new polis.
In fact, some cities that began as colonies began to create colonies of their own. Eventually Greek colonies
spread all around the Mediterranean and Black seas. Many big cities around the Mediterranean today began as
Greek colonies. Among them are Istanbul in Turkey, Marseille in France and Naples in Italy.
Patterns of Trade – although the colonies were independent, they often traded with city-states in
Greece. The colonies sent metals such as copper and iron back to mainland Greece. In return, the Greek city
-states sent wine, olive oil, and other products. Trade made the city-states much richer. Because of their locations, some city-states became great trading centers. By 550 BC the Greeks had become the greatest traders in
the whole Aegean region. Greek ships sailed to Egypt and cities around the Black Sea.
Aristocrats and Tyrants Rule – Greece is the birthplace of democracy, a type of government which people
rule themselves. The word democracy comes from the Greek works meaning “rule of the people.” But
Greek city-states didn’t start as democracies, and not all became democratic.
Rule by a Few People – Even Athens, the city where democracy was born, began with a different
king of government. In early Athens, kings ruled the city-state, later, a group of rich landowners, or aristocrats
took power. A government in which only a few people have power is called an oligarchy. The aristocrats
dominated Athenian society. As the richest men in town, they ran the city’s economy. They also served as
generals and judges. Common people had little say in the government.
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In the 600s BC a group of rebels tried to overthrow the aristocrats. They failed. Possibly as a result of
their attempt, however, a man named Draco created a new set of laws for Athens. These laws were very harsh,
they made minor crimes such as loitering punishable by death. The people of Athens thought Draco’s laws
were too strict. In the 590s BC a man named Solon created a set of laws that were much less harsh and gave
more rights to nonaristocrats. Under Solon’s laws, all free men living in Athens became citizens, people who
had the right to participate in government. But his efforts were not enough for the Athenians. They were
ready to end the rule of the aristocracy.
The Rise of the Tyrants – Because the Athenians weren’t pleased with the rule of the aristocrats, they
wanted a new government. In 546 BC a noble named Peisistratus overthrew the oligarchy. He became the
ruler of Athens. Peisistratus was called a tyrant, which meant a leader who held power through the use of
force. Today the word tyrant means a ruler who is harsh, but the word had a different meaning in ancient
Greece. Athenian tyrants were usually good leaders. Tyrants were able to stay in power because they had
strong armies and because the people supported them.
Peisistratus brought peace and prosperity to the city. He began new policies meant to unify the city.
He created new festivals and built temples and monuments. During his rule, many improvements were made
in Athens. After Peisistratus died, his son took over as tyrant. Many aristocrats, however, were unhappy because their power was gone. Some of these aristocrats convinced a rival city-state to attack Athens. As a result
of this invasion, the tyrants lost power and for a short time, aristocrats returned to power in Athens.
Athens Creates Democracy -- Around 500 BC a new leader named Cleisthenes gained power in Athens. Although he was a member of one of the most powerful families in Athens, Cleisthenes didn’t want aristocrats to
run the government. He thought they already had too much influence. By calling on the support of the people, Cleisthenes was able to overthrow the aristocracy once and for all. In its place, he established a completely
new form of government. Under Cleisthenes’ leadership, Athens developed the world’s first democracy. For
this reason, he is sometimes called the father of democracy.
Democracy under Cleisthenes – Under Cleisthenes, all citizens in Athens had the right to participate
in the assembly, or gathering of citizens, that created the city’s laws. The assembly met outdoors on a hillside
so that everyone could attend the meetings. During meetings, people stood before the crowd and gave speeches on political issues. Every citizen had the right to speak his opinion. In fact, the Athenians encouraged people to speak. They loved to hear speeches and debates. After the speeches were over, the assembly voted,
usually by a show of hands, but sometimes the Athenians used secret ballots. The number of people who voted in the assembly changed from day to day. For major decisions, however, the assembly needed about 6,000
people to vote. But it wasn’t always easy to gather that many people together in one place.
According to one Greek writer, the government sent slaves to the market to round up more citizens if
necessary. In one of the writer’s plays, slaves walked through the market holding a long rope between them.
The rope was covered in red dye and would mark the clothing of anyone it touched. Any citizen with red dye
on his clothing had to go to the assembly meeting or pay a large fine. Because the assembly was so large, it was
sometimes difficult to make decisions. The Athenians therefore selected citizens to be city officials and to
serve on a smaller council. These officials decided which laws the assembly should discuss. This helped the
government run more smoothly.
Changes in Athenian Democracy – as time passed, citizens gained more powers. They served on
juries to decide court cases. Juries had anywhere from 200 to 6,000 people, although juries of about 500 people were much more common. Most juries had an odd number of members to prevent ties. Athens remained
a democracy for about 170 years. It reached its height under a brilliant elected leader named Pericles. He led
the government from about 460 BC until his death in 429 BC. Pericles encouraged the Athenians to take pride
in their city. He believed that participating in government was just as important as defending Athens in war.
To encourage people to participate in government, Pericles began to pay people who served in public officers
or on juries. Pericles also encouraged the people of Athens to introduce democracy into other parts of Greece.
End of Democracy in Athens – Eventually the great age of Athenian democracy came to an end. In
the middle 330s BC Athens was conquered by the Macedonians from north of Greece. After the conquest,
Athens fell under strong Macedonian influence. Even after being conquered by Macedonia, Athens kept its
democratic government. But it was a democracy with very limited powers. The Macedonian king ruled his
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country like a dictator, a ruler who held all the power. No one could make any decisions without his approval.
In Athens, the assembly still met to make laws, but it had to be careful not to upset the king. The Athenians
didn’t dare make any drastic changes to their laws, without the king’s consent. They weren’t happy with this
situation, but they feared the king’s powerful army. Before long though, the Athenians lost even this limited
democracy. In the 320s BC a new king took over Greece and ended Athenian democracy forever.
Ancient Democracy Differs from Modern Democracy – like ancient Athens, the United States has a democratic government in which the people hold power. But our modern democracy is very different from the ancient Athenians’ democracy.
