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ANCIENT
GREECE
Chapter 4
Sections 1-4
The Early Greeks

Mainland Greece is
a mountainous
peninsula, hundreds
of islands lie
offshore in the
Mediterranean,
Aegean and Ionian
Sea.
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Many ancient Greeks earned their living
from the sea as fishermen, sailors,
traders, and raising sheep and goats.
Crops included: wheat, barley, olives and grapes

Mountainous terrain and many
islands isolated Greek communities,
which fostered a sense of
independence.
The Minoans
Minoan civilization was 1st to arise in the
region we now know as Greece.
 Minoans
became wealthy from trading
pottery and stone vases for ivory and metals
from as far away as Egypt and Syria.

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Mycenaens from central Asia invade the
Greek mainland around 1900 B.C. and
b/c the 1st Greek kings.
Mycenaens paid their taxes in wheat,
livestock, or honey.

Mycenaens also learned how to
navigate their ships by using the sun
and stars from the Minoans.
Greece entered a Dark Age around 600
B.C., during this time people forget how
to read and write.
 What do you think caused a sharp
decrease in population and loss of
literacy skills?
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As Greece
recovered from
their “Dark Age,”
they begin to
colonize in order to
increase their food
supply.
What is a colony?

A
colony is
a
settlement in a new
territory that keeps
close ties to the
homeland.
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Overseas trade increased to the point for the need
to begin minting coins.
Growth led to production increasing and
specialization.
The Polis
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Many nobles who owned large estates overthrow
the old Greek kings and create city-states known as
a polis.
The acropolis was the main gathering place in a
polis, located on a hill, acted as a refuge for
people when they were attacked. It was also used
for worship centers for the gods and goddesses.
Below the acropolis was the agora, the place
where people could meet to debate issues and
served as a market place.
Agora in Athens
Athenian Soldier’s Oath

“I will not bring dishonor upon my weapons
nor desert the comrade by my side. I will
strive to hand on my fatherland greater and
better than I found it.” excerpt from the oath
of enrollment in Epheboi corp early 400’s
B.C. Athenian soldiers took an oath to
protect their constitution.
Citizenship

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
Greeks were the 1st to develop the idea of
citizenship.
Each community gave the people equal
treatment, as well as, rights and responsibilities
as a member of that community.
Free, native born, land-owning men could be
citizens. What were the rights of Greek citizens?

Greek citizens could…

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Gather in the agora to
choose their officials and
pass laws
Right to vote
Hold office
Own property
Defend themselves in
court
In return, Greek citizens
had a duty to…


Serve in the government
Fight for their polis as
citizen soldiers

Hoplites were
ordinary citizens and
foot soldiers who
went into battle
heavily armed,
carrying a round
shield, a short sword
and a long spear.
Section 2
Sparta and Athens

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What do you think of when you hear someone is
a “tyrant?”
In ancient Greek city-states, the word
“tyrant, "meant someone who took power
by force and had total authority.
By 600’s tyrants overthrew nobles b/c they had
the support of the common people.

Most city-states became either an oligarchy or a
democracy by the 500’s.
Oligarchy: a few people hold power
 Direct Democracy: all citizens share
power in running the government

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The oligarchy of Sparta and the democracy of
Athens became the two most powerful political
bodies in Greece.
Sparta

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7 year old boys were sent to be trained for the
military. Lived in barracks and treated harshly to
make them tough.
12 years old, had to live outside and off the land.
20 years old, joined the regular army for the next
10 years. Could return home but stayed in the
military until 60 years old.
Spartan boys left home at age 7 to begin
their military training.
 They entered the regular army by 18.
 Spartan men stayed in the army until they
were 30 years old at which time they would
return home.

Spartan Foreign Policy

Spartans did not colonize as Athens did.
Sparta conquered their neighbors and sent
slaves back to Sparta to do agricultural work
.
Sparta’s government
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King
King
Council of elders (28) presented laws to the
Assembly
All men over 30 years old voted on Council’s laws,
chose 5 ephors.
Ephors - enforced laws and managed
taxes
Athens
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2 day trip away-very different life style evolved
in Athens.
Boys were educated until 18, then
became citizens.
Girls stayed at home learning how to spin,
weave & other household duties. Only wealthy
girls were educated.
Athens Democracy

600 B.C.’s people rebel against the land owning
nobles. Many farmers owed the nobles money.
594 B.C. Solon, a noble, cancelled all the
farmers debts & freed those who had become
slaves. Allowed all males to participate in
the Assembly and law courts. A council of
400 wealthy citizens wrote the laws, but the
assembly had to pass them.
The Athenian assembly appointed ten
generals who carried out the
assembly’s laws.
 Who carries out our laws today?

