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Objectives for Chapter 4

Describe how geography and the Minoan and
Mycenaean civilizations influenced Greek culture.

Compare the city-states of Sparta and Athens

Identify the causes and effects of Greek wars with
Persia.

Describe Athens under the leadership of Pericles
and reasons Athens declined.
Test Preview - Vocabulary
 Athens
 Hoplites
 Age
 Parthenon
of Pericles
 Satraps
 Tyrant
 Cyrus the Great
 Peninsula
 Strait
 Upper-class
Athenian Women
Test Preview – Things to Know

Who promised to pass on their fatherland in a
better condition?

Who wrote the “History of the Persian Wars”?

Where did the Mycenaean come from?

Who decides government matters in a direct
democracy?

How did Minoans make a living?
Test Preview – Things to Know

Who was Xeres?

How did the Greeks win the battle of Salamis?

What was the Delian League?

Understand the map on page 121.

Read Pericles’ Funeral Oration and understand
its meaning.
Test Preview – Essay Questions

Compare the lives of Spartan women and
girls to the lives of Athenian women and girls.

Why was the Peloponnesian War bad for the
winners as well as the losers?
Section 1 – The Early Greeks
 The
earliest civilizations in Greece were
the Minoans and the Mycenaean.
Greece’s mountains, climate, and
surrounding seas played a large role in
their history.
The Early Greeks

Greece is a mountainous land that is surrounded by water. To the
west is the Ionian Sea, the south is the Mediterranean Sea, and
to the east is the Aegean Sea.

Hundreds of islands lie offshore stretching toward Asia.

Mainland Greece is on a body of land with water on three sides.
This is called a ________.
 Peninsula

Many ancient Greeks make a living from the sea as fishermen,
sailors, and traders.

Although the rocky soil is not ideal for growing crops, the climate
was mild and in some place people could grow wheat, barley,
olives, and grapes. Some also raised sheep and goats.
The Early Greeks

Ancient Greeks were divided by the mountains and seas. This
resulted in communities that were fiercely independent from each
other.

The island of Crete, which lies southeast of the Greek mainland,
was the center of what early civilization?
 Minoan

The Minoans made their wealth from trading with other
civilizations. They spread their culture throughout the eastern
Mediterranean.

About 1450 B.C., the Minoan civilization suddenly collapsed.
Some historians think undersea earthquakes caused giant waves
that destroyed their cities. Other historians believed Minoan cities
were destroyed by Greeks from the mainland. These Greeks
were the Mycenaean.
The Early Greeks

The original Mycenaean people were from central Asia. The
Mycenaean leaders were the first Greek kings.

At the center of each Mycenaean kingdoms was a fortified
palace on a hill.

Soon after Mycenaean civilization began, they were visited
by Minoan traders. Mycenaeans learned a lot about
Minoan culture and copied many their customs. The also
learned from the Minoans how to work with bronze and build
ships.

By 1400 B.C., the Mycenaean civilization had replaced the
Minoans as the major trading power in the Mediterranean.
The Early Greeks

By 1100 B.C. the Mycenaean civilization had collapsed. During
this period of time people stopped teaching others how to write or
do craftwork. Before long, the Greeks had forgotten their written
language and how to make many things. Historians call this time
period the Dark Age.

One positive development during the Dark Age was that
thousands of Greeks left the mainland and settled on the islands
in the Aegean Sea. Others moved to Asia Minor. This wave of
movement ended up spreading Greek culture.

A Greek-speaking people that lived in the northern mountains
began to move south. They were known as the Dorian.

Many settled in that area known as Peloponnesus. The Dorians
brought iron with them and gave this advancement in weapons
and tools to the Greeks.
The Early Greeks

Soon people begin to farm again and produce a surplus of food.
This lead to more trade. As a result the Greeks came in contact
with the Phoenicians and picked up from them the idea of an
alphabet. A Greek alphabet was developed that had 24 letters
each of which stood for different sounds.

As Greece recovered from its Dark Age, the population grew to
the point at which they could no longer grow enough food to feed
everyone. As a result, cities began sending colonies out to other
areas.