Direct Democracy – all citizens in Athens could participate directly in the government. We call this
form of government a direct democracy. It is called direct democracy because each person’s decision directly
affect the outcome of a vote. In Athens, citizens gathered together to discuss issues and vote on them. Each
person’s vote counted, and the majority ruled. The United States is too large for direct democracy to work for
the whole country. For example, it would be impossible for all citizens to gather in one place for a debate.
Instead, the founders of the United States set up another kind of democracy.
Representative Democracy – The democracy created by the founders of the United States is a representative democracy, or republic. In this system, the citizens elect officials to represent them in the government. These elected officials then meet to make the country’s laws and to enforce them. Americans elect senators and representatives to Congress, the body that makes the country’s laws. Americans don’t vote on each
law that Congress passes but trust their chosen representatives to vote for them.
Questions
1. Main Idea – What was a tyrant in ancient Greece?
2. Summarizing – How were citizen involved in the government of Athens?
3. Contrasting – How are direct democracy and representative democracy different?
Lesson 4 -- Sparta and Athens
Homework: Read and answer questions
Generalization: Cultures in the same physical location can develop both differently and similarly
Lycurgus and Sparta – according to the Spartans, about 700 BC, a semi-legendary figure named Lycurgus
established a number of social and political institutions that made Sparta a great power of Greece.
He started an educational system that produced men of military strength and loyal soldiers. It all began
at birth. If a newly-born baby was weak or sickly, it was abandoned and left to die on a mountain slope. At
the age of seven, a boy came under the control of the city and remained so until his death. He was to live together with the other boys in a camp, and the training process started. The boys learned to read and write and
were taught music and poetry. Most importantly, however, they were taught discipline, courage, and virtue.
Each boy exercised a lot and competed in violent games and fights. They were forced to steal, but if caught,
the boys were punished for being careless and unskillful. Their training continued into manhood. The girls
were also brought up in a strict manner. They had to exercise their bodies to make them grow strong in order
to be able to deal easily with childbirth.
Sparta did not adopt a coinage system like other Greek cities because wealth was not desirable and was
regarded without envy and prestige. Trade was forbidden both within and outside the city. Every citizen had
an equal share of land to live on. They were also forbidden to travel, except on army expeditions during times
of war, in order that they might not be exposed to foreign behaviors and ideas. The Spartans were very patriotic Greeks and fought for their state until their death. They had adopted a system of living where there was
little individual freedom and where order and discipline ruled.
Lycurgus also set up a type of government at Sparta that was a form of oligarchy. A few wealthy aristocrats held the power, but the city’s constitution retained its kings of the previous age. No individual was able
to become too powerful. The government consisted of two kings who were the generals of the army. The
executive power lay in the hands of five magistrates, called ephors. The ephors were the judges of the city and
dealt with internal and foreign affairs. They obtained advice from the council of elders, which consisted of 28
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ex-magistrates. The second council of the Spartan people, called the assembly, also existed. This council had
the right to reject or approve any proposals put before them.
Sparta controlled about two-fifths of the Peloponnese. During the eighth century BC, Sparta conquered Laconia and Messenia and their inhabitants. In the Spartan social structure, these inhabitants were divided into two groups: the helots, who were slaves who worked the land to supply food for the Spartans and
the perioiki, who were freedmen but were socially inferior. Both groups would also have to join the Spartan
army in times of war.
Athenians Admire the Mind – Sparta’s main rival in Greece was Athens. Like Sparta, Athens had been a
leader in the Persian Wars and had a powerful army. But life in Athens was very different from life in Sparta.
In addition to physical training, the Athenians valued educations, clear thinking and the arts.
Boys and Men in Athens – from a young age, Athenian boys from rich families worked to improve
both their bodies and their minds. Like Spartan boys, Athenian boys had to learn to run, jump, and fight. But
this training was not as harsh or as long as the training in Sparta. Unlike Spartan men, Athenian men didn’t
have to devote their whole lives to the army. All men in Athens joined the army, but for only two years. They
helped defend the city between the ages of 18 and 20. Older men only had to serve in the army in times of war.
In addition to their physical training, Athenians students, unlike the Spartans, also learned other skills. They
learned to read, write and count as well as sing and play musical instruments. Boys also learned about Greek
history and legend. They studied the Iliad, the Odyssey and other works of Greek literature.
Boys from very rich families often continued their education with private tutors. These tutors taught
their students about philosophy, geometry, astronomy and other subjects. They also taught the boys how to
be good public speakers. This training prepared boys for participation in the Athenian assembly. Very few
boys had the opportunity to receive this much education, however. Boys from poor families usually didn’t get
any education, although most of them could read and write at least a little. Most of the boys from poor families became farmers and grew food for the city’s richer citizens. A few went to work with craftspeople to learn
other trades.
Girls and Women in Athens – while many boys in Athens received good educations, girls didn’t. In
fact, girls received almost no education. Athenian men didn’t think girls needed to be educated. A few girls
were taught how to read and write at home by private tutors. However, most girls only learned household
tasks like weaving and sewing. Despite Athens’s reputation for freedom and democracy, women there had
fewer rights than women in many other city-states. Athenian women could not
- serve in any part of the city’s government, including the assembly and juries
- leave their homes, except on special occasions
- but anything or own property
- disobey their husbands or fathers
In fact, women in Athens had almost no right at all.
Questions
1. Identify – According to legend, who was responsible for the beginnings of the Spartan social system?
2. Recall – What two qualities did the Spartans think were most important in a good soldier?
3. Contrast – What was the basic difference between life in Sparta and life in Athens?
Film Notes: Ancient Warriors — The Spartans
1. Who were the true threat to the Spartans?
2. At what age did boys begin training with weapons?
3. What is a phalanx?
4. Shields were so important to the Spartans that warriors were told what?
5. At what age did a Spartan become an equal?
6. What could an equal not do?
7. What were the Persian elite warriors called?
8. How did the Persians get the advantage at the battle of Thermopylae?
9. What led to the downfall of Sparta?
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Lessons 5 and 6
Homework: Read Comparing Athens and Sparta and answer the questions in your notebook
Comparing Athens and Sparta
For your portfolio piece, you will write an essay trying to convince the people of your city-state which city to
become allies with, Athens or Sparta. Read the augments below and well as the information we have covered
so far and then answer the questions to create a plan for your essay. Keep in mind that the two sides are trying
to convince you to join them, so they each have their own spin on the truth.
