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Classical Greece
2000 BC-300 BC
Geography Shapes Greek Life
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Greece consists of a mountainous peninsula jutting out into the
Mediterranean, as well as 2000 islands in the Aegean and
Ionian seas. Lands on the eastern edge of the Aegean were also
considered part of ancient Greece.
The Greeks basically lived around a sea – the farthest they had to
travel was 85 miles to see the ocean – a little over an hour’s drive
by today’s standards.
The Aegean, Ionian, and Black Seas were important
transportation and trade routes that linked Greece with
neighboring kingdoms.
Trade was very important because Greece was lacking in natural
resources such as timber, metals, and usable farmland
Geography Cont.
Mountains covered ¾ of Greece – these
mountain ranges divided Greece into many
different regions, which impacted political life.
Instead of a unified government, the Greeks
gave their loyalty to their small local
community.
 Tiny areas of farmland made it next to
impossible for Greece to support a large
population – no more than a million people at
any one time.
 The moderate climate supported an outdoor life
for the Greeks.
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Greek Mythology
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The Greeks began
developing myths
around this time.
Homer and the
works of another
author, Hesiod, are
the source of much
mythology.
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The Greeks attributed
human nature to the
gods, such as love,
hate, jealousy, and all
the other things that
make soap operas
fun.
Mycenaean Civilization Develops
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Some of the Indo-Europeans
settled in Greece. They were
known as Mycenaeans, from
their capital city Mycenae.
– This was located in
southern Greece on a
steep, rocky ridge and was
surrounded by a protective
wall around 20 ft. thick.
This city’s warrior-kings
dominated Greece from
1600-1100 BC.
Contact with Minoans
Around 1500 BC, the Mycenaeans came into
contact with the Minoans, from whom they
learned the value of seaborne trade.
 The Mycenaeans also adopted the Minoan
writing system to the Greek language, as well
as aspects of religion, art, politics, and
literature.
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The Trojan War
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During the 1200s BC, the
Mycenaeans fought a
ten-year war against
Troy.
According to Greek
legend, an army besieged
and destroyed Troy
because a Trojan prince
kidnapped Helen, the
beautiful wife of a Greek
king.
It made matters worse
that Paris, the young
prince that captured her,
was more attractive than
her husband, who was
probably 20 years older…
The Trojan War
For many years, historians thought that
the Trojan War was a myth.
 During the 1870s, however, excavations
discovered that the cities existed, and that
the actual events probably did happen,
although the story of Helen and Paris
cannot be supported by fact.
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Greek Culture Declines Under the
Dorians
D’oh!
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After the fall of the Mycenaean
civilization, the Dorians
moved into the region. They
were actually less advanced
than the Mycenaeans – the
economy collapsed and trade
stopped. No written records
exist from their time period.
This lack of writing made oral
storytelling very important.
Homer, a blind storyteller, is
noted for the Iliad and
Odyssey, both composed
between 750 and 700 BC.
The Development of
Classical Greece
Rule & Order in Greek City States
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By 750 BC, the city-state (or polis) was the main political
unit in ancient Greece. Most contained 50-500 square
miles of territory.
Citizens met at the acropolis to discuss government. The
type of government depended on the type of city-state.
Some were monarchies, others aristocracies.
Occasionally an oligarchy, or rule by a few powerful
people, arose.
Tyrants Seize Power
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Clashes between rulers and commoners
happened in many city-states.
Occasionally tyrants, or wealthy citizens
who gained control through the support of
commoners, arose. They were not
necessarily cruel and harsh – they were
considered leaders who would work for
the people’s best interests.
The Persian Wars
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The shift to iron weapons from more expensive yet inferior bronze
led to the creation of a larger army.
– The foot soldiers stood side by side, each holding a spear in one
hand and a shield in the other. This square self-protecting
fighting force was known as the phalanx.
The Persian Wars
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The Persian Wars began in Ionia on the
Anatolian coast. Greeks had settled there, but
around 546 BC the Persians invaded.
