328-331 UO3-868874 1/5/05 7:24 PM Page 328 TheGreeks and ... · Sparta and Athens Systems of order, such as law and government, contribute to stable societies. Athens and Sparta,

Each civilization that you will study in this unit madeimportant contributions to history.

• The Greeks developed the idea of citizenship and createdthe first democratic governments.

• The Romans introduced the idea of the rule of law.• Christians introduced religious beliefs that many still

follow today.

750 B.C. Greekcoloniesestablished in Europe and Africa

AncientGreece

AncientGreece

Chapters 7 & 8

1500 B.C. 750 B.C. 550 B.C. 350 B.C.1500 B.C. 750 B.C. 550 B.C. 350 B.C.

AncientRome

AncientRome

C hapter s 9 & 10

650 B.C.Etruscans rule Rome

The Rise of

Christianity

The Rise of

Christianity

Chap te r 11

The Greeksand Romans

328

Etruscan mural Roman soldiers

594 B.C. Solon takespower inAthens

509 B.C.Rome becomesa republic

c. 330 B.C. Aristotledevelopstheoriesaboutgovernment

312 B.C.Romans build the Appian Way

c. 1400 B.C. MycenaeansreplaceMinoans asmajor power inMediterranean

(t)National Museums of Scotland/Bridgeman Art Library, (c)Borromeo/Art Resource, NY, (b)file photo

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1,000 kilometers0Mercator projection

1,000 miles0

630°E0°

N

Equator

RedSea

PersianGulf

Black Sea

Caspian Sea

Nil

eR

.Eup

hrates

R.

Tigris

R.Mediterranean

Sea

ARABIAAFRICA

EUROPE

Chapters7 & 8

Chapters7 & 8

30°N

0°N

60°N

0° 30°E

RedSea

PersianGulf

Black Sea

Caspian Sea

Nile

R.

Euph

rates

R.

Tigr

is

R

.

AFRICA

EUROPE

N

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30°E0°

30°N

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PersianGulf

Black Sea

Caspian S

Nile

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Euphrates

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R

AFRICA

EUROPE

146 B.C.RomedestroysCarthage

c. 100 B.C.City ofAlexandria is thelargest in theMediterranean

A.D. 180PaxRomanaends

Orthodox Church incenseburner c. A.D. 1100

The Lighthouse of Alexandriac. 290 B.C.

Emperor Constantine

A.D. 30Jesus preachesin Galilee andJudaea

150 B.C. A.D. 50 A.D. 250 A.D. 450 A.D. 650 150 B.C. A.D. 50 A.D. 250 A.D. 450 A.D. 650

A.D. 312Constantinecomes topower

44 B.C.Julius Caesaris killed

C. A.D. 100Churches foundedthroughout Romanworld

C. A.D. 600 Bishop of Rometakes title of pope

Chapters 7 & 8

Chapters 9 & 10

Chapter 11 Chapters9 & 10

Chapters9 & 10

Chapter11

Chapter11

(t)Scala/Art Resource, NY, (c)Hugh Sitton/Getty Images, (b)Erich Lessing/Art Resource, NY

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c. 495–429 B.C.

Athenian general andleading statesman

Chapter 7, page 361

c. 750 B.C.

Greek poet, wrote Iliadand Odyssey

Chapter 8, page 381

330

AFRICAAFRICA

Greek Parthenon1

See Ancient GreeceChapters 7 & 8

Alexandria Lighthouse2

See Ancient GreeceChapter 8

63 B.C.–A.D. 14Roman emperorChapter 9, page 447

c. 356–323 B.C.

Macedonian general and kingChapter 8, page 401

EUROPEEUROPE

Mediterranean Sea

1

4

3

328-331 UO3-868874 1/5/05 7:44 PM Page 330

331

C. A.D. 500–548Byzantine empress

Chapter 10, page 488

c. 6 B.C.–A.D. 33Crucifixion led to rise of

ChristianityChapter 11, page 504

c. A.D. 10–65Christian thinkerChapter 11, page 507

c. A.D. 280–337Roman emperor

Chapter 10, page 478

3 Roman aqueduct

See Ancient RomeChapters 9 & 10

See Ancient RomeChapter 10

4 Roman Pantheon

5 Mount of the Beatitudes

See Rise of ChristianityChapter 11

ASIAASIA

MIDDLEEASTMIDDLEEAST

5

2

328-331 UO3-868874 1/5/05 7:35 PM Page 331

Ancient GreeksThe

c. 750 B.C.Greece’s DarkAge comes toan end

c. 650 B.C.Tyrants over-throw noblesin city-states

480 B.C.XerxesinvadesGreece

431 B.C.PeloponnesianWar begins

700 B.C. 600 B.C. 500 B.C. 400 B.C.700 B.C. 600 B.C. 500 B.C. 400 B.C.

The Parthenon rises above the cityof Athens. The people of ancientGreece built this temple to celebrate their goddess Athena.

Vanni Archive/CORBIS

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Chapter Overview Visitca.hss.glencoe.com for a preview of Chapter 7.

The Early GreeksPhysical geography plays a role in how civilizations develop and decline.

Greece’s mountains, climate, and surrounding seas played a largerole in its history. The earliest civilizations in Greece were theMinoans and the Mycenaeans.

Sparta and AthensSystems of order, such as law and government, contribute to stable

societies. Athens and Sparta, the two major city-states in ancientGreece, developed different governments that emphasized oppositeaspects of society. Sparta focused on its military, while Athensfocused on trade, culture, and democracy.

Persia Attacks the GreeksConflict often brings about great changes. The Persian Empire gained

control of most of southwest Asia. However, when the Persianstried to conquer the Greeks, Athens and Sparta united to defeat them.

The Age of PericlesCivilizations with strong economies prosper and grow. Under the

leadership of Pericles, Athens became a powerful city-state with astrong economy and blossoming culture.

View the Chapter 7 video in the Glencoe Video Program.

Summarizing Information Make this foldable to help you organize andsummarize information about the ancient Greeks.

Reading and WritingAs you read the chapter,write information undereach appropriate tab. Besure to summarize theinformation you find bywriting only main ideasand supporting details.

Step 1 Mark themidpoint of a side edgeof one sheet of paper.Then fold the outsideedges in to touch themidpoint.

Step 2 Fold the paper in half again from side toside.

Step 3 Open thepaper and cut alongthe inside fold linesto form four tabs.

Step 4 Label as shown.Cut along the

fold lines on both sides.

TheEarly

GreeksPersia

Attacksthe

Greeks

Spartaand

Athens

TheAge ofPericles

333

332-335 C07-868874 1/5/05 8:18 PM Page 333

http://ca.hss.glencoe.com

Good readers compare and contrast information as they read. Thismeans they look for similarities and differences. Comparing the ways inwhich people, places, or ideas are the same or different helps youunderstand how each is unique. Look for signal words in the text. Somecomparison signal words are same, at the same time, like, and still.Contrast signal words include some, others, different, however, rather, yet,but, and or. Read the passage about Persian religion and then look at thequestions that follow.

Comparing and Contrasting

Look for the compare and

contrast signal words when

you take tests.

334

1) Persian religion is beingcompared to Jewish religion.

3) Like signals a comparison,and however signals contrast.

2) The similarities are high-lighted in blue and the con-trasts in orange.

Like the Jews, Zoroaster believedin one god. He viewed this supremebeing as the creator of all things anda force of goodness. However,Zoroaster recognized evil in theworld, too. He taught that humanshad the freedom to choose betweenright and wrong, and that goodnesswould triumph in the end.

— from page 353

As you compare and contrast, ask these questions:1) What things are being compared or contrasted?2) Which characteristics can be compared or con-

trasted? 3) How are they similar, and how are they different?4) Are there any signal words?

332-335 C07-868874 7/12/05 9:11 PM Page 334

As you read the chapter, choose threepairs of subjects to compare and con-trast. List the similarities and differ-ences using a graphic organizer, suchas the one above.

Read the passage and the directions below.

Read Section 2 and use a chart like the one below toorganize the similarities and differences between Spartaand Athens. In the first column, fill in the characteristicsthat you will compare and contrast. In the second andthird columns, describe the characteristics of each city-state.

335

Reread the passagelabeled Roles of Men andWomen in Section 4 ofthis chapter. Then writea short paragraphcomparing andcontrasting what lifewas like for men andwomen in ancientAthens.

Read to Write

Athens and Sparta, the twomajor city-states in ancient Greece,developed different governmentsthat emphasized opposite aspectsof society. Sparta focused on itsmilitary, while Athens focused ontrade, culture, and democracy.

— from page 333

Characteristic Sparta Athens

Spartan warrior

Foto

Mar

bur

g/A

rt R

esou

rce,

NY

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c. 2000 B.C.Minoans control easternMediterranean

c. 1200 B.C.Mycenaeancivilization declines

c. 750 B.C.Greece’s Dark Agecomes to an end

GREECE

Crete Knossos

Mycenae

2000 B.C. 1250 B.C. 500 B.C.2000 B.C. 1250 B.C. 500 B.C.

336 CHAPTER 7 • The Ancient Greeks

Early GreeksThe

Looking Back, Looking AheadIn Chapters 1 and 2, you learned

about Mesopotamia and Egypt. Thesecivilizations grew up in great rivervalleys with rich soil. Greece had nogreat river valleys. Instead, it hadmountains, rocky soil, and manymiles of seacoasts.

Focusing on the • The geography of Greece influenced

where people settled and what theydid. (page 337)

• The Minoans earned their living bybuilding ships and trading. (page 338)

• Mycenaeans built the first Greek king-doms and spread their power acrossthe Mediterranean region. (page 339)

• The idea of citizenship developed inGreek city-states. (page 341)

• Colonies and trade spread Greek culture and spurred industry. (page 343)

Meeting PeopleAgamemnon (A•guh•MEHM•nahn)

Locating PlacesCrete (KREET) Mycenae (my•SEE•nee)Peloponnesus

(PEH• luh•puh•NEE•suhs)

Content Vocabularypeninsula (puh•NIHN•suh• luh)polis (PAH• luhs)agora (A•guh•ruh)colony (KAH• luh•nee)

Academic Vocabularyregion (REE• juhn)culture (KUHL•chuhr)overseas (OH•vuhr•SEEZ)community (kuh•MYOO•nuh•tee)

Reading StrategyFinding Details Draw a diagram likethe one below. In each oval write onedetail about a polis.

polis

HistorySocial ScienceStandardsWH6.4 Studentsanalyze the geographic,political, economic,religious, and socialstructures of the earlycivilizations of AncientGreece.

