Download Ancient Greece

World Empires
 Peninsula (Mediterranean)
 Deep Harbors
 Merchants/Traders
 Fishing
 Insufficient Farmland
 Mountains
 Fertile valleys –isolated
 Influence organization
 City-states
 No national unity, loyalty to citystate first
 1500-1000 BCE, invasions from
Indo-European group - Hellenes.
 Looking for fertile land
 Took over Greece, Crete, and
Aegean islands.
 Intermarried and created
new people, the Greeks.
 Due to Geographical constraints
Greek “polis” developed.
 Small, independent citystates
 Cultural unity: common
language, religion, festivals
 Knowledge comes from:
 Poems of Homer
 Iliad / Odyssey
 Greek expeditions against city of Troy
 Life during Homeric Age:
 Tribal chieftains/elders ruled – (Polis)
 Most were farmers
 Constant Warfare
 Olympic Gods.
Polytheism:
 Pantheon of Gods or
Olympians dwelled atop Mt.
Olympus
 Zeus (Chief God)
 Apollo (Sun God)
 Athena (Goddess of
Wisdom
 Aphrodite (Goddess of
love)
 Olympic Games – held every
four years to honor the Gods.
 Greeks could receive
prophesies at holy places
called Oracles
 Leading Greek City-State (Athena-Patron Goddess)
 Cycles of Government:
 Monarchy- rule by one man (who inherited power)
 Aristocracy- rule by small groups of nobles
 Tyranny- rule by one man, who seized power and
favored the people
 Democracy*- rule by the people
 Draco- Codified laws, so that nobles could not
interpret law in their favor. Severe punishment
for crimes (Draconic – “harsh/severe”)
 Solon – created the Assembly, whereby male
commoners gained voice in government.
Solon
 Power was still in the Council (composed of
nobles)
 Cleisthenes- permitted men of all economic
classes to serve in Council, and promoted
Ostracism (10yrs) to banish enemies of state.
Cleisthenes
 Removed all remaining
restrictions on office-holding
 Opened government service to
all men.
 Pericles Funeral Oration:
 Receptiveness-new ideas
 Love of Liberty
 Sacrifice one’s life for freedom
 High of Athenian Democracy
Ancient Athens
 Direct Democracy-
citizens themselves were
members of legislature.
 Citizenship based on
ancestry – denied to
aliens.
 Women denied voting
and other rights.
 Slavery permitted.
Modern America
 Representative Democracy
– the citizens elect
legislators to represent
them.
 Citizenship based on
American birth, but
immigrants who follow
naturalization.
 Women and men equal
rights.
 Slavery prohibited.
 Southern Greece on the
Peloponnesian Peninsula
 Small # of Spartan citizens
 Slaves (helots)
 Fearing rebellion the Spartan
maintained an aristocracy
 Cohesion, stability, resistant
to political change.
 Agricultural society
 Military State
 “With your shield…or on it”
 Greatest military of Greece
 The Persians under Darius I controlled all of the M.E
 Started to take over colonies in Asia Minor
 Athens came to their aid, infuriating Darius
 Battle of Marathon – Greek victory
 MYTH: Pheidippides 26.3 mile run from Marathon to
Athens - “NIKE”
 Undeterred by defeat, Darius’s son Xerxes returned
and led another Persian invasion:
 Battle of Thermopylae (300)
 King Leonidas – buys Greeks time to organize
 Battle of Salamis, Plataea – Greece is saved
 Athens – Delian League
 Sparta – Peloponnesian League
 Costly wars fought between the two powers
(400BCE)
 Sparta wins, but is so greatly weakened that it allows
an outsider from Macedonia to come in:
 Phillip of Macedon
 Admired Greek culture
 Many railed against him – Demosthenes
“Philippics” – bitter verbal attacks
 Conquered the “city-states” into one empire,
but was assassinated before he could lead
them into battle against the Persians.
 The job of uniting the Hellenistic world fell upon his
20 year old son…
Unified Greek-polis’ under from 336-323
BCE.
 “benevolent despotism” w/force when
necessary
Wars of Succession
 Invasion of Persian Empire and Indus
Valley
Establishment of successor states, namely
i. Ptolemaic Egypt
ii. Seleucid Empire
Establishment of Hellenistic Ecumene
(common cultural realm)
 Trade & Culture flourish within
Cities.
 Greek language/culture = dominant
but blended w/local cultures