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Chapter 4
Ancient Greece
Impact of Geography
• Greece consists of mountainous peninsula’s and
numerous islands. ( It’s about the size of
Louisiana)
• Mountains- about 80% of Greece is
mountainous. ( Olympus is the highest peak).
• The mountain ranges isolated the Greeks from
one another, causing different Greek
communities to develop their own ways of life.
• Seas- The Aegean, Mediterranean, Ionian, and
Black seas make up a high percentage of
Greece’s coastline. The Greeks used these seas
to sail and spread their civilization.
Minoans/Mycenaeans
• They were not Greek but had a large
influence on the people of Greece. They
set up a flourishing civilization on the
island of Crete.
• They were known for their trading. They
traded fine jewelry, pottery, gold, and
silver.
Homer: Poet of the Dark Age
• Homer proved to be of great value to the
Greeks. He both created and recorded
history. The values that Homer taught
were courage and honor.
• Epic poem- a long poem that tells the
deeds of a great hero.
Iliad and Odyssey
• These were based on stories that had been
passed from generation to generation.
• These were the first great epic poems of early
Greece.
• The Greeks looked on the Iliad and the Odyssey
as true history and as the work of one poet,
Homer. These epics came to be used as basic
texts for education and recruitment.
The Greek City-States
• The Greeks called their city-states a polis.
• These became the central focus of Greek
life. ( our word politics is derived from
polis.)
• The loyalty that citizens had to their citystates led to distrust between them and a
division within Greece. ( this would
eventually lead to the ruin of Greece)
• Geography also played a role. Why so?
Types of Government
• Oligarchy- government in which a few rule.
• Democracy- government by the people or rule
of the many.
• This was the first attempt at a democratic style
of government.
• What are some positive traits of democracy?
Two Rival City-States
• Sparta vs. Athens
Sparta
• The “Spartans” were rigidly organized and
tightly controlled. They wanted to gain
more land and take over more colonies.
• Known as a “Powerful Military State”
• The Spartan government was an oligarchy
headed by two kings.
• The art of war was the Spartan ideal and
everything else came after that.
Athens
• Athens was also ruled by an oligarchy
under the control of its aristocrats. These
aristocrats owned the best land and
controlled political life. The assembly of all
the citizens had few powers.
• Solon- powerful aristocrat that saved
Athens from civil war by fixing their serious
economic problems. ( cancelled all land
debts and freed people from slavery.)
The Athenian Empire
( The Age of Pericles)
• ****After the defeat of the Persians, Athens took over
control of the entire Greek world.****
• Direct democracy- every male citizen participated
directly in government decision making through mass
meetings.
• Under Pericles, Athens became the center of Greek
culture.
• The Athenian economy was largely based on farming
and trade.
• Athens and Sparta would eventually unite together to
defeat Persia in war. ***(Peloponnesian War- as a result,
Greek was once again divided into TWO major camps:
Sparta and Athenian Empire.)***
Greek Philosophy
•
Philosophy- an organized system of
thought.
• 3 big names you need to know:
1. Socrates
2. Plato
3. Aristotle
Socrates
• He left no writings so we only know about him from his
pupils work.
• He believed that people could be happy by living moral
lives, and that they could be taught to do so.
• Used the Socratic Method- a question-and-answer
format to lead pupils to see things for themselves by
using their own reason. ( self-knowledge)
• Socrates was known to question authority. He was
accused and convicted of corrupting the youth of Athens
by teaching them to question and think for themselves. (
He was sentenced to death- drank hemlock)
Plato
• Was a student of Socrates’ and considered by
many the greatest philosopher of Western
civilization.
• His big question was- “ How do we know what is
real?”
• Plato explained his ideas about government in a
work called The Republic.
• Plato also believed that both men/women should
have the same education and equal access to
all positions. (city-state of Athens)
Aristotle
• Was the most famous pupil at the Academy( school in
Athens opened by Plato)
• Aristotle believed that people’s happiness was tied to
their behavior.
• He defined categories of study with names such as:
logic, biology, and physics.
• ***He believed that the leaders of government should be
chosen by the people.***
• He is often viewed as the most influential thinker in the
Western world.
• His ideas dominated the best minds of Europe for
centuries and are still studied today.
The Olympics
• The Olympic Games of ancient Greece were
held between the city-states every four years.
The Greeks honored their athletes and gods at
these games. ( most importantly the Greek God
named Zeus)
• Athletes that won were rewarded with celebrity
and a wide variety of gifts.
• Examples of events were: footraces, wrestling,
boxing, javelin, discus, long jumping, and chariot
racing.
Alexander and the Hellenistic Era
• Alexander the Great- was only 20 years
old when he became king.
• He was motivated by the desire for glory
and empire but also to avenge the
Persian burning of Athens.
Alexander’s Legacy
• His success is explained by his leadership and
military skills. He was a master of strategy and
tactics, able to fight in all terrains and against all
opponents.
• He extended Greek and Macedonian rule over a
vast area, which brought large quantities of
gold/silver into their economies.
• Alexander left a cultural legacy. Due to his
conquests, Greek language, architecture,
literature, and art spread throughout most of
Asia and Africa. ( Known as the Hellenistic
Era/Culture)
Hellenistic Era
• The Hellenistic Era was a period of considerable
cultural accomplishments in the following areas:
science, philosophy, and mathematics.
• Many new ideas, theories, thinking patterns
were developed. The world would never be
looked at the same.
• Many of these ideas are still in circulation today
(such as: astronomy and the concept of earth
rotating)