– When Ionian Greeks revolted, Athens sent troops to
their aid. The rebels were defeated, but the Persian
king vowed to defeat the rebels in revenge.
– In 490 the Persians sailed to Greece and landed on
the Marathon plain. 10,000 Athenians, in
phalanxes, awaited them and defeated them easily.
 Persian Losses: 6000
 Greek: 200
Battle at Marathon
Battle at Marathon
The Persian Empire
Largest empire up to this point in history
 Stretches from Turkey to India
 Darius the Great wants to add Greek trade to
his tax base
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The Persian Wars
Ten years later, Darius the Great’s son Xerxes, assembled a huge fighting
force to invade Athens. Thanks to a disagreement among the other city
states as to what to do about the Persian problem, Xerxes had no
resistance on his way to Athens.
 When he came to a narrow mountain pass at Thermopylae, 7000 Greeks
(300 Spartans) blocked their way – the only reason the Athenians lost was
thanks to a traitor who tipped off the Persians
– The 300 Spartans held off the Persians to buy time with the other
forces retreated to help evacuate Athens
– Xerxes was disappointed to find the city deserted, but he burnt it
anyway.
– Xerxes’ forces were defeated by smaller, faster Greek ships at the Battle
of Platea. Soon after, the Greeks put the Persians on the defensive.
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Battle of Thermopylae
Darius’ son Xerxes inherits the Persian
empire and the need to punish the Greeks
 Digs a channel, builds up provisions, and
builds two bridges (Hellespont) to march
300,000 men from 46 nations to Greece
escorted by 1200 ships
 Thrace and several other Greek poleis
ally with Persia
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Battle of Thermopylae
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300 Spartans and 700 Thespians defend
the narrow pass at Thermopylae
 Mountains and sea create a natural
bottleneck to force Persians to attack
head-on without support of light cavalry
 Persians are victorious, but take heavy
losses
 Greeks fight to the last man
Battle of Thermopylae
Fantasy vs. Reality
Fantasy vs. Reality
After Thermopylae
The Persians
captured and
burned Athens
but were defeated
by the Athenian
navy at Salamis
 In 479 the Persians
were defeated at
Plataea and forced
back to Anatolia
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Democracy and Greece’s
Golden Age
Athens Builds a Limited Democracy
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In Athens, the idea of a representative democracy
arose.
In 954, a ruler by the name of Draco decreed that all
Athenians were equal under the law. His code dealt
very harshly with criminals, making death the
punishment for every crime. It also upheld practices as
debt-slavery, where debtors worked as slaves (literally)
to pay off their debts.
In 621, Solon came to power, outlawing the debt
slavery concept, and organized all into 4 social classes
according to wealth. Those in the top 3 classes were
allowed to hold office.
Athens Builds a Limited Democracy
Around 500 BC, Cleisthenes introduced more
reforms – like reducing the power of the nobility
by getting rid of the wealth classes and
replacing these with a system based on where
they lived.
 There was a Counsel of 500, who could
propose laws; these delegates were selected at
random.
 Citizenship was restricted to only free adult
male property owners born in Athens.
Everyone else had few rights.
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Pericles’ Plan for Athens
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Pericles ruled Athens for
32 years, from 461-429
BC.
– Stronger democracy
through paid officials and
direct democracy
(citizens rule directly)
– Athenian Empire – Athens
was seen as the center of
the Greek world thanks
to military and naval might
– Glorification of Athens
through art and
architecture
What’s so Special about Athens?
