Transcript Ancient Greece Part I - Hewlett

Ancient Greece Part I
The Early Greeks
Geography
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Ionian Sea to west,
Mediterranean Sea to south,
Aegean Sea to east;
Hundreds of islands stretching to
Asia;
Mainland is a peninsulaThe Balkan Peninsula to the north
and
Peloponnesus to the south
The inland of the peninsula is
covered in mountains and hills
making farming and travel more
difficult.
This terrain causes Spartans to
conquer land and Athenians to
develop trade routes in order to
get goods.
Geography and People
 People worked as fisherman,
sailors, traders; Others farmed
despite mountains and rocky
soil; Some places good for
wheat, barley, olives, grapes,
raising sheep and goats
 Communities independent
from one another because of
mountains and seas
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Geography drove the economythey had limited goods, so trade
became important. They minted
coins to help with trade.
The Minoans- The People of Crete
 Were not Greek, but were first in region to later
become part of Greece
 Island Crete- southeast of mainland where ruins of
a grand palace Knossos (that was center of Minoan
civilization)was discovered by Arthur Evans in 1900;
revealed riches of ancient society
 Minoans traded pottery and stone vases for ivory
and metals; Ships made from oak and cedar
controlled eastern Mediterranean Sea; carried
goods to foreign ports and kept out pirates
 Minoan civilization collapsed in 1450 BC; historians
think it was washed away by waves caused by
earthquakes and others think it was invaded by a
group of invaders from the mainland called
Mycenaean
The First Greek Kingdoms
(Mainland people)
The Mycenaeans
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Invaded and conquered Greek mainland ~
1900 BC
What Were Mycenaean Kingdoms Like?
Mycenaean warriors became first Greek
kings and noble who ruled the people
they conquered
Rulers lived in fortified palace on a hill
surrounded by giant walls
Beyond walls (or fortifications) were
farms, or estates, belonging to nobles
 Slaves and farmers lived on estates
and took protection in the fortress
Mycenaean people gained power from
trade and war
Palaces were busy with artisans working
as government officials kept track of
wealth and collected wheat, livestock,
and honey as taxes and stored them in
palace
Power Gained from Trade And War
(The Mycenaens replace Minoans)
 Minoan traders visited from Crete
and in turn, the Mycenaean people
learned ways to work with bronze,
build ships, use the sun and stars to
navigate and began to worship the
Earth Mother (Minoans’ chief
goddess)
 Mycenaeans came to replace Minoan
as major power on Mediterranean, as
they traded across vast areas and
perhaps conquered Crete and nearby
islands.
 Most famous victory was Trojan
War in which king Agamemnon
used trickery to win the war
The Dark AgeOr really bad times- earthquakes, wars etc.
 Earthquakes and fighting led to the collapse of the
Mycenaean civilization
 Overseas trade slowed, poverty set in
 farmers only grew enough for their own families
 teaching writing and craftwork stopped and
resulted in Greeks forgetting written language
and how to make things
 Positive population shift expanded Greek culture
 People known as Dorians from Greece’s northern
mountains moved south and many settled in
Peloponnesus
 They brought iron weapons and farm tools
which were stronger than those of bronze,
leading to more advanced technology
After the Dark Age
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People began to farm again
and produce surplus food
which revived trade and led
to new way of writing
(adopted from the
Phoenicians)
 Greek alphabet had 24
letters that stood for
different sounds,
making reading and
writing much simpler
than ever before
A Move to Colonize
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As Greece moved out of Dark Age,
farmers could not grow enough grain to
feed everyone which led to sending
people outside Greece to start colonies
 People went to coasts of Italy,
France, Spain, North Africa, and
western Asia
 Colonists traded grains, metals, fish,
timber and enslaved people and
received pottery, wine, and olive oil
from mainland
 Greeks began to mint coins and
merchants were soon exchanging
goods for money instead of other
goods
Growth of trade led to growth of industry
and people began specializing in making
certain products
Colonize- to conquer land with
abundant resources and create
settlements that benefit the
motherland
The Polis
 At the end of the Dark Age, many large
estate owning nobles overthrew Greek
kings and created city – states; city-state =
polis
 Acropolis provided safe refuge in case of
attacks and served as religious center
where temples and altars were built to
honor Greek gods and goddesses
 City-states were many different sizes and
had varied populations
 Greek city-states were run by their citizensearly democracy
 Agora- open space beneath the acropolis; it
was both a market and a place to meet and
debate.