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WH6.4.1 Discuss the connections between geography and the development of city-states in the region of the Aegean Sea, includingpatterns of trade and commerce among Greek city-states and within the wider Mediterranean region.

100 kilometers0Lambert Azimuthal Equal-Area projection

100 miles0

20°E 30°E

40°N

30°E

20°E

A e g e a nS e a

Sea ofMarmara

M e d i t e r r a n e a nS e a

I o n i a nS e a

S e a o f C r e t e

M

e di t e r r a n e a n

Se a

Gulf of Corinth

G R E E C E

Crete

B A L K A NP E N I N S U L A

PELOPONNESUS

Mt. Olympus

M A C E D O N I A

A S I A M I N O R

Miletus

Sparta

Athens

ThebesDelphi

Corinth

Troy

Knossos

Mycenae

N

S

W E

Ancient Greece c. 750 B.C.

The Geography of GreeceThe geography of Greece influenced

where people settled and what they did.

Reading Connection Do you rake leaves in the fall?

Do you walk uphill to school? Your answers explain how

geography shapes your life. Read to learn how geogra-

phy shaped life in early Greece.

If you fly over Greece today, you will seea mountainous land framed by sparklingblue water. To the west is the Ionian (eye •OH • nee • uhn) Sea, to the south is theMediterranean Sea, and to the east is theAegean (ih • JEE • uhn) Sea. Hundreds ofislands lie offshore, stretching across to Asialike stepping-stones. Mainland Greece is a

peninsula (puh • NIHN • suh • luh)—a body ofland with water on three sides.

Many ancient Greeks made a living fromthe sea. They became fishers, sailors, andtraders. Others settled in farming communi-ties. Greece’s mountains and rocky soil werenot ideal for growing crops. However, the cli-mate was mild, and in some places peoplecould grow wheat, barley, olives, and grapes.They also raised sheep and goats.

Ancient Greeks felt deep ties to the land,but the mountains and seas divided themfrom one another. As a result, early Greekcommunities grew up fiercely independent.

Cause and Effect How didgeography discourage Greek unity?

Ancient Greece

KEY

Mountains and seasplayed an important role in Greek history.

1. Location What body of water liesdirectly east of the BalkanPeninsula?

2. Movement What transportationwas probably most useful to theearly Greeks?

Find NGS online map resources @www.nationalgeographic.com/maps

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http://www.nationalgeographic.com/maps

WH6.4 Students analyze the geographic, political, economic, religious, and social structures of the early civilizations of Ancient Greece.

WH6.4.1 Discuss the connections between geography and the development of city-states in the region of the Aegean Sea,including patterns of trade and commerce among Greek city-states and within the wider Mediterranean region.

Minoan calendar

This wall painting from Knossos shows Minoansparticipating in a dangerous sport called bull leaping.Who discovered the palace at Knossos?


The MinoansThe Minoans earned their living by

building ships and trading.

Reading Connection Imagine what it would be like

to uncover a building that is more than 5,000 years old.

Read to learn how such a discovery unlocked clues to

Greece’s ancient past.

The island of Crete (KREET) lies southeastof the Greek mainland. There, in 1900, anEnglish archaeologist by the name of ArthurEvans made the find of a lifetime. Evansuncovered the ruins of a grand palace thathad been the center of Minoan (muh •NOH •uhn) civilization. The Minoans were notGreeks, but their civilization was the first toarise in the region that later became Greece.

The palace at Knossos (NAH • suhs) re-vealed the riches of an ancient society. Itstwisting passageways led to many differentrooms: private quarters for the royal family

and storerooms packed with oil, wine, andgrain. Other spaces were workshops formaking jewelry, vases, and small ivory stat-ues. The palace even had bathrooms.

The Minoans made their wealth fromtrade. They built ships from oak and cedartrees and sailed as far as Egypt and Syria.There they traded pottery and stone vasesfor ivory and metals. By 2000 B.C., Minoanships controlled the eastern MediterraneanSea. They carried goods to foreign portsand kept the sea secure from pirates.

About 1450 B.C., the Minoan civilizationsuddenly collapsed. Some historians thinkundersea earthquakes caused giant wavesthat washed away the Minoans’ cities.Others think the cities were destroyed by a group of Greeks from the mainland.These invaders were called the Mycenaeans(MY • suh •NEE •uhns).

Explain How did theMinoans become a trading civilization?

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WH6.4 Students analyze the geographic, political, economic, religious, and social structures of the early civilizations of Ancient Greece.

WH6.4.1 Discuss the connections between geography and the development of city-states in the region of the Aegean Sea,including patterns of trade and commerce among Greek city-states and within the wider Mediterranean region.

The First Greek Kingdoms Mycenaeans built the first Greek

kingdoms and spread their power across theMediterranean region.

Reading Connection What is the most important build-

ing in the area where you live? Is it a government building,

a grocery store, or a hospital? Read to find out what build-

ing was most important in the Mycenaean civilization.

The Mycenaeans were originally fromcentral Asia. They invaded the Greekmainland around 1900 B.C. and conqueredthe people living there. The Mycenaeanleaders became the first Greek kings. Theirwarriors became nobles who ruled the peo-ple they had conquered. In the late 1800s, aGerman named Heinrich Schliemann (HYN•rihk SHLEE • MAHN) discovered one of theirwalled palaces in Mycenae (my • SEE • nee).He named the people of this civilization theMycenaeans.

What Were Mycenaean Kingdoms Like?The centerpiece of each Mycenaean king-dom was a fortified palace on a hill. Theruler lived there, surrounded by giant stonewalls. Beyond the palace walls lay largefarms, or estates, that belonged to thenobles. Slaves and farmers lived on theestates and took shelter inside the fortressin times of danger.

Mycenaean palaces hummed with activ-ity. Artisans tanned leather, sewed clothes,and made jars for wine and olive oil. Otherworkers made bronze swords and ox-hideshields. Government officials kept track ofthe wealth of every person in the kingdom.Then they collected wheat, livestock, andhoney as taxes and stored them in the palace.

Power From Trade and War Soon afterthe Mycenaeans set up their kingdoms,Minoan traders began to visit from Crete.

As a result, Mycenaeans learned muchabout Minoan culture. They copied theways Minoans worked with bronze andbuilt ships. They learned how theMinoans used the sun and stars to findtheir way at sea. The Mycenaeans evenstarted worshiping the Earth Mother, theMinoans’ chief goddess.

Around 1400 B.C., the Mycenaeansreplaced the Minoans as the major poweron the Mediterranean. They traded widely,sailing to Egypt and southern Italy. Some

CHAPTER 7 • The Ancient Greeks 339

The ruins at Mycenae includedthis gate. What layoutside the walls of aMycenaean palace?

Gold mask of Agamemnon

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historians think they conquered Crete andnearby islands.

Although trade made the Mycenaeanswealthy, they were prouder of their deedsin battle. Their most famous victory is prob-ably the Trojan War. In the next chapter, youwill learn the legend of how the Mycenaeanking Agamemnon (A • guh • MEHM • nahn)used trickery to win that war.

What Was the Dark Age? By 1200 B.C., theMycenaeans were in trouble. Earthquakesand fighting among the kingdoms haddestroyed their hilltop forts. By 1100 B.C.,Mycenaean civilization had collapsed.

The years between 1100 B.C. and 750 B.C.were difficult for the Greeks. Overseas tradeslowed, and poverty took hold. Farmers grewonly enough food to meet their own family’sneeds. People also stopped teaching othershow to write or do craftwork. Before long, theGreeks had forgotten their written languageand how to make many things. As a result,historians call this time the Dark Age.

The changes that took place in the DarkAge were not all bad, however. One posi-tive development was a huge populationshift. Thousands of Greeks left the main-land and settled on islands in the AegeanSea. Other Greeks moved to the westernshores of Asia Minor, to what is now thecountry of Turkey. This wave of movementexpanded the reach of Greek culture.

Meanwhile, a Greek-speaking peopleknown as the Dorians (DOHR • ee • uhns),who lived in Greece’s northern mountains,began to move south. Many settled in thesouthwest on the Peloponnesus (PEH • luh •puh • NEE • suhs). The Dorians brought ironweapons with them, giving Greece moreadvanced technology. Iron weapons andfarm tools were stronger and cheaper thanthose made of bronze.

Gradually, farmers began to produce sur-plus food again. As a result, trade revived.One benefit of the increased trade was a newway of writing. As you read in Chapter 3, theGreeks picked up the idea of an alphabetfrom the Phoenicians, one of their tradingpartners who lived on the coast of the easternMediterranean.

The Greek alphabet had 24 letters thatstood for different sounds. It made readingand writing Greek much simpler than everbefore. Soon people were writing down talesthat had been passed down by storytellersfor generations.

Identify Why were theMycenaeans able to become a major power in theMediterranean region?

WrittenName

EnglishSound

GreekLetter

alphabeta

deltagamma

epsilonzeta

theta

kappa

mu

omicronxi

eta

iota

lambda

nu

rhopi

psi

phi

tau

chi

upsilon

sigma

omega

ab

dg

ez

th

c, k

m

ox

e

i

l

n

rp

ps

ph

t

ch

y, u

s

o

The Greek AlphabetThe Greek Alphabet

The Greek alphabet was based on the Phoenician alphabet. What happened to Greek writing during the Dark Age?


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WH6.4.1 Discuss the connections between geography and the development of city-states in the region of the Aegean Sea, includingpatterns of trade and commerce among Greek city-states and within the Mediterranean region.WH 6.4.2 Trace the transition from tyranny and oligarchy to early democratic forms of government and back to dictatorship in ancient Greece, including the significance of the invention of the idea of citizenship (e.g., from Pericles’ Funeral Oration).

The PolisThe idea of citizenship developed in

Greek city-states.

Reading Connection Did you know that the word “poli-

tics” comes from polis, the Greek term for a city-state? Read

to find how the Greeks also created the idea of citizenship.

By the end of the Dark Age, manynobles who owned large estates had over-thrown the Greek kings. They created city-states. Like the Mesopotamian city-statesyou read about in Chapter 1, those inGreece were made up of a town or city andthe surrounding countryside. Each Greekcity-state, known as a polis (PAH • luhs), waslike a tiny independent country.

