Transcript Athens and the Persian Wars

Rise of the Greek Polis
[From the Trojan Wars to the Rise of Athens]
Homer, The Iliad
Invasions usher in a “Dark Age.” (1100-800 BC)
Invasions usher in a “Dark Age.” (1100-800 BC)
• Mycenaean civilization disappeared- warfare,
poverty, insecurity and isolation.
• Extensive trade ceased
• The knowledge of writing was forgotten
• Palace workshops were abandoned
• Art reflected primitive forms
• Burials and graves were simple
• No massive buildings/architecture
• Fewer water wells were dug
How did life change after 800 BC?
• “The Greek Renaissance” 800 – 600 BC
• Writing again became part of Greek culture
(Phoenician script!)
• Population increased dramatically
• Urbanization quickened
• A merchant class emerged
• Colonies around the Mediterranean multiplied
• Overseas trade expanded
• Rise in use of metals
The poet Homer: broke with the traditional treatment of the heroes
of myth and legend
• An attempt to explore
Man's psychological
make-up
• Not just deeds and
actions, but added
what the hero thought
and felt about his
behavior
• Developed characters
who were complex in
their motives, who
expressed emotions
such as anger,
vengeance, guilt,
remorse and
compassion.
• The Polis… is the name for the independent city-state
of the ancient Hellenes people.
The Olympic Games date back to
776 B.C. The ancient Olympics
were celebrated in the summer
every four years at Olympia held
in honor of the supreme Greek
god, Zeus. Olympia is a remote
religious sanctuary , there was no
town or city there.
The polis
developed into a
self-governing
community… that
expressed the
will of free
citizens, not the
desires of gods,
hereditary kings
or priests.
The great Greek contribution to political life:
• Individual members shared a sense of
belonging to and participating in the
polis.
• Community problems are caused by
human beings and require human
solutions.
• Laws expressed the rational mind of the
community to insure its will and needs
are met.
Sparta: the ultimate military state
Spartan warriors, c. 450 BC
The ruins of Ancient Sparta
Athens, cradle of democracy
Draco
620’sBC
570’sBC
Solon
Pisistratus,
540’s BC
Cleisthenes,
500's BC
Pericles, 499-429 BC
• Pericles was the
central figure in
Athens for over
thrity years
Herodotus:
“Father of History”
Persian Wars
The Ionian Revolt, 499-493 BC
The Battle of Marathon, 490 BCE
The Hoplite: Greek footsoldiers
Battle of Marathon, 490 BC
Battle of Marathon, 490 BC – Phaedippas brings the news to Athens
Themosticles:
Rushed the construction of 200 triremes
Organized Greek city-states into a defensive alliance that
included Sparta
The Battle at Thermopylae, 480 BCE
The Athenians fled the city
which was sacked and
burned to the ground by
the Persians
But, the Athenians had a
plan…
Battle of Salamis, 480 BCE
Persian King Xerxes... set to enjoy the battle
The Persian Wars were decisive in the history
of the West. Had the Greeks been defeated, the
cultural and political vitality we associate and
inherit from the Greeks would never have
evolved.
The confidence and pride from these victories
propelled Greece and Athens, in particular, to its
“Golden Age.”
The creation of the Delian League, 478 BC
Pericles, 499-429 BC
Pericles was the
central figure in
Athens during its
Golden Age