Issue A: Government
Athens: We Athenians invented democracy, the government that all of Greece envies. We believe that all
people should have a right to participate in their own government. In Athens, we have an organization called
the Assembly. This body passes all of our laws, and free men over the age of 18 can belong to it. We don’t
believe in putting absolute power in the hands of one person so we elect 10 generals to lead our army and navy
and act as our judges. In addition, we have a group called the Council of 500. This group proposes the laws
upon which the Assembly votes and it operates our government on a daily basis. Any citizen, rich or poor,
may be a member of the Council. Members are chosen by lottery and they are paid for their services. We
Athenians do not believe that only a chosen group of wealthy old men should rule an entire city-state. If you
want a government that gives all citizens a right to participate we are the strongest.
Sparta: We Spartans believe that our oligarchy system of government is much more stable and efficient than
the democracy of Athens. We believe our older and more experienced rulers have the wisdom to make good
decisions for our people. For example, we have two strong kings to lead us into battle. The kings also serve
on our main body of rulers, the Council of Elders. This Council is made up of 30 experienced men who must
be at least 60 years old to hold office. The Council writes our laws and then presents them to our Assembly,
which votes “yes” or “no” on them. All citizens over the age of 30 may belong to the Assembly. Our Assembly also annually elects five men, called ephors, in whom we place great trust. These chief officials oversee the
actions of our kings, and are responsible for controlling the education of our children and the supervision of
our slaves. These officials may even ignore the vote of our Assembly, if they believe it is in the best interest of
all Spartans to do so. Sparta has been very successful because our government is stable. We are not subject to
the “mob rule” of the Athenian system where inexperienced young citizens run the government. If your feel
that government is best left in the hands of experienced and knowledgeable men we are the strongest.
Issue B: Quality of Life
Athens: The quality of life in Athens benefits all our allies. It’s true that we have used some of the money
from the League treasury to rebuild parts of our city that were destroyed during the Persian Wars. However,
there were good reasons for this. In the first place, it is the duty of all Greeks to ensure that the Gods are
properly honored. Therefore, we had to restore the many beautiful temples that the Persians destroyed. In
addition, spending money on cultural improvements benefits both Athens and its allies. Our spectacular monuments, works of art and educational institutions draw visitors from across Greece and lend prestige to all who
ally with us. Citizens of our member city-states are welcome to visit our beautiful city and to take part in its
exciting, intellectual life. Furthermore, we used only 1/60 of the total league revenue for rebuilding, a very
small amount. This amount did not decrease the security of us or our current allies, who are more than adequately protected by our combined military forces. Finally, we are sure that if you come to Athens, you will be
inspired to redesign and rebuild your city too, and improve the quality of life of your people.
Sparta: If you choose to join Sparta as allies, you will never have to worry that we will use your money to selfishly beautify our own city. We have no interest in building huge statues or temples, or wasting money on the
arts. Besides, the arts only benefit the privileged class. We Spartans reject all outward displays of wealth. We
will not allow anything to distract us from achieving our highest goal – maintaining a powerful military force
that can protect our city-state and our allies. Our education system, unlike the one in Athens, includes only
subjects that will produce courageous warriors. When Spartan boys are seven years old, we send them to a
military school. They learn to read, write and use weapons. These are useful skills that will help them become
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good political leaders and soldiers. Our military experience makes Sparta better suited to protect the rest of
Greece from foreign attack, and from Athenian imperialism. We Spartans are proud of our simple and practical way of life. Join us, and follow our example and you will be proud too.
Issue C: Treatment of Non-Citizens
Athens: We Athenians have high regard for our non-citizens. We entrust our women with a great deal of
responsibility. Married women are responsible for managing their households. That includes acquiring and
training household servants, preparing meals, and sometimes nursing sick slaves. These women are also in
charge of the care and education of their children – the future leaders of Athens. Many of our women also
participate in religious festivals. Some even become priestesses with important jobs such as looking after
scared objects stored in our sanctuaries. We protect our women making sure they each have a father, a husband or a brother to look after them. Finally since most citizens are too busy to perform common labor, we
find it necessary to employ slaves. However, we value our slaves and treat them well. We allow many slaves
to become educated, to practice trades or to work independently of their owners. Some slaves can even earn
their freedom. Our society has a tolerant and enlightened attitude towards its non-citizens. Ally with us if
respectable and honorable treatment of non-citizens is important to you.
Sparta: The Athenians claim they give their women great responsibilities. Well, in Sparta, women have more
than responsibilities – they have rights, privileges, and freedoms as well. The Spartan state provides an education for young girls in singing, dancing, and gymnastics. Unlike Athenian women, Spartan women do not
need to be ‘protected’ by male guardians. While we would never ask our women to become part of the army,
we know that Spartan women are willing and capable of helping to defend our land if it is invaded. Furthermore, unlike Athenian women, Spartan women do more than just manage a household every day. While their
husbands are off serving in our army for years at a time, Spartan women are home managing large estates,
supervising dozens of slaves and handling family finances. Spartan women even have the right to own property in their own names. Of course, our women have one other important role to fill: they are expected to be
healthy child bearers who can produce future soldiers for our state. As you can see, women in Sparta have
more freedom than anywhere else in Greece. Finally, like Athens, we too, are forced to rely on non-citizens
in certain areas. However, we don’t engage in a slave trade, like Athens does. We rely on a group from the
lower class – called the helots – to help us maintain a constant food supply. Our treatment of non-citizens is
far better than that of Athens, making Sparta stable and better prepared to lead a strong alliance.
Issue D: Trade and Prosperity
Athens: Our allies benefit greatly from our trade policies. Our ships travel without fear to Egypt, Italy and
the Near East to acquire unique and valuable goods in exchange for our products. As a result of this highly
successful trade, the economies of our member city-states are prospering. Protecting this trade network is, of
course, very important. That’s why we insist on maintaining one system of currency, which makes it easier
for the exchange of goods to take place. Naturally, the strength of our league depends on its unity. That is
why it is important for all members to remain in the league. Recently we were forced to take action against
the city-state of Naxos, which wanted to withdraw from the league. Such an action could only hut trade and
weaken all the ally city-states. We showed Naxos the foolishness of its plan, and it wisely chose to rejoin the
league. We also protect the security of our ally league members by stationing our troops in city-states that
may be invaded. We Athenians have taken the actions to help guarantee that our allies continue to achieve
prosperity – a prosperity that you too can have if you ally with us.