The main gathering place in the poliswas usually a hill. A fortified area, called anacropolis (uh •KRAH •puh • luhs), stood at thetop of the hill. It provided a safe refuge incase of attacks. Sometimes the acropolisalso served as a religious center. Templesand altars were built there to honor themany Greek gods and goddesses.

Below the acropolis was an open areacalled an agora (A•guh•ruh). This space hadtwo functions: it was both a market and aplace where people could meet and debateissues. Just beyond the agora lay the farm-land that belonged to the city-states.

City-states varied in size. Because of themountains and seas, most city-states weresmall and very independent. A few wereonly a few square miles in size, but somecovered hundreds of square miles. Theyalso varied in population. Athens was byfar the largest. By 500 B.C., nearly 300,000people lived there. Most city-states weremuch smaller than Athens.

What Was Greek Citizenship? EachGreek city-state was run by its citizens.When we speak of citizens, we mean mem-

bers of a political community who treateach other as equals and who have rightsand responsibilities. This was very differ-ent from ancient Mesopotamia or Egypt.There, most people were subjects. Theyhad no rights, no say in government, andno choice but to obey their rulers.

The Greeks were the first people todevelop the idea of citizenship. Today, theword applies to almost everyone in a society.However, in most Greek city-states, only freenative-born men who owned land could becitizens. From their point of view, the city-state was made up of their lands, and it wastheir responsibility to run it.

Some city-states, such as Athens, eventu-ally dropped the land-owning requirement.


Athenian Soldier’s Oath

In the Greek city of Athens, soldiers took this oath:“I will not disgrace my sacredarms nor desert my comrade,

wherever I am stationed. . . .I will obey the ruling magis-trates who rule reasonably.And I will observe theestablished laws and

whatever laws in thefuture may be reasonably

established. If any personseek to overturn

the laws. . . .I will oppose him.I will honor the

religion of myfathers.”

—Athenian Ephebic Oath,Clarence A. Forbes, trans.

Identify six things each soldier promisesto do in taking the oath.

Greek soldier

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Slaves and foreign-born residents, however,continued to be excluded. Women and chil-dren might qualify for citizenship, but theyhad none of the rights that went with it.

What exactly were the rights of Greek cit-izens? They could gather in the agora tochoose their officials and pass laws. They hadthe right to vote, hold office, own property,and defend themselves in court. In return,citizens had a duty to serve in governmentand to fight for their polis as citizen soldiers.

Citizens as Soldiers In early Greece, warswere waged by nobles riding horses andchariots. As the idea of citizenship devel-oped, however, the military systemchanged. By 700 B.C., the city-states hadbegun to depend on armies of ordinary cit-izens called hoplites (HAHP • LYTS).

Unable to afford horses, the hoplitesfought on foot and went into battle heavilyarmed. Each soldier carried a round shield, a short sword, and a 9-foot (2.7-m) spear. Rowupon row of soldiers marched forwardtogether, shoulder to shoulder in a formationcalled a phalanx (FAY • langks). With theirshields creating a protective wall, they gavetheir enemies few openings to defeat them.

Hoplites made good soldiers because, ascitizens, they took pride in fighting for theircity-state. However, “hometown” loyaltiesalso divided the Greeks and caused them todistrust one another. A lack of unity alwaysexisted among the Greek city-states.

Explain How did citizenshipmake the Greeks different from other ancientpeoples?

500 kilometers

500 miles0

0

Lambert Azimuthal Equal-Area projection

N

S

WE

0° 20°E

30°N

50°N

50°N

40°E

0°

MediterraneanSea

Black Sea

Red Sea

EuphratesR.

Tigris R.

Nile

R.

ATLANTICOCEAN

Corsica

Sicily

CreteCyprus

ASIAMINOR

A F R I C A

GREECE

ITALY

EGYPT

SpartaAthens

Troy

Tyre

Greek Colonies and Trade 750–550 B.C.

1. Movement Which islands werehome to Greek colonies?

2. Location On which continentscould Greek colonies be found?

Trade routeGreeceGreek colonies

KEY


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WH6.4.1 Discuss the connections between geography and the development of city-states in the region of the Aegean Sea, includingpatterns of trade and commerce among Greek city-states and within the wider Mediterranean region.

Reading SummaryReview the • Geography influenced the way

Greek communities developed.

• The Minoan civilization on theisland of Crete built ships andbecame wealthy from trade.

• The Mycenaeans created thefirst Greek kingdoms.

• After the Dark Age, the Greeks setup colonies and trade increased.

• The idea of citizenship developedin Greek city-states.

1. What made the Minoanswealthy?

2. How was a Greek city-statedifferent from a city?

Critical Thinking3. Compare Create a Venn dia-

gram to compare the Minoansand Mycenaeans.

4. How did earlyGreek civilizations use theirnatural surroundings to prosperand grow?

5. Citizenship Skills Namethree rights granted to Greekcitizens that American citizenshave today.

6. Economics Connection Whydid the use of money helptrade to grow?

7. Comparing andContrasting Write an essaythat compares and contraststhe Mycenaeans and theDorians. Look for clues in thetext that will help you makethese comparisons. CA 6WA2.2

CA HI6.

CA 6RC2.3

CA CS3.

CA 6RC2.2

What Did You Learn?

Minoan Both Mycenaean


A Move to ColonizeColonies and trade spread Greek culture

and spurred industry.

Reading Connection If you read labels, you know

that your food and clothing come from all over the

world. Read to find out where the early Greeks got

their goods.

As Greece recovered from its Dark Age,its population rose quickly. By 700 B.C., city-states could no longer grow enough grainto feed everyone. As a result, cities begansending people outside Greece to startcolonies (KAH • luh •nees). A colony is a settle-ment in a new territory that stays closelylinked to its homeland.

Between 750 B.C. and 550 B.C., adventur-ous Greeks streamed to the coasts of Italy,France, Spain, North Africa, and westernAsia. With each new colony, Greek culturespread farther.

Colonists traded regularly with their“parent” cities, shipping them grains, metals,fish, timber, and enslaved people. In return,the colonists received pottery, wine, and oliveoil from the mainland. Overseas trade got anextra boost during the 600s B.C., when theGreeks began to mint coins. Merchants weresoon exchanging goods for currency ratherthan for more goods.

By importing grain and other foods fromtheir colonies, many city-states could supporta much larger population. This made it veryimportant to protect their colonies, otherwisepeople would starve. Trade also led to thegrowth of industry. As the demand for goodsgrew, producers had to keep pace. People indifferent areas began specializing in certainproducts. For example, pottery became pop-ular in places with large amounts of clay.

Cause and Effect How didthe founding of new colonies affect industry?

Study Central Need help understanding theimportance of geography in ancient Greece? Visit ca.hss.glencoe.com and click on Study Central.

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c. 650 B.C.Tyrants overthrownobles in city-states

594 B.C.Solon takes power in Athens

508 B.C.Cleisthenes reforms Atheniangovernment

GREECE

PELOPONNESUSAthens

Sparta

700 B.C. 600 B.C. 500 B.C.700 B.C. 600 B.C. 500 B.C.



Looking Back,Looking AheadAlthough Greek city-states devel-

oped the idea of citizenship, they hadmany different types of government.This section describes their differentgovernments and compares the best-known city-states, Athens and Sparta.

Focusing on the • Tyrants were able to seize power

from the nobles with the support of Greek farmers, merchants, andartisans. (page 345)

• The Spartans focused on militaryskills to control the people they conquered. (page 346)

• Unlike Spartans, Athenians weremore interested in building a democracy than building a militaryforce. (page 348)

Locating PlacesSparta (SPAHR•tuh)Athens (A•thuhnz)

Meeting PeopleSolon (SOH• luhn)Peisistratus (py•SIHS•truht•uhs)Cleisthenes (KLYS•thuh•NEEZ)

Content Vocabularytyrant (TY•ruhnt)oligarchy (AH• luh•GAHR•kee)democracy (dih•MAH•kruh•see)helot (HEH• luht)

Academic Vocabularyenforce (ihn•FOHRS)participate (pahr•TIH•suh•PAYT)

Reading StrategyCompare and Contrast Use a Venndiagram to compare and contrast lifein Sparta and Athens.

Sparta Both Athens

Spartaand Athens

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WH6.4.2 Trace the transition from tyranny and oligarchy to early democratic forms of government and back to dictatorship inancient Greece, including the significance of the invention of the idea of citizenship (e.g., from Pericles' Funeral Oration).

Tyranny in the City-StatesTyrants were able to seize power from

the nobles with the support of Greek farmers, mer-chants, and artisans.

Reading Connection How do you feel when someone

makes a decision that affects you without asking for

your opinion? Read to find out how ancient Greeks who

were shut out of governing made their voices heard.

As you read in the last section, kingsruled the first Greek communities. However,by the end of the Dark Age, the nobles whoowned large farms had seized power fromthe kings.

Rule by the nobles would also be short-lived. The first challenge to their rule camefrom the owners of small farms. Thesefarmers often needed money to live on until

they could harvest and sell their crops.Many borrowed money from the nobles,promising to give up their fields if theycould not repay the loans. Time and timeagain, farmers lost their land. Then theyhad to work for the nobles or become labor-ers in the city. In desperate cases, they soldthemselves into slavery.

By 650 B.C., owners of small farmsbegan to demand changes in the powerstructure. Merchants and artisans alsowanted to share in governing. Both groupshad become very wealthy from the tradebetween city-states. Because they did notown land, however, they were not citizensand had no say in running the polis.

The growing unhappiness led to the riseof tyrants. A tyrant (TY • ruhnt) is someonewho takes power by force and rules with


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Sparta and Athens c. 700 B.C.

1. Location How many miles apartwere Sparta and Athens?

2. Place Which city-state’sgeography might make it moreopen to attack in a militarybattle? Explain.

Atheniancoin

Territory controlled by SpartaTerritory controlled by Athens

KEY

The

Art

Arc

hive

/E.T

. Arc

hive

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WH6.4.6 Compare and contrast life in Athens and Sparta, with emphasis on their roles in the Persian and Peloponnesian Wars.

total authority. Today the word describes aharsh, oppressive ruler. Most early Greektyrants, though, acted wisely and fairly.

During the 600s B.C., tyrants managed tooverthrow the nobles because they had thebacking of the common people. Key sup-port came from the hoplites in the army,many of whom were also farmers.