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Athenians culture laid foundation for
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Western Civilization – Medicine, architecture
Western Civilization
anatomy, science, math, alphabet,
philosophy all came from the Greeks and
primarily from Athens
Socrates
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Founded
western
philosophy
Socratic
Method, which
led to Scientific
Method
(questioning)
 Found guilty of
corrupting the
youth, and
executed by
poisoning
Socrates’ Legacy
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Student, Plato, writes of Socrates’ life,
spreads and furthers philosophical thinking
– Founds the Academy in Athens
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Plato’s student, Aristotle, would be the
personal tutor of Alexander the Great
– Aristotle furthered science significantly
Sparta Builds a Military State
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Sparta was cut off from the
rest of Greece by the Gulf of
Corinth. It contrasted sharply
with the other city-states,
especially in the fact that it
chose to create a military
form of government.
Around 725 BC, the Spartans
conquered the Messenians,
turning them into helots,
which were forced laborers.
Each year, the Spartans
demanded half of their crops.
In 650 they revolted, but the
outnumbered Spartans
managed to crush the
rebellion. This was the wakeup call that led to the
strengthening of their military.
Sparta’s Government and Society
There was an assembly which was composed
of all Spartan citizens, which voted on major
issues. The Counsel of Elders were made up
of 30 older citizens, proposed these laws. Five
elected officials carried out these laws, and two
kings ruled over the military.
 There was a three-tiered social class: citizens
descended from the original inhabitants of the
region, free non-citizens who worked in
agriculture and industry, and the helots, who
basically had no rights.
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Warring City-States
Athenians and Spartans Go To War
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Leaders in both cities wanted
war, b/c they felt their cities
had the advantage.
When the Peloponnesian
War began, Athens had the
stronger navy, while Sparta
had the stronger army. It’s
inland position also made
attack by sea difficult.
The Spartans marched into
Athens, burning food
supplies; a plague that killed
a third of the people in Athens
helped the Spartans win.
Sparta Gains Victory
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In 421 BC, the two sides signed a truce
because they were exhausted. That truce
was broken in 415, when the Athenians
sent a huge fleet sailing to Sicily to
destroy Syracuse, one of Sparta’s allies.
The idea backfired badly – their whole
fleet and army were demolished.
– The surrendered in 404 BC, losing their
power and wealth.
Enter the Macedonians
Enter the Macedonians
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Philip II was raised in Thebes (as a
hostage) educated to be Greek
 When returned to Macedonia, wanted to
unify the warring Greek cities
 Uses divide-and-conquer tactics to take
over one city at a time
 Assassinated, leaving empire to his son
Alexander
Warfare in the Age of Alexander
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Phalanx: A formation of infantry carrying
overlapping shields and long spears, developed by
Philip II and used by Alexander the Great
Alexander the Great
Alexander, King of Macedonia, 20 years
old
 Invades Persia, and defeats Darius III,
conquers all of the Persian empire and
expands it further
 Spreads Greek language, philosophy,
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civilization
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Ushers in the Hellenistic Period
Conquests of Alexander
Ionia and Anatolia
 Syria, Palestine, Egypt
 Mesopotamia
 Persepolis
 King of Persia
 India
 Returns to Susa
 Dies (age 33)
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323
After Gaugamela
Darius’ escape frustrated Alexander
because it prevented him from full claim
to being king of Persia
 Eventually Darius’ followers assassinated
him
 As Alexander became king of Persia and
continued to advance east, he took on an
increasingly Oriental attitude
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Alexander’s Conquests
Alexander’s Legacy
Alexander dies at age 33 (records say
from a high fever, but he was probably
poisoned)
 His empire is split between his generals
 Succeeding empires:
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– Antigonid Empire: Macedonia, Greece, and
Asia Minor
– Seleucid Empire: Persia, Mesopotamia, and
Turkey
– Ptolemaic Empire: Egypt
Division of Alexander’s Empire
After Alexander
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After Alexander died,
his generals jockeyed
for power and by 275
they had divided up his
kingdom into three
large states
– Antigonus took
Greece and
Macedon
– Ptolemy took Egypt
– Seleuces took the
former Achaemenid
empire
The period of Alexander
and his successors is
called the Hellenistic
period to reflect the
broad influence of
Greek culture beyond
Greece’s borders