Transcript The Rise of Ancient Greece

The Rise of Ancient Greece
I. Background Information
• Mediterranean Empire
• Mountainous terrain, Coastal plains
– Isolated and Protected
• Mild climate with rainy winters
• Sea trade was the prevalent occupation
Minoan Civilization
Palace at Knossos
II. The Minoans
• Located on Crete
• King Minos’ palace was discovered
– Hallways formed a labyrinth (maze)
• Minoan information:
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Minoan women had a higher status than others
Minoans earned a living from the sea
By 2000 B.C. – controlled the Eastern Med. Sea
Civilization peaked @ 1600 B.C.
Destroyed by either tidal waves or the Mycenaeans
Knossos: Minoan Civilization
Minoan Civilization
The Mycenaean Civilization
The Mask of Agamemnon
III. The Mycenaeans
• Originated in Central Asia – moved @ 2000 B.C
• Intermarried with the Hellenes
• Built hilltop fortresses surrounded by walls
– Served as administrative and business centers
• Minoans began to trade with the Mycenaeans
– Resulted in cultural diffusion
• 1450s B.C. – conquered the Minoans
• 1100s B.C. – inter turmoil led to self-destruction
• Invaded by the Dorian's (the “Dark Ages”)
– Thousands fled to Ionia (the coast of Asia Minor)
Homer: The “Heroic Age”
IV. A New Start
• 750 B.C. – Ionians reintroduced culture,
crafts, and skills (Phoenician alphabet)
• The new civilization flourished between
750-300 B.C.
• Bards (story-tellers) kept culture alive
• The Greeks began to record epic poems
that had been passed down by bards
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The Odyssey and Iliad: taught in Greek schools
Be proud of Greek heritage
A love of nature
Importance of husband-wife relationship
Meet fate with dignity
V. Greek Religion
• Polytheistic = more than one god
• Able to approach gods with dignity
• Humanized the Gods
– Jealous of one another
– Quarreled and played tricks on each other
• Gods lived on Mt. Olympus
• Festivals to honor gods (Olympic Games)
• Gods and Goddesses (over 50 total gods)
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Mythography | Olympians - Greek Gods and Goddesses in Myth and Art
Olympia
Greek Art (emphasized the individual)
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Murals were painted (nonexistent today)
Pottery artifacts (red and black)
Scenes from everyday life
Sculptors
• Myron – idealized (Discus Thrower)
• Phidias – in charge of the Parthenon’s sculptures
• Praxiteles – after the “Golden Age”
– Favored life-like opposed to idealized
– Emphasized grace rather than power
The Classical Greek “Ideal”
The Ancient Olympics:
Athletes & Trainers
VI. The Greek Polis
• City-state: basic political unit of Hellenic society
• Typical polis (city-state):
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City and surrounding fields
Acropolis at the top of a hill (center of polis)
Agora at the bottom of the hill (public square)
Citizens were native born, landholding, freeman
Greek women had no political rights
VII. The Polis (continued)
• Greek colonies and Trade
– 700 B.C. – not enough crop production
– Colonies were set up in coastal regions (support)
– Economic Growth: trade throughout the region
• 600s B.C. – money system replaced barter system
• Political and Social Change
– 700s B.C. – kings lost power to landholding nobles
– Aristocrats gave loans to farmers
– Tyrants took control due to political unrest
• Seized power; single-handedly ruled
– After 500 B.C. city-states became either:
• Oligarchy (Sparta): ruled by a few wealthy people
• Democracy (Athens): government by the people
The Acropolis Today
The Parthenon
The Agora
Sparta
VIII. Sparta
• Descendents of the Dorians (Peloponnesus)
• Invaded neighboring city-states
– Helots (slaves) were acquired through invasion
• Perioecis worked for the Spartans
• Combined the helots/perioecis outnumbered
the Spartans 20:1
– 650 B.C. – helots revolted against their masters
• Military Society: only way to maintain power
– Life revolved around the military
– Newborns were examined by officials
– Began military training at the age of 7
VIII. Sparta (continued)
• Spartan Women:
– Wanted women to be healthy and strong
– Married later than other Greek women
– Had more freedoms than other women
• Spartan Government
– Set up by Lycurgus in the 800s B.C.
– Two kings ruled jointly; an Assembly passed laws
• Results of Militarism:
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Maintained control for 250 years
Lagged behind other city-states economically
Were exceptional Olympic athletes
Played key roles in defending Greece against invaders
Sparta
Helots  Messenians enslaved by the
Spartans.
IX. Athens
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Descendants of the Mycenaeans (Attica)
Named in honor of Athena
Forced to reform government in (600s B.C.)
Metics – non-enslaved foreigners in Athens
Expanded citizenship to include more men
– 507 B.C – constitution stated that all free Athenianborn men were citizens
• Athenian Education:
– Citizens educated their sons (Iliad/Odyssey)
– Studied Math, Art, Music, Gymnastics
– Served in the military for 2 years (age 18)
IX. Athens
• Athenian Leaders:
– Draco:
• 612 B.C.: Issued a code of harsh laws (draconian)
– Solon:
• Cancelled land debts
• Extended citizenship to foreign artisans
– Peisistratus:
• Divided estates among landless
– Cleisthenes:
• Est. a democracy for Athens
• The Assembly increased its’ power
• Ostracism was established
X. Persian Wars
• Persians were led by Cyrus II
• Greeks aided the Ionians – angered Darius
• Marathon: 490 B.C.