Tyrants made themselves popular bybuilding new marketplaces, temples, andwalls. However, rule by one person was theopposite of what most Greeks wanted. Theylonged for rule by law with all citizens par-ticipating in the government.

By 500 B.C., tyrants had fallen out offavor in Greece. Most city-states becameeither oligarchies or democracies. In an oligarchy (AH • luh • GAHR • kee), a few peoplehold power. In a democracy (dih•MAH•kruh•see), all citizens share in running the government. The oligarchy of Sparta (SPAHR•tuh) and the democracy of Athens (A • thuhnz)became two of the most powerful govern-ments of early Greece.

Evaluate Why were tyrantspopular in the city-states?

346

SpartaThe Spartans focused on military skills

to control the people they conquered.

Reading Connection What would it be like to leave

home when you were only seven? Read to learn how

Spartan boys faced this challenge.

As you read in the last section, Spartawas founded by the Dorians—Greeks whoinvaded the Peloponnesus in the Dark Age.Like other city-states, Sparta needed moreland as it grew, but its people did not set upcolonies. Instead, they conquered and en-slaved their neighbors. The Spartans calledtheir captive workers helots (HEH • luhts).This name comes from the Greek word for“capture.”

Why Was the Military So Important?Spartans feared that the helots might some-day rebel. As a result, the governmentfirmly controlled the people of Sparta andtrained the boys and men for war.

At age seven, boys left their family tolive in barracks. They were harshly treatedto make them tough. The Greek historianPlutarch describes life for Spartan boys:

After they were twelve years old,they were no longer allowed towear any undergarment; they hadone coat to serve them a year; . . .They lodged together in littlebands upon beds made of thereeds [grasses] . . . which theywere to break off with their handswithout a knife.

—Plutarch, “Spartan Discipline”

At age 20, Spartan men entered the reg-ular army. The men remained in militarybarracks for 10 more years. They ate all theirmeals in dining halls with other soldiers.

Spartan WarriorSpartan Warrior

Spartan boys and menspent many years training for war.At what age did Spartan boys leave their families for themilitary?

Foto Marburg/Art Resource, NY

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A typical meal was a vile-tasting dish calledblack broth—pork boiled in animal blood,salt, and vinegar.

Spartans returned home at age 30 butstayed in the army until age 60. They con-tinued to train for combat. They expected toeither win on the battlefield or die, butnever to surrender. One Spartan motherordered her son to “Come home carryingyour shield or being carried on it.”

Girls in Sparta were trained in sports—running, wrestling, and throwing thejavelin. They kept fit to become healthymothers. Wives lived at home while theirhusbands lived in the barracks. As a result,Spartan women were freer than other Greekwomen. They could own property and gowhere they wanted.

What Was Sparta’s Government Like?The Spartan government was an oligarchy.Two kings headed a council of elders. Thecouncil, which included 28 citizens over age60, presented laws to an assembly.

All Spartan men over age 30 belongedto the assembly. They voted on the coun-cil’s laws and chose five people to beephors (EH • fuhrs) each year. The ephorsenforced the laws and managed tax collection.

To keep anyone from questioning theSpartan system, the government discour-aged foreign visitors. It also banned travelabroad for any reason but military ones. Iteven frowned upon citizens who studiedliterature or the arts.

The Spartans succeeded in keeping con-trol over the helots for nearly 250 years.However, by focusing on military training,the Spartans fell behind other Greeks intrade. They also knew less about scienceand other subjects. However, their soldierswere especially strong and swift. TheSpartans would play a key role in defend-ing Greece.

Cause and Effect Why didthe Spartans focus on military training?

Spartan boys began training for the military at age 7. Why did theSpartan government want its young people to be physically fit?

Spartan girls weretrained insports.

(l)Bettmann/CORBIS, (r)Michael Holford

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WH6.4.2 Trace the transition from tyranny and oligarchy to early democratic forms of government and back to dictatorship inancient Greece, including the significance of the invention of the idea of citizenship (e.g., from Pericles' Funeral Oration).


Athens Unlike Spartans, Athenians were more

interested in building a democracy than building amilitary force.

Reading Connection When visiting a new city, does

everything feel strange to you? Spartans who visited

Athens probably felt the same way. Read to find out why.

Athens lay northeast of Sparta, at least atwo-day trip away. The two city-states werealso miles apart in their values and systemsof government.

What Was Life in Athens Like? Atheniancitizens raised their children very differ-ently from Spartans. In Athenian schools,one teacher taught boys to read, write, anddo arithmetic. Another teacher taught themsports. A third teacher taught them to singand to play a stringed instrument called thelyre. This kind of instruction created well-rounded Athenians with good minds andbodies. At age 18, boys finished school andbecame citizens.

Athenian girls stayed at home. Theirmothers taught them spinning, weaving,


In today’s Olympicgames, both men and womencompete. These athletes come from

all over the world. They may competein either individual or team sporting

events. Olympic athletes strive to wingold, silver, or bronze medals. What did

ancient Greek Olympic winners receive? Whatdo present-day Olympic winners receive?

The Olympics

In ancient Greece, only men could participate in and view the Olympic games.Athletes competed by themselves, not aspart of a team. Contests included running,jumping, wrestling, and boxing. Eachwinning athlete won a crown of oliveleaves and brought glory to his city.

A warrior’s race in the ancient Olympics

Modern Olympic athletes

(l)Tom Lovell/National Geographic Society Image Collection, (r)Dan Helms/NewSport/CORBIS

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and other household duties. Only in somewealthy families did girls learn to read,write, and play the lyre. When they mar-ried, women stayed home to keep houseand to teach their own daughters.

A Budding Democracy Early Athens, likeother city-states, was ruled by landowningnobles during the 600s B.C. An assembly ofall citizens existed, but it had few powers.Actually, the government was an oligarchy,as in Sparta.

Around 600 B.C., the Athenians began torebel against the nobles. Most farmersowed the nobles money, and many soldthemselves into slavery to pay their debts.Over and over, farmers demanded an endto all debts, along with land for the poor.

In 594 B.C. the nobles turned to the oneman both sides trusted: a noble named Solon(SOH • luhn). Solon canceled all the farmers’debts and freed those who had becomeslaves. He also allowed all male citizens toparticipate in the assembly and law courts. Acouncil of 400 wealthy citizens wrote thelaws, but the assembly had to pass them.

Solon’s reforms were popular among the common people. However, the farmers

continued to press Solon to give away thewealthy nobles’ land. This he refused to do.

After Solon, there were 30 years of tur-moil. Finally, a tyrant named Peisistratus(py •SIHS • truht •uhs) seized power in 560 B.C.He won the support of the poor by dividinglarge estates among landless farmers. He alsoloaned money to poor people and gave themjobs building temples and other publicworks.


Token used to select jurors for Athenian courts

The city of Athens was named for the goddess Athena.What group ruledAthens duringthe 600s B.C.?

Web Activity Visit ca.hss.glencoe.com and click on Chapter 7—Student Web Activityto learn more about ancient Greece.

(t)Nimatallah/Art Resource, NY, (b)The Brooklyn Museum, Charles Wilbour Fund

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Reading SummaryReview the • The support of wealthy mer-

chants and artisans helpedtyrants seize power from noblesin the city-states.

• Sparta was a powerful city-state.It created a military state tocontrol the people it conqueredand to prevent uprisings.

• Athens was a powerful demo-cratic city-state. Athenians weremore involved in government,education, and the arts than theSpartans.

1. Who were the helots?

2. Why did tyrants fall out offavor with the Greeks?

Critical Thinking3. Persuasive Writing Athenians

chose officials by lottery. Writean essay arguing for or againstthis idea.

4. Classifying InformationDraw a diagram like the onebelow. In each oval write a factabout the Spartan oligarchy.

5. Explain How did Greek noblesgain power?

6. Analyze Why was Solon pop-ular among some Athenianfarmers and unpopular amongothers?

7. To ensure stability,the Athenians set up their gov-ernment to keep one personfrom gaining too much power.How did they do this?

8. Expository Writing Imaginethat you are a 28-year-old manliving in Sparta in 700 B.C. Writea letter to your 6-year-oldnephew telling him what toexpect when he leaves home on his next birthday. CA 6WS1.1

CA 6RC2.4

CA HR5.

CA 6RC2.0

CA 6RC2.4

CA 6WA2.5

What Did You Learn?


The most important leader afterPeisistratus died was Cleisthenes (KLYS• thuh•NEEZ). When he came to power in 508 B.C., hereorganized the assembly to play the centralrole in governing. As before, all male citizenscould belong to the assembly and vote onlaws. However, members had new powers.They could debate matters openly, hear courtcases, and appoint army generals.

Most importantly, Cleisthenes created anew council of 500 citizens to help theassembly carry out daily business. Thecouncil proposed laws, dealt with foreigncountries, and oversaw the treasury.

Athenians chose the members of thecouncil each year in a lottery. They believedthis system was fairer than an election,which might favor the rich.

Cleisthenes’ reforms did not bring all Athenians into the political process.

Noncitizens, which included all women,foreign-born men, and slaves, were stillexcluded. Nonetheless, Cleisthenes iscredited with making the government ofAthens a democracy.

Explain How didCleisthenes build a democracy in Athens?

Oligarchy

This stonecarving showsDemocracycrowning afigure thatsymbolizesAthens. Whatleader iscredited withmaking Athensa democracy?

Study Central Need help comparing Athensand Sparta? Visit ca.hss.glencoe.com and click onStudy Central.

Ronald Sheridan/Ancient Art & Architecture Collection

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Persia Attacks Greeksthe

Looking Back, Looking AheadSection 2 explained how Greeks

built strong but separate city-states.At the same time far to the east, thePersians were building a powerfulempire. It was only a matter of timebefore Persia would try to invadeGreece.

Focusing on the • The Persian Empire united a wide

area under a single government.(page 352)

• Both Sparta and Athens played rolesin defeating the Persians. (page 354)

Locating PlacesPersia (PUHR•zhuh)Marathon (MAR•uh•THAHN)Thermopylae

(thuhr•MAH•puh• lee)Salamis (SA• luh•muhs)Plataea (pluh•TEE•uh)

Meeting PeopleCyrus the Great (SY•ruhs)Darius (duh•RY•uhs)Xerxes (ZUHRK•SEEZ)Themistocles

(thuh•MIHS•tuh•KLEEZ)

Content Vocabularysatrapies (SAY•truh•peez)satrap (SAY•TRAP)Zoroastrianism (ZOHR•uh•WAS•

tree•uh•NIH•zuhm)

Academic Vocabularyvision (VIH•zhuhn)internal (ihn•TUHR•nuhl)

Reading StrategyOrganizing Information Create achart like the one below to list theaccomplishments of Cyrus, Darius,and Xerxes.

