Transcript Greek Heritage Month Presentation

Polis
Expansion
Sparta
Athens
Greek City States
Polis
• Citizens who have Rights
(most males) - ~10%
• asty + chora = polis.
• Asty is the Greek word for
the city proper, the core
of the polis.
• Chora means region or
district; in our formula, it
refers to the agricultural
hinterland around a polis.
City-State Organization
• Acropolis – formal politics
• Agora – market; informal
politics
• Pop. Range from few thousand
to 300,000 Athens by 5th
century BCE
• Polis (plu. Poleis) = urban core
+ a rural zone
• Athens + Attica =
Athenian polis;
• Sparta + Laconia = Spartan
polis
Polis
• Rights with
responsibilities
• Loyalty
• City-states = rivals
New War Style
• Old = cavalry
aristocrats
• Hoplite warrior
• Phalanx formation
• Discipline
• Resistant to cavalry, so
aristocrats no longer
dominant
Expansion - Colonization
Dardanelles
Or “Hellespont”
Bosporus
Colonization
Causes
• Farmland
• Trade opportunities
Effects
• Spread of Greek culture to
peoples in colonized areas
• Economic advantage of
control of waterways
• Hellespont
• Bosporus
• Created wealthy elite in
cities
• Frustrated by lack of access
to political power that was
reserved for landowners
Colonization…
• Trade for food
• (+) = increase
population
• (-) = rely on foreigners
Tyranny
• Seize power by force
from aristocrats
• Not necessarily bad
• Cause: wealthy elite who
made $$ from trade &
industry joined with poor
peasants in debt
• Hired soldiers
• Tyrant not always bad…
• In some places led to
development of
democracy
Sparta
• Conquered Laconians &
Messenians
• “helots”
• Military!
• Government
• Ephors
• 5 men
• Council of Elders
• 2 kings
• 28 citizens over 60
• Assembly of all male
citizens vote
Spartans
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Isolationists
Conservatives extreme
Xenophobic
Anti-education
Simple, disciplined life
Look down on
merchants and trade
Athens
• Monarchy, then
oligarchy, then
democracy
• Problems by 600s BCE
• Farmers sold into slavery
for debt
• Smaller number of
aristocrats own larger
amount of the land
Draco
• Circa 621 B.C., Draco
codified the laws of
Athens and posted
them in the Athenian
agora. This code was
harsh
• “Draconian”
• Athens was, in principle,
now ruled by laws, not
by men.
Athens: Solon
• 594 BCE
• Reformer
• How can we avoid civil war
or a tyranny?
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Aristocrat
Cancelled debts
Freed ppl enslaved for debt
Refused to redistribute land
Tyranny came anyway
Right to vote = wealth
• “timocracy”
• Council of 400 sets agenda
• “initiative”
Peisistratus
• 560 BCE
• Tyrant, though of
aristocrat class
• Help trade to appease
merchant classes
• Redistribute land
• Rebellion against his son
Cleisthenes
• 512 BCE seizes power
• Participation based on
residence, not birth or
wealth
• Council of 500
• Foreign affairs
• Treasury
• Propose laws
• Assembly
• All male citizens
• Pass laws
• Debate
Factors in the Development of
Democracy
• Economic
• Military
• Philosophical
Interesting Ideas from Athens
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Ostracism
“Hellenes”
Individualism
Oligarchy
Tyranny
Democracy
Monarchy
Aristocracy
• Rhetoric
Discussion Topics for Athens
• Tendency of wealth (i.e., land) to become
accumulated into the hands of fewer and fewer over
time
• Compare to Rome’s latifundia
• The phalanx as a contributor to democracy
• Compare to long bow in Hundred Years’ War
• Trade as alternative path to wealth but tendency of
aristocracy to hang on
• Compare to commercial revolution in Europe 15th
century