Sparta: We and our allies also believe in prosperity. However, unlike Athens, we do not believe in forcing
our members to remain in the league against their will. Nor do we believe in disciplining them if they decide
to leave. The Athenian representative did not mention that his city sent a fleet of ships to blockade Naxos.
They then forced Naxos to dismantle its walls, give up its own fleet, and contribute money to the League. We
would never treat an ally in that way. As for trade, our policy is simple. We engage in limited trade only
among ourselves. This avoids the likelihood of military conflicts with such powers a Persian for control of
the trade routes in the eastern Mediterranean. We Spartans also have no desire to dominate or interfere in the
affairs of our member city-states. The Athenians’ insistence on using only one currency – their own – makes
it easier for them to use their coins to influence and pay off political leaders of their ally city-states. Soon they
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will have created an Athenian empire within their league. We believe the best way to achieve equal prosperity
among all members is to follow their economic policies for our League. It you ally with us, you can achieve
that prosperity too – and not at the cost of your own free will.
My opinion on who would make a stronger ally is ____________________________
1. Reasons I believe this are (be as specific as possible)
2. Reasons the other city-state WOULD NOT be a good ally are (it is important to look at why the other
options is not as strong as yours)
3. Other details that help support my opinion (list other RELEANT details that would help support your
decision on who is the stronger ally)
Possible sentence stems to utilize in your writing.
- In my opinion, ___ leads to _____
- I believe ____ is beneficial because ___
- I believe _____ is dangerous because ___
- I think ___ is necessary because _____
- I think ___ is important because ____
- I feel it is important _____ because ____
Things to Remember:
1. You are trying to convince people your opinion is right.
2. You should try to persuade them to get on your side.
3. Be clear with your ideas.
Lesson 7 Greek Arts and Games
Homework: Read and answer questions
Generalization: Cultural elements and achievements have both long and short term impacts
Art and Architecture – Athens was considered the cultural center of ancient Greece. The city best
exemplifies the typical architecture to be seen in a Greek city-state. Towering above the city of Athens stood
the Acropolis, the sacred hill dedicated to the city’s patron-goddess, Athena. Below the Acropolis lay the Agora, the commercial and political center of the city. During the fifth century BC, at the peak of Athens’s political power, Pericles initiated the construction of many public buildings to replace the ones destroyed during
the Persian Wars. These monuments still stand today and are admired by many tourists who visit Greece.
Among the most impressive buildings is the temple dedicated to Athena Parthenos on the Acropolis,
the Parthenon. In the construction of this temple, perfection in both technical skill and proportion in design
was achieved. The Parthenon housed the golden and ivory statue of Athena, which was created by the famous sculptor Phidias. Other temples in the city included the Erechtheion on the Acropolis, dedicated to
both Athena and Erechteus (a legendary king of Athens); the Hephaisteion in the Agora, a temple dedicated
to the god of crafts, Hephaestus; and the Olympeion, the temple dedicated to the almighty king of gods,
Zeus. Each city-state had fine temples, but none exemplify Greek architecture better than those of Athens.
The Greek temple was the most important public building in any city. Its purpose was to house the
statue of the patron-god or goddess and sometimes to keep the offerings make to the deity. Outside and in
front of the temple lay the altar where the worshippers gathered and sacrifices were carried out. The temples
were built of big limestone or marble blocks and stood on a low stone platform that could be reached by
steps. The standard temple plan was rectangular in shape with a central windowless room, called the naos.
In this room stone the deity’s statue. The naos opened out onto a porch with columns. The central part of
the temple was encircled by a row of columns that formed the colonnade or covered walkway. The superstructure of the temple consisted of four main parts; the column, the architrave, the frieze, and the cornice.
Traces of color on building blocks indicate that parts of the temple were painted in bright colors such as reds,
yellows, and blues.
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Three different styles of decoration developed in Greek temples, throughout the centuries. Temples
originated in the seventh century BC with the Doric order. About 500 BC, the Ionic order developed, and in
the fourth century BC, the Corinthian order was introduced. Although the three styles were created in progressive order, one style did not replace the other. The orders are distinguished mainly by their columns. A
column was made up of the shaft and the capital. In the Doric order, the capital was plain. The capital of the
Ionic order had a volute (a decoration in the form of ram’s horns) with an egg-and-dart pattern underneath.
The Corinthian capital was decorated with acanthus leaves growing from the shaft. The frieze, which lay between the cornice and the architrave, was decorated with stone carvings. In the Doric order, it was divided
into panels separated by three vertical grooves, while in the Ionic order; the frieze was decorated with a continuous strip. Whereas the architrave was plain in the Doric order, in the Ionic order, it was divided into three
equally-wide horizontal sections. The Corinthian order had only the capital as its distinguishing feature. The
rest of the superstructure was taken over from the Ionic order. The roof of the temple, known as the cornice,
was triangular in shape. It consisted of the pediment and the geison, which are the outer edges of the roof.
The pediment was always filled with sculptures that represented stories related to the temple’s deity, such as
the birth of Athena on the Parthenon. The sculptures were brightly painted like the building parts of the temple itself. The three Greek architectural styles, especially the columns, have often been copied in the architecture of subsequent period and in modern times.
The Greeks were not only great architects but also great sculptors. As already mentioned above, the
temples were decorated with sculpted carvings, and a statue of the deity stood inside the building. One famous
sculptor, mentioned earlier, was Phidias, who made the statue of Athena entirely out of gold and ivory. Nothing of this statue remains, but descriptions exist in literature and from Roman copies. Most temple statues,
however, were made of marble or bronze. Female and male statues of gods, heroes, and Olympic victors
(mostly nude) also decorated many of the houses and public buildings or lined the streets. The statues were
life-sized figures sculpted either from marble or cast in bronze. Detail was stressed and natural movement and
appearance were emphasized. Many of the original statues have not survived, because they were either broken
or, in the case of bronze, melted and reused. However, Roman copies have survived, and they provide valuable information about the original Greek works.
