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Classical Greece
Geographic Influence
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Sea
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Land
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Proximity promoted trade among the various city states
Mountains isolated the valleys; this fostered independence
Climate
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Not too hot or cold; allowed for the growing of crops for trade
3 Groups in Control of Greece
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Mycenaens
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Dorians
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Ancient Greece
The Athenians and Spartans
Macedonians
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Alexander the Great
Trojan War
1194 BCE
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Homer's The Iliad and The Odessey
Mycenaean kings fought a 10 year war
against Troy
Prince Paris kidnapped Hellen
Greeks “launched a 1,000 ships” to get
her back
“Trojan Horse”
Sparta
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Military based city state
Valued duty, honor, strength, and
discipline
Ruled by two kings and a council
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The Persian War
Persia versus Greece
The wars started when King Darius of Persia
wanted to conquer the Greek peninsula.
Through unity and effort, the Greeks defeated
the powerful Persia.
Sparta and Athens played a large part in this
victory.
This victory gave city-states a new sense of
confidence and freedom.
Athens gained prominence because the victory
gave the city - state wealth and power.
Persian War
Major Persian War Battles
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Marathon (490 BCE)
 26 miles from Athens
Thermopylae (480 BCE)
 300 Spartans at the mountain pass
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nO1iRsfbNrY&f
eature=related
Salamis (480 BCE)
 Athenian navy victorious
Peloponnesian War
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Sparta hated Athens
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Athenian rise in power and wealth after the Persian
War.
Athens and Sparta both wanted war
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because they thought they had a great advantage at
winning.
The war lasted 27 years.
Athens = sea power
Sparta = geographical advantage
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Sparta could not be easily attacked from the sea. Athens
plagued by disease and defeat lost its wealth and power to
Sparta which caused political change in the city-state.
Peloponnesian Wars
Socrates
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“ The unexamined life is not worth living”.
Believed that absolute standards existed for truth and
justice.
 One should question their moral character.
 Love him or Hate him.
Sentenced to death for “corrupting the youth of
Athens”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fwYYxVGsS0E&playn
ext=1&list=PLD7B065056629A661&feature=results_vide
o&safety_mode=true&persist_safety_mode=1
Plato
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Student of Socrates
Studied human behavior
Wrote the 1st book on political science – “ The
Republic”
Believed more in the state of man than the
individual
Felt that service to the community more
important than personal goals
Too much freedom led to social disorder
Only the most intelligent and best educated
citizens should participate in government
Aristotle
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Influenced the basics of logical thinking
Wrote “Politics”- a book that analyzed the
advantages and disadvantage of political
structures in the Greek city – states
Government should be balanced between
monarchy, aristocracy, and democracy
Middle class should be in power because
they knew how to command and obey
Athens: The Arts & Sciences
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Literature
 Herodotus and Thucydides – Historian (told stories of the past)
DRAMA (tragedians):
 Sophocles
 Euripides
THE SCIENCES:
 Pythagoras
 Hippocrates  “Father of Medicine”
 Eratosthenes (showed Earth was round)
 Archimedes (considered the greatest mathematician of his age)
Phidias’ Acropolis
The Acropolis Today
The Parthenon
The Classical Greek “Ideal”
Olympia
The Ancient Olympics:
Athletes & Trainers
Golden “Age of Pericles”:
460 BCE – 429 BCE
Pericles - 3 Goals for Athens
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He wanted to strengthen the Athenian
democracy
He wanted to strengthen the Greek
Empire
He wanted to bring glory back to Athens
He introduced direct democracy to
Athens
Democracy
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The direct cause of Athenian democracy was
fear of peasant revolts.
An important feature to Athenian democracy
was that increased the number of paid
officials.
Athenian democracy and the Golden Age ended
by military defeat.
Alexander the Great
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20 years old when he became ruler of
Macedonia and Greece
Taught by Aristotle
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Taught about everything in the Greek world
Wanted to defeat the Persians because of
earlier invasion of Greece
Defeated the Persians and created the
largest empire of it’s day.
Alexander the Great
Alexander the Great
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Wanted to unite Europe and Asia
Blended Persian and Greek culture
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Hellenism
Alexander never saw his true dream come
true because he became ill and died of
fever at the age of 33.
Alexander the Great in Persia
Alexander’s Empire
Hellenistic Philosophers
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Cynics  Diogenes
 ignore social conventions &
avoid luxuries.
 citizens of the world.
 live a humble, simple life.
Epicurians  Epicurus
http://www.epicurus.net/en/principal.html
 avoid pain & seek pleasure.
 all excess leads to pain!
 politics should be avoided.
Hellenistic Philosophers
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Stoics  Zeno
nature is the expansion of divine will.
concept of natural law.
get involved in politics, not for personal
gain, but to perform virtuous acts for the
good of all.
true happiness is found in great
achievements.
Hellenism: The Arts & Sciences
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Scientists / Mathematicians:
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Aristarchus  heliocentric theory.
Euclid  geometry
Archimedes  pulley
Hellenistic Art:
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More realistic; less ideal than
Showed individual emotions,
age!
Hellenic art.
wrinkles, and
Break up of Alexander’s Empire