Download unit #1 - Mentor Public Schools

GRECO­ROMAN
WORLD
~ 3,000 BCE • A Bronze Age civilization developed on the island of Crete in the Aegean Sea
• Reached the height of its power between 2000 and 1400 BCE
Called the Minoan civilization after the legendary king Minos who ruled from the capital Knossos
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Minoan Civilization
• Traders, great wealth, believed to have running water, indoor plumbing, and much leisure time for religious festivals
• Religious beliefs included importance of bulls as demonstrated by myth of minotaur
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~1450 BCE
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Crete is invaded by the Mycenaean invaders from Greek mainland
Destroyed much of the civilization, but adopted writing system
Center of Greek culture shifted to mainland
Most settlements begin as regional monarchies
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Greek Civilization
• Development of civilization on the mainland influenced by the geography of Greece
• Mountainous region ­ limits size of settlements, no centralized government
• Mild climate ­ encouraged outdoor living
• Access to the sea ­ made a reliance on the sea for food and transportation
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HISTORY OF GREECE
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~ 1,200 BCE
Greeks attacked Troy ­ strategically located at the entrance to the Black Sea
• Events of the Trojan War are recorded ~800 BCE by Homer in the Iliad and the Odyssey
• Idea of arete
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• Greek settlements ransacked by mysterious "People of the Sea"
• Greece was invaded by the Dorians from the Balkans who utilized new technology, iron, to defeat the Greeks
• Dorians destroyed much of Greek civilization including writing, trade
• Plunge Greece into a Dark Age (Archaic Period)
• Power of the monarchies was challenged and new systems of government appeared throughout Greece
~750 BCE
The emergence of the polis or city­state
• A polis was made up of a city and its surrounding farmland
• Usually contained 5,000 to 50,000 citizens (women, children, slaves not included)
• Life revolved around the acropolis (fortified hilltop) and the agora (marketplace)
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Leading City­States
Athens
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Universal democracy for all citizens
Built wealth on trade
Believed in moderation ­ no one should become too powerful
Women played no role in polis life
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Leading City­States
Sparta
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Rebellion by helots led Spartans to create a military state
All Spartans served in military for life
Athletic prowess and individual subordination to polis prized
Women trained as soldiers
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5th Century BCE
Golden Age of Greek Civilization
• 490 BCE ­ Persia declared war on Athens over disputed Ionian Greek colonies in Persian Empire
• Greek victory after the Battle of Marathon caused Persian king Darius to withdraw
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Golden Age of Greek Civilization
• 480 BCE ­ Persia declared war again under king Xerxes
• Greeks win again after sacrifice of 300 Spartan soldiers at Battle of Thermopylae ­ holding off the entire Persian army for the rest of the Greek army to retreat and regroup
• Battle of Salamis, naval victory, and Battle of Plataea, land victory, ended the Persian threat
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Athens Golden Age
Athens Golden Age
• Athenian wealth created animosity among Spartans who believed credit for winning the war was theirs
• Spartans created the Peloponnesian League against the powerful Athenians
• Began with the defeat of the Persians
• Create an economic empire, The Delian League, controlling trade around the Aegean
• Began beautification of Athens, embraced the arts, science, philosophy
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Lasting Greek contributions to Western Civilization
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Concept of democracy
Concept of arete ­ moderation, sense of duty
Legends of gods and goddesses
Writing of history ­ Herodotus (father of history)
Architecture ­ Doric, Ionic, Corinthian columns
Drama and comedy ­ Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, Aristophanes
Poetry ­ Hesiod, Pindar, Sappho
Hippocratic oath and beginning of medicine
Philosophy ­ Socrates, Plato, Aristotle
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Alexander the Great
• Creates the largest empire in Classical world
• Student of Aristotle, admired Greed culture
• Within 10 years conquers an empire from Macedonia to Indus River Valley to Egypt
• Initiates a systematic Hellenization of the empire, causing Greek and Eastern cultures to merge and spread Greek ideals throughout the world
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Peloponnesian War
• Leaves Greek city­states vulnerable to invasion
• 431 ­ 404 BCE Sparta and Athens destroy each other in war that envelopes Greece
• By 338 BCE Philip of Macedonia consolidates control over Greek mainland with a superior army
• 336 BCE Philip is assassinated and succeeded by his son Alexander
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Alexander the Great
• Alexander died of a fever in 323 BCE and his empire is divided among his generals • Antigonus takes Macedonia, Seleucus takes the Asian Provinces, and Ptolemy I takes Egypt
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