Classical Greece 2000 B.C.–300 B.C.

CHAPTER 5

CULTURES OF THE MOUNTAINS AND

THE SEA

SECTION 1

Classical Greece, 2000 B.C.–300 B.C.

The history and culture of classical Greece had a significant impact on the modern world.

“Greco Roman” Culture

Geography Shapes Greek Life

Ancient Greece • Collection of separate lands where Greek-speaking people live

• Includes mainland and about 2,000 islands

Cultures of the Mountain and the Sea

The Sea • The sea shapes Greek civilization • Proximity to sea & lack of resources encourage sea travel and trade.

Geography Shapes Greek Life

The Land • Mountains slow travel, divide land into regions

• Lack of fertile land leads to small populations, need for colonies

Mycenaean Civilization Develops

Origins • Mycenaeans—Indo-Europeans who

settled on Greek mainland in 2000 B.C. • Took their name from

their leading city, Mycenae • Mycenaean warrior-kings

dominate Greece from 1600–1100 B.C.

(Pronunciation: “My-keh-nae” or “My-seh-nae”)

Trojan War Three Greek goddesses quarrel over who is the most beautiful. They ask a human, the Prince of Troy (Paris) to decide for them. They each try to persuade him by making promises that they will provide if chosen.

Paris chooses Aphrodite who had promised him the most beautiful woman in the world. However, there was an issue - she was already married to Spartan King Menelaus of Sparta. Therefore, Paris abducts Helen & takes her to his city of Troy.

Because they were unable to conquer the walled city itself, for nine years the Greeks ravaged areas near the city of Troy in order to win back their queen.

Eventually the Greeks built a large wooden horse where they hid inside. When the horse made it through the gates the next day, the Greeks snuck out of the horse and attacked Troy from the inside, defeating the Trojans.

Epics of Homer • Oral tradition grows, especially epics of Homer—the author attributed to The Iliad and The Odyssey

• Epic—a narrative poem about heroic deed.

Greek Culture Declines Under the Dorians

Dorians Replace Mycenaeans • Mycenaean civilization collapses around 1200 B.C.

• Dorians—possibly relatives of Bronze Age Greeks—move into Greece

• Less advanced than Mycenaeans, Dorians leave no written records

Greeks Create Myths • Greeks develop their own myths—traditional stories about gods • Greeks seek to understand mysteries of life through myths • Greeks attribute human qualities—love, hate, jealousy—to their gods • Zeus, ruler of Gods, lives on Mount Olympus with his wife, Hera • Zeus’s daughter Athena is goddess of wisdom and guardian of cities

Warring City-StatesSection-2

The growth of city-states in Greece leads to the development of several political systems, including democracy.

Rule and Order in Greek City-States

• By 750 B.C. the Greek city-state, or polis, is the formal government type.

• A polis is a self-governed city and its surrounding villages: 50 to 500 square miles.

• Population of a city-state is often less than 10,000.

• Citizens gather in the marketplace and acropolis—a fortified hilltop.

Continued . . .

ACROPOLISPOLIS

City-states had different forms of government: Monarchy—rule by a king; Aristocracy—rule by nobility Oligarchy—rule by small group of powerful merchants, artisans, or generals

Rule and Order in Greek

City-States

Risks and benefits?

MONARCHY ARISTOCRACY OLIGARCHY DIRECT DEMOCRACY

State ruled by a King

State ruled by nobility

State ruled by a small group

of citizens

State ruled by all citizens

Rule is hereditary

Rule is hereditary and based on

family ties, social rank and wealth.

Rule is based on wealth or

ability

Rule is based on citizenship

Some rulers claim divine

rights

Social status and wealth support rulers authority.

Ruling group controls military

Majority rule decides vote

Practiced in Mycenae until

2000 BC

Practiced in Athens prior

in 594B

Practiced in Sparta by

500BC

Practice in Athens by

500BC

Tyrants Seize Power Rulers and common people clashed in many Greek city-states. When the common people became unhappy, it was an opportunity for tyrants to seize control by pretending to rule in the interests of ordinary people.

Who are “Tyrants” Today? Are there any?

A sovereign or other ruler who uses power oppressively or unjustly.

• Around 621 B.C., democracy —rule by the people— develops in Athens.

• This was the first democracy in history.

DemocracyA government controlled by the citizens.

Direct Democracy

Representative Democracy

All citizens are eligible to vote for all new laws and

legislation.

Citizens vote for representatives. Only these representatives are allowed to vote for

laws and legislation.

Athens was a direct democracy. However, only native-born, property-owning males were citizens.

DEMOCRACY? Is there such thing as a nation that is

truly 100% democratic?

DEMOCRACY?In South Korea, not every citizen can

vote. People who are in jail and people under the age of 19 cannot

vote. Do you agree or disagree with this? On

a google doc, write one paragraph explaining your ideas & share with Ms.

G when you are finished.

Ancient Greek Warfare

Ancient greek armies fought in a phalanx formation: this is a

rectangular unit of soldiers that create a tightly-

connected wall of shields.

Greek soldiers usually did not fight on horseback. A greek foot soldier was called a hoplite, and he carried a shield, sword, and spear. Hoplites had to pay for their own weapons and

armour, so the poorest were only equipped with slingshots. Most Greek city-states required all male citizens to train for military service - it was part of the typical school education.

