Download notes from sept 25

Unit 3:
Ancient Greece
Geography
• Geography shaped Greek
traditions and customs
• It also kept the Greeks
isolated from one another
• The SEA provides
–Travel to other places
–Trade with others (Greece
has poor resources)
–Food
• The LAND creates
–Division from mountains
–Differences because of division
–Disunity because of differences
• The CLIMATE allows
–Outdoor public
meetings
Trojan War
Early Greeks
• Mycenaeans took power around 2000
B.C.
• Trojan War – a war around 1200 BC in
which an army led by Mycenaean kings
attacked the independent trading city of
Troy
– Troy is a Greek legend – is it true or
false?
• Mycenaean power declines after this
Greek Culture Declines
• Mycenaeans lose power
• Dorians take control
–Dorians are stupid
• Economy collapses
• Trade declines
• People even forget how to write!
• It’s the Dark Ages for Greece
Key Terms
• Polis – Greek City-State
• Acropolis – Fortified hilltop in
Greek City-states where people
met
• Monarchy - Government in the
hands of a single ruler, usually a
king
• Aristocracy – Government in the
hands of a hereditary ruling class
or nobility
• Oligarchy – Government in the
hands of a few wealthy people
• Phalanx- A military formation of foot
soldiers armed with spears and
shields
• Peloponnesian War – a war
between 431 and 404 B.C. in which
Athens and its allies were defeated
by Sparta and its allies
Sparta
• Government
–Assembly of all free adult males
–Council of Elders
–Ephors (judges)
–Kings (Military)
Sparta
• Social Structures
– Citizens
– Free Non-citizens (Foreigners and
women)
– Helots (indentured Servants)
– Slaves
– Women had many rights, but could not
vote
Sparta
• Education
–Hard military training from age 7
for boys
–Girls and boys learned to read and
write
–Little further academic training
Sparta
• Arts
–None!
–Duty, Strength and discipline over
individuality, beauty and freedom
Athens
• Government
–Democracy – Rule by people
–Council of Five Hundred (proposed
laws)
–Free adult males are citizens and
participate in government
Athens
• Social Structures
–Citizens
–Foreigners and Women
–Slaves (1/3 of all population)
–Women, foreigners and slaves had
few rights
Athens
• Education
–None for girls
–Boys highly educated
–Higher education available for
wealthy
Athens
• Arts
– Philosophy
– Literature
– Poetry
– Sculpture
– Theater
– Arts were very important and taught to
all boys
Persian Wars
480 B.C.
• Greece vs. Persia
–Marathon
–Thermopylae (“300”)
–Salamis
–Plataea
• Greeks win
Peloponnesian War
431 B.C. – 404 B.C.
• Athens (navy) Vs. Sparta (Army)
• Sparta Wins
Spartans vs. Athenians!
• The PELOPONNESIAN WAR – a war between
Athens and Sparta from 431 B.C.E. to 404
B.C.E. in which Sparta won had many
effects on the city-states.
• Sparta had land advantage/Athens naval
• Plague hurts Athens – Pericles dies
• Athens loses; democracy weakens
The Golden Age
• Athens went through a G.A. after the
Persian Wars (480 – 430 B.C.E.)
• During Athens’ G.A., drama,
architecture, sculpture, poetry,
philosophy, and science reached
new heights.
Pericles (494-429 B.C.E.)
• PERICLES – A wise and able Athenian
politician – led Athens for 32 years
during its G.A.
• He had 3 goals:
– To strengthen Athenian
democracy
– To hold and strengthen the
empire
– To glorify Athens
Pericles’ Goal #1 Democracy
• Pericles increased # of paid public
officials
• Introduced DIRECT DEMOCRACY – a
form of government in which citizens
rule directly and not through
representatives.
Pericles’ Goal #2 - Empire
• Pericles strengthened the navy
• Made it the most powerful in the
Mediterranean
Pericles’ Goal #3 - Glorify
• He made Athens pretty! 
• Parthenon
• Arts
–Sculpture
–Drama
Philosophers
• Philosophers searched for
truth during these uncertain
times
• Socrates – philosopher
(469-399 B.C.E.)
• Plato – philosopher (427-347
B.C.E.)
• Aristotle – philosopher (384322 B.C.E.)
Homer
• Blind Greek author/storyteller
• Composed epics – narrative poems
celebrating heroic deeds
–The Iliad
–The Odyssey
Philip Builds Macedonia’s Power
• The Peloponnesian War
weakened Greek citystates
• In the north, Philip
prepared
Macedonia to
invade
• Philip transformed peasants
into a professional army
• Used a heavy 16x16 phalanx
formation
• Greek city states could not
unite against Philip until it was
too late…
• The Battle of Chaeronea (338
BC) ended Greek freedom and
independence
• Philip was murdered (336 BC)
• Never got to invade Persia
Alexander Defeats Persia
• 20-year-old Alexander takes
Macedonia over after his father dies
• Alexander was already a great
leader
–Education (Aristotle)
–Inspiration (Illiad)
–Military (Chaeronea,
Thebes)
• With Greece under his control, he
turns to Persia
• Alexander wins two important
battles against Darius III
• Darius offers Alexander 1/3 the
Persian Empire, but Alexander
refuses
• The final victory comes at
Gaugamela
• Alexander’s phalanx vs. Persian
chariots with scythes
• Alexander’s victory ends Persian
control
• His army takes
advantage of the
empire’s massive
wealth
Alexander’s Other Conquests
• Alexander continued conquests
in India and SW Asia over the
next years
• His soldiers marched >11,000
miles in 11 years
• Finally head back in 323 BC
Alexander’s Legacy
• Alexander died of fever when he
returned
• Who would control the huge empire?
• 3 general divided it and ruled with
absolute power
• Alexander’s rule ended the freedom
of Greek city-states and created a
new culture
Hellenistic Culture
• After Alexander’s death, a blended
culture called HELLENISTIC – A MIX
OF GREEK, EGYPTIAN, AND EASTERN
CULTURES – started.
• Alexandria in Egypt became the
center of the Hellenistic world
• It was an international port city full
of trade and commerce
• Alexandria was magnificent
–Palaces
–Statues
–Lighthouse
–Museum
–Library
Hellenistic Science &
Technology
• Scientists in Alexandria studied
Astronomy
–Earth center of universe
–Earth’s size (accurate)
• Euclid creates a geometry text
used the next 2000 years
• Archimedes establishes pi (3.14)
Hellenistic Philosophy & Art
• Stoicism and Epicureanism
• Sculpture flourishes
• Hellenistic sculpture focuses on
more natural forms than the Greeks