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Transcript
GREECE Geography • Greece occupies a small area in the Mediterranean and Aegean Seas • Made up of the mainland and numerous islands • Two geographic features played a significant role in developing Greece: – Mountains • Isolated Greeks from one another – different communities develop • However, rivalries between communities led to warfare that devastated Greek society – The Sea • Became seafarers who established colonies that spread Greek civilizations • Peninsula = land that is surrounded on three sides by water • Archipelago = a chain of islands Early Greek Civilizations • The Minoan civilization (3000 – 1450 BC) – Established on the island of Crete – Named after King Minos, legendary king of Crete (the Minotaur story) – Used bronze to make weapons – Large palace at Knossos – had basic plumbing • was destroyed several times and rebuilt – Sudden and catastrophic collapse around 1450 BC • Volcanic eruption, tidal wave, mostly invaded – Historians can’t read the writings of the Minoans • The Mycenaean State – First Greek state, flourished between 1600-1100 BC • Mycenaeans are considered to be the first Greeks because they spoke a form of the Greek language – The Mycenaeans were Indo-Europeans who entered Greece, gained control of the Greek mainland, and developed a civilization – Mycenaean society was dominated by warfare and powerful kings • Small kingdoms often fought each other, prided themselves on being a warrior people –Conquered Crete, supposedly destroyed Troy – Had tombs built into hillsides where members of the royal families were buried – Collapsed due to famines, invasion by outsiders, war between the Mycenaean cities, and the end of trade • By 1100s BC the Mycenaean cities were mostly in ruins • Dark Age – Decline in population and food production • People fled cities, farmers struggled to grow enough food to eat – Large numbers of Greeks left the mainland for various islands • Many went to Ionia – the western shores of Turkey – Lost the use of writing for several centuries, Greek civilization almost disappeared – 8th century BC the Greeks adopt the alphabet from the Phoenicians • Reduced to 24 letters which made reading and writing easier – Homer • One of the greatest poets of all times, wrote epic poems based on the Trojan War that became the basis for Greek education system –Epic poem = a long poem that tells the deeds of a great hero • Iliad – tale of the Greek hero Achilles • Odyssey – long journey home of Greek hero Odysseus Greek City-States • The central focus of Greek life and society was the polis – Polis = Greek city-state – Acropolis = fortified gathering place at the top of a hill which was sometimes the site of temples and public buildings – Agora = an open area that served as a gathering place and as a market • Polis = community of people with a common identity and common goals – Each polis developed independently of its neighbors, own form of gov’t , laws, and customs • Greeks were fiercely loyal to their polis and regarded themselves not as Greeks, but as members of a particular city-state – Make-up of a polis: • Citizens who had political rights = adult males • Citizens who had no political rights = women and children • Non-citizens = slaves and foreigners – Some cities develop democracy = gov’t by the people or rule by the many – Other city-states develop an oligarchy = rule by the few – New military system develops • Based on hoplites = heavily armed foot soldiers • Carried a round shield, short sword, and a thrusting spear • Formed a phalanx for protection –Phalanx = a wall of shields created by foot soldiers marching close together in rectangular formation – Greek colonies established, one of the most famous being Byzantium • Spread of cultural and political ideas – Two prominent city-states emerge Athens • Found on the peninsula of Attica • First ruled by kings, then aristocrats – However poor people are getting poorer and they demand reform • Cleisthenes creates the foundation of Athenian democracy (world’s first democracy) • Standards for voting = must be a free male over the age of 20 who has completed military training and owns land – Accounts for 10% of the population • Duties of people allowed to vote: – Vote in all elections and serve in office if elected – Serve on juries and in the military during war • Athenian democracy consisted of three main bodies – Council of Five Hundred who proposed laws that would be voted on by the Assembly and supervised both foreign affairs and the treasury – Athenian Assembly – composed of all male citizens who were eligible to take part in the gov’t • This assembly voted on and passed the laws • Direct democracy = people participate directly in gov’t decision making and vote directly on an issue – Complex series of courts • The archon served as the chief of state and was head of both the Assembly and Council • Economy was largely based on farming and trade • Family – primary function was to produce new citizens • Women could not own property and always had a male guardian – Chief obligation was to have children – Were expected to stay at home and out of sight, unless attending religious festivals or funerals • Demographics of Athens around 430 BC – 150,000 citizens, 43,000 of whom were males with political power – 35,000 foreigners – had protection of laws and some responsibilities – 100,000 slaves Sparta • Located on the Peloponnesus, the large peninsula of southern Greece • Like most city-states, Sparta needed more land, so