What was Greek citizenship?
 Unlike Mesopotamia and Egypt, where most
people were subjects, Greek society was made
up of citizens who, in most city-states, were free
native-born men who owned land
 Some such as Athens, forwent the land-owning
requirement although slaves and foreign-born
residents continued to be excluded. Women and
children could qualify for citizenship, but did not
have rights
 Rights of Greek citizens
 Gather in agora and choose officials and pass
laws
 Vote
 Hold office
 Own property
 Defend themselves in court
 Citizens had to serve in government and fight as
soldiers for polis
Citizens as Soldiers
 Hoplites (hahp-lyts) were
ordinary citizens who fought
on foot and battled with
heavy armor; carried round
shields and marched
shoulder to shoulder
allowing little room for
enemies to cause harm
 Division of city-states
caused pride, but also lack
of unity
The Athenian Soldiers Oath
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1. Not to dishonor their weapons
2. Not to desert their comrades
3. to improve the fatherland
4. to uphold and protect the constitution
5. to honor the temples
6. to honor the religion of their forefathers
Questions and Answers
 How did geography discourage Greek unity?
The mountains and seas kept the Greeks apart and early Greek
communities became fiercely independent.
 What body of water lies east of the Balkan Peninsula?
The Aegean Sea.
 What transportation was probably most useful to the early Greeks?
Boats were useful to the early Greeks because they were surrounded by
water and travel on land was difficult because of the inland mountains.
 How did the Minoans become a trading civilization?
Minoans used the islands’ trees to build ships that carried them all over
the eastern Mediterranean including Egypt and Syria.
 Who discovered the palace at Knossos?
The palace was discovered by archaeologist Arthur Evans.
More Questions and Answers
 How did citizenship make the Greeks different from the other ancient peoples?
 Other ancient peoples were mostly subjects of kings and had little or no say in
government. In Greece citizens could vote.
 What made Minoans wealthy?
 Minoans became wealthy from trading pottery and stone vases.
 How was a Greek city-state different from a city?
 City-states were tiny independent countries, while cities are part of a country.
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Name the three rights granted to Greek citizens that American citizens have today.
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Right to vote
Right to hold a government office
Right to own property
Right to defend themselves in court
Vocabulary
 Peninsula: a body of land with water on three sides
 Colony: a settlement in a new territory that keeps
close ties to its homeland
 Polis: a tiny independent country like a city state
 Agora: an open area that served both as a market
and meeting place- below the Acropolis
Comparing and Contrasting the
Minoan and Mycenaean Peoples
Minoans
Lived on Crete
Both
Earned wealth from trade
Mycenaean
Lived on Greek mainland
Built first civilization in Greece
First Greek kings
Worked in or with bronze; made tools
and art
Built fortified palaces on hills
Borrowed ideas from Minoans; for
example bronze tools and
how to
navigate a ship using the
sun and stars
Sparta and Athens
Tyranny in the City States
 Tyranny ruled throughout Greece as the city-states developed their own
governments
 Nobles seized power from kings but were thrown over by tyrants
 Tyrants arose as small farmers demanded changes in power structure because
they were losing their land and even becoming enslaved when they could not
pay back their debts to the nobles; merchants and artisans also wanted a share
in governing
 Tyrants built new marketplaces, temples, and walls
 People in general did not want rule by one and eventually oligarchies and
democracies arose.
 Sparta – oligarchy; Athens – democracy
 A tyrant is a person who seizes power by force and rules with total authority.
This is (really) Sparta!
