Download Athens` Age of Glory

Chapter 8 lesson 3
Athens’ Age of Glory
Notes
THE PERSIAN WAR (490-479 B.C.)
 In the first stage of the war between Persia and
Greece the Persian armies were led by king
Darius I (550-486 B. C.). The Persians lost to the
Athenians and their Greek allies. In the famous
land battle of Marathon in 490 B.C. the Persians
were defeated by the Athenians and the
Plataeans. News of the victory was delivered by
a messenger who ran the 26 miles from
Marathon to Athens, and who died afterwards.
This is the origin of the modern Olympic event of
the marathon.
THE PERSIAN WAR (490-479 B.C.)
 The second stage of the war
saw the Persians arrive on the
Greek shore with perhaps as
many as 2,000,000 men,
between their army and navy,
under the command of king
Xeres I (519-465 B.C.), son of
the deceased Darius I. An
advance party of Greeks,
including Spartans, under the
command of one of the
Spartan kings, Leonidas (a
descendent of Hercules), held
off the advancing Persian
forces at the narrow pass
between the cliffs and the sea
at Thermopylae (the famous
"Pass of Thermopylae").
THE PERSIAN WAR (490-479 B.C.)
 The Greeks were eventually defeated after the Persian
soldiers were shown a secret mountain way around the
pass. Spartan king ,Leonidas, with his Royal Guard of
300 men delayed the Persians at a narrow pass at
Thermopylae where they held out for three days before
being overwhelmed and killed. Every last Spartan fought
until he was killed. However, in the naval battle at
Salamis in 480 B.C., which was masterminded by the
Athenian general Themistocles, the Athenian navy
defeated the Persian navy. Then, in a land battle in 479
B.C., the Spartan-led army defeated the Persian army.
The Persians were driven from Greece. As Athens had
masterminded the naval victory of Salamis, which was
the decisive victory in the war, the Athenians could
rightly be said to have saved all Greece from Persian
domination.
A part of the Greek fleet advances on the Persian
(Phoenicians, Egyptians and Persia's Greek allies) fleet
around Artemisium. The sails and masts will be stowed and
oars lowered into the water for battle when they are close
enough to the enemy fleet.
View from Artemisium on the island of
Euboea, where the naval battle
between the Persian and Greek fleets
were fought.
Athens’ Age of Glory
I. Life in Athens
A. Around 460 B.C. Athens entered an age
known as the Golden Age of Athens
B. Life revolved around the agora and
acropolis.
C. The Acropolis
1. It is capitalized because it is the largest in
Greece.
2. At the center is the temple to Athena
a. The temple to Athena is called the
Parthenon.
Athens’ Age of Glory
D. The agora
 people would meet to do
business there
 merchants sold goods
 became the center of Athenian
politics
 judges would hear court cases
Athens’ Age of Glory
II. Athenian Government
A. Early Athenian government was an
oligarchy
B. This was replaced with a citizen’s
assembly. C 510 B.C.
Athens’ Age of Glory
C. This is the world’s first democracy.
1. Citizens vote on issues in a
democracy.
2. Only freemen could be citizens in
Ancient Greece
D. At first only wealthy men could take part
in the government.
Athens’ Age of Glory
E. Pericles became an Athenian leader in 450
B.C.
 He wanted to extend democracy to more
people
 Introduced payment for jury service.
 This was a major step for the poor,
now they could afford to become
involved in politics.
 In 447 began building the Parthenon.
Athens’ Age of Glory
 431 B.C. Pericles convinces the
assembly to declare war on Sparta.
 Plague breaks out in Athens
 Pericles was blamed for starting the
war.
Athens’ Age of Glory
III. Education in Athens
A. New ways of thinking develop in Athens.
B. Socrates was the first philosopher.
 Born 469 B.C.
1. He was a great philosopher – meaning
‘a lover of wisdom’
Athens’ Age of Glory
 famous for his questioning teaching method
 He asked, "What is wisdom?" and "What is
beauty?" and "What is the right thing to do?"
 He thought it would be better to have a lot of
people discuss the answers together, so that
they might come up with more ideas.
4. He began questioning Athenian values, i.e. laws,
customs, & religion
5. He was brought to trail for encouraging the youth to
revolt
Athens’ Age of Glory
6. He was found guilty and sentenced to death.
7. In 399 B.C. he was executed by drinking a
cup of hemlock (a poisonous plant).
8. Plato wrote down Socrates teachings
Athens’ Age of Glory
C. Plato is another important philosopher for
Ancient Greece.
1. Plato was a student of Socrates.
2. Plato opened schools
3. Plato’s most famous student is Aristotle, the
teacher of Alexander the Great.
Athens’ Age of Glory
IV. Gifts from the Greeks
Trial by Jury
Greek Myths
Democracy
Tragedy and Comedy
Theatre
The Olympics