Between 750 B.C. and 550 B.C. Greeks started colonies in Italy,
France, Spain, North Africa, and western Asia. These colonies
traded regularly with their “parent” cities.

To make trading easier the Greeks created the use of coins.
The Early Greeks

By the end of the Dark Age, many noble had overthrown the
Greek kings and created city-states.

Like in Mesopotamia, the city-states made up a town and
the surrounding countryside. These city-states were called
a polis and operated like independent countries.

The main gathering place at each polis was a fortified area
on top of a hill. This area was called what?
 An acropolis

The acropolis provided a safe place in case of attack and
would also have religious temples built on it. Below the
acropolis was an open area called an agora that served as
a market and a place people could meet.
The Early Greeks

The city-state varied in size. Some where quite large. By 500
B.C. nearly 300,000 people lived in Athens.

Each of the city-states was run by its citizens. In Greece only
free native-born men who owned land could be a citizen. The
citizens would gather in the agora to choose their officials and
pass laws.

The city-states were defended by armies of ordinary citizens
called _______.
 Hoplites

Hoplites made good soldiers because, as citizens, the took pride
in fighting for their city-state. These “hometown” loyalties also
divided the Greeks and caused them to distrust one another.
Section 2 – Sparta and Athens
 Athens
and Sparta became the two most
powerful city-states in ancient Greece.
Sparta focused on its military force, while
Athens focused on trade, culture, and
democracy.
Sparta and Athens

The city-states were run by the nobles. Challenge to
this rule came in 650 B.C. from the owners of small
farms. They, along with merchants and artisans,
demanded changes in the power structure that
would allow them to have a share of the power.

Merchants and artisans had become rich because of
the increase in trade, but could not be citizens
because they did not own land.

This growing unhappiness led to the rise of tyrants.
What is a tyrant?
 Someone who takes power by force and rules with total
authority.
Sparta and Athens

The tyrants were able to overthrow the nobles because they
had the support of the common people. Key support came
from the hoplites in the army, many of whom were also
farmers.

Once in power the tyrants made themselves popular by
building new marketplaces, temples, and walls for the cities.

Rule by one person was something that most people in
Greece were against. By 500 B.C. the tyrants had fallen out
of favor. Most of the city-states became either an oligarchy
or a democracy. What are these?
 Oligarchy – a system of government where only a few people
hold power.
 Democracy – a system in which all citizens share in running
the government.
Sparta

Sparta became the most successful examples of the oligarchy form of
government. Sparta was founded by the Dorians.

Like other city-states, Sparta needed room to grow. Instead of sending
out colonies, Sparta conquered and enslaved their neighbors. The
captive workers where called helots.

Spartans feared that the helots might someday rebel against Sparta. As
a result, their government was in firm control of the people. They also
constantly trained the boys and men of war.

At age 7 boys left their families to live together in a barracks. By age 20,
Spartan men entered the regular army. All men remained in the military
barracks for 10 more years.

Spartans returned to their homes at age 30 but remained in the army
until age 60. In battle they were expected to win or die.
Sparta

Girls in Sparta were trained in sports like running, wrestling, and
throwing the javelin. It was important to keep fit in order to
become healthy mothers.

Wives lived at home while their husbands lived in the barracks.
As a result, Spartan women were freer than other Greek women.
They could own property and go where they wanted.

Sparta was ruled by two kings that headed a council of elders.
The council would present laws to an assembly. All Spartan men
over age 30 belonged ot the assembly.

The assembly voted on the laws and chose five people each year
to be ephors. What did the ephors do?
 Enforced the laws and managed tax collection.
Sparta

Sparta was a very closed society and had very little contact
with the outside world.

The government discourage foreign visitors and banned
travel to other city-states unless it was for a military reason.

The were successful for nearly 250 years by fell behind
other Greek city-states in the areas of trade, science, and
culture.

Spartan soldiers were especially strong and swift. They
would play an important role in defending Greece from
outside invaders.
Athens

Athens was northeast of Sparta and was at least a two-day
trip away. Athens developed democratic form of
government.

In Athenian schools, one teacher taught boys to read, write,
and do arithmetic. Another teacher would teach them
sports. Still another would teach them to sing and play a
stringed instrument called a lyre.

At age 18, boys finished school and became citizens.