Sparta

• Sparta, a Greek city-state that was isolated from much of Greece, built military state

Sparta’s Government and Society • Sparta had a hybrid government: two kings ruled, but democratically elected officials limited their power.

“Diarchy”Note:

Athens had a Senate of 500 members

Two Kings, later copied by

the Romans.

Inherited rulership Most powerful

Elected Elders: must be over the age of 60

Elected council 2nd most powerful

All Citizens

Slaves

Spartan Values: duty, strength, discipline over freedom

Sparta had the most powerful army in Greece

Males moved into the barracks at age 7, trained until 30, served until 60

Sparta Builds a Military State

Spartan saying that means that you need to win, or die trying.

• When Spartans conquered foreign peoples, they made them helots - forced peasant laborers (similar to slaves).

• For example, around 725 B.C., Sparta conquered Messenia and brought Messenians to Sparta to be helots.

• However, the Messenians revolted, but the revolt was defeated, leading the Spartans to build a stronger state.

Helots

Spartan Brutality

In order to create young strong soldiers,

the Spartans took extreme measures.

For example, when young Spartan boys

were sent to the countryside to train,

they were given permission to kill any

Helot they encountered.

-Girls received some military training and lived hardy lives.

-Girls were also taught to value service to Sparta above all else.

Iron replaced bronze, making arms and armor cheaper. Therefore, even poor people could afford weapons -

armies became larger and more diverse in social class.

A New Kind of

Army Emerges

The Persian Wars refer to the series of battles which took place between the Greeks and Persian Empire.

The battles began in Ionia around 546BC. The Greeks were settled there, but the Persians came and conquered the area.

The Persian Wars

Food for thought Compare the size of

Yellow (Persia) to Orange (Greece).

The Greeks in Ionia revolted against Persian rule. Athens sent soldiers to their aid. The Greeks were able to fend off the Persians.

Battle of Marathon In 490 BC, 25,000 Persians attacked an area Northeast of Athens called Marathon. Despite being outnumbered by over 10,000 soldiers, the Greeks who were skilled at hand to hand combat killed 6,000 Persians leaving the Persians with no choice but to retreat.

“When you’re short in numbers,

force your opponent to fight

in fewer numbers.”

Pheidippides Brings News • Runner Pheidippides races to Athens to announce Greek victory

Interesting fact: 1.The distance between Marathon to Athens

was about 25 miles. 2.However, the marathon as a sport today is

26.2 miles, because in 1908, when the Olympics took part in England, the organizers wanted to make the race to go 1.2 miles farther in order for the finish line to be right in front of the British royal family’s palace.

3.After much debate/discussion, by 1924, the marathon became “officially” 26.2 miles.

Darius the Great Involved in multiple military conquests including the failed conquest of Ionia. He conquered the western region of the Indus Valley, overcoming a Babylonian revolt.

Angered at the failure to contain the Ionians and the Greeks, he prepared a second attack. He was not able to complete this attack because he died first, leaving the leadership to his heir, Xerxes.

Battle of Thermopylae

Ten years after the Battle of Marathon…

Xerxes, the leader of Persia assembled a great force to defeat Athens.

At the time, Greece was divided about whether or not it was worth fighting the Persians. In fact, some even fought for the Persians.

As they approached Athens they came through a narrow mountain pass at Thermopylae….

There were around 20,000 Greeks (including 300 Spartans) blocking about

400,000 Persians.

The Greeks were able to stop the massive Persian forces for three full days.

All Spartans were killed in battle, their sacrifice would go on to leave a great

impression to all Greeks.

Sources: Apophthegmata Laconica

by Plutarch

"Marry a good man, and bear good children.”

-King Leonidas (last words to

his wife)

THE BATTLE OF SALAMIS 480 BC: After defeating the Greeks at Thermopylae, the Persians were eager to advance farther into Greek territory. However, this overly ambitious attitude would prove deadly, because with Persians high in numbers, they faced difficulty getting through the narrow straits of Salamis.

Similarities with Battle of

Thermopylae and Battle of

Salamis?

AFEWIMPORTANTCHARACTERS

Xerxes I Xerxes the GreatGreat King of Persia who expanded the Persian Empire.

Fought the Greeks in the Persian War, winning at Thermopylae and suffering defeat at Salamis.

ThemistoclesProminent Athenian tactician. It was his idea to defend Athens by attacking the Persians at sea, forcing them to fight in narrow waters.

Artemisia Commanded naval ships in the Battle of Salamis.

Herodotus (a greek historian) tells us that the Greeks felt great indignation that a woman would take up arms against them, and as a consequence offered a reward of 10,000 drachmas for any man

who could capture the illusive Queen.

Consequences of the Persian Wars

• Greeks felt more confident and felt a greater sense of unity after the victory.

• Athens emerged as the leader of the Delian League: an alliance of Greek city-states led by Athens and formed in 478 BCE to liberate the Greek city-states from Persian rule, and to defend Greece from future enemies after the Persian Wars were over.

LEGACY OF the PERSIAN WARS

LEGACY OF the PERSIAN WARS

Consequences of the Persian Wars

• Athens controlled about 300 Greek cities as the leader of the Delian League. Because Athens had so much control, the league eventually turned into the Athenian Empire.