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Ancient Greece
Geography
Greece is a
peninsula about
the size of
Newfoundland in
the Mediterranean
Sea.
It’s very close to
Egypt, the Persian
empire (includes
Turkey) and Rome.
Greek geography
Greece is mountainous
Greek communities
often times developed
independently because
of the mountains, thus
they were diverse
As a result, they fought
each other a lot.
Helladic Greece 3000-1100 BC
This age of Greek
history was dominated
by two cultures: The
Minoans (who
dominated the eastern
Mediterranean and the
Aegean from 19001400 BC) and the
Mycenaeans (who
dominated the Aegean
from 1400-1100 BC).
Minoan bull statue
The Minoans
The throne room excavated by Arthur Evans at Knossos, Crete.
4000 BCNeolithic
civilization on Crete
2800 BCBronze Age
civilization on Crete
2200 BCPalaces
being constructed on
Crete
1900 BC Minoans in
full power
The Minoans
This civilization is called the Minoans, after the
legendary king of Crete, Minos.
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They were of slight, dark-haired Mediterranean stock from
North Africa
They were a sea power, based on the lack of fortifications
in their cities.
They dominated the Aegean and the eastern end of the
Mediterranean.
Their art and architecture is left, but not their ideas.
The bull was an important symbol in their art and
architecture.
Their civilization was unknown until the excavations of
Arthur Evans began in 1900.
The Minoans
Current evidence suggests that the Minoans were
organized very much like the Bronze Age cultures
that dominated the Middle East (the Sumerians, the
Babylonians, etc.)
All of their palaces were built following a common
plan, with a throne room and other administrative
rooms, private quarters, storage magazines with huge
storage jars, and religious rooms organized around a
central courtyard.
The Minoans
Because no one has yet
deciphered their writing,
referred to as Linear A,
their ideas, religious and
cultural, are unknown.
They are often referred
to as a “silent culture.”
Their art does express a
love of human and
natural beauty.
The Mycenaeans
2100 The Mycenaeans
appear in the area and
quickly replace the
indigenous people of the
Peloponesse.
1700 Family histories from
Argos and Athens trace their
lineage back to this time.
1600 Mycenaean citadels
begin to rival the Minoans
in terms of power and
influence.
The Mycenaeans
Previously unknown
before the excavations
of Heinrich Schliemann
at Troy and Mycenae
(starting in the 1870s),
the Mycenaeans were
the historical reality
behind Greek
mythology.
The Mycenaeans
This civilization was named after the legendary
citadel, where a Greek king named Agamemnon
ruled.
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Since the decipherment of Linear B, a later form of Minoan
writing which proved to be a form of Greek, there is a
direct connection between Minoan and Mycenaean
cultures.
Their society was a world dominated by a ruling class of
warrior-princes.
They also were a sea power, akin to later Celtic pirates in
their tactics.
Their massive fortifications as well as art that depicts
warriors in battle or hunting shows the importance of
martial skills.
Thera and the Minoans
Aerial view of Santorini
Many believe that the
Minoan civilization was
greatly weakened by a
volcanic explosion on the
island of Thera, now known
as Santorini, around 1640
BC.
This date does coincide with
the rise of Mycenaean
influence in the Aegean as
well as the destruction of
many Minoan citadels.
Thera and the Minoans
Charles Pellegrino and
others have made the
case that this explosion
and the decline of the
Minoans was the basis
for the myth of Atlantis.
The cliffs at Santorini
The Fall of the Mycenaeans
Sometime around 1200-1100 BC, the Minoan
civilization fell, probably due to a combination of
factors.
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Natural disasters like those that helped hasten the end of
the Minoans
Internal warfare, as one Mycenaean city made war on
another (as in Homer’s Iliad)
Invasion by a group known as the Dorians, who entered
Mycenaean territory from the northwest
Revolt by slaves. Some believe the Dorians were slaves in
the Mycenaean world who rose up against their masters
The Sea Peoples
From the University of Oregon
The Greek Dark Ages 1100-800 BC
After the Mycenaean culture collapsed, the Aegean
entered a period of decline.
The population declined to perhaps as low as onetenth of its previous levels.
Most Mycenaean cities disappeared or were
destroyed.
The Bronze Age social structure was replaced by
smaller, clan-like structures.
Literacy almost completely disappeared. Spoken
Greek can be traced from the Bronze Age through
Dark Ages to the Iron Age, but the writing systems of
the Bronze and Dark Ages were completely different.
Greek Dark Ages
“Greeks had lost the distinguishing marks of civilization: cities,
great palaces and temples, a vibrant economy, and knowledge
of writing. The Mycenaean kings were replaced by petty
chiefs, who had limited power and wealth. Artists stopped
drawing people and animals on pots, restricting their
decoration to geometric designs. Archaeology shows that
during the early Dark Age, Greeks cultivated much less land,
had many fewer settlements, and did much less international
trade than they had during the period of Aegean civilization.