AccomplishmentsRuler

660 B.C.Zoroasterborn

650 B.C. 550 B.C. 450 B.C.650 B.C. 550 B.C. 450 B.C.

559 B.C.Cyrus becomesruler of Persia

480 B.C.Xerxes invadesGreece

CHAPTER 7 • The Ancient Greeks 351(l)Mary Evans Picture Library, (c)Bettmann/CORBIS, (r)Roger Wood/CORBIS

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PERSIAPHOENICIA

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GREECE

CANAAN Persepolis

Sardis

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TyreJerusalem

Thebes

Nineveh

SusaBabylon

WH6.4.5 Outline the founding, expansion, and political organization of the Persian Empire.

The Persian EmpireThe Persian Empire united a wide area

under a single government.

Reading Connection Have you ever seen soldiers

marching through city streets on the news? Imagine the

same thing happening in Asia in the 500s B.C. Read to

learn what happened as Persian armies marched west-

ward from Asia.

The people of Persia (PUHR • zhuh) livedin what is today southwestern Iran. EarlyPersians were warriors and nomads whoherded cattle. For a time, they were domi-nated by others. Then one remarkableleader, Cyrus the Great (SY • ruhs), managed

to unite the Persians into a powerful kingdom. Under Cyrus, who ruled from559 B.C. to 530 B.C., Persia began buildingan empire larger than any yet seen in theworld.

The Rise of the Persian Empire In 539 B.C.Cyrus’s armies swept into Mesopotamiaand captured Babylon. Then they took overnorthern Mesopotamia, Asia Minor, Syria,Canaan, and the Phoenician cities. Cyrustreated all his new subjects well. As youread in Chapter 3, he allowed the captiveJews in Babylon to return home. Cyrus’smerciful rule helped hold his growingempire together.

1. Location About how long was theRoyal Road?

2. Movement Based on the map,why might the Persian Empirehave been a threat to Greece?

Persian EmpireRoyal Road

KEY

352

Bronze model of Persian chariot

The Persian Empire 500 B.C.

SEF/Art Resource, NY

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The leaders who followed Cyrus con-tinued to add to Persian territory. Theyconquered Egypt, western India, andThrace, a region northeast of Greece. Fromone end to the other, the Persian Empirewas about the size of the continentalUnited States today.

To connect their vast holdings, thePersians built miles of roads. The RoyalRoad stretched from Asia Minor to Susa,the Persian capital. Along the way, thePersians set up roadside stations to supplyfood, shelter, and fresh horses to theking’s messengers.

What Was Persian Government Like? Asthe Persian Empire grew bigger, it becamevery difficult to manage. When Darius(duh •RY •uhs) came to the throne in 521 B.C.,he reorganized the government to make itwork better.

Darius divided the empire into 20provinces called satrapies (SAY • truh • peez).Each was ruled by an official with the titleof satrap (SAY • TRAP), meaning “protector ofthe kingdom.” The satrap acted as tax col-lector, judge, chief of police, and headrecruiter for the Persian army. However, allthe satraps answered to the Persian king.

The king’s power depended upon histroops. By the time of Darius, Persia had alarge army of professional soldiers. Unlikethe Greek city-states, where the citizenstook up arms in times of war, in Persia the government paid people to be full-timesoldiers. Among them were 10,000 speciallytrained soldiers who guarded the king.They were called the Immortals becausewhen a member died, he was immediatelyreplaced.

The Persian Religion The Persian religionwas called Zoroastrianism (ZOHR •uh •WAS •tree • uh • NIH • zuhm). Its founder, Zoroaster,

was born in 660 B.C. He began preachingafter seeing visions as a young man.

Like the Jews, Zoroaster believed inone god. He viewed this supreme being asthe creator of all things and a force ofgoodness. However, Zoroaster recognizedevil in the world, too. He taught thathumans had the freedom to choosebetween right and wrong, and that good-ness would triumph in the end. ThePersians practiced Zoroastrianism for cen-turies, and it still has a small number offollowers today.

Explain What did Darius doto make his government work better?


Darius helped to organizethe Persian government.What methods did he use?

King DariusKing Darius

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The Persian WarsBoth Sparta and Athens played roles in

defeating the Persians.

Reading Connection Have you and a rival ever set aside

your differences to work for a common cause? This hap-

pened in ancient Greece when Sparta and Athens came

together to fight the Persians. Read about the outcome.

As the Greeks set up colonies in theMediterranean area, they often clashedwith the Persians. By the mid-500s B.C.,Persia already controlled the Greek cities inAsia Minor. In 499 B.C. the Athenian armyhelped the Greeks in Asia Minor rebel

against their Persian rulers. The rebellionfailed, but King Darius decided the main-land Greeks had to be stopped from inter-fering in the Persian Empire.

The Battle of Marathon In 490 B.C. aPersian fleet landed 20,000 soldiers on theplain of Marathon (MAR • uh • THAHN), only ashort distance from Athens. For severaldays, the Persians waited there for theAthenians to advance. The Athenians, how-ever, did not take the bait. They had only10,000 soldiers compared to the Persians’20,000. They knew that attacking was toodangerous. Instead they held back in thehills overlooking the plain.

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M e d i t e r r a n e a nS e a

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MarathonPlataea

Thermopylae Sardis

Miletus

SpartaAthens

1 Athenian army defeats Persian army.

2 Greek force, led by Spartans, falls to Persian army.

4 Greeks defeat Persians, ending the war.

3 Greek fleet defeats Persian navy.

Persian Wars 499–479 B.C.


Greek statesPersian Empire1st Persian invasion,490 B.C.

2nd Persian invasion,480 B.C.

Major battle

KEY

1. Movement Which of the major battlesshown was a naval battle?

2. Place Why might attacks on the Greekcity-states have been difficult for thePersians?

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Tired of waiting, the Persian com-mander decided to sail south and attackAthens directly. He ordered his troops backonto the ships, and it was then that he madea big mistake. The first to board, hedecided, would be the horsemen in the cav-alry, the strongest part of the Persian army.

As soon as the cavalry was out of fight-ing range, the Greeks charged down fromthe hills and onto the plain of Marathon.They caught the Persian foot soldiers stand-ing in the water, waiting their turn to boardthe ships. Unable to defend themselves, thePersians were easily defeated.

According to legend, the Athenians senta messenger named Pheidippides (fy •DIHP •uh • DEEZ) home with the news. The runnerraced nearly 25 miles (40.2 km) fromMarathon to Athens. He collapsed fromexhaustion and, with his last breath,announced, “Victory.” Then he died.Modern marathon races are named for thisfamous run and are just over 26 miles long.

Another Persian Strike After Darius diedin 486 B.C., his son Xerxes (ZUHRK • SEEZ)became the Persian king. Xerxes vowedrevenge against the Athenians. In 480 B.C.he launched a new invasion of Greece, thistime with about 180,000 troops and thou-sands of warships and supply vessels.

To defend themselves, the Greeks joinedforces. Sparta sent the most soldiers, andtheir king, Leonidas (lee • AH • nuh • duhs),served as commander. Athens provided thenavy. An Athenian general, Themistocles(thuh • MIHS • tuh • KLEEZ), created a plan tofight the Persians.

The Greeks knew that as the hugePersian army marched south, it dependedon shipments of food brought in by boat.Themistocles argued that the Greeks’ beststrategy would be to attack the Persians’ships and cut off food supplies to the army.


Herodotus’sHistory

The Greek historian Herodotus (hih•RAH•duh•tuhs) wrote History of the Persian Wars.This is thought to be the first real history inWestern civilization. Herodotus described theconflict between the Greeks and Persians asone between freedom and dictatorship. Herehe tells of Xerxes’ address to Persian nobles:“And truly I have pondered upon this, until at lastI have found out a way whereby we may at oncewin glory, and likewise get possession of a landwhich is as large and as rich as our own . . . whileat the same time we obtain satisfaction andrevenge . . . My intent is to . . . march an armythrough Europe against Greece, that thereby Imay obtain vengeance from the Athenians forthe wrongs committed by them against thePersians and against my father.”

—Herodotus,The Persian Wars, Book VII

What reasons besides revenge does Xerxeshave for invading Greece?

Herodotus reading to a crowd

Bettmann/CORBIS

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To ready their fleet for battle, the Greeksneeded to stall the Persian army before itreached Athens. The Greeks decided thebest place to block the Persians was atThermopylae (thuhr • MAH • puh • lee). Ther-mopylae was a narrow pass through themountains that was easy to defend. About7,000 Greek soldiers held off the Persiansthere for two days. The Spartans in theGreek army were especially brave. As onestory has it, the Greeks heard that Persianarrows would darken the sky. A Spartanwarrior responded, “That is good news. Wewill fight in the shade!”

Unfortunately for the Greeks, a traitorexposed a mountain path to the Persiansthat led them around the Greeks. As thePersians mounted a rear attack, KingLeonidas sent most of his troops to safety.He and several hundred others, however,

stayed behind and fought to the death. TheGreeks lost the battle at Thermopylae, buttheir valiant stand gave Athens enoughtime to assemble 200 ships.

The Greek fleet attacked the Persianfleet in the strait of Salamis (SA • luh •muhs),not far from Athens. A strait is a narrow stripof water between two pieces of land. TheGreeks expected to have the upper hand inthe battle because their ships could maneu-ver well in tight spaces. Greek ships weresmaller, faster, and easier to steer than the bigPersian ships, which became easy targets.

The Greek plan worked. After a ferociousbattle, the Greeks destroyed almost the entirePersian fleet. Still, the Persian army marchedon. When their troops reached Athens, theGreeks had already fled.

The Persians burned the city. This onlystiffened the resolve of the Greek city-states.

At the Battle of Salamis, smaller, faster Greek shipsdefeated the Persian fleet. Near what Greek city-state was the strait of Salamis located?

Battle of SalamisBattle of Salamis

Peter Connolly

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Reading SummaryReview the • The Persian Empire united its

many lands under a single government.

• The Persian Empire attackedGreece several times. Despitetheir rivalry, Athens and Spartajoined forces to defeat thePersians.

