Period 2- The Classical Era
600 B.C.E. – 500 C.E.
The Classical Period600 B.C.E. – 500 CE
Themes that identify the Period
1. The centralization of bureaucracies.2. The geographic expansion of empires.3. The development of inter-regional trade
networks. (The Silk Roads)4. The creation of social, political &
economic integration systems within empires.
The Classical Period600 B.C.E. – 500 CE
Continuities from the Pre-Classical Period
1. Agriculture as a basis of the economy.2. Patriarchal social structure
A. Political
2. Made up of many city-states (polis) a. various political structures existed b. monarchies, aristocracies, military dictatorships, and democracy
1. No centralized state or empire in Pre-Hellenistic Greece.
A. Political continued3. Persian Wars a. the result of extending Greek influence
b. brings about the creation of the Delian League 1. political & economic competition resulted in the Peloponnesian War between Sparta and Athens.
1. The Hellenistic Era - Alexander of Macedon rises to power. - Conquers Persia and reaches India in
4th century B.C.E. - The Persian administrative model is adopted.
A. Political continued
B. Economic 1. Agricultural basis of economy 2. Region benefits from maritime trade
a. Greek culture is spread through colonization of the Mediterranean Sea b. Pan-Hellenic Festivals were a result of trade links.
C. Religious & Social1. Patriarchal Society2. Rational Thought & Philosophy a. Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle b. Stoicism3. Greek Religion a. polytheistic, Cult of Dionysus, religions of salvation
Dionysus
PART 1 – Questions for Analysis1. How was Greece organized politically in the Pre-Hellenistic Era? How did this change in the Hellenistic Era with the rise of the Macedonians?
2. Describe the economic world of Classical Greece. What did the PanHellenic festivals indicate about the economic organization of Classical Greece?
PART 2 – Making ConnectionsExplain the relationship between each of the following pairs. How does one lead to or foster the other? Be specific in your response. a. Cult of Osiris & Zoroastrianism b. the Odyssey & the Ramayana