Settlements shrank to as few as 20 people.”
"Ancient Greece," Microsoft® Encarta® Encyclopedia 2000.
© 1993-1999 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved
Archaic Greece (800-500) Rebirth
The resurgence of Greek culture is marked by:
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The first recorded date in Greek history, 776, the
first Olympics.
The epic poems of the oral tradition, such as the
Iliad and the Odyssey. These epics looked back
across the Dark Ages to Mycenaean times.
The writing down of these epics (c. 725 BC).
The rise of the city-states (the polis).
Rise of the Polis
Archaic Greece also saw
the development of the
polis – the city state. This
social institution would
dominate Greek culture for
centuries as the city states
of Sparta, Athens, Corinth,
and others developed.
Homer
The traditional view is that Homer
was a blind bard from Chios, in
Asia Minor, who was responsible
for creating both the Iliad and the
Odyssey. If so, Homer lived in the
transitional period between the
Dark Ages and the return of
Greek literacy.
Political: Athens was the first
democracy.
Democracy: type of government where
people vote.
Well, actually, Athens was a direct
democracy where people vote on
everything.
Canadian today is an example of a
representative democracy, where we vote
for people to make decisions for us.
Direct participation was the key to Athenian democracy. In the
Assembly, every male citizen was not only entitled to attend as
often as he pleased but also had the right to debate, offer
amendments, and vote on proposals. Every man had a say in
whether to declare war or stay in peace. Basically any thing
that required a government decision, all male citizens were
allowed to participate in.
Political terms
All of Greece wasn’t
a democracy.
Most of Greece was
a monarchy a type of
government ruled by
a king or queen.
At right is Pericles, a
good king of Athens.
Polis = City-State
Greece was divided into
city-states, each known
as a polis. The two main
city-states were Sparta
and Athens. The greatest
of these was Athens
which was a center of
intellectual and cultural
development - “the
nursery of western
civilization.”
Structure of the Polis
Each polis was built around an acropolis, a
fortified hill with the temple of the local god at the
top.
Structure of the Polis
At the foot of the acropolis was the agora, an open area
used as a marketplace. By 700 B.C. this inner part of
the polis had become a city. With the villages and
farmland around it, it made up a city-state.
Athens
Athens was knows for its great navy and was a
rival of Sparta. Its ships were known as triremes
because they had three levels of rowers.
Athens
Athenians were
tough but were
encouraged to
engage in activities
like art, philosophy,
music.
Sparta: Introduction
Sparta was above all a military state of discipline and courage. Though
known for its rigid values and emphasis on physical strength, it was
also the most liberal state in regards to the rights and freedoms of its
women.
Sparta was known for its great army and
was a rival of Athens. Their army was
known for holding off the Persian army of
250,000 at Thermopylae for three days
with only 7000 soldiers. This gave the
people of Athens time to escape before
the Persians invaded there.
Sparta
Sparta was an isolated
city-state that was
culturally and politically
different from Athens.
Sparta was an oligarchy,
government ruled by a
few. They had 2 kings.
During the
Peloponnesian Sparta
sacked Athens.
Spartan Goal
Sparta tried to become the strongest
people in Greece. They also disliked
change. This would later prove to be a
weakness for them. Spartans preferred
actions to words. A “Spartan lifestyle” both
then and today is one that is simple and
highly disciplined with few luxuries.
Government
the Peloponnesian League was founded by the Spartans as the first permanent alliance system in
history, with the intention of ending the bitter wars of earlier years.
Sparta was ruled by an oligarchy (a government controlled by a small group of people).
The government was mostly concerned with defending their state and turning their army into a
military machine.
The government did not allow many people into or out of their state, fearing newcomers would
weaken the discipline of their people.
The Spartan government also consisted of an Assembly composed of men over 60.
Spartan Children
If infant boys were deemed as weak, they were left to die.
At the age of seven every Spartan boy was sent to a military and athletics school that taught toughness, endurance,
discipline and survival skills.
To make them strong, boys were forced to walk barefoot.
Arts and literature were not part of the boys education, many of them never learned to read or write.
Between the ages of 18 and 20 males were required to pass a fitness, military ability, and leadership test. If they failed
they became a periokoi (middle class citizen), if they passed they became a soldier and a full Spartan citizen.
Like boys, infant girls would also be left to die if they were judged to be weak.
Though girls were not sent into the military, they received a physical and gymnastic education and were taught to
serve the state.
Sparta was the only Greek state in which girls were allowed to engage in sports.
Girls also had to pass a fitness test between the ages of 18 and 20. If they passed they were assigned a husband and
were allowed to return home. If they failed they became a periokoi.
Reading was not taught at state schools, but girls were often taught to read at home.
