Download Group 1 Ancient and Classic Greece: Geography: Greece`s

Group 1
Ancient and Classic Greece:
Geography: Greece's mainland is a peninsula about he size of Louisiana. It has many river
valleys separated by mountains; this caused the Greek city-states to become very divided. The
Sea of Corinth and the Sea of Crete are both south of the Greek mainland. The Ionian Sea is to
the west. The Mediterranean Sea is to the southwest, and the Aegean Sea is to the east.
Greece is divided into Boeotia, central Greece, with its chief city of Thebes, Peloponnesus with
its chief city of Sparta, Attica which contains the city of Athens, Thessaly, and Macedonia.
The Polis: The center where all major political, social, and religious activities were carried out.
They have no specific boundaries, they can be small or big. The women had no political rolls, as
well as the non citizens (slaves and resident aliens.)
Warfare: The warfare of Ancient Greece developed alongside the polis. New, heavily armored
soldiers, called hoplites, came into play. They formed a phalanx, or rectangular formation, in
battle, and were virtually as strong as the soldiers' will to hold it. This new war play made the
previous aristocratic horseback fighting obsolete, and this new war method included lower class
figures such as farmers, and the aristocrats. This made warfare an important cause of
democracy in Greece.
Trade: Colonization is what led to an increase in trade and industry. The mainland Greeks sent
their three best products, such as handmade pottery, wine, and olive oil, to colonized areas. In
return, they received grains and metals from the west and fish, timber, wheat, metals and slaves
from the Black Sea region. This expansion of trade and industry caused business men to desire
new political privileges, but found it impossible to gain because of the power of the ruling
aristocrats; this led to political crisis in the Greek states.
Group 2
Day one: Geography -Greece occupied a small area compared to other ancient civilizations -A peninsula
with valleys and plains separated by mountain ranges which caused communities to develop separately The coast consisted of many bays and inlets for harbor use in trade and warfare Trade -Population
growth led to the spread of Greek colonies along the Mediterranean -Mainland Greece exported
pottery, wine, and olive oil to the new settlements in exchange for grains and metals from the west and
timber, wheat, slaves, and metals from the Black Sea region The Polis - small, autonomous political unit Political, social, and religious activities are all carried out at one central location - Some poleis central
meeting point was a hill like an acropolis - Varied in size - Varied in population - Political institution - All
citizens had rights and responsibilities - As the polis developed so did a new military system - New
military based on hoplites (heavily armed infantrymen) Warfare ⁃ In earlier times, Greece had been
fought by aristocratic soldiers on horseback ⁃ A new military based in hoplites came to order in 700
B.C.E ⁃ Hoplites are heavily armed infantrymen who wore bronze or leather helmets, breast plates, and
greaves. ⁃ Hoplites advanced into battles as units, creating phalanx (a rectangular formation.) ⁃ A
phalanx helped the Greeks achieve victory or not suffer from so much harm ⁃ Hoplites made the calvary
outdated. ⁃ The hoplite challenged the aristocracy, and helped give rise to democracy. Day two: Sparta was located in the southeast of the mainland -sought to conquer neighboring lands to support itself
rather than colonization -reformed into a military state after captured people threatened to revolt -"The
Lycurgus Reforms" gave rise to the well known 'spartan lifestyle' consisting of rigidly controlled military
type service from an early age to 60 for males -Spartan women held much more power than their
counterparts in other states and for the most part upheld similar values to the men -The state was led
by two kings and a council of elders, there were also 5 elected officials who were tasked with educating
the youth Athens - by 700 BCE Athens had established a unified polis on the peninsula of Attica. - By this
time Athens had fallen under control of its aristocrats. - The aristocrats had the best land and controlled
political life by means of a council of nobles and a board of 9 officials called archons. - Near the end of
the seventh century BCE Athens faced economic problems. - Farmers were sold into slavery - In 594 BCE
the ruling aristocrats responded to the crisis by giving power to make changes to Solon (a reform
minded aristocrat) - Solon cancelled debts, outlawed loans based on humans as collateral, and freed
those who fell to slavery - However Solon's reforms did not solve Athen's problems - Eventually the
strife led to tyranny - Athenians rebelled against pisistratus' son and ended tyranny in 510 BCE Cleisthenes created the council of 5 hundred to watch over foreign affairs and the treasury and propose
laws that would be voted on by the committee. (All males) - The reforms of Cleisthenes had created the
foundations for the Athenian democracy. The Great Peloponnesian War -40 years after the defeat of the
Persians, the Greek world was split into Sparta and its allies, and the Athenian maritime empire. -a series
of disputes lead to an outbreak of war in 431 B.C.E -at the beginning of war, both sides believed that
they had winning strategies. The Athenians planned to remain behind the walls of Athens while its navy
and overseas empire kept them supplied -Pericles was aware that the Spartans could beat Athens in
open battles -Spartans attacked Athens outside the walls, trying to lure their army out. The Athens
stayed put. -In the second year of war, a plague broke out and killed one third of Athens. Pericles died in
429 B.C.E. Although it was a major loss for Athens, they kept fighting for 27 more years. -a crushing blow
occurred when the Athenian fleet was destroyed at Aegospotami in 404 B.C.E. This was the end of the
Athenian empire, and the air. -the war weakened the Greek states and started new alliances among
them. -the next 70 years is sorry efforts by Sparta, Athens, and Thebes, a new Greek power, to dominate
affairs. -The Greeks remained oblivious to the growing power of Macedonia in the north.