Athenian girls stayed at home. Their mothers taught them
spinning, weaving, and other household duties. Only girls
belonging to wealth families might learn to read and play the
lyre.
Athens

Athens was originally ruled by nobles. Around 600 B.C. the
Athenians began to rebel against the nobles. Many farmers
owned large debts to the nobles and had become their slaves.

The nobles turned to noble named Solon that both sides trusted.
Solon canceled all the farmers’ debts and freed those that had
become slaves.

He also allowed all male citizens to participate in the assembly
and law courts. A council of 400 wealthy citizens wrote the laws,
but the assembly had to pass them.

After Solon died, there were 30 years of fighting. A tyrant named
Peisistratus seized power. He won support of the poor by dividing
the estates of the nobles among landless farmers. He also gave
jobs and loans to the poor.
Athens

After Peisistratus died, the next important leader was
Cleisthenes. He reorganized the assembly to play a more
central role in the government.

They assembly was given the power to debate openly all
laws, hear court cases, and appoint army generals.

He also created a new council of 500 citizens to help the
assembly carry out daily business.

Athenians chose the members of the council each year in a
lottery. They believed that this system was fairer than an
election.
Section 3 – Persia Attacks the Greeks
 The
Persian Empire gained control of most
of southwest Asia. However, when the
Persians tried to conquer the Greeks,
Athens and Sparta united to defeat them.
Persia Attacks the Greeks

The people of Persia lived in what today is southwestern
Iran. Early Persians were warriors and nomads who herded
cattle.

When Cyrus the Great came to power he managed to unite
the Persians into a powerful kingdom.

In 539 B.C. Cyrus’s armies swept into Mesopotamia and
captured Babylon. They then took over northern
Mesopotamia, Asia Minor, Syria, Canaan, and the
Phoenician cities.

Cyrus treated the people in all the captured areas well. His
merciful rule helped keep the empire together.
Persia Attacks the Greeks

The leaders of Persian empire that followed Cyrus continued to
add land to the empire. Eventually the Persian empire reached
into Egypt, western India, and a region northeast of Greece called
Thrace.

As the empire became larger, it became very difficult to manage.
When Cyrus’s son Darius came to the throne, he reorganized the
government to make it work better.

Darius divided the empire into 20 provinces called satrapies.
Each of these was ruled by an official with the title of _______.
 Satrap

The satrap acted as tax collector, judge, chief of police, and head
recruiter for the Persian army. All satraps reported to the king.
Persia Attacks the Greeks

The king’s power depended upon his army. Persia maintained a
large army of professional soldiers. Persia paid people to be fulltime soldiers.

Among these soldiers were 10,000 specially trained men who
guarded the king. This group was called the Immortals.

The Persians practice a type of religion similar to that which the
Jews practiced. Zoroastrianism was a believe in one God.

As Greeks went about setting up colonies in the Mediterranean
area, they often clashed with the Persians.

Persia controlled some Greek cities in Asia Minor. When the
mainland Greeks tried to help those cities, King Darius decided to
stop any future interference.
Persia Attacks the Greeks

In 490 B.C. a Persian fleet landed about 20,000 soldiers on the
plain of Marathon, only a short distance from Athens. The
Persians, who had double the number of soldiers, waited for the
Athenians to attack.

When the Athenians refused to attack, the Persian commander
decided to load his army back onto their ships and attack Athens
directly.

As soon as the Persians were half-way aboard their ships, the
Athenians attacked. The Persians where unable to defend
themselves and were defeated.

Legend has it that the Athenians sent a messenger named
Pheidippides running back to Athens with the news. After running
the 25 miles back he collapsed from exhaustion but with his dying
breath announced, “Victory.”
Persia Attacks the Greeks

After Darius died in 486 B.C., his son Xerxes became the
Persian king. Xerxes vowed revenge on the Greeks.

In launched a new invasion of Greece with 180,000 troops,
thousands of warships and supply vessels.

To defend themselves the Greeks joined forces. Sparta
sent the most soldiers, and their king, Leonidas. Athens
provided the navy. An Athenian general, Themistocles,
came up with a plan to fight the Persians.