they conquered neighboring peoples instead of starting new colonies – The Spartans turned these conquered peoples into helots = state slaves – The helots were given to Spartan citizens to work on farms – Spartans were now free to spend all their time training for war • Spartans decide to create a military state to keep control over the helots – Helots outnumbered Spartan citizens by 7 to 1 • Life in Sparta was rigidly organized – Babies were examined at birth and if they were found to be weak, they were put to death – Men • Taught physical toughness by parents until age seven • They then entered a school system designed to teach them combat –At the end of their training, boys were sent into the wilderness and expected to survive • At age 20 the boys became hoplites in the Spartan army • Allowed to marry, but had to live in barracks until age 30 –Could now live their own lives, but expected to fight with the army when needed • Allowed to vote in the assembly at age 30, retired from the army at age 60 – Women • Expected to exercise and raise healthy children • Had greater freedom and power in the household due to separation from their husbands • Could own property • Government structure – Was an oligarchy headed by two kings who led the army on its campaigns – Ephors – a group of five men elected each year • Responsible for the conduct of all citizens and education – Council of Elders – composed of the two kings and 28 citizens over the age of 60 • Decided the issues that would be presented to the assembly – Assembly of male citizens – voted on the issues • Foreigners were discouraged from visiting and Spartans were not allowed to travel abroad – Kept out dangerous ideas and discouraged new thoughts ATHENS Where Located Gov’t Type Military State? Accepts Foreigners? Who Can Vote? Voting Age? Life of Women SPARTA The Persian Wars • (490 BC - 479 BC) • Greeks in Ionia rebel against Persian rule, ask for help from other Greeks – Persian emperor Darius decides to get revenge on the Greeks • First Persian Invasion – 490 BC – Battle at Marathon – Athenians attack the Persians while they are unloading and the Persians retreat – An Athenian messenger runs 26 miles from Marathon to Athens to announce the victory • He dies after delivering the message • Darius is furious over the humiliating defeat and starts to plan another invasion – However he dies and his son Xerxes vows to get revenge for his father • Second Persian Invasion – 480 BC – Battle at Thermopylae • Greeks are afraid they won’t have enough time to prepare • A group of 300 Spartans decide to hold off the entire Persian army at the mountain pass of Thermopylae • Are successful for several days until a local shows the Persians an alternate path through the mountain and they kill all the Spartans – The Persians advance and burn Athens • Need the Persian navy to bring additional supplies – Battle of Salamis • An Athenian navy commander lures the Persian navy into the narrow Strait of Salamis • Persian ships were very large and could not maneuver well • Xerxes watches from a throne on the shore as his navy is destroyed – The Persian army is now stranded in Greece with few supplies – In 479 BC a large Greek army led by the might of Sparta crushes the Persians, ending the war The Golden Age of Athens • Athens and Sparta became the two most powerful city-states as leaders in the Persian Wars – Sparta not popular, Athens becomes the leading city-state • Dozens of Greek city-states banded together for defense – This alliance was to be a league of equals – Athens, as the largest and richest, ended up controlling the entire alliance – Became known as the Delian League • As the League’s leader, Athens controlled its ships and money – Would not allow unhappy members to quit – Would attack rebelling members with the League fleet – The League more or less turned into an Athenian Empire • Used League funds to rebuild Athens – Built the Parthenon = a grand temple dedicated to the goddess Athena • Pericles – Great champion of democracy and most influential politician in Athens – Commissioned the Parthenon – Introduced payment for those who served in public offices and juries – Believed in the superiority of Athens • Trade brought much wealth to Athens – Athens at the time was the heart of Greek culture • Greatest rival was Sparta – Had its own allied city-states = Peloponnesian League – Athens fears the military might of Sparta and allies – Sparta fears that the Athenian navy would stop Sparta from trading – This mutual fear led to Sparta and Athens declaring war in 431 BC The Peloponnesian War • War between Athens and Sparta – Sparta and allies dominate the land – Athens and allies dominate the sea • Spartans surround Athens hoping for an open battle – Athens avoids any battles on land – Knowing they can’t compete in open battle, they hide behind their city walls, relying on supplies from their navy and colonies • In 430 BC a terrible plague breaks out in Athens, killing a third of the people, including Pericles • 421 truce, war breaks out six years later when Athens attacks one of Sparta’s allies • This time Sparta destroys the Athenian navy and Athens surrenders – The walls of Athens are torn down and the Empire destroyed • Costs of the war – Weakened major Greek city-states • Athens nearly destroyed, Sparta exhausted as well – Sparta tries to act as Greece’s dominant power • Lost too many resources, defeated by Thebes who also can’t maintain control – Struggle for power in Greece led to a long cycle of warfare that left all of