Transcript Greece Land & History

Ancient Greece
Land and History
Overview
• Geography & Environment
• Archaic Period & The Rise
of The Polis
• Colonies & Tyrants
• Athens & Sparta
• The Persian Wars
• The Peloponnesian Wars
• Alexander the Great
Oracle at Delphi
Rise of the Greeks
• Greeks were resource poor
– Poor soil
– Mountain chains
– No large river systems
ancient Greek shipping
• Consequences
– Oriented to the ocean
– Stimulated geography, history
– Rivalry with Persian Empire
Persian
King
Darius III
The Middle Sea
– Uniform
ecozone:
climate, plants,
animals
– Hot summers,
stormy winters
– Easy to travel
• sea as
connector, not
barrier
Mediterranean
Geography
• Aegean Sea coastlines
• Empire included
– Mainland Greece
– Many islands
– Ionia: western Asia
Minor
• Exploiting the sea
– Fishing
– Trading
– Mercenary soldiers
Environment
• Unstable geology
– Volcanic zone
• European and African tectonic
plate contact
• Frequent earthquakes
Oracle of Apollo at Delphi
– Consequences
• Religion of oracles
• Deforestation
– Probably during Iron Age
(800 BC)
– Consequences
• Used stone for building
Ephesus Valley
Resources By Land
• Arable land
– Thin topsoil, limited rainfall, no
large river systems
• Limited carrying capacity
– Dry farming
• Barley, olives, grapes
• Sheep, goats
• Building stone
– Marble
• Clay for pottery
• No timber, metals
Marble quarry - Naxos
Resources By Sea
• Coastline with natural harbours
– Difficult travel overland
• Ports of Call
– Northern Aegean
• timber
– Anatolia
• gold, iron
– Cyprus
• copper
– Western Mediterranean
• tin
– Black Sea, Egypt, Sicily
• grain
Early History
• Minoan
– Crete 2000 - 1450 BC
– Palaces, writing, statuary
• Mycenaean
– 1600 - 1150 BC
– Palace states, centralized
economy, fortifications
• Extensive trade
– Mediterranean ports
– Wine, oil, metals, grain
– Piracy and conquest
Minoan and
Mycenaean
Lion Gate - Mycenae
Palace of Minos - Knossos
Atlantis and Santorini
• Plato’s legend
• Atlantis lost civilization that
sank beneath the sea
• Minoan period Santorini
– volcanic eruption 1600 BC
– destroyed island of Thera
– caused climate change,
decline of Minoan
civilization
Archaic Period
• Dark Ages
– 1150 - 800 BC
– collapse of empires eastern
Mediterranean
– loss of trade & knowledge,
isolation
• Phoenician traders
– arrived 800 BC
– brought trade, writing system
– population explosion
• Intensive farming
• Available imports
Phoenician traders
The Rise of the Polis
• Polis = City-State
– Urban centre and rural
territory
– Rising population - villages
merge into cities
– Specialized labour - crafts,
commerce, religion
• Independent Cities
– Fiercely jealous
– Created rivalry, political and
economic conflict
Hoplite Warfare
• New warfare
– hoplite: heavily armed
citizen foot soldier
– phalanx: tight, square
formation of hoplites
• Relation to agriculture
– Clash of hoplite lines =
quick decision
– Survivors returned to fields
Colonization
• Population pressure
– People left or forced out
– founded colonies in
•
•
•
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Aegean
Black Sea
Libya
Southern Italy, Sicily
• Impact: new
–
–
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–
Markets
Urban planning
Forms of government
Ideas
Colony at Samos
An Age of Tyrants
• Feudal kings of Dark Ages replaced
with aristocratic councils
• Society included
– Merchants & craftsmen
– Peasant farmers
– Debt slaves
• City-State Tyrant
– 7th - 6th cent BC
– Held power contrary to established
community traditions
– Backed by middle class, hoplite forces
• Rejection of Tyrant Families
– transition from oligarchy - power by
wealthy families
– to democracy - power by free adult males
Sparta
• conquest, not colonies
– 7th cent BC shortage of land
– Attacked Messenia in west
Peloponnese
– Reduced population to status of
helots (landless farmers)
• fear of uprising
– Sparta as military camp
– Soldiers owned land, helots worked it
– Best army in Greece through training
The Peloponnese
• Huge personal price
• Peloponnesian League
– Defensive alliances
– Isolationist, thus no cultural
development
Spartan hoplite
• Solon
Athens
– Appointed lawgiver 594 BC: crisis over
population, oligarchy
– Created 4 social classes
• Based on farm income
• Top three: held office
• Bottom: vote only
– Abolished debt slavery
• The Tyrant Pisistratus
– Seized power 546 BC
– Created public buildings, festivals
• Temple of Athena
• City Dionysia – drama festival
• Panathenaea - religion, athletics, poetry
– Overthrown by 500 BC
Solon
Athenian Democracy
• Pericles transferred power to
– Assembly - legislature
– Council of 500 - executive
– People’s Courts
• Public Office: all men eligible
– Elected office
• Public finance
• Defence
– Some offices filled by lot
– Paid public servants
• Assembly of All Citizens
– Public debate of issues
– Decisions openly made
Pericles
of Athens
The Persian Wars
• Cyrus conquered Anatolia 546 BC
– Put down Ionian revolt 499 BC
• Invasion of Greece
– Athens defeated Persians at Marathon 490
BC
– Invasion by Xerxes 480 BC
Battle of Thermopylae
• Battle of Thermopylae - 300 Spartans under
Leonidas held off army of thousands
• Sack of Athens
• Battle of Salamis - Themistocles & victory at
sea
– Persian defeat at Plataea 479 BC
• Provisioning large army in the field
• Tactical errors at Salamis
• Superiority of hoplite arms & training
Battle of
Salamis
Height of
Athenian Power
• Delian League
– Defensive alliance under Athens
• Freed Ionia from Persia
• Later dominated by Athens
• Athenian Navy
– Reinforced democracy
• Rowers were from lower classes
– Controlled large occupied territory
• Tribute paid for works like Parthenon
(Athena), development of arts &
sciences
– Promoted commercial interests
Parthenon
The Peloponnesian
Wars
• Rise of Athens
– Control over Delian League
– Reaction to sacking
• Fortification of city
– Double wall linked city with port of
Piraeus, supplies by sea
• New strategy: delay, refusal to join
battle
• Sparta
– Earthquake & helot revolt 462 BC
– Withdrew from conflict
• Peace of Nicias 421 BC
Spartan hoplite
Alexander the Great
• Battle of Chaeronea 336 BC
– Philip II of Macedonia defeated Thebes, Athens
– Corinthian League & loss of democracy
• Alexander, son of Philip II
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334 BC invasion of Persia
Conquest of Persia, India, Egypt
Established local rule, Greek-style cities
Died 323 BC
• Division of Empire
– Seleucids in Persia
– Ptolemies in Egypt
– Antigonids in Macedon & Hellas
• Spread of Hellenistic culture
The Hellenistic Age
• Greek domination of Middle East
– Long lasting impact
• Diffusion of Greek culture
– Privileged class of soldiers,
scholars, administrators
– Integration with local culture
• Greek Cities
– Alexandria
The Lighthouse - Alexandria
• Library, Museum, Lighthouse
– Greek Gymnasia
• Taught alphabet, writing
Alexander Gate - Jerusalem
Next Lecture
• Ancient Greece Cities