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In order to get more land, the Greeks
conquered and enslaved neighbors and
called them helots
The Military was the most important part of
Spartan life;
Government controlled people Sparta; boys
and men were trained for war because of
fear that helots may rebel
Boys went to live in barracks at age 7 and
entered regular army at age 20; life was
harsh
Men returned home at 30 and stayed in
army until 60 and were never to surrender
Girls were trained in running, wrestling and
throwing javelin
Because wives lived at home while men were
at barracks, they were freer than other Greek
women and could own property and go
where they wanted
Spartan Government
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Can you say oligarchy? Ol-eee-gark-eee
Oligarchy - Two kings headed council of elders which
included 28 citizens over age 60 who presented
laws to an assembly
All Spartan men older than 30 were part of
assembly and voted on council’s laws and chose 5
people to be ephors (enforced laws and managed
tax collection)
Gov’t discouraged foreign visitors, banned travel
and disliked citizens studied literature or the arts in
attempt to keep people from questioning Spartan
system
Focus on military training kept soldiers strong but
resulted in Spartans falling behind in trade, science
and other subjects
Athens
“The thinking persons polis.”
 Athens was a two day trip northeast
of Sparta
 Three teachers at school for boys; 1
for reading, writing and arithmetic, 1
for sports, 1 for singing and playing
lyre; males became citizens at 18
 Girls stayed home where mothers
taught them spinning, weaving and
household duties; women stayed
home to teach daughters
 A Budding Democracy; citizens had a
say in government
 In wealthy families – girls learned to
read, write and play lyre
“The Birthplace of Democracy?”
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Athenians rebelled against nobles as
most farmers owed nobles money and
many sold themselves into slavery
 Farmers wanted an end to all debt
and demanded land for the poor
Nobles turned to Solon who canceled
all debts and freed those enslaved,
allowed all male citizens to become part
of assembly and law courts
Council of 400 wealthy citizens wrote
laws, but assembly had to pass them
Solon popular among common people,
though farmers pressed him to give
away nobles’ land, which he refused
Following 30 years of turmoil after
Solon, tyrant Peisistratus seized power
and won support of poor by dividing
large estates among landless farmers
and gave them jobs building temples
and other public works.
Cleisthenes
(No, you won’t get points off if you can’t spell it!)
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Cleisthenes came to power in 508 BC and
reorganized assembly to play central role
in governing and gave members new
powers such as debating matters openly,
hear court cases, and appoint army
generals
Cleisthenes created new council of 500
citizens to help assembly carry out daily
business, propose laws, deal with foreign
countries and oversee treasury; Credited
with making the government a
democracy
Members of council were chosen using
lottery so that the rich were not favored
Non- citizens, including women, foreignborn men, and slaves were still excluded
from political process
Vocabulary
 Tyrant- someone who takes power by force and rules
with total authority
 Oligarchy- a government where a few people hold all
of the power
 Democracy- a government where all citizens share in
the running of the government
 Helot- name for enslaved or captured workers
Questions and Answers
 Why were the tyrants popular in some city-states?
Tyrants built new marketplaces, temples, and walls.
 At what age did Spartan boys leave their families for the military?
They left their home and families at seven years of age.
 Why did the Spartans stress military training?
So they could conquer their neighbors and control the large helot
population.
More Questions and Answers
 What group ruled Athens during the 600s BCE?
Landowning nobles ruled during the nobles.
 What leader is credited with making Athens democracy?
Cleisthenes is credited with making Athens a democracy.
 How did Cleisthenes build a democracy in Athens?
He made the assembly the center of government, gave citizens
more powers, created a citizen council to help them assembly.
Even More Q and A
1. How many miles apart were Sparta and Athens?
About 100 miles.
2. Which city-states’ geography might make it more open to attack in a military battle?
Athens, because it is closer to the sea and therefore easier to invade.
3. How did Greek nobles gain power?
They seized power from the kings during the Dark Age.
4. Why did the tyrants fall out of favor with the Greeks?
Most Greeks longed for rule by law, with all citizens participating in government.
5. How did Athenian democracy keep one person from gaining too much power?
A large council chosen by lottery kept power distributed among the people.