1. Why was Cyrus considered afair ruler?

2. What was the Royal Road?

Critical Thinking3. Summarize Draw a table like

the one below. Then summarizewhat happened at each battlein the Persian Wars.

4. Imagine you arean adviser to Xerxes and arealarmed about his plan forrevenge on Greece. Compose aletter to him listing possibleoutcomes of the war.

5. DeterminingContext Reread the PrimarySource quote on page 355. Doesit matter that the quote comesfrom a Greek? Write an essaydiscussing different ways thequote can be interpreted.

CA HR5.

CA 6WS1.1; 6WA2.5

CA 6RC2.4

What Did You Learn?


In early 479 B.C., they came together toform the largest Greek army ever assem-bled. With solid body armor, longer spears,and better training, the Greek armycrushed the Persian army at Plataea (pluh •TEE •uh), northwest of Athens.

The battle was a turning point for theGreeks, convincing the Persians to retreat toAsia Minor. By working together, the Greekcity-states had saved their homeland frominvasion.

What Caused the Persian Empire to Fall?When the Greeks defeated the Persianarmy, they helped to weaken it. The empirewas already affected by internal problems.As these problems worsened, the empirewould gradually lose its strength.

Persia remained intact for almost 150more years. However, after Darius andXerxes, other Persian rulers raised taxes togain more wealth. They spent the gold andsilver that flowed into the treasuries on lux-uries for the royal court.

The high taxes angered their subjectsand caused many rebellions. At the sametime, the Persian royal family fought overwho was to be king. Many of the laterPersian kings were killed by other familymembers who wanted the throne.

Persian kings had many wives andchildren. The sons had little, if any, powerso they were constantly plotting to takeover the throne. As a result of such plots,six of the nine rulers after Darius weremurdered.

All of these problems made Persia vulnerable to attack. By the time a youngGreek conqueror named Alexander in-vaded the empire in 334 B.C., the Persianswere no match for his troops.

By 330 B.C., the last Persian king was deadand Alexander ruled over all his lands. Youwill learn more about Alexander the Greatand his many achievements in Chapter 8.

Cause and Effect What ledto the Persian Wars?

MarathonThermopylaeSalamisPlataea

Battle Action

Study Central Need help understanding Persia or the Persian wars? Visit ca.hss.glencoe.com and click on Study Central.

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Age of Pericles


The

Citizens

SlavesForeigners

478 B.C.Delian Leagueforms

431 B.C.PeloponnesianWar begins

GREECE

Delos

Athens

Sparta

500 B.C. 450 B.C. 400 B.C.500 B.C. 450 B.C. 400 B.C.

461 B.C.Pericles leadsAthens


Looking Back, Looking AheadIn Section 3, you learned how

the Greeks defeated the Persians atPlataea. One lesson the Greeks drewfrom the war was that they neededeach other for security. Athens andseveral other city-states soonbanded together in a league for the common defense.

Focusing on the • Under Pericles, Athens became very

powerful and more democratic.(page 359)

• Athenian men and women had verydifferent roles. (page 362)

• Sparta and Athens went to war forcontrol of Greece. (page 364)

Locating PlacesDelos (DEE•LAHS)

Meeting PeoplePericles (PEHR•uh•KLEEZ)Aspasia (as•PAY•zhuh)

Content Vocabularydirect democracy

(dih•MAH•kruh•see)representative democracy

(REH•prih•ZEHN•tuh•tihv)philosopher (fuh•LAH•suh• fuhr)

Academic Vocabularybehalf (bih•HAF)economy (ih•KAH•nuh•mee)framework (FRAYM•WUHRK)

Reading StrategyOrganizing Information Create a circle graph to show how manycitizens, foreigners, and enslavedpeople lived in Athens in the 400s B.C.

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WH6.4.3 State the key differences between Athenian, or direct, democracy and representative democracy.

The Athenian EmpireUnder Pericles, Athens became very

powerful and more democratic.

Reading Connection Do you vote in school elec-

tions? Why do you choose one classmate over another?

Read to learn why Athenians kept electing Pericles.

As you read in Section 3, the Battle ofPlataea in 479 B.C. put an end to the Persians’invasion of Greece. Although the Persiansretreated, they still remained a threat. In478 B.C. Athens joined with other city-states—but not Sparta—to form the Delian League.

The Delian League promised to defendits members against the Persians. It alsoworked to drive Persia out of Greek territo-ries in Asia Minor. Eventually, the leaguefreed almost all of the Greek cities underPersia’s control.

At its start, the Delian League had head-quarters on the island of Delos (DEE • LAHS).However, its chief officials—the treasurersin charge of its money and the commandersin charge of its fleet—were from Athens, aswere most of the troops. Little by little,Athens gained control over the other city-states in the alliance. Soon the league wasno longer a partnership to fight Persia butan Athenian empire.

In 454 B.C. the Athenians moved theDelian League’s treasury from Delos toAthens. The Athenians also began sendingtroops to other Greek city-states to help thecommon people rebel against the nobles inpower.

Democracy in Athens Athenians had astrong faith in their democratic system. We call their system direct democracy(dih •MAH •kruh • see). In a direct democracy,people gather at mass meetings to decideon government matters. Every citizen canvote firsthand on laws and policies.

Can you imagine such a system in theUnited States? A mass meeting of our millions of citizens would be impossible!Instead, in the United States we have arepresentative democracy (REH •prih •ZEHN •tuh • tihv). Under this type of democracy, cit-izens choose a smaller group to make lawsand governmental decisions on theirbehalf. This is a much more practical sys-tem when the population is large.

What made direct democracy workablein ancient Athens was the relatively smallnumber of citizens. In the mid-400s B.C.,about 43,000 male citizens over 18 years oldmade up the assembly. Usually fewer than6,000 attended the meetings, which wereheld every 10 days. The assembly passed alllaws, elected officials, and made decisionson war and foreign affairs. Ten officialsknown as generals carried out the assembly’slaws and policies.


These ruins are of the agora—an ancientmarketplace in Athens where the assembly met.What type of democracy did Athens have?

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Athenian Democracy American Democracy

Type of Democracy

Right to Vote

Laws

Citizen Involvement

Direct

Only adult males born in Athens

Proposed by the council and approved by a majority in the assembly

Citizens with voting rights can vote for or against any law

Representative

All citizens, male and female age 18 or over

Approved by both houses of Congress and signed by the president

Citizens with voting rights can vote for or against the officials who make the laws

Comparing GovernmentsComparing Governments

The Achievements of Pericles Atheniansreelected their favorite generals again andagain. After the Persian Wars, the leading fig-ure in Athenian politics was a general namedPericles (PEHR • uh • KLEEZ). This great states-man guided Athens for more than 30 years,from 461 B.C., when he was first elected, until429 B.C., shortly before his death.

Pericles helped Athens dominate theDelian League. He treated the other city-states like subjects, demanding strict loy-alty and steady payments from them. Heeven insisted that they use Athenian coinsand measures.

At the same time, Pericles made Athensmore democratic at home. He believed thatpeople’s talents were more important thantheir social standing. For this reason,Pericles included more Athenians thanever before in government. He allowedlower-class male citizens to run for publicoffice, and he also paid officeholders. As aresult, even poor citizens could, for the firsttime, be part of the inner circle running thegovernment.

Culture also blossomed under the ruleof Pericles. The Age of Pericles was aperiod of tremendous creativity andlearning that peaked in the mid-400s B.C.The Persians had destroyed much of thecity during the Persian Wars. So Periclesstarted a major rebuilding program. Hehad new temples and statues built acrossthe city.

Pericles supported artists, architects,writers, and philosophers (fuh • LAH • suh •fuhrs). Philosophers are thinkers who pon-der questions about life. In Chapter 8, youwill read more about the Greeks’ achieve-ments and understand why Pericles calledAthens “the school of Greece.”

Identify What is the differ-ence between a direct democracy and a represen-tative democracy?

The small number of citizens made a directdemocracy possible in Athens.

1. In Athens, how was a law approved?

2. Compare Which government granted theright to vote to more of its population?

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WH6.4.2 Trace the transition from tyrannyand oligarchy to early democratic forms ofgovernment and back to dictatorship inancient Greece, including the significance ofthe invention of the idea of citizenship (e.g.,from Pericles’ Funeral Oration).

PERICLESc. 495– 429 B.C.Pericles was born just outside Athens, to a wealthy

and powerful family. He received his education fromphilosophers. As a young man, he was known for his skillwith words. Later, when he became a political leader, hestrongly supported democracy.

Although he was from a wealthy family himself, hebelieved that citizenship should not be limited to thewealthy and powerful. He made changes to take powerfrom the few and give it to the many. However, indescribing Pericles’ rule over Athens, Greek historianThucydides wrote “In name democracy, but in fact the rule of one man.”

The “Age of Pericles” was Athens’s Golden Age, and the city blossomed under his leadership. Pericles wantedAthens to be a model for the world. He made it acenterpiece of art, philosophy, and democracy.

Pericles’ goal was to make Athens a city that Greekscould be proud of. He hired hundreds of workers toconstruct public buildings in Athens. The most well known is the Parthenon. Based on the value of money today,it cost about $3 billion to build. Workers hauled 20,000 tons of marble from a nearby mountain and spent almost 15 years completing it.

Pericles was a private person. He avoided being inpublic as much as possible. He spent most of histime alone, with family, or with close friends. Hemarried and had three sons. In 429 B.C. Pericles diedfrom the plague.

361

“Athens . . . is theschool of Greece.”

——Pericles, as recorded by Thucydides

Pericles

The Parthenon sits at the top ofthe Acropolis.

Consider what Thucydides wrote aboutPericles’ rule in Athens. Do research to find outhow the U.S. Constitution ensures that ourgovernment is not dominated by one leader.

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Bedroom

Family Room

Altar and CourtyardGreek courtyards usually had an altar to the favorite family god.

Dining RoomMen ate their meals alonewhile served by women.

KitchenCooking was often done

over an open fire.

Wool RoomYarn was spun and cloth

was woven here.

Athenian HomesAthenian Homes

Daily Life in AthensAthenian men and women had very

different roles.

Reading Connection School may be difficult at times,

but how would you feel if you could not go to school? Read

on to learn about the limits placed on some Athenians.

In the 400s B.C., more people lived inAthens than in any other Greek city-state.Athens had about 285,000 residents in all.Some 150,000 were citizens, although only43,000 of these were men with political

rights. Foreigners in Athens numberedabout 35,000. The population also includedabout 100,000 enslaved people.