Pottery was another important form of Greek art. It was widely traded throughout the Mediterranean.
It came in a variety of shapes depending on the practical purpose. Pottery was used to transport perishable
goods such as wine, olive oil, grain or perfume. It was also used in domestic activities such as cooking and eating or in religious ceremonies to carry offerings to the gods and as offerings in temples and tombs. Sometimes
it was made and traded solely for its artistic merit. Pottery provides useful information for the historian, because many of the vases were painted with scenes of daily life, athletic activities, religious ceremonies, or mythological subjects. Like all forms of Greek art and architecture, Greek pottery production reached its height
during the fifth century BC. Two popular types of pottery were produced: Black Figure and Red Figure pottery. The clay used to make the pottery was fired red in color, due to its high iron content. In Black Figure,
the figures were drawn in black on the red background. In Red Figure, the reverse was true. The figures, outlined in black, were left red on a black-glazed background. Writing was common on pots either to mark the
potter’s name, to indicate names of mythological or historical figures shown, or to describe the subject matter.
Today, Greek architecture, sculpture, and pottery are highly valued as historical evidence and as skilled works
of art.
Theater – each year the Greeks looked forward to being entertained at several festivals held in honor
of the gods. The festivals were mainly religious events. A festival consisted partially of a procession and sacrifices to the god being honored. It was also a social occasion for the Greeks to get together and enjoy the excitement of plays and athletic events. The main social event of some of the festivals was the dramatic competition. Examples of such festivals in Athens include the festival of the City Dionysia, held in honor of Dionysus
(god wine and drama), and the Great Panathenaic Festival, held in honor of the city’s patron-goddess, Athena.
Drama, an important contribution to Western civilization, was invented by the Greeks. Greek playwrights produced a large number of high-quality plays, some of which have survived in today’s literature. The
plays were of two kinds: tragedies and comedies. In tragedies, the subject matter dealt mostly with mythological stories, although some plays were based on historical events. The themes of the stories consisted of disasters, bloody revenge, or the suffering of the human conscience. The comedies dealt with the ridiculing of po10
litical or social issues at hand. In a public performance, only three actors played the various characters in a
play. Masks were used to distinguish one character form the other, which made it easier for one actor to play
several roles. Essential to all the plays was the chorus. The chorus was a group of performers who danced
and sang at intervals throughout the play, commenting on the events of the play.
Fifth century Greece produced some of history’s finest playwrights. They include Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides (the Tragedians) and Aristophanes (the comic poet).
One famous Greek tragedy was Oedipus the King by Sophocles. It tells of Oedipus, the son of a king,
who was told by the Delphic oracle that he would kill his father and marry his mother. The prophesy was fulfilled, and at the end he gouged out his eyes with his mother’s (wife’s) broach. The play ends with his life in
ruins.
One of Aeschylus’s surviving plays, The Persians, dealt with the historical battle of Salamis in 480 BC.
The battle was described so vividly that he must have been an eyewitness of the events, if not a participant, as
well.
The building in which the plays were held was the theater. The Greek theater was a semi-circular
structure, usually built on the slope of a hill. The main feature of a theater was the orchestra, the central acting
area, which was surrounded three-quarters of the way by the seating area. At the open end of the orchestra
stood the state building or skene, where the actors could change and store their belongings. The first theaters
were simple structures built on the natural slope of the hill and made of wood. In the fourth century BC, the
structures became permanent and were made of stone. Many of the stone theaters still stand today. The most
famous theater is at Epidaurus, in the Peloponnese. It is still used today for the performance of ancient plays.
Olympic Games – Athletic competitions were the main attractions of other Greek festivals. The
most prestigious of these festivals was the Olympic Games, held in honor of Zeus, the king of gods. The
event took place every four years in the sanctuary of Zeus at Olympia, located in the northwest part of the Peloponnese. The sanctuary of Zeus was a sacred area dedicated to the god and his wife, Hera. After the Olympic Games were instituted in Zeus’s honor, the sanctuary grew in size. Not only were temples and altars erected for the religious activities, but a stadium and hippodrome (a stadium designed for equestrian events) were
constructed for the athletic events. In the beginning athletes and spectators alike had to live uncomfortably in
the open air. Buildings to accommodate the athletes and the spectators were absent until fairly late in the history of the sanctuary. In the fourth century BC, a guest house, a gymnasium, and two bath houses were built
to ease the comfort of the people and competitors. The Olympic Games first originated in 776 BC and are
still celebrated today. Like all festivals, religious observances were a main part of the ceremony, which included sacrifices made to the honored god.
There were eight different types of athletic competitions that took place over a three-day period at the
Olympic Games. The chariot races and the horse races were carried out in the hippodrome. The chariots had
two wheels and were pulled by four horses. Crashes and fatalities were frequent during the chariot races. The
remainder of the athletic events took place in the stadium. The stadium was about 200 meters long (600 feet)
with the natural slopes of a hill serving as the seating area for the spectators and the judges. The events consisted of boxing, wrestling, the pankration (a mix of boxing, wrestling and judo), track events, a race in armor,
and the pentathlon. The pentathlon was a five-part contest that included the discus throw, the long jump, the
javelin throw, a 200-meter, the 400 meter, and a longer race of about 5,000 meters. The race in armor was the
final athletic competition and demonstrates the importance of the hoplite (a type of heavily-armed soldier) in
the Greek army.
There was only one winner for every contest. There were no second- and third-place winners. The
winners of the various contests were rewarded with simple garlands of olive leaves, but the prestige associated
with being an Olympic victor was great. At home, the victor might get some money prizes or free meals for
the rest of his life. Sometimes statues of the victors were sculpted and displayed in public places. The victors
were seen as heroes.
Other games were established in Greece, but none as prestigious as the Olympic Games. Two of these
were the Pythian Games at Delphi, held every four years, and the Isthmain Games at Corinth, held every two
years. Many Greeks from faraway places flocked to see the festivals. They were very religious people who did
not want to anger the gods by not attending the festivals. At the same time, the festivals were social events
that were not to be missed.
