Ancient Greece

Geography of Greece

• Mountainous: allowed for the Greek City-States, or Polis to become isolated and independent of one another.

• Seas: Greek city-states and its people became seafarers due to the close proximity of the Aegean & Ionian Seas

• Each Polis had an acropolis, agora, and citizens

Early Settlers• Minoans

~ 1st Greek civilization under King Minos~ located on the island of Crete~ est. Greek Mythology; Earth Mother creator of life~ peaceful society; focused on sea trade

• Mycenaean~ from Central Asia; conquered Minoans ~ adopted Minoan religion and technology~ more warlike than the Minoans~ conquered by Dorians in 1100s BCE because of superior iron weapons

• Dorians~ Greece enters a Dark Age; many fled to Ionia on Asia Minor~ Bards kept culture alive through storytelling: Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey~ Ionians reintroduced culture ending the dark age

Ancient Greece• Spans two different eras.

– Greek Golden Age: Occurs during the leadership of Pericles in the 5th Century BCE. The achievements were mainly confined to the city-states of Athens where a strong economy and good government created the conditions necessary for such advancements.

– Hellenistic Age: occurs under the leadership of Alexander the Great, who conquered an empire stretching from the Greek mainland all the way to the Indus River Valley.  Hellenistic society was a blending of Greek, Egyptian, Persian, and many other cultures that gave rise to advancements in math, science, art, and literature.

Religion

• Polytheistic• Greeks used myths and gods to

explain nature• Mt. Olympus- home of the gods • Supreme god - Zeus• Greeks held festivals to honor

gods, i.e. Olympic Games

Athens vs. Sparta• Athens~ dev. Democracy~ eventually all free, Athenian-born men were & citizens could participate in govt.~ women, slaves, and foreign-born men were excluded ~ focused on trade, agriculture, & overseas colonization

• Sparta~ invaded neighboring states and enslaved local people to gain resources - instead of trading~ After a slave revolt, Sparta est. a military society~ Sparta is governed by two groups: the Assembly and the Council of Elders ~ govt. run by a few men - Oligarchy~ men became soldiers, women became the mothers of soldiers – best military in Greece~ boys began military service at 7 and retired at 60

Persian Wars

• The first battle occurred at Marathon-northeast of Athens.

• The Athenians win.• The army leaders must warn the city

of Athens that the Persian navy will attack them before the army can get back.

• A runner named Pheidippides is ordered to sprint from Marathon to Athens. Total distance was 26 miles.

Four Forms of Government in Ancient Greece

• Monarchy: form of govt. in which the ruling power is in the hands of a single person. This was the case under the Mycenaeans who

ruled Greece from 2000 to 1100 BCE.

• Oligarchy: Form of govt. in which the ruling power is in the hands of a few leaders. Between 1100 and 800 BCE small groups of people began to share the ruling power This was shared among aristocrats. People lacked full political rights

Four Forms of Government in Ancient Greece

• Tyranny: form of govt. in which the ruling power is in the hands of an individual who has seized control, often by illegal means. Tyrannies in Greece first arose during the mid 600s BCE. Many tyrants only ruled for short periods of time.

• Democracy: form of govt. in which the ruling power is in the hands of all the people. Democracy developed in ancient Greece around 500 BCE in the city-state of Athens, where many people began to oppose the rule of the tyrants. One important fact. Public officials did not have that much individual power.

Philosophy• Greek philosophers, or "lovers of

wisdom," used observation and reason to study the world around them.  Famous philosophers:Socrates Plato Aristotle

Socratic Method of questioning as a

learning tool.

Wrote The Republic Favored a strong,

controlling government

Developed ideas on government

Favored the one strong and wise rule as best

form.

Considered to be first western philosopher

Society has three classes: Philosophers, Soldiers, and Workers

Human Reason was the key to learning

Literature

• Early Greek literature was in the form of plays developed for religious ceremonies.

• Famous writers, such as Aeschylus and Sophocles, wrote tragedies and comedies about human conflict and interaction between the gods and man. 

• Became the basis for modern literature. The Greeks were also the first. 

• Herodotus, known as the Father of History, wrote books chronicling historical events, such as the Persian War.

Art & Architecture• Greek artists portrayed the human figure in idealized

realism.  • Paintings and sculptures show humans in the perfect

form.  • Greek architects build elaborate buildings using marble

and the Greek column.  • The most famous example of Greek architecture is the

Parthenon in Athens.  • Many buildings around the world today use Greek

architectural ideas.

Math & Science

• Greek mathematician Pythagoras, developed a formula to calculate the relationship between the sides of a right triangle, a method still in use today. 

• Aristarchus, a Greek astronomer, discovered that the earth rotated on its axis, and revolved around the sun. 

• Eratosthenes discovered that the earth was round, and accurately calculated its circumference.

• Euclid wrote a book called The Elements, which is the basis for modern geometry. 

• Archimedes tried to use science for more practical matters, he showed how the use of a lever and pulley system could lift just about any weight.

Medicine

• Hippocrates, a 5th century BCE physician, studied the causes of illnesses and experimented with various cures.  He is also credited with creating a set of ethical standards for doctors called the Hippocratic Oath.