Transcript 1.13.Early Greece and the Classical Agex

Kick Off
September 12, 2013
Analyze the map on page 126, and
read the paragraph.
Then, answer questions 1 and 2 in
your notebook. You do not have to
write the question – but you must
answer in complete sentences!
Early Greece and the Classical Age
Objectives: Day 13, 9/12/13
 Understand how the location of the Minoan
and Mycenaean peoples shaped their
civilizations
 Analyze how war and democracy shaped
societies in ancient Greece
Linear A script of the Minoans (1700 – 1550 BC)
100 symbols, each representing a syllable
Minoans and Mycenaeans
 Minoans developed on Crete ~3,000 B.C.E
 Life based on sea

Sailing, trading, fishing
 Writing system - Linear A

Still can’t read it
 Civilization declined rapidly

Natural disaster
 Mycenaeans were considered first Greeks
 Spoke a form of Greek language
 Traded w/ Minoans and copied their
writing
 Dominated by intense warfare and
powerful kings

Trojan War
 Dark age followed their downfall
Greek City-States
 Polis: city-state, basic political
unit in Greece
 Center of daily life and culture
 Built around high area called
acropolis
 Agora was public market place
where people did business
The Might of Sparta
 One of the mightiest city-states in
Greece
 Emphasis on war and order
 Babies examined for strength at birth
 Boys trained for combat
 At age 20 became hoplites (foot
soldiers)
 Women played important role
 Trained in physical fitness
 Right to own property
Gods and Heroes
 Believed in hundreds of gods and
goddesses
 12 Gods of Olympus particularly
important
 Not perfect, human-like
 Told myths about heroes
 Hubris (great pride) brought many
to their deaths
Athenian Democracy
 First in the world
 With its invention came Classical
Age
 Not always democratic city
 Peisistratus: tyrant (strongman who
seized power by force)
 Cleisthenes: reformer, set stage for
democracy


Divided Athens into 10 tribes for
elections
Created Council of 500 (made laws)
Nature of Athenian Democracy
 Only free male Athenians over
the age of 20 who completed
military training could vote
 Expected to participate fully
 Direct Democracy: all people vote
directly on an issue
 Assembly, Council of 500, Courts
 Archon: head of Assembly and
Council of 500
Persian Wars
 Ionians fell under Persian rule in
500s B.C.E.
 Rebelled in 499 B.C.E.
 Revolt failed, Darius wanted to
punish Athens for helping
 First Persian Invasion, 490 B.C.E.
 Greeks defeated Persians at
Marathon
 Second Persian Invasion
 Persians slowed at Thermopylae
 Battle of Salamis – Greeks win
 Greeks win Persian Wars
The Golden Age of Athens
 Athens rebuilt after burning from
Persian Wars
 Age of Pericles
 Skillful politician, gifted public
speaker
 Champion of democracy
 Built Parthenon
The Peloponnesian War
 Delian League: Alliance of city
states controlled by Athens
 Peloponnesian League: group of
city-states headed by Sparta
 Athens and Sparta declared war in
431 B.C.E.
 Sparta defeated Athens in 404
B.C.E.
 Sparta badly strained, could not
maintain control of Greece
The Odyssey
 Page 133
 Answer Skills Focus questions 1 and 2 in your
notebook.
Ticket out the Door
 Although Athens was considered a democracy in
ancient times, it had features that a citizen of the US
today would consider undemocratic. Explain two
features of the Athenian government that would be
considered undemocratic and two features that would
be considered democratic today.