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Questions
1. What is the most important public building in any Greek city-state?
2. What two kinds of plays were written by Greek playwrights?
3. Name the athletic events that people enjoyed watching at the Olympic Games.
Lesson 8 The Persian Wars
Homework: Read and answer questions
Generalization: Conflict can both strengthen and weaken a culture
Persian Expansion -- Like Cyrus the Great, Darius I wanted the Persian Empire to grow. In the east, he
conquered the entire Indus Valley. He also tried to expand the empire westward into Europe. However, before Darius could move very far into Europe, he had to deal with a revolt in the empire. In 499 BC several
Greek cities in Asia Minor rebelled against Persian rule. To help their fellow Greeks, a few city-states in
mainland Greece sent soldiers to join the fight against the Persians. The Persians put down the revolt, but
Darius was still angry with the Greeks. Although the cities that had rebelled were in Asia, Darius was enraged that other Greeks had given them aid. He swore to get revenge on the Greeks.
The Battle of Marathon – Nine years after the Greek cities rebelled, Darius invaded Greece. He
and his army sailed to the plains of Marathon near Athens. This invasion began a series of wars between Persia and Greece that historians call the Persian Wars. The Athenian army had only about 11,000 soldiers,
while the Persians had about 15,000. However, the Greeks won the battle because they had better weapons
and clever leaders.
The Second Invasion of Greece – ten years after the Battle of Marathon, Darius’s son Xerxes I
tried to conquer Greece again. In 480 BC the Persian army set out for Greece. This time they were joined
by the Persian navy. The Greeks prepared to defend their homeland. This time Sparta joined with Athens.
The Spartans had the strongest army in Greece, so they went to fight the Persian army. Meanwhile, the
Athenians sent their powerful navy to attack the Persian navy. To slow the Persian army, the Spartans sent
about 1,400 soldiers to Thermopylae, a narrow mountain pass. The Persians had to cross through this pass
to attack Greek cities. For three days, the small Greek force held off the Persian army. Then the Persians
asked a traitorous Greek soldier to lead them through another pass. A large Persian force attacked the Spartans from behind. Surrounded, the brave Spartans and their allies fought to their deaths. After winning the
battle, the Persians swept into Athens, attacking and burring the city.
Although the Persians won the battle in the pass, the Greeks quickly regained the upper hand. A few
days after Athens was burned, the Athenians defeated the Persian navy through a clever plan. The led the
larger Persian navy into the narrow straits of Salamis. The Persians had so many ships that they couldn’t
steer well in the narrow strait. As a result, the smaller Athenian boats easily sank many Persian ships. Those
ships that were not destroyed soon returned home. Soon after the Battle of Salamis, an army of soldiers
from all over Greece beat the Persians at Plataea. This battle ended the Persian Wars. Defeated, the Persians
left Greece. For the Persians, this defeat was humiliating, but it was not a major blow. Their empire remained strong for more than a century after the war. For the Greeks though, the defeat of the Persians was a
triumph. They had saved their homeland.
The Peloponnesian War
Sparta and Athens Fight – as you learned earlier, Sparta and Athens worked together to win the
Persian Wars. The Spartans fought most of the battles on land and the Athenians fought at sea. After the
war, the powerful Athenian fleet continued to protect Greece from the Persian navy. As a result, Athens had
a great influence over much of Greece.
Athenian Power – after the Persian wars ended in 480 BC, many city-states formed an alliance, or an
agreement to work together. They wanted to punish the Persians for attacking Greece. They also agreed to
help defend each other and to protect trade in the Aegean Sea. To pay for this defense, each city-state gave
money to the alliance. Because the money was kept on the island of Delos, historians call the alliance the
Dalian League. With its navy protecting the islands, Athens was the strongest member of the league. As a
result, the Athenians began to treat other league members as their subjects. They refused to let members quit
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the league and forced more cities to join it. The Athenians even used the league’s money to pay for buildings
in Athens. Without even fighting, the Athenians made the Dalian League an Athenian empire.
The Peloponnesian War – the Dalian League was not the only alliance in Greece. After the Persian
Wars, many cities in southern Greece, including Sparta, banded together as well. This alliance was called the
Peloponnesian League after the peninsula on which the cities were located. The growth of Athenian power
worried many cities in the Peloponnesian League. Finally, to stop Athens’s growth, Sparta declared war.
The declaration of war began the Peloponnesian War, a war between Athens and Sparta that threatened to
tear all of Greece apart. In 431 BC the Spartan army marched north to Athens. They surrounded the city,
waiting for the Athenians to come out and fight. But the Athenians stayed in the city, hoping that the Spartans would leave. Instead, the Spartans began to burn the crops in the fields around Athens. They hoped
that Athens would run out of food and be forced to surrender.
The Spartans were in for a surprise. The Athenian navy escorted merchant ships to Athens, bringing
plenty of food to the city. The navy also attacked Sparta’s allies, forcing the Spartans to send troops to defend other Greek cities. At the same time, thought, disease swept through Athens, killing thousands. For 10
years neither side could gain an advantage over the other. Eventually, they agreed to a truce. Athens kept its
empire and the Spartans went home. A few years later, in 415 BC, Athens tried again to expand its empire.
It sent an army and navy to conquer the island of Sicily. This effort failed. The entire Athenian army was
defeated by Sicilian allies of Sparta and taken prisoner. Even worse, these Sicilians also destroyed most of
the Athenian navy. Taking advantage of Athena’s weakness, Sparta attacked Athens, and the war started up
once more. Although the Athenians fought bravely, the Spartans won. They cut off the supply of food to
Athens completely. In 404 BC, the people of Athens, starving and surrounded, surrendered. The Peloponnesian War was over, and Sparta was in control.
Fighting Among the City-States – with the defeat of Athens, Sparta became the most powerful
city-state in Greece. For about 30 years, the Spartans controlled nearly all of Greece, until other city-states
started to resent them. This resentment led to a period of war. Control of Greece shifted from city-state to
city-state. The fighting went on for many years, which weakened Greece and left it open to attack from outside.
Questions
1. Explain – Why did Persia want to invade Greece?
2. Summarize – What happened to the Dalian League?
3. Explain – Why did many city-states form an alliance against Athens?
Lesson 9 Greek Achievements
Homework: read and answer questions
Generalization: Cultural elements and achievements have both long and short term impacts
New Forms of Writing – sculpture, painting and architecture were not the only Greek art forms.