Group 3
Geography:
-occupied an area about the size of Louisiana. (45,000 square miles)
-Greece consisted of small plains and river valleys surrounded by mountain ranges 8,000-10,000 feet high.
-the mountains divided Greece, so each Greek civilization grew different from the others.
-Greece is surrounded by ocean. There are many islands, peninsulas, and bays that line Greece's coast
Trade:
-each Greek colony was created by trade.
-each new polis did not follow the same rules that are used by the polis that created them
-the Greeks colonized certain parts of Spain, Italy, and France. Also in North Africa and Egypt.
-until the Greeks started trade with the other colonies they didn't realize how culturally diverse they were from
each other.
Military:
-the hoplites: once the polis was developed, a new military system was developed as well. The hoplites were
heavily armed infantry men whose fighting style became popular forms of hand to hand combat. This brought
about a new fighting formation called the PHALANX, which is a rectangular formation that was usually 8 ranks
deep. This kept out most invaders during combat unless the formation broke apart. This force also has as much
political power in the POLIS; the small political unit in which all major political, social, and religious activities
were carried out; as the aristocracy of the time and could even challenge aristocratical control.
Polis:
-Definition of polis: a small but autonomous political unit in which all major political, social, cultural and religious
activities were carried out at one central location.
Interesting facts of the poleis:
-Varied in size (few square miles to a few hundred square miles)
-Varied in population (ex. Athens - 250,000 people)
Consisted of:
-Citizens with political rights (ex. adult males)
-Citizens with no political rights (ex. women and children)
-Noncitizens (ex. slaves and resident aliens)
-A city, town, or village surrounding country side.
Ex. Acropolis at Athens. (Served as a place of refuge during attack, and came religious with temples and public
monuments were erected.)
Agora: below the Acropolis, an open space or plaza that served both as a market and as a place where citizens
could assemble.
Group 4
Ancient and Classical Greece, Geography, The Polis,
Warfare, and Trade
By Nathan, Skylar, Laurie, and Kalem
- Geography
- Greece occupied a small area (45,000 square miles.)
- Mountainous terrain.
- Consisted of small plains and river valleys surrounded by mountain ranges.
- Greeks were separated by mountains.
- Ancient and Classical Greece
- Adopted Phoenician style of writing.
- Polis
- Ruled by tyrants during the 6th and 7th centuries.
- Weren't necessarily oppressive.
- They were aristocrats who opposed the ruling aristocracy.
- Supported by the newly rich and by peasants.
- Tyrants built infrastructure to gain popularity.
- Warfare
- Sparta was a state that needed more land.
- They obtained more land through conquest.
- Went to other territories and conquered them making them proclaim "This is Sparta."
- Minoans had bronze weapons.
- Trade
- Trade was essential throughout the city-states.
Group 5
Ancient and Classical Greece Day 1 • P. 86-87: o City-states separated by mountainous regions and seas.
