Download ERA: 600 B - Jackson County Faculty Sites!

PERSIAN Chart for Classical Civilizations
ERA: 600 B.C.E. to
600 C.E.
POLITICAL
Leaders/groups
Forms of government
Empires
State building/expansion
Political structures
Courts/laws
Nationalism/nations
Revolts/revolutions
Greece
Early Developments in Greek history:
Influenced by the Minoan peoples (known for King Minos, advanced city of Knoss,
labyrinth) of the island Crete and the city-state Mycenae (known for Trojan War).
The Greek “Dark Ages” emerged after Greece was invaded/conquered by the Dorians
(1100-750BCE). Art, writing, literacy faded.
Classical Greece (800-323 BCE)
-No centralized government; concept of polis (city-state), or an urban center,
dominating surrounding rural areas. The center of the polis, was the elevated, fortified
site - the acropolis - where people could take refuge from attack. In time this
defensive center took on added significance as the focus of political and religious life.
-When commerce revived in the eighth and seventh centuries B.C., a trading center,
the agora, developed below the acropolis.
-The two areas and the surrounding territory, usually smaller than a modern county,
formed the polis, from which our word "politics" is derived.
-Each polis had a highly independent character

Governing styles varied (Sparta a military state, Athens eventually a
democracy for adult males)

The famous philosopher Aristotle divided Greek governments into

– Monarchies- ruled by Kings and Queens – Oligarchies -ruled by a few that
are richer and more powerful. Also known as the aristocrats or nobles. –
Tyrannies- ruled by king-like figure who lacked the support of the law or
religion. Democracies- rule of the people in which everyone has a vote and
whatever the majority decides upon wins. Over time, Athens would experience
all four types.

Sparta and Athens two leading city-states

Both Athens and Sparta developed strong military organizations and
established colonies around the Mediterranean.
Greek Commonalities
One’s polis gave a sense of identity and each individual believed they owed loyalty to
their polis. Greeks shared:

A common language.

The belief that all non-Greek speakers are barbarians.

Religion.

The Olympics.

Common non-Greek enemies.
Athens
-Athens government first dominated by tyrants, or strong rulers who gained power
from military prowess; later came to be ruled by an assembly of free men who made
political decisions.
-In 621 BCE, archon (Greek for ruler) Draco created Athens first written laws. The
laws were harsh and severe with the death penalty given for even minor offences.
-In 594 BCE, archon Solon outlawed slavery for debt and freed people who had
become slaves to pay debts were freed (in response to class conflict). Removed
family restrictions against participating in public life. He began a foundation of
equality that would soon bring democracy.
-In 507 BCE, Cleisthenes introduced democracy. Council of 500 > served one year,
could not serve twice. Proposed laws to the assembly. Introduction of juries in court.
-Democracy under Pericles in Athens, major decisions were made by general
assemblies in which only citizens would participate.
-Only a minority of people were citizens (only free-born, Athenian males) in Athens.
PERSIAN Chart for Classical Civilizations
ECONOMIC
Agricultural, pastoral
Economic systems
Labor systems/ organizations
Industrialization
Technology/industry
Capital/money
Business organizations
RELIGIOUS
Belief systems/teachings
Philosophy
Holy books
Conversion
Key figures
Deities
SOCIAL
Family/ kinship
Gender roles/relations
Social and economic classes
Racial/ ethnic factors
Entertainment
Lifestyles
“Haves” & “have nots”
-Direct democracy--the will of the people was directly translated into public policy.
Invented by ancient Greeks. Today, democracy means a government by the people.
-Representative democracy or republic--a nation in which the supreme power rests
in those who are entitled to vote and is exercised by elected representatives who are
responsible to voters and who govern according to the law. The U.S. has this form.
Sparta
-Militaristic state over a large slave population (helots)
-Oligarchy
• The state was ruled by two hereditary kings who were equal in authority.
• The kings’ power was limited by the Spartan Assembly, made up of all males
over the age of 30, who passed laws and made decisions concerning war and
peace.
• The Assembly elected five overseers, or ephors, to administer public affairs.
• A Council of Elders, 28 males over the age of 60, served as a Supreme Court.
-Sparta theoretically equal; wealth accumulation not allowed
Hellenistic Empire