The Greeks also excelled at writing. In fact, Greek writers created many new writing forms, including drama
and history. The Greeks were also among the first people to write about history. They were interested in
the lessons of history could teach. One of the greatest of Greek historians was Thucydides. His history of
the Peloponnesian Wars was based in part of his experiences as an Athenian soldier. Even though he was
from Athens, Thucydides tried to be neutral in his writing. He studied the war and tried to figure out what
had caused it. He may have hoped the Greeks could learn from their mistakes and avoid similar wars in the
future. Many later historians modeled their works after his.
Philosophy
The ancient Greeks worshipped gods and goddesses whose actions explained many of the mysteries
of the world. But by around 500 BC a few people had begun to think about other explanations. We call
these people philosophers. They believed in the power of the human mind to think, explain and understand
life.
Socrates – among the greatest of these thinkers was a man named Socrates. He believed that people
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must never stop looking for knowledge. Socrates was a teacher as well as a thinker. Today we call his type of
teaching the Socratic Method. Socrates taught by asking questions. His questions were about human qualities
such as love and courage. He would ask, “What is courage?” When people answered, he challenged their answers with more questions. Socrates wanted to make people think and question their own beliefs. But he
made people angry, even frightened. They accused him of questioning the authority of the gods. For these
reasons, he was arrested and condemned to death. His friends and students watched him calmly accept his
death. He took the poison he was given, drank it and died.
Plato – was a student of Socrates. Like Socrates, he was a teacher as well as a philosopher. Plato created a school, the Academy, to which students could come to discuss ideas. Although Plato spent much of his
time running the Academy, he also wrote many works. The most famous of these works was called The Republic. It describes Plato’s idea of an ideal society. This society would be based on justice and fairness to everyone. To ensure this fairness, Plato argued, society should be run by philosophers. He thought that only they
could understand what was best for them.
Aristotle – perhaps the greatest Greek thinker was Aristotle, Plato’s student. He taught that people
should live lives of moderation, or balance. For example, people should not be greedy, but neither should they
give away everything they own. Instead, people should find a balance between these two extremes. Aristotle
believed that moderation was based on reason, or clear and ordered thinking. He though that people should
use reason to govern their lives. In other words, people should think about their actions and how they will
affect others. Aristotle also made great advances in the field or logic, the process of making inferences. He
argued that you could use fact you knew to figure out new facts. For example, if you know that Socrates lives
in Athens and that Athens is in Greece, you can conclude that Socrates lives in Greece. Aristotle’s ideas about
logic helped inspire many later Greek scientists.
Science – Aristotle’s works inspired many Greek scientists. They began to look closely at the world to see
how it worked.
Mathematics – some Greeks spent their lives studying mathematics. One of these people was Euclid.
He was interested in geometry, the study of lines, angles, and shapes. In fact, many of the geometry rules we
learn in school today come straight from Euclid’s writings. Other Greek mathematicians included a geographer who used mathematics to accurately calculate the size of the earth. Years later, in the 300s and 400s, a
woman named Hypatia taught about mathematics and astronomy.
Medicine and Engineering – not all Greek scientists studied numbers. Some studied other areas of
science, such as medicine and engineering. Greek doctors studied the human body to understand how it
worked. In trying to cure diseases and kept people healthy, Greek doctors made many discoveries. The greatest Greek doctor was Hippocrates. He wanted to figure out what caused diseases so he could better treat
them. Hippocrates is better known today, though, for his ideas about how doctors should behave.
Greek engineers also made great discoveries. Some devices they invented are still used today. Farmers
in many countries still use water screws to bring water to their fields. This device, which brings water from a
lower level to a higher one, was invented by a Greek scientist named Archimedes in the 200s BC. Greek inventors could be playful as well as serious. One inventor created mechanical toys like birds, puppets and coinoperated machines.
Questions
1. Recall – why did people become angry with Socrates?
2. Identify – in what fields did Hippocrates and Euclid make their greatest achievements?
3. Make Inferences – why do some people call Greece the birthplace of the Western world?
Lesson 10 Alexander the Great
Homework: Read and answer questions
Generalization: Contact, conflict and conquest often result in cultural diffusion
The world’s most powerful army in the 300s BC was from Macedonia, a kingdom just north of Greece.
The Greeks had long dismissed the Macedonians as unimportant. They thought of the Macedonians as bar14
barians because they lived in small villages and spoke a strange form of the Greek language. But the Greeks
underestimated the Macedonians, barbarians or not.
Macedonia Conquers Greece – In 359 BC Philip II became king of Macedonia. Philip spent the first
year of his rule fighting off invaders who wanted to take over his kingdom. Once he defeated the invaders, he
was ready to launch invasions of his own. Philip’s main target was Greece. The leaders of Athens, knowing
they were the target of Philip’s powerful army, called for all Greeks to join together. Few people responded.
As a result, the armies of Athens and its chief ally Thebes were easily defeated by the Macedonians. Having
witnessed this defeat, the rest of the Greeks agreed to make Philip their leader.
Philip’s Military Strength – Philip defeated the Greeks because he was a brilliant military leader. He
borrowed and improved many of the strategies Greek armies used in battle. Philip’s soldiers, like the Greeks,
fought as a phalanx. A phalanx was a group of warriors who stood close together in a square. Each solider
held a spear pointed outward to fight off enemies. As soldiers in the front lines were killed, others stepped up
from behind to fill their spots. Philip improved upon the Greeks’ idea. He gave his soldiers spears that were
much longer than those of his opponents. This allowed his army to attack effectively in any battle. Philip also
sent cavalry and archers into battle to support the phalanx. After conquering Greece, Philip turned his attention to Persia. He planned to march east and conquer the Persian Empire, but he never made it. He was murdered in 336 BC while celebrating his daughter’s wedding. When Philip died, his throne – and his plans –
passed to his son, Alexander.
Alexander Builds an Empire – when Philip dies, the people in the Greek city of Thebes rebelled. They
thought that the Macedonians would not have a leader strong enough to keep the kingdom together. They
were wrong.