Greece vulnerable – Ignored the growing power of Macedonia to the north – Loss of freedom Greek Culture • Philosophy = the search for wisdom and knowledge – Greek word meaning “the love of wisdom” • Socrates – First of the great Athenian philosophers – Everything known about Socrates comes from the writings of his students – Interested in broad concepts of human life – Best way to learn is to ask questions • Use question-and-answer format to acquire knowledge • Known as the Socratic method – Socrates was charged with disrespect for religion and corrupting the city’s children • Thought he caused children to question the actions of the gods • Believed the displeasure of the gods caused Athens to lose the war – Sentenced to death by drinking a cup of hemlock, a poison • Plato – Student of Socrates – His most famous work was the Republic • Gov’t should be led by the people most qualified to make good decisions - philosophers – Plato founded the Academy, a school where respected philosophers could teach their students and hold debates – Questioned reality and believed in ideal Forms • Every material object in the world was only the reflection of a perfect ideal • Aristotle – Student of Plato – Emphasis on reason and logic to study the natural world • Reason = clear and ordered thinking • Logic = the process of making inferences – Aristotle believed in analyzing through observation and investigation • People should use reason to learn about the world by making careful observations • Influenced the development of science in Europe • History – A systematic analysis of past events, created by the Greeks – The Greeks were one of the first people to write about and analyze the past – Herodotus – First historian, wrote about the Persian Wars – Thucydides – considered to be the greatest historian of the ancient world • Included many primary speeches and looked at his sources critically • Greek Drama – Used for entertainment, two distinct forms of drama • Tragedies – usually focused on hardships faced by Greek heroes • Comedies – satires, written to expose the flaws of society – Several well-known Greek playwrights – Sophocles – concentrated on the suffering people brought upon themselves • Many of his characters had fatal flaws • Famous play = Oedipus Rex, the story of a king who accidentally kills his father and marries his mother – Aeschylus – wrote plays based on ancient Greek myths • Famous play = Oresteia, the tragedies faced by the leader of the Greek army on his way home from the Trojan War – Euripides – wrote about characters whose tragedy was brought about by irrational behavior Alexander the Great • Macedonia was a powerful kingdom to the north of the Greek city-states • Philip II reorganized the Macedonian army and adopted the phalanx system – Conquered all of the major Greek city-states except Sparta and became the new leader of Greece in 338 BC, he was assassinated in 336 BC – After his death, his son Alexander came to the throne (356-323 BC) • Alexander was a great military leader and strategist – Reestablished control in Greece due to a revolt • Thebes resisted and Alexander burned down the city and sold all the people into slavery • Decided to fulfill his father’s dream of conquering the Persian Empire – Destroyed the Persian army and emperor Darius III fled – he was later murdered by one of his own officers • After this victory, Alexander led his army deeper into Asia – Went and conquered parts of India – When his army refused to go any further, Alexander agreed to go home • On his way back home, Alexander fell ill in the city of Babylon and died a few days later – He left no heir, so his generals began to fight for control – In the end the empire was divided among the three most powerful generals • Macedonia and Greece, Persian Empire, and Egypt • Legacy of Alexander – Created new cities, most of them named Alexandria • Built Alexandria as the Greek capital of Egypt – important city which had a famous library – Alexander envisioned a world in which many cultures would live together – Made a conscious effort to bring people and ideas from different places together • Alexander married two Persian princesses • Encouraged Greeks to move to the Alexandria cities – Created a new type of culture • Blended elements of Greek civilization with ideas from Persia, Egypt, and Central Asia • Created the Hellenistic Era – Hellenistic means “to imitate the Greeks” – Expansion of Greek language and ideas to other parts of the world – Massive spread of Greek colonists to Asia • Hellenistic Achievements - philosophers – Interest in Greek philosophy – Cynicism school of philosophy = cynics rejected ideas of pleasure and wealth • Instead people should live according to nature – Epicureans = people should seek out pleasure and avoid pain – Stoicism – great emphasis on reason, self-discipline, and emotional control • Stoics believed people should identify their proper role in society and strive to fulfill that role • Hellenistic Achievements – Science and Math – Euclid = formulated many of the ideas about geometry that are still used and learned today – Eratosthenes = determined the world was round and calculated its circumference – Archimedes of Syracuse = one of the greatest inventors of the ancient world • Established the value of pi, developed a compound pulley that could lift heavy loads, and used levers and pulleys to lift a ship out of the water • Alexander’s empire fell apart soon after his death, and the different Hellenistic kingdoms were shortly conquered by the Romans