Ancient GreeceAncient GreeceFoundations of the Western World

GeographyGeography

Very mountainousPolis-city &

surrounding villages & fields

Developed independently

Often fought each other

Athens & Sparta

Time PeriodTime Period

Three Major Periods (remember the sequence don’t worry about the actual dates)

Archaic◦ 3000 BCE Minoans (Crete)◦ 1400 BCE Mycenaean (Mainland)

Classical◦ 800 BCE City-states (Athens & Sparta)◦ 490 BCE Greco-Persian wars start◦ 431 BCE Peloponnesian Wars (Athens vs. Sparta)

Hellenistic (spread & blending of Greek culture around the Mediterranean)◦ 359 BCE Philip II of Macedonia conquers Greece◦ 331 BCE Alexander the Great

Establishes empire that includes Greece, Egypt, Persia, Mesopotamia and reaches all the way to India)

ALEXANDRIA, EGYPT

Minoans (Bet you didn’t know!)Minoans (Bet you didn’t know!)

Crete, first Greek power, very advanced

Developed system of piping in hot/cold water

Had indoor toilets that flushed

Three story structures with multiple rooms

Colorful buildings with heated floors

Classical Greece: Classical Greece: The State vs. the IndividualThe State vs. the Individual

Athens Sparta

Believed the state was meant to protect individual rights (individuals did have responsibilities to the state)

Democracy-all citizens voted (only about ½ of men were citizens)

Developed art, philosophy, music

Believed individuals belonged to the state

Oligarchy-rule by a few (in this case two kings & elders)

Military societyWomen were

educated and had many rights

SpartaSparta

Practiced eugenics (selective breeding)

Boys raised by military after age of 7

Helots- slaves that did all the work

Helped prevent Persians from taking over Greece

Fought Athens twice

AthensAthens

Educational and cultural center Pericles- leader between Persian & Peloponnesian Wars encouraged the democracy, philosophy & the arts

Art, architecture, & philosophy influenced many other cultures

Art: Art: Idealized, focus on humansIdealized, focus on humans

ArchitectureArchitecture

Literature

History◦ Thucydides◦ Herodotus

Homer◦ The Iliad◦ The Odyssey

SocratesSocrates

Socrates was a philosopher of Ancient Greece.

A philosopher is someone who tries to explain the nature of life.

Socrates taught by asking questions. This method of questioning is still called the Socratic method.

PlatoPlato

Plato was a student of Socrates.

He started a school called The Academy.

Plato’s writing took the form of a dialogue between teacher and student.

AristotleAristotle

Aristotle was another Greek philosopher and student of Plato.

Believed all aspects of life should be studied.

He wrote about science, art, law, poetry, physics, ethics, and government.

ReligionReligion

Polytheistic (many gods)

Strongly influenced Roman beliefs

Zeus, head godOlympiansLots of lesser gods

and half-gods

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6PR6C4UeYU8

Alexander and his ArmyAlexander and his Army

Alexander’s EmpireAlexander’s Empire

After Alexander’s death his empire broke into four regions◦ Greece◦ Ptolemy (Egypt)◦ Seleucus (Far East)◦ Pergamon (Asia Minor)

Greek Achievements Greek Achievements and Legacyand Legacy

How they influenced other parts of the world and lasting effect on the world today

ArchitectureArchitecture

The Liberal Arts: The foundation The Liberal Arts: The foundation of knowledgeof knowledge

Sciences- laid foundation for many modern sciences like anatomy, botany, and zoology

Math- PythagorasMedicine-

Hippocrates “Father of Medicine”

Alphabet

Government & PhilosophyGovernment & Philosophy

DemocracySocrates- “The

unexamined life is not worth living.”

Aristotle- we should study the origins of life (led to sciences)

Focus on humanity & individuals

Odds & EndsOdds & Ends

OlympicsTheatre- invented

plays with dialogue, tension and emotion (tragedy & comedy)

Language- modern English contains thousands of words with Greek origins (ask your English teachers!)