Controlling the Greeks – although he was only 20 years old, Philip’s son Alexander was as strong a
leader as his father had been. He immediately went south to end the revolt in Thebes. Within a year, Alexander had destroyed Thebes and enslaved the Theban people. He used Thebes as an example to other Greeks of
what would happen if they turned against him. Then, confident that the Greeks would not rebel again, he set
out to build an empire. Alexander’s efforts to build an empire made him one of the greatest conquerors in history. These efforts earned him the name Alexander the Great.
Building a New Empire – like his father, Alexander was a brilliant commander. In 334 BC he attacked the Persians, whose army was much larger than his own. But Alexander’s troops were well trained and
ready for battle. They defeated the Persians time after time. After defeating the Persians near the town of Issus, Alexander went to Egypt, which was part of the Persian Empire. The Persian governor had heard of his
skill in battle. He surrendered without a fight in 332 BC and crowned Alexander pharaoh. After a short stay in
Egypt, Alexander set out again. Near the town of Gaugamela, he defeated the Persian army for the last time.
After the battle, the Persian king fled. The king soon dies, killed by one of his nobles. With the king’s death,
Alexander became the ruler of what had been the Persian Empire.
Marching Home – still intent on building his empire, Alexander led his army through Central Asia.
In 327 BC Alexander crossed the Indus River and wanted to push deeper into India. But his exhausted soldiers refused to go any farther. Disappointed, Alexander began the long march home. Alexander left India in
325 BC, but he never made it back to Greece. In 323 BC, on his way back, Alexander visited the city of Babylon and got sick. He died a few days later at age 33. After he died, Alexander’s body was taken to Egypt and
buried in a golden coffin.
Spreading Greek Culture – Alexander’s empire was the largest the world had ever seen. Ad admirer
of Greek culture, he worked to spread Greek influence throughout his empire by founding cities in the lands
he conquered. Alexander modeled his new cities after the cities of Greece. He named many of them Alexandria, after himself. He built temples and theaters like those in Greece. He then encouraged Greek settlers to
move to the new cities. These settlers spoke Greek, which became common throughout the empire. In time,
Greek art, literature, and science spread into surrounding lands. Even as he supported the spread of Greek
culture, however, Alexander encouraged conquered people to keep their own customs and tradition. As a result, a new blended culture developed in Alexander’s empire. It combined elements of Persian, Egyptian, Syrian and other cultures with Greek ideas. Because the new culture was not completely Greek, Hellenic, historians call it Hellenistic, or Greek-like. It wasn’t purely Greek, but it was heavily influenced by Greek ideas.
Hellenistic Kingdoms – when Alexander dies, he didn’t have an obvious heir to take over his kingdom and
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no one knew who was in power. With no clear direction, Alexander’s general fought for power. In the end,
three powerful generals divided the empire among themselves. One became king of Macedonia and Greece;
one ruled Syria and the third claimed Egypt.
Hellenistic Macedonia – as you might expect, the kingdom of Macedonia and Greece was the most
Greek of the three. However, it also had the weakest government. The Macedonian kings had to put down
many revolts by the Greeks. Damaged by the revolts, Macedonia couldn’t defend itself. Armies from Rome, a
rising power from the Italian Peninsula, marched in and conquered Macedonia in the mid100s BC.
Hellenistic Syria – like the kings of Macedonia, the rulers of Syria faced many challenges. Their kingdoms, which included most of the former Persian Empire, was home to many different peoples with many
different customs. Unhappy with Hellenistic rule, many of these people rebelled against their leaders. Weakened by years of fighting, the kingdom slowly broke apart. Finally in the 60s BC the Romans marched in and
took over Syria.
Hellenistic Egypt – the rulers of Egypt encouraged the growth of Greek culture. They built the ancient world’s largest library in the city of Alexandria. Also in Alexandria, they built the Museum, a place for
scholars and artists to meet. Through their efforts, Alexandria became a great center of culture and learning.
In the end, the Egyptian kingdom lasted longer than the other Hellenistic kingdoms. However, in 30 BC it too
was conquered by Rome.
Questions
1. Summarizing – How was Philip II able to conquer Greece?
2. Explain – how did Alexander help spread Greek culture throughout his empire?
3. Predict – How might history have been different if Alexander had not died so young?
Film Notes: Ancient Warriors — The Macedonians
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6.
Which 2 city-states stood against Philip of Macedonia?
Who led Philip’s cavalry?
Who did Philip and Alexander want to conquer after Greece?
What island fortress gave the Macedonians a problem?
How did they get to the city?
How did the Tyreians destroy the siege towers?
Unit 6 Study Guide
Organized into city-states that remained independent – separated by geography
- established colonies all over the Mediterranean that were independent of the city-state that founded
them
- many were democracies
Geography influenced Greek development
- separated city-states
- limited farmland
- focused on high end crops (grapes and olives)
- turned to the sea for resources
- ship building and sea trade
Found in all Greek Cities
- Acropolis
- fortified high area – usually location of the city’s temple
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- Agora – meeting place
- political meetings
- religious gatherings
- marketplace
Athens
- began democracy (really a direct democracy)
- not really – only citizens could participate (free men)
- no women, slaves or foreigners
- under democracy leaders are chosen by voting
Sparta
- Oligarchy – rule by a small group
- focus – military
- no trade, arts
- importance of discipline, obedience and military skill
- most work done by slaves called helots
- military had to be strong to stop slave rebellions – greatest fear
Women in Ancient Greece
- in Sparta – women had some military training, education and some rights
- the rest of Greece – little education, had to stay at home, few rights
Greek Accomplishments
- philosophy
- Socrates, Plato and Aristotle
- art
- sculpture, literature, architecture
- theatre
- Greeks created drama
Persian Wars
- invasions by Persia
- Darius angry because Athens aided Ionian Greeks rebel against him
Peloponnesian War
- started when Athens started the Dalian League and other Greek city-states (especially Sparta) feared
that Athens wanted to control of Greece
- brought about the end of Greece’s Golden Age because the city-states were weakened by fighting
among themselves (mainly Athens and Sparta)
- left them open to foreign invasion – first Macedonians then Romans
Alexander the Great
- served as a military commander for his father Philip II of Macedonia
- continued his father’s dreams of conquest after his father’s death
- expansion ended at the Indus River in India
- his army refused to go any further
- responsible for the Hellenistic Age (Hellenistic – Greek Like)
- spread by conquest
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