Roles of Men and Women Athenian menusually worked in the morning and thenexercised or attended meetings of the assem-bly. In the evenings, upper-class men enjoyedall-male gatherings where they drank, dined,and discussed politics and philosophy.

For Athenian women, life revolvedaround home and family. Girls marriedearly—at 14 or 15—and were expected to

Many wealthy Athenians had large homes made of mud bricks and tiled roofs.They had many small windows to let light and air in the house. Where arereligious influences seen in the house?

Athenian urn

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have children and take care of householdduties. Poor women might also work withtheir husbands in the fields or sell goods inthe agora. Respectable upper-class women,however, stayed at home. They supervisedthe household servants and worked woolinto cloth—spinning, dyeing, and weavingit. They rarely went out, except to funerals orfestivals. Even then, they could leave thehouse only if a male relative went with them.

Although Athenian women could notattend school, many learned to read and toplay music. Still, even educated womenwere not considered the equals of men. Theyhad no political rights and could not ownproperty. Fathers took charge of unmarrieddaughters. Husbands looked after theirwives. Sons or other male relatives lookedafter the welfare of widows.

A few women did move more freely in public life. Aspasia (as • PAY • zhuh) isperhaps the most famous example.Aspasia was not a native Athenian. Thisgave her special status. She was well-educated and taught public speaking tomany Athenians. Her writings have notsurvived, but Plato, the famous Greekphilosopher, said her work helped shapehis ideas. Pericles often consultedAspasia, as did many other Athenianleaders. In this way, she became influen-tial in politics even though she was notallowed to vote or hold office.

Slavery in Athens Most people in theancient world considered slavery to be anormal way of life, even the enslaved peo-ple. Athens was no exception. Slavery wascommon even in the city of democracy.

Most Athenian homes had at least oneenslaved person, and wealthy Athenianhouseholds often had many. Many of theenslaved were people Athenians had cap-tured in battle with non-Greeks. Sometimes

Greeks were also enslaved after being takenprisoner during a war by other Greeks.

Enslaved men usually worked on projectsrequiring heavy labor. Enslaved women andchildren became cooks and maids in Greekhomes. Educated slaves sometimes becametutors to the children in the home. Othersworked in the fields and in artisans’ shops.

Enslaved people were treated differentlyfrom place to place. Those working in themines often died at a young age. Skilled slavesoften worked with citizens creating theircrafts. A few held positions of privilege, suchas overseers on farms. In some instances, theywere able to earn money and even buy theirfreedom, but this did not happen very often.The Greek city-states depended on enslavedlabor. Without it, Athens could not have sup-ported its bustling economy.

What Drove the Athenian Economy?Many Athenians depended on farming fora living. Herders raised sheep and goats forwool, milk, and cheese. Some farmers grew grains, vegetables, and fruit for localuse. Others grew grapes and olives to makewine and olive oil to sell abroad.

Athens did not have enough farmlandto grow crops for all its people. As a result,the city had to import grain from otherplaces. This had much to do with Athens’sgeographic location. Athens was locatednear the coast of Greece in the middle ofGreek civilization.

The city built a large fleet of ships totrade with colonies and other city-states inthe Mediterranean. During the 400s B.C.,Athens became an important crossroads forpeople, ideas, and goods traveling throughthe region. Merchants and artisans grewwealthy by making and selling pottery, jew-elry, leather goods, and other items.

Describe How did Athenianmen and women spend their time?

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Women’s Duties In ancient Athens, awoman’s place was in the home. Her twomain responsibilities were caring for thehousehold and raising children. The Greekwriter Xenophon (ZEH•nuh•fuhn) recordeda man’s explanation of women’s duties.

“Thus your duty will be to remain indoors andsend out those servants whose work is outside,and superintend those who are to workindoors . . . . And when wool is brought to you,you must see that cloaks are made for thosethat want them. You must see too that the drycorn is in good condition for making food.”

—Xenophon, Memorabilia and Oeconomicus

The second floor of each home wasthe women’s quarters. An Athenianwoman lived there with her children. Shewas expected to keep her children well

and happy. Sheencouraged them to learn sports andplay with toys, andtaught them how to interact withfriends and familymembers. Some boyswent to school, whilethe girls stayed athome.

Connecting to the Past1. Why do you think women and children

lived on the second floor of the home?

2. Over what areas of life did an Athenianwoman have authority?

Greek womanand servant

WH6.4.2 Trace the transition from tyranny and oligarchy to early democratic forms of government and back to dictatorship in ancientGreece, including the significance of the invention of the idea of citizenship (e.g., from Pericles’ Funeral Oration).


The Peloponnesian WarSparta and Athens went to war for con-

trol of Greece.

Reading Connection Have you ever tried to get peo-

ple to work together and been frustrated when they will

not cooperate? Read to find out how the Greek city-

states’ refusal to cooperate nearly led to their destruc-

tion.

As the Athenian empire became rich andpowerful, other city-states, especially Sparta,grew suspicious of Athenian aims. Spartaand Athens had built two very differentkinds of societies, and neither state under-stood or trusted the other. After the PersianWars, both city-states desired to be the majorpower in the Greek world. They clashed overthis goal several times between 460 B.C. and445 B.C. In this year, Athens and Spartasigned a peace treaty.

Conflict Between Athens and Sparta Inthe years following the Persian Wars,Sparta suffered from a major earthquakeand the revolt of the helots. Both of theseevents weakened Sparta for some time.Meanwhile, Athens continued gainingmore control over its empire, sometimesusing its military to force other city-statesto pay tribute. Between 460 B.C. and 450B.C., Athens was able to gain a land empirenear Thebes and Corinth. However, thesecity-states were able to throw off Atheniancontrol by 446 B.C. Both Corinth andThebes remained distrustful of Athens andbecame allies with Sparta.

Although Athens had lost some of itsland in mainland Greece, it grew by gaininginfluence over other city-states and by set-tling colonies. Sometimes Athenian colonistsfought with other Greeks who lived nearbybecause the Athenians were too aggressive.This angered Sparta, but the Spartans werenot yet ready to declare war.

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However, in 433 B.C. Athenian activitiesinterfered directly with some of Sparta’sallies. These allies began pushing Sparta toattack Athens. Finally, war broke out in 431 B.C. It would drag on until 404 B.C.and shatter any possibility of futurecooperation among the Greeks. Historians call this conflict the Peloponnesian Warbecause Sparta was located in thePeloponnesus.

Pericles’ Funeral Oration In the first win-ter of the war, the Athenians held a publicfuneral. Its purpose was to honor those who


had died in battle. The relatives of the deadwept for their loved ones. The rest of the cit-izens joined in a procession.

As was the custom, a leading Athenianaddressed the crowd. On this day, Periclesspoke. He talked about the greatness ofAthens and reminded the people that theymade their government strong.

In this famous speech, called the FuneralOration, Pericles pointed out that Athenianswere part of a community. As citizens, theyagreed to obey the rules in their constitu-tion—their framework of government.


100 miles0

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PERSIANEMPIRE

407 B.C.

406 B.C.

411 B.C.

429 B.C.

424 B.C.

418 B.C.

425 B.C.

422 B.C. 410 B.C.405 B.C.

Miletus

Sparta

Athens

Thebes

Corinth

The Peloponnesian War 431–404 B.C.

Greek warriors1. Movement In what year was the earliest

battle of the war fought? In whose territory?2. Human/Environment Interaction Which

major cities were allied with Sparta? How doyou think having those allies helped theSpartans to win the war?

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They accepted certain duties, such as pay-ing taxes and defending the city. They alsogained certain rights, such as the ability tovote and run for office. Pericles’ speechreminded Athenians of the power ofdemocracy and gave them the courage tokeep fighting. Its ideas are still importantfor people living in democratic nationstoday.

Why Was Athens Defeated? At the begin-ning of the Peloponnesian War, both Spartaand Athens thought they knew how to win.The Spartans and their allies surroundedAthens. They hoped that the Athenianswould send out an army to fight. However,Pericles knew that Spartan forces could beatthe Athenians in open battles. Believing hispeople would be safe behind the city walls,he urged farmers and others on the outskirts to move inside the city. ThereAthenians stayed put and had the navydeliver supplies from their colonies andallies. Because Sparta did not have a navy, itcould not attack the Athenian ships.

Athens escaped serious harm for sometime. Then, in the second year of the war, adeadly disease spread through the over-crowded city. It killed more than a third of the people, including Pericles himself in429 B.C. Despite these terrible losses, theAthenians fought on. Over the next 25years, each side won victories but did nothave the strength to defeat the other city-state.

The historian Thucydides recordedwhat he saw:

This, then, was the calamitywhich fell upon Athens, and thetimes were hard indeed, with mendying inside the city and the landoutside being laid waste.

—Thucydides,History of the Peloponnesian War

Finally, desperate to win, the Spartansmade a deal with the Persian Empire. Inexchange for enough money to build anavy, they gave the Persians some Greekterritory in Asia Minor.

In 405 B.C. Sparta’s new navy destroyedthe Athenian fleet. The next year, after losingmore battles on land, Athens surrendered.

Pericles’Funeral Oration

Pericles was a dominant figure in Athenianpolitics between 461 B.C. and 429 B.C., aperiod historians call the Age of Pericles.In his Funeral Oration, given during thePeloponnesian War, Pericles describeddemocracy, the importance of the individual,and citizenship.

“Our constitution is calleda democracy becausepower is in the hands notof a minority but of thewhole people. When it is a question of settlingprivate disputes, everyoneis equal before the law;when it is a question of putting one person beforeanother in positions of public responsibility, whatcounts is not membershipof a particular class, butthe actual ability whichthe man possesses.

No one . . . is kept [out of government] becauseof poverty. And, just as our political life is freeand open, so is our day-to-day life in ourrelations with each other.”

—Pericles, as recorded by Thucydides,History of the Peloponnesian War

When Pericles said “everyone is equalbefore the law,” what did he mean?

Pericles

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Reading SummaryReview the • Democracy and culture in Athens

flourished under the leadershipof Pericles.

• Athenian men worked as farmers,artisans, and merchants, whilemost women stayed secluded athome.

• Athens and Sparta fought eachother in the Peloponnesian War.The fighting led to the defeat ofAthens and the weakening of allthe Greek states.

1. What caused thePeloponnesian War?

2. According to Pericles, whatduties did Athenian citizenshave?

Critical Thinking3. Summarize Use a chart like

the one below to summarizewhat Athens was like in theAge of Pericles.