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Peisistratus: tyrant
who divided large
estates among
landless farmers.
Cleisthenes: Assembly could
debate matters openly, hear
court cases and appoint army
generals
Section 3
Persia Attacks the Greeks


Persia was
located in was
current day
Southwestern Iran.
King Cyrus builds a
huge empire beginning
with Babylon,
Mesopotamia, Asia
Minor, Syria, Canaan, &
Phoenicia. The Persian
Empire would have
been equal to the size
of the U.S. today.
To manage the Persian empire, Cyrus divides it into
satrapies. Each one was ruled by an appointed official
called a satrap who acted as tax collector, judge, chief of
police and recruiter to the Persian Army.
Unlike Athens, Persia maintained a standing
military.
Immortals: 10,000 specially trained soldiers
who guarded the king. As soon as one fell,
another took his place.
The Persian Wars
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Greek colonies often clashed with the
Persians.
490 B.C. Persian fleet lands 20,000 soldiers on the
plain at Marathon. Waited for the Athenians to
attack, finally began re boarding the ships to sail
around to directly attack Athens. When the
cavalry was on board and remaining soldiers are
in the water waiting to board, the Greeks attack
from a nearby hill.

Pheidippides runs to Athens to give the
message of victory over the Persians,
collapsed and died. Today, marathons are
comprised of races approximately 26 miles long,
in honor of Pheidippides.
Xerxes, King of Persia
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Son of Darius, grandson of Cyrus, seeks revenge
from the defeat at Marathon.
For the 1st time, Sparta and Athens join forces
to repel Persia. King Leonidas of Sparta and
Themistocles of Athens work together to
defeat Xerxes at the pass at Thermopylae and
the strait of Salamis.
 The Greeks won the Battle at Salamis because
their ships could move around more quickly.
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Final battle at a location northwest of
Athens, the largest Greek army ever
assembled crushed the Persian army at
Plataea. By finally working together, the
city-states saved their homeland from the
Persians.
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The History of the Persian Wars, written by
Herodotus sites there was a Greek army that
totaled around 30,000 hoplites with double that
number of light troops. 5,000 Spartans took part in the
battle, while the Athenians provided 8,000 heavy infantry. The
remaining units were comprising mostly from other city-states of
the Peloponnese. The Greek numbers he details, unlike the
Persian counts, appear to be likely. This entire force was under
the command of the Spartan regent Pausanias.
www.militaryhistory.com

With the defeat at Plataea, the Persian Empire
begins a slow decline which continues for 150
more years. After the death of Xerxes, family
members fought over who will be king. 6 of the 9
rulers after Darius were murdered. By 334 B.C.
the last Persian king dies and Alexander the
Great is in control of the lands known as the
Persian Empire.
Section 4 The Age of Pericles
478 B.C. City states form a league known as the
Delian League as a result of cont’d Persian threat.
Begins on the island of Delos,
Athens ends up gaining control over the other city
states – moves the League to Athens in 454 B.C.
Do you remember the difference between a
direct democracy and a representative
democracy?
 Direct democracy- all the citizens vote on
gov’t. issues
 Representative-citizens chose representatives
to go to the state capitol or Washington D.C.
where they propose and pass legislation and
make gov’t. decisions.
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Golden Age of Pericles
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General who guided Athens for more than 30
years.
Makes Athens more democratic by allowing lower
class citizens to run for office.
Paid office holders
Oversees many building projects, including the
Parthenon which took 15 years to build at a cost
of $3 billion today.
General Pericles
Role of Men and Women
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Men usually worked in the morning &
then exercised or attended meetings of
the assembly. In the evenings, enjoyed
all male gatherings where they drank,
dined & discussed politics.

Women married at 14-15. Were expected to have
children & take care of household. Poor women
might also work with their husbands in the fields
or sell goods. Upper class Athenian
women: stayed at home, supervised
household servants, were not allowed
to go out into public without a male
relative escorting them except for
funerals or festivals.
THE END!!