Spartan Adults
After thirteen years of schooling the Spartan man became a soldier at the age of twenty.
The men spent their twenties on the move in the military.
They had wives but seldom saw them.
They were allotted farmland which was farmed by the helots.
At the age of thirty a Spartan man became an equal and was allowed to live in his own house, though he was still at the
service at the military.
At the age of sixty the men’s military service came to an end.
Spartan men were very disciplined and simple. They did not indulge in luxuries and greatly valued strength and
courage.
Sparta was one of the most liberal states in regards to their views of women.
The education of women was a state policy.
Most other states did not allow women to leave the house, but the woman of Sparta were free to move as they pleased
and enjoyed domestic independence.
Because their husbands were often away from home, Spartan wives were in charge of the wealth of the estate, and
therefore the Spartan agricultural economy.
Women of Sparta had strong political opinions, which was frowned upon by other Greek states such as Athens.
Helots
Helots were Messenian slaves.
Helots made up the very bottom of the Spartan class system.
They worked on small plots of land on Spartan estates.
The majority of their produce went to the master of the estate.
Labour was long and hard with little reward.
Helots were property of the state.
The helots continuously revolted until they won their freedom in the 4th century
b.c.e.
The Delian League
The Delian League, based on the island of Delos, was
formed to unite the Greek city-states to defend against
the Persians. Athens lead the league and gained more
and more power over the other city states. Sparta
refused to join.
The Delian League
The other city-states became resentful of
Athens’ power over them. A group of citystates led by Sparta waged the
Peloponnesian War against Athens for 30
years until Athens surrendered to Sparta.
Later, under Spartan control, the
Athenians revolted and once more set up
a democracy; but they never regained the
power they once had.
Education
Athenian democracy
was for free, male
Athenians only.
Education for men
was highly valued.
Only boys of wealthy
families attended
schools. The term
academy comes from
Athens.
Technology results from necessity
Since Greek coastal cities were
sandwiched between the ocean and
the sea, they developed an strong
navy for trading and fighting.
Technology results from scarcity
All cities need fresh
water. This is a
Greek aqueduct,
basically a brick water
pipe.
The first aqueduct
was Assyrian, but
most ancient societies
had them.
Terracing saves water and soil
in mountainous environments
Greek Inventions
The Greeks invented
dice.
The developed the
olympics
The Crane
Greek Architecture
Greeks invented
arches and columns.
This took advanced
mathematics and a
developing
knowledge of
engineering
Greek Architecture II
The Roman Coliseum has a
strong Hellenistic influence.
Greek Military
This is a catapult, a
Greek invention.
It could throw 300
pound stones at walls
and buildings
Greek Military
This is a hoplite, a
Greek infantry soldier.
Hoplites were middleclass freemen who
had to pay for their
own weapon and
shield.
Greek Military
This formation of
soldiers is referred to
as a phalanx.
Soldiers get in a tight
box. They each have
a large shield and a 9
foot long spear.
Greek Warfare
During the Trojan War (1240 BCE) charioteers, armed with bows
and lances riding chariots with spoked wheels, attacked all at
once at speed but generally much of the warfare was completed
by foot soldiers
Warfare characterized by the destruction of crops as well as
fighting between people
As soldiers were also farmers and two years of crop destruction
could result in starvation, they were well motivated to fight and to
get it over with as quickly as possible
Along with defending crops from attack, revenge has been
identified as a major motivator for battle
As the geography of Greece made most areas easily defensible,
decisive battles were the norm
Phalanx: 8 rows of hoplites standing shoulder to shoulder, armed
with iron and wood shields, iron tipped spears, and bronze armor
(approximately 70 lbs)
Greek Warfare II
On the morning of battle the hoplites would have a mid-morning
breakfast, listen to their commanders exhort them to fight well,
sacrifice some sheep and/or goats (sphagia) yell out their battle cry
(paean), find some flat ground and fight!
The two groups would run into each other at full speed pointing
their heavy spears at an enemy on the other side
After the first rank hit (Spartan commanders were always in the
first rank) the other 7 ranks would pile into them and one side or
the other would begin to weaken Hoplites would take out short
swords and begin hacking at their opponents legs until one side
began to retreat
As soon as one side began to retreat, lightly armed and armored
troops would begin harassing them
Exhausted after this encounter (maybe 30 minutes), some hoplites
would discard their arms in order to flee, some would even throw
away their armor.
Some retreating groups were able to put up an organized resistance
but many others would have been killed
Alexander the Great
Alexander was not
from Athens, but
Macedonia.
Alexander was a
brilliant military
strategist.
His favorite book was
Homer’s Iliad
Alexander conquered the Persian empire and
controlled the largest empire the world has ever
seen.
Alexander spread Hellenistic
culture throughout Asia.
Hellenistic is a term
that means of Greece
Alexander spread
Greek technology and
ideas throughout his
empire