4. Analyze What caused thelack of trust between Spartaand Athens?

5. Under Pericles’leadership, the economy ofAthens grew. Which groups ofworkers were important to thisgrowth?

6. Civics Link How did the directdemocracy of Athens differfrom the democracy we havein the United States?

7. Expository Writing Describethe role of the Delian League inthe creation of the Athenianempire. CA 6WA2.2

CA 6RC2.2

CA 6RC2.0

CA HI2.

CA 6RC2.4

What Did You Learn?

Government

Economy

Culture

Wars

The Spartans and their allies then toredown the city walls and broke up theAthenian empire.

The Results of the War The PeloponnesianWar weakened all of the major Greek city-states, both the winners and the losers.Many people died in the fighting, andmany farms were destroyed. Thousands ofpeople were left without jobs. It was anextremely difficult time.

After defeating Athens, Sparta createdits own empire. However, the Spartanssoon began creating enemies among theirallies, much as the Athenians had before.Over the next 30 years, Sparta fought Persiaagain and then tried to maintain control ofrebellious allies. Finally, in 371 B.C., Spartafell to an army led by Thebes. This city-stateheld a position of leadership in Greece forless than 10 years before collapsing.

The Greek city-states continued to fightamong themselves, growing progressivelyweaker. All the while, they failed to noticethat to their north, the kingdom ofMacedonia was growing in power. Thiswould eventually cost them their freedom.

Cause and Effect What ef-

fects did the Peloponnesian War have on Greece?


Thucydides is one ofthe greatest ancienthistorians. He foughtin the PeloponnesianWar for Athens andrecorded the eventshe witnessed.

Study Central Need help understanding thecauses of the Peloponnesian War? Visit ca.hss.glencoe.com and click on Study Central.

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Homer’s Iliad

Homer’s Iliad tells the story of the Trojan War and shows how early Greeks explainedevents. In this excerpt, the Trojan warrior Hector realizes that he will be killed by Achilles.

And Hector let his heavy javelin fly,A good throw, too, hitting Achilles’ shieldDead center, but it only rebounded away.Angry that his throw was wasted, HectorFumbled about for a moment, reachingFor another spear. He shouted to

Deïphobus,

But Deïphobus was nowhere in sight.It was then that Hector knew in his heartWhat had happened, and said to himself:

“I hear the gods calling me to my death.I thought I had a good man here with me,Deïphobus, but he’s still on the wall.Athena tricked me. Death is closing inAnd there’s no escape. Zeus and ApolloMust have chosen this long ago, even thoughThey used to be on my side. My fate is here,

But I will not perish without some great deedThat future generations will remember.”

—Homer, Iliad

Greek HistoriansWriting history is not easy. The ancient Greeks wrote many

histories, but their approach changed over time. Three of the most famous Greek writers are Homer, Herodotus, and Thucydides. They wrote at different times, and each explained historical events in a different way.

Read the passages on pages 368 and 369, and answer the questions that follow. Pay attention to how each writer explains events.

Hector: a prince of TroyDeïphobus (day•ee•FOH•buhs): a

powerful fighter from TroyParis: brother of Hector and a prince of

TroyPriam (PREE•uhm): father of Hector

and Paris

Helen: a beautiful Greek woman whowas kidnapped by Paris, causing theTrojan War.

Medea (meh•DEE•uh): a woman theGreeks had kidnapped from the Persians

Reader’s Dictionary


WH6.4.4 Explain the significanceof Greek mythology to the everydaylife of people in the region and howGreek literature continues topermeate our literature andlanguage today, drawing from Greekmythology and epics, such asHomer’s Iliad and Odyssey, and fromAesop’s Fables. WH6.4.8 Describethe enduring contributions ofimportant Greek figures in the artsand sciences (e.g., Hypatia, Socrates,Plato, Aristotle, Euclid, Thucydides).

Homer

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Homer ’s Iliad

1. What does Hector think Athena did?

2. Why does Hector believe he is going to die?

The Histories by Herodotus

3. Why does Paris think he can get away withkidnapping Helen?

4. What does Herodotus’s use of myths sayabout how he wrote his history?

Thucydides ’ History of the Peloponnesian War

5. According to Thucydides, what caused moredeaths than anything else during the plague?

6. What caused people to lose their powers ofresistance?

Read to Write7. Which passage seems the most reliable?

Why? How is Thucydides’ approach to historydifferent from the way Homer and Herodotusexplain events? CA HR5.CA 6RC2.6


The Histories

by Herodotus

Herodotus often tried to provide sources for hishistory. Here he gives one of the reasons hebelieves the Greeks and the Persians did not likeeach other: the mythological story about how theGreeks had kidnapped the woman Medea frompeople in the land near Troy.

Paris, the son of Priam, was inspired . . . tosteal a wife for himself out of Greece, beingconfident that he would not have to pay for theventure any more than the Greeks had done.And that was how he came to carry off Helen.

The first idea of the Greeks . . . was to send ademand for satisfaction and for Helen’s return.The demand was met by a reference to theseizure of Medea and the injustice of expectingsatisfaction from people to whom they them-selves had refused it, not to mention the factthat they had kept the girl.

. . . [T]he Greeks, merely on account of a girlfrom Sparta, raised a big army, invaded Asiaand destroyed the empire of Priam. From thatroot sprang their belief in the perpetual enmityof the Grecian world towards them—Asia withits various foreign-speaking peoples belongingto the Persians, Europe and the Greek statesbeing, in their opinion, quite separate and dis-tinct from them.

Such then is the Persian story. In their viewit was the capture of Troy that first made themthe enemies of the Greeks.

—Herodotus, The Histories

Thucydides’ History of the

Peloponnesian War

Thucydides took great care to analyze the causesof events and the sources for his history. In thispassage, he discusses a terrible plague that hitAthens in 430 B.C.

The most terrible thingof all was the despair intowhich people fell whenthey realized that they hadcaught the plague; for theywould immediately adoptan attitude of utter hope-lessness, and, by giving inthis way, would lose theirpowers of resistance. Terri-ble, too, was the sight of people dying likesheep through having caught the disease as aresult of nursing others. This indeed causedmore deaths than anything else. For when peo-ple were afraid to visit the sick, then they diedwith no one to look after them; indeed, therewere many houses in which all the inhabitantsperished through lack of any attention. When,on the other hand, they did visit the sick, theylost their own lives.

—Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War

Thucydides

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Section 4 • The Age of Pericles15. How was democracy expanded during the

Age of Pericles? 16. What were the main duties of women in

Athens? 17. What was the result of the Peloponnesian

War?

Critical Thinking18. Cause and Effect How did the geography

of Greece help to encourage trade?19. Conclude Did the people of ancient Athens

have a full democracy? Explain.20. Explain Do you think people would enjoy

more freedom in an oligarchy or a tyranny?Explain.

Geography SkillsStudy the map below and answer the follow-ing questions.21. Place What sea lies along the west coast

of Greece?22. Location Where was Knossos?23. Movement If you traveled from Athens to

Troy, in what direction would you be going?CA CS3.

CA CS3.

CA CS3.

CA 6RC2.2

CA 6RC2.0

CA CS3.

Review Content VocabularyWrite the vocabulary word that completes eachsentence. Write a sentence for each word notused.

a. satrap d. direct democracyb. agora e. oligarchy c. democracy f. peninsula

1. In a(n) ___, a few wealthy people holdpower.

2. The Greek mainland is a(n) ___, a body ofland with water on three sides.

3. In a(n) ___, people at mass meetings makedecisions for the government.

4. A(n) ___ acted as tax collector, judge, chiefof police, and army recruiter.

Review the Section 1 • The Early Greeks

5. How did the geography of Greece influ-ence where people settled and how theymade a living?

6. How did the building of ships affectMinoan civilization?

7. Which group built the first Greek king-doms?

8. How did the Greek colonies help industryto grow?

9. What are Greek city-states also known as? Section 2 • Sparta and Athens10. Why were tyrants able to seize control

from Greek nobles? 11. Who did the Spartans fear most within

their city-states?12. Describe the differences between Athens

and Sparta. Section 3 • Persia Attacks the Greeks13. What system did Darius use to unite his

large empire under one government? 14. Why did Sparta and Athens unite during

the Persian Wars?


Standard WH6.4

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Read to Write24. Writing Research Reports

Write an essay explaining how democracyhelped create a strong and stable societyin Athens.

25. Using Your Use the informationfrom your completed chapter opener fold-ables to create a brief study guide for thechapter. Your study guide should include atleast five questions for each section.Questions should focus on the main ideas.Exchange your study guide with a partnerand answer each of the questions.

Using Academic Vocabulary26. Separate the words below into three cate-

gories: Verbs, Nouns, and Adjectives. Keepin mind that some of the words can beplaced in more than one column.

region participateculture economyoverseas visioncommunity internalenforce framework

Linking Past and Present27. Making Comparisons Choose a person

mentioned in Chapter 7. Write a descrip-tion of someone in the news today who hassimilar ideas or has acted in similar ways.List some of their similarities.

Building Citizenship28. Analyze Democracy is not easy to achieve

or maintain. Make a chart like the onebelow to identify things that challenged orthreatened democracy in Athens.

Reviewing Skills

29. Comparing andContrasting Write an essay comparingand contrasting the Persian Empire to theGreek city-states. Explain how thesesimilarities and differences affected theresult of the Persian Wars.

30. Facts and Opinions Rereadthe quotations from Xenophon (page 364)and Pericles (page 366). Determine whetherthese statements are facts or opinions.Write a paragraph about each quotationexplaining your decision. CA HR2.; HR5.

CA 6WS1.3

CA HI2.

CA 6WA2.0

CA HR1.

CA 6WA2.3


Self-Check Quiz To help you prepare forthe Chapter Test, visit ca.hss.glencoe.com

Read the passage below andanswer the following question.

The above words were spokenby the leader of which groupof people?

A the RomansB the AtheniansC the PersiansD the Minoans

31

“My intent is to . . . march an armythrough Europe against Greece, thatthereby I may obtain vengeancefrom the Athenians for the wrongscommitted by them . . .”

Challengesto Democracy

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Documents

328-331 UO3-868874 1/5/05 7:24 PM Page 328 TheGreeks and ... · Sparta and Athens Systems of order, such as law and government, contribute to stable societies. Athens and Sparta,