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9/22/2015 Achaemenid (aka Perisan) Empire Persia and Greece • 550-330 BCE • Cyrus the Great conquered land from Egypt and Turkey to Northeastern India (14 million people) Ch. 4-Classical Civilization in the Mediterranean 550-300 BCE Characteristics • Tolerance of religious and linguistic minorities • Centralized bureaucracy – Tax codes, uniform monetary system Zoroastrianism • Monotheistic religion • Life is a battle between good and evil • Concept of a last judgment, heaven and hell • Infrastructure – Royal Road- network of highways facilitated communication and trade 1 9/22/2015 Greek Development • Minoans (2700-1450 B.C.): island of Crete • Myceneans (1600-1100 B.C.): Basis for Homer’s epic poems, The Illiad and the Odyssey • Development of Polis (city-states): 800-600 BCE – Mountains made unified govt. difficult • Common culture and written language – Olympic games • Athens and Sparta dominated the region Persian Wars (490-479 BCE) • City-states united to fight against armies of Xerxes – Battles of Marathon and Thermopylae • Delian league was created to defend against further invasions Greek Political System • Tyrants: Rule by individual strongmen • Direct Democracy: All citizens voted in general assembly • Pericles: Aristocrats led through influence 2 9/22/2015 Philosophy • Encouraged rational thinking and debate to better understand humanity • Socrates: question conventional wisdom • Aristotle and the Stoics: Moderation and balance in everything Science • Pythagoras created the Pythagorean theorem (a²+b²=c² ) • Archimedes developed the Lever, specific gravity, and death ray Golden Age • Classical Temples: Parthenon – Athens was rebuilt after Persian War • Drama: tragedy and comedy – Plays performed at amphitheaters • Idealistic sculpture Economy • Poor soil grew only grapes and olives – Commercial agriculture: products for trade rather than subsistence • Most farmers were tenents of landlords and owed debts – Slavery was used extensively 3 9/22/2015 Decline • Peloponnesian War : Athens and Sparta fought for 25 years • Plague killed 1/3 of Athenian population in 430 BCE • Macedonian Invasion Hellenistic Empire • Conquered the Persian Empire within 13 years • Spread Greek (Hellenic) culture into Asia – Alexandria, Egypt became a trade and intellectual center – Phillip II of Macedon took over in 338 BCE – Alexander the Great took over in 336 BCE 4