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Greece
Thursday September 11, 2008
Objective: students will explain the 4 different
government systems used in Ancient Greece.
Students will summarize Alexanders conquests and
its influence on future cultures
Bell work: Be ready for a quiz over Greek
Geography, Athens and Sparta. When you turn
in the quiz you will be responsible for being on
page 117 in the textbook reviewing the 4
government systems.
Monarchy
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State ruled by a king
Rule is hereditary
Some rulers claim divine right
Practiced in Mycenae
Earliest form of government in ancient Greece
One person a king or queen holds the power
and makes all political decisions. King has
absolute power.
Aristocracy
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State ruled by nobility
Rule is hereditary and based on land ownership
Social status and wealth support rulers’ authority
Practiced in Athens
Oligarchy
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State ruled by a small group of citizens
Rule is based on wealth
Ruling group controls military
Practiced in Sparta
Tyranny
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Tyrant rule – one individual seizes power by force and
rules single-handley.
Julius Caesar
Direct Democracy
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State ruled by its citizens
Rule is based on citizenship
Majority rule decides vote
Practiced in Athens
Direct Democracy vs Representative Democracy
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Athens = direct democracy – country is ruled by its
citizens which make up the legislature
Rule is based upon citizenship
Majority rule (women denied voting rights)
United States = representative democracy – citizens elect
legislators to represent them
Citizenship is based upon birth or naturalization
Women and men have equal rights
Athenian democracy resembled American
democracy in that
a.
b.
c.
d.
women took no part in government
all people had voting rights
all citizens were allowed to take an active role
in government
states joined together to form a strong
central government
Geography shapes Greek Life
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The Sea
Sea connected them with other societies and helped
with mixing cultures
 Greece lacked natural resources such as timber,
metals, and farmland
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The Land
Mountains cover ¾ of land
 Overland trade and political unity difficult because
of mountains.
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Government
Greeks could not form a single government because
of terrain.
 Development of individual communities with
different types of government (City-states)
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The Arts
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The Classical Age of Greece – Classical
(beautiful simplicity, graceful balance in
architecture) and Arts
Greek Drama and Theatre – Greeks were first
to write and perform plays, earliest were
tragedies (hero struggles against fate and loses)
Greek Playwrights – Sophocles – wrote a
tragedy called Oedipus Rex
Olympic Games – religious festival to honor
Zeus – all individual events and decorated with
olive wreathes
The Greek Mind
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The Sophists–
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Socrates –
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Asked questions of his students and had them clarify their thinking
without giving answers
Plato –
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Philosophers translates to thinkers
Professional teachers were Sophists
Student of Socrates. Wrote The Republic which discussed ideal
society and government.
Aristotle –
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Power should rest with the middle classes.
Had a great impact on science. Becomes Alexander the Great’s
personal tutor
Other Important Philosophers
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Heredotus – “father of history” because he
separated fact from legend and wrote it down
Pythagoras – Leader in mathematics (theorem)
Hippocratees – “father of medicine” (oath)
Athens
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One of 2 dominant city-states.
Athenians stressed education and the arts for
boys.
They studied Illiad, Odyssey, arithmetic,
geometry, rhetoric, drawing and music.
Girls learned household duties from their
mothers – no education
At age 18, all boys were required to serve 2 years
in the military.
Marriage – girls can marry at 15.
Sparta
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The other dominant city-state
Military society – all boys taken away at age 7 to military
school
Emphasis was placed on military training, and very little
stress was placed on education (basic reading, writing
skills necessary)
Marriage – 19 years of age for women (children were
stronger, meaning children are stronger)
Spartan women had more rights than Athenian women.
Government - 2 kings ruled jointly. Council of elders
(all men over 60) acted as the supreme court
Sparta beats Athens in the Peloponnesian War
Macedonia
Under
Philip II
Alexander the Great
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The Macedonians live North of Greece.
King Phillip of Macedonia conquers almost all
of Greece. At the height of his power, he gets
killed by his wife. His son Alexander takes over
at age 20.
Alexander the Great
356-323 B.C.E.
Alexander the Great
Alexander – respected for courage and military
skill. He was educated by Aristotle.
Campaigns – Conquered Greece, Egypt, Asia
Minor, and India. He created the largest empire
up to that time. Dies at Age 33 of Malaria.
His generals divided his territory after his death,
only for it to be taken over by the Romans later.
Alexander the Great’s Empire
Building Greek Cities in the East
The Breakup of Alexander’s Empire
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Why did Alexander’s empire
ultimately collapse?
Alexander the Great
Why
can it be said that the
Age of Alexander the Great
marked the first truly
international culture in
history?
Student Notes
 Alexander
the Great – son of Philip II of
Macedonia. At age of 20 began king of
Macedonia and conquered all of Greece.
Before he was 33 years old he conquered the
Persian Empire and all of southwest Asia.
Alexander’s conquests ended the era of
independent Greek city-states. New culture
emerged a blend of Greek, Egyptian, Eastern
customs.