§ Due to separation, culture was vastly different between the city-states. § City-states near bodies of
water or seas were dominant in such areas. • Seas provided easier transport for trade and commerce. •
Seas connected any coastal landmass, which allowed for exponentially more expansion than the
landlocked city-states. § Through trade between these vastly different city-states, culture was shares
and modified by the influences of each city-state on another. • P. 88-89: o Earliest civilization in the
Aegean region emerges from islands of Crete, the Greeks’ mainland home. o 2800 B.C.E. – Bronze Age §
Dubbed “minoan” after King of Crete. (Minoans were not Greek) § Palace complex at Knossos • Palace
was for royal families. o 1450 B.C.E. – Minoan collapse § Mycenaean Greeks move into
southern/western Europe, India, and Persia. § Mycenaean’s had powerful monarchies. o War: § Most
famous battle of the Mycenaean’s was ‘Poetry of Nomer’ o 1250 B.C.E. – Mycenaean’s possibly led by
Agamemnon to ‘sack’ Troy. o 13th Century B.C.E. – Mycenaean era comes to an end. § Greece entered a
population and food decline. § Known as the “Dark Age”. • Various Greek cultures moved to various
islands. 2 o Aeolian Greeks colonize islands of Lesbos. o Iron Age begins. o Greeks adopt Phoenician
alphabet. o Homer’s works appear towards the end of the Iron/Aeolian age. • P. 90-91: o Polis: Small
autonomous political unit in which all political, social, and religious were carried out, usually in a central
location. § The Polis appear to be like modern day “districts” or “counties”. o Military: § Hoplites –
heavily armed infantrymen who bore bronze or leather armour, a round shield, sword, and thrusting
spear. • Phalanx was the main battle formation. (Rectangular, tight order, 8 ranks deep.) o Trade: § One
of the largest factors in colonization of the Greek city-states. § Settlements along coast in the south and
fertile farmland in the north. § Settlements allowed them to spread culture throughout Mediterranean
basin. § Trade occurred in both material and immaterial; customs and languages were “traded” along
with goods. § Expansion of trade created aristocratic men. o Before 8th century, Greece was unified. • P.
92-93: o Industrial and commercial groups laid groundwork for tyrants in seventh and sixth centuries
B.C.E. § Not necessarily oppressive or wicked. § Tyrant: ruler who comes to power in an unconstitutional
way. § Subject to law. § Many were aristocrats who opposed control of ruling faction in their city. §
Funded by “new rich” § Both groups opposed rule by oligarchies. § Tyrants built things that enhanced
their favor with the citizens. 3 o Tyranny largely extinguished by end of sixth century B.C.E. o While
tyranny didn’t last, it played a large role in evolution of Greek history by ending rule by oligarchy. o
Trend culminated in development of democracy in some place, other state expanded oligarchies (of one
kind or another) managed to stay in power.
Group 6
Ancient and Classical
Greece
Day 1
Geography, the polis,
warfare and trade
- in 431 B.C.E. Athens and Sparta faught for domination of
the Greek world. The Athenians had a public funeral for all
of the soldiers lost in battle. On this day, the idea of
democracy was formed
- by the 18th century B.C.E., the polis, or city-state,
emerged. Greek civilization flourished and reached its
height in the classical era. The inability of Athens and
Sparta to end their feud left them vulnerable to Phillip II, The
Macedonian king. The city states defeated. The Greek
culture was spread to the Middle East by Phillipson
Alexander
Geography, the polis,
warfare and trade
- Greece was just a small area that was only 45,000 square
miles. There were many plains and river valleys. It was only
surrounded by mountains. The mountains isolated the Greeks
from one another. This caused them to each develop their own
culture. They liked being independent. This caused them to fight
each other.
- trade was one of the factors that led to the establishment of
colonies. Each colony was founded as a polis. They were all
independent of each other. Because of all of these colonies, the
Greeks were able to spread their culture throughout the
Mediterranean. This also caused an increase in trade.
Day 2
Sparta- Located in southern Peloponnesus Conquered neighboring laconians and
in 730 BCE undertook the conquest of neighboring Messenia. Conscious decision
to make military state Historians believed that the Lycurgan reforms took black
between 800 and 600 BCE Made Spartan life rigidly controlled Males were
disciplined by the state from a young age living in military barracks for most of
their life.(stayed in military service until the age of 60) Women were left at home,
had freedom to move around, encouraged to exercise, and had more liberties than
most of Greek woman. The reforms reorganized the government into an oligarchy
2 kings were left in charge of military affairs, a group of 5 men(ephors) elected
each year that were in charge of eduction of youth and conduct of citizens,
Hellenistic Culture:
- Greek Religion fills every aspect of daily life. Greece was a
polytheistic religion. Everything is to please the gods
- Daily life in classical Athens was a male community. Males
took part in public life, women, and slaves. Foreign residents
have little to no rights
- Family and relationships immediate family but dependent
relatives and slaves were regarded as family. Women were
objects of reproduction and house work. Homosexual was a
relationship between a mature man and a young male who
was viewed as educational and initiating to the male world