Download File

CLASSICAL GREECE
THE GOLDEN AGE
 End of the Persian wars brought
the liberation of the Ionian citystates.
The
Golden
Age
480 – 380 BCE
 Dawn of a great age in Ancient
Greek history
 Achievements (mostly from
Athens) - thinkers, poets, artists
 Contacts with the Egyptians &
Persians inspired the arts and
sciences – new curiosity about the
world.
The Golden Age of Greece
 Centred in Athens

The principal polis of Attica

Walled city

Athens became a prosperous, commercial
city & a great cultural centre.

The most democratic government

Control over the Delian League.
 150
city-states at its peak
 To be part of the League a city had to give
money, men or ships to a common defence
fund.
The Golden Age of Greece
 Sparta


The principal polis of Laconia in the
Peloponnese
Un-walled city

The only polis with a standing army of
professional soldiers.

Ruled by a small group of powerful
aristocrats

Didn’t participate in colonization; expanded in
the Peloponnese and dominated there
Peloponnesian
Wars
431 to 404 BEC
 Great rivalry between Athens and
Sparta
 Peloponnesian War lasted 27
years – costly & bitter.
The Peloponnesian Wars
 After many years of growth for
Greece, especially Athens, the
region split into two powerful
groups:
The Peloponnesian League lead by
Sparta
 The Delian League lead by Athens

 Ultimately Sparta will be victorious
Peloponnesian War
Athens
 Strength = NAVY
 Blocked the towns of
Peloponnese with their
ships
 Pericles used forces to
guard walls &
surrounding Athens
 Ordered all Athenians to
move inside the walls for
protection.
 Too many people, poor
hygiene
 Plague struck killing
1/3 of people, including
leader, Pericles
Peloponnesian War
Sparta
 Strength=LAND ARMY
 Blocked port of Athens
 Marched into Attica
– no grain
 Athenians near
starvation - ended
fighting
burning farms and
villages
 Allied themselves with
Persia (their enemy in
the Persian wars)
The Effects of an Athenian Defeat
 Sparta’s Allies wanted to destroy Athens and sell its
citizens into slavery, but Sparta disagreed.
 Athens was forced to surrender its empire and all of
its fleet.
 Spartans tore down the long city walls.
 In the years to come, the Greek city-states struggled
incessantly for power. Sparta… Thebes… Macedonia.
 This weakened all city states
Philip II Conquers Greece
 Meanwhile in Macedonia
Philip II unifies the tribes
under himself and looks to
expand his kingdom
 Due to a leaderless Greece
Philip is able to march into
Greece and conquer one
Polis at a time.
HTTPS://WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/WATCH?V=QMKVSASZIM