The Greeks know that the large Persian army would be
depended upon shipments of food brought by its navy as it
marched south. The Greeks decided to cut off the supplies.
Persia Attacks the Greeks

To get their fleet ready for battle, the Greeks needed to slow down
the Persian army. The Greeks decided the best place to block
the Persians was at a place called Thermopylae.

Thermopylae was a narrow passage through the mountains that
was easy to defend. 7,000 Greeks held off the Persians for two
days. Only a traitor prevented the Greeks from holding out
longer.

Although they last the battle, the Greeks were able to assemble
200 ships. They attacked the Persian fleet in the strait of
Salamis.

The Greek ships were smaller, faster, and easier to steer. They
were able to destroy almost the entire Persian fleet. Still the
Persian army advanced and they were able to capture Athens
and burn the city.
Persia Attacks the Greeks

By burning Athens, the Persians only made the Greeks
angry. Now they had a common enemy that they could join
together against.

In 479 B.C. the largest Greek army ever assembled
defeated the Persians at Plataea. The Persians retreated
back into Asia Minor.

The Greek defeat of the Persians weakened the empire.

A series of murders of Persian rulers and rebellions
weakened the Persian empire until it was easily defeated by
a young Greek conqueror named Alexander the Great in
334 B.C.
Section 4 – The Age of Pericles
 Under
the leadership of Pericles, Athens
became a powerful city-state and culture
blossomed.
The Age of Pericles

Although the Greeks defeated the Persians at
the battle of Plataea, the Persians still remained
a threat.

Athens joined with other city-states (but not
Sparta) to form the Delian League.

The Delian League promised to defend its
members against the Persians. It also worked
on driving the Persians out of Asia Minor.
The Age of Pericles

Athenians had strong faith in their system of government called
direct democracy. In a direct democracy, all citizens gather at
mass meetings to decide on government matters. Each can vote
on laws and policies.

In the United States we have a representative democracy. Do
you understand the difference between the two. Which do you
think would work better?

Athenians usually elected their favorite generals again and again.
One of the leading political figures in Athens was a general
named Pericles.

Pericles enabled Athens to dominate the Delian League. He also
made it easier for common citizens to run for public office in
Athens.
The Age of Pericles

Greek culture blossomed under the rule of Pericles. He
had numerous temples built and supported artists,
architects, writers, and philosophers.

Slavery was common in Athens. Almost all Athenian homes
had at least one slave the wealthy had many slaves.

Many Athenians depended on farming for a living. The city
did not have enough farmland to support its population. The
city had to import grain from other places.

During the 400s B.C., Athens became a major trading
center in the Greek world.
The Age of Pericles

Athenian men usually worked in the morning and then exercised or
attended meetings of the assembly.

For women, life revolved around home an family. Even educated
women were not considered the equal of men. They had no political
rights and could not own property.

As Athens became more rich and powerful, some of the other city-states
grew suspicious. Led by Sparta, they joined forces against Athens.

Finally war broke out in 404 B.C. This conflict is called the
Peloponnesian War.

In the first winter or the war, the Athenians held a public funeral to honor
those who had died in battle. As was custom a leading Athenian
addressed the crowd. On this day Pericles spoke. Look at what he
said on page 145.
The Age of Pericles

During the Peloponnesian War, Athens was pulled its army
back behind its city walls. Although Sparta surrounded the
city, the Athenian navy was able to keep the city supplied.

Athens was about to escape harm for some time. Then in
the second year of the war, a deadly disease spread among
the city. It killed more than a third of the people, including
Pericles.

Despite their losses, Athens fought on for 25 more years.
Finally, Sparta made a deal with the Persian Empire to
exchange money for ships. The new Spartan navy was
able to defeat the Athenian navy and Athens surrendered.
The Age of Pericles

Sparta and their allies tore down the city walls and broke up
the Athenian empire.

Sparta tried to rule all of Greece but within 30 years the
other city-states rebelled.

The war weakened all of the major Greek city-states, both
winners and losers. Many people died and farms were
ruined. The war made it impossible for the Greeks to unite
and work together again.

While fighting among themselves, the Greeks failed to
notice the growing strength of the kingdom of Macedonia to
their north. This would cost them their freedom.
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