After the Peloponnesian Wars, Alexander the Great from Macedonia
conquered Greece and created an empire that stretched from Greece to India
contributing to the spread of Greek culture.
-Trade. Great seafaring skills, centered around the Aegean Sea, but traveled around
the entire Mediterranean
-Most were farmers but soil was unfertile, so the production of olive oil and wine
increased.
-Most commercial activity required seafaring abilities to trade with Palestine, Egypt,
and Carthage exchanging wine and olive products for grains.
-During the Hellenistic era, caravan trade flourished from Persia to the West, and sea
lanes were widely traveled through the Med, Persian Gulf, and Arabian Sea, causing a
cosmopolitan culture.
-Many resented the economic influence of Athens.
-Polytheism, with gods having very human characteristics and emotions
-Gods and goddesses regulated and interfered with human life.
-Celebration of human individual achievement and the ideal human form
-Philosophy and science emphasized the use of logic and reason in thinking; Socrates,
Plato, and Aristotle were the main philosophers
-Overall, a patriarchal society with fairly strict social divisions.
-Slavery widely practiced in Classical Greece; allowed citizens time for art,
architecture, drama, debate, etc…
Sparta
-Men separated from women in military barracks until age 30; women had relative
freedom.
-Women in Sparta were encouraged to be physically fit so as to have healthy babies;
generally better treated and more equal to men than women in Athens.
Athens
-Athens encouraged equality for free males, but women and slaves had little freedom.
Neither group was allowed to participate in polis (city-state) affairs.
-Valued education, placed emphasis on importance of human effort, human ability to
shape future events
-Social status dependent on land holdings and cultural sophistication
PERSIAN Chart for Classical Civilizations
INTERACTIONS
War/conflict
Diplomacy/treaties
Alliances
Exchanges between individuals,
groups, & empires/nations
Trade/commerce
Globalization





ARTS

Art / Music
Writing/ Literature
Philosophy
Math / Science
Education
Architecture
Technology/ Innovations
Transportation





ENVIRONMENTAL
Location
Physical
Human/environment
Migration/movement
Region
Demography
Neighborhood
Settlemet patterns
Disease
Urbanization/ cities (2 major)



Due to land being so tight, Greece was always looking to establish colonies
abroad to ease overcrowding and gain new raw materials.
Persian Wars led to the uniting of the Greek city states against the Persian
Empire (largest empire east of the Mediterranean at the time); Greeks win the
war
Delian League was established under the leadership of Pericles after the
Persian wars as an alliance against aggression from its common enemies;
members paid a tribute that was oversaw by Athens.
Peloponnesian War (Sparta vs. Athens, Sparta wins the Golden Age of Greece
comes to an end
Alexander the Great and the spread of Hellenism (Greek, Persian, Egyptian,
and Indian cultural blend/diffusion); death resulted in the split of the
Hellenistic Empire into three parts: Antigonid (Greece and Macedon),
Ptolemaic (Egypt), and the Seleucid (Bactria and Anatolia).
Golden Age of Greece led by Pericles following the Persian Wars
Written language deriving from the Phoenician alphabet (encountered when
Greeks visited Phoenician city-states around the Mediterranean)
Olympic games
Highly developed form of art, including sculptures, architecture (Parthenon
and columns), literature (Homer’s The Illiad and The Odyssey) and drama,
math (Euclid and Pythagoras), and medicine (Hippocrates and the Hippocratic
Oath)
Important advances in shipbuilding and navigation
Engineering accomplishments of Archimedes (lever & pulley)
Cities relatively small and independent due to the geographic isolation caused
by the mountains and seas
Mild climate for growing seasons and promoting outdoor events
Athens, Sparta, Alexandria (under Alexander the Great and the Hellenistic
empire) are key cities.