– Greeks were outnumbered 2:1; waited to attack
– Surprise attack: 6,400 Persians died – 192 Greeks
• Thermopylae: 480 B.C.
– Xerxes invaded from the north
– Leonidas and the Spartans (200,000 to 300)
• Salamis:
– Themistocles was able to lure the Persians into
the Strait of Salamis and trap the Persians
– Persians then retreated to Asia Minor
Persian Wars: 499 BCE – 480 BCE
XI. The “Golden Age” of Athens
• 461-429 B.C: art and science achievements
• Led by Pericles – rebuilt Athens
– Built the Parthenon as a temple to Athena
• Athenian Daily Life:
– Public buildings were lavish
– Men worked in the morning – afternoon activities
• Exercise, the Assembly, Symposiums
• Athenian Women
– Stayed close to the home – few privileges
– Aspasia, a metic woman, gave advice to women
• Was prosecuted for impiety (disloyalty to the gods)
Great Athenian Philosophers
Socrates
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Know thyself!
question everything (absolute truth)
only the pursuit of goodness brings happiness.
Plato
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The Academy
The Republic  philosopher-king
Aristotle
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Studied at the Academy
Believed all government systems were
workable
 Preferred the power rest with the middle
class
Tutored Alexander the Great
Golden “Age of Pericles”:
460 BCE – 429 BCE
Athens: The Arts & Sciences
DRAMA (tragedians):
 Aeschylus - Oresteia
 Sophocles – Oedipus Rex
 Euripides – Trojan Women
THE SCIENCES:
 Pythagoras  a² + b² = c²
 Democritus  all matter made up of small
atoms.
 Hippocrates  “Father of Medicine”
Athens: Great Historians
• Herodotus: “The Father of History”
– Used the Persian Wars as his subject
– Recorded his discoveries in Historia
• Offered supernatural explanations
• Wrote about outstanding
individuals/events
• Thucydides: first scientific historian
– Wrote about the Peloponnesian War
– Was as accurate and impartial as possible
• Visited battle sites; firsthand accounts
– Believed future generations could learn from
the past
Peloponnesian Wars
XII. The Peloponnesian War
• Delian League formed to protect city-states
– Started by Athens (treasury was at Delos)
– Athens dominated other city-states
• The anti-Athens Alliance – led by Sparta
• Spartans deal with Persians
– Return Ionia in exchange for a fleet of warships
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430 B.C. – plague strikes Athens
Athenian allies switch sides
404 B.C. – Athens surrendered to Sparta
Effects of the War
– Decline in population & rise in unemployment
– 371 B.C. an alliance led by Thebes overthrew the Spartans
– 350s B.C. Greeks were defeated by the Macedonians
Macedonia Under Philip II
Philip II: King of Macedonia
Spent three years in Thebes as a hostage
– Gained appreciation of Greek culture and military
Three Goals as King
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Develop a standing army
Unify Greek city-states under Macedonian rule
Conquer the Persian Empire
Philip II married Olympias of Epirus
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Alexander was there only son
Macedonian Phalanx
Alexander the Great
XIII. Alexander the Great
• Tutored by Aristotle
• Imperial Goals:
– Punish Persia for its invasion of Greece
– Unite Asia and Europe and combine cultures
• 334 B.C.E – led 35,000 men into Persia
– Plan:
• Defeat weaker cities first
• Stay close to the coastline
• Acquire men and supplies with each victory
• Expanded his empire (Asia Minor & Egypt)
– Was declared a pharaoh
– Established Alexandria
Alexander the Great
• Defeated Darius at Gaugamela
– Declared himself ruler of all of the Persian
Empire
– Walked into Babylon, capital of the Persian
Empire in 330 B.C.E.
• 327 B.C.E. Married a Bactrian Princess
– Roxane
• 326 B.C.E – reached the Indus River
– Was forced by his men to turn back
• 323 B.C.E – died of malaria in Babylon
Alexander the Great’s Empire
The Hellenization of Asia
Pergamum: A Hellenistic City
Economy of the Hellenistic World
Hellenistic Philosophers
Cynics: Diogenes
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ignore social conventions & avoid luxuries.
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citizens of the world.
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live a humble, simple life.
Epicurians: Epicurus
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avoid pain & seek pleasure.
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all excess leads to pain!
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politics should be avoided.
Hellenistic Philosophers
Stoics: Zeno
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nature is the expansion of divine will.
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concept of natural law.
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get involved in politics, not for personal gain,
but to perform virtuous acts for the good of all.
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true happiness is found in great achievements.
Hellenism: The Arts & Sciences
Scientists / Mathematicians:
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Euclid: geometry
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Archimedes: pulley
Hellenistic Art:
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More realistic; less ideal than Hellenic art.
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Showed individual emotions, wrinkles, and age!
Breakup of Alexander’s Empire
Empire divided between 3 Generals
– Ptolemy: ruled Egypt, Libya, and Syria
• The most “prestigious” domain
• Later ruled by Cleopatra
– Seleucus: ruled part of Syria, Mesopotamia, Iran,
and Afghanistan
• Forced to withdraw to Syria
– Antigonous: ruled Macedonia and Greece
• City-states declared independence
• Conquered by the Romans in the 100s B.C.E
Breakup of Alexander’s Empire