Transcript Presentation

Greeks Notes
Minoans (2500 – 1500b.c.)
*Centered on island of crete
Knossos - Minoan capitol, palace of King
minos located there
Frescoes – beautiful wall paintings
Bull jumping – activity at festivals
Maze & minotaur - youths from mainland Athens
sacrificed to the half man/half bull each year until
athenian hero Theseus slays the beast with the help of
Ariadne and a ball of string
Theseus slaying the minotaur
Maze or labyrinth
Thera – huge volcanic eruption on this
island leads to the decline of the Minoans
Myceneans (2000 - 1200’s b.c.e.)
Heroic age – age of achilles, odysseus, Jason,
hercules, etc.
Mask of
agammemnon
Achilles
heracles
Mythology - titans, olympians,
myths, creatures, Quests, etc.!
hydra
athena
Trojan war figures:
Helen & menelaus – spartan
Queen & king
Paris – Trojan Prince
Priam – Trojan King
Paris &helen
menelaus
Agemmemnon – most
powerful Greek King
Achilles – greatest greek
warrior
Hector – trojan prince and
greatest warrior
Odysseus – famous greek
king/warrior
helen
achilles
Trojan horse – used by the greeks to fool the
trojans and win the war
Dorians (1200’s – 800’sb.c.e.)
The Dark ages – due to the illiteracy of the
dorians, cultural achievements declined until
the phonecian alphabet reaches them around
750bc
Homer – blind bard or poet of the iliad ‘n odyssey
City states (700’s – 330’s b.c.e.)
Polis – city state ; usually the city, the
acropolis or fortified hill above the city, and
the surrounding countryside
Athens – leading polis, cultural leader of ancient
greece (hellas) *Motto : “a sound mind in a sound body”
Sparta – military tradition, a”boot camp” for boys
from age 7, few cultural traditions, infants with
defects abandoned *Motto: “come back with your
shield or on it”
**Helots – local people enslaved by the spartans
Persian Threat
King Cyrus the great Gains control of
Greek colonies on West Coast of Asia
Minor in 546bc
King Darius 500bc
> Suppresses attempted revolt by greek colonies
Wants to punish athens for helping the revolt
and wants control of all greece
>492bc – navy shipwrecked
490bc – Battle of Marathon won by
Greeks
*Marathon race – runner sent to athens to
announce victory inspires modern race
480 BC Xerxes - son of Darius, sends his army and
navy to attack Greece 10 years later
Thermopylea 480bc - 300 Spartans under King Leonidas
defend narrow mountain pass to the last man.
*Greeks are defeated, but do unite together and later
they defeat the persians
Athens 480bc - Burned by Xerxes. Athenians
retreat to island of Salamis
480bc battle of salamis
>greek navy outmanuevers & beats persians
> Xerxes limps home with remnant of navy
479bc battle of platea
>land battle greeks win, ending war with
persians
*Persia is still a threat, but never
tries to invade greece (Hellas) again
Golden Age of Athens (480’s – 430’s bc)
Delian League- Greek defense alliance led by Athens
to which all city-states were supposed to
contribute (money, ships, men, etc.)
*Athens benefits, causing jealousy among other
polis’ , later leading to a civil war!
Age of Pericles (400’s bc)- period of cultural
achievement unrivalled until the renaissance under
pericles, a great athenian leader
“Future ages will wonder at us as the present age wonders
at us now” Pericles
Parthenon- white marble temple built on the athenian
acropolis to honor Athena, the city’s patron goddess
Democracy
Direct democracy – form of gov’t where all eligible
citizens voted
*Participation was expected by those who were
eligible
“we athenians do not call a man who does not take
part in public life quiet or unambitious; we call
such a man useless”
Peloponnesian War
• Fought intermittently
for virtually a generation
between primarily
Athens and Sparta and
their respective allies.
• Athens eventually surrenders to Sparta, but still remains the
cultural leader of Greece
• War causes disunity among Greeks, making them ripe for…
an invasion
Alexander
• His father, Philip of Macedonia (an area north of Greece)
conquers & unifies Greek city-states
• Educated by the Greek philosopher Aristotle
• Receives military training in Macedonian army
Alexander The Great
• When his father is assassinated, Alexander becomes ruler at age 20
• In ten year reign he conquers Asia Minor, Syria, Egypt,
Mesopotamia, Persia, and Western India - never losing a battle
• Inspires troops by leading from the front and enduring hardships
• Encourages cultural integration between Macedonians (Greeks)
and Persians
Exs. – Marries Persian princess Roxana
• Established some 70 cities, many of them named after
himself
*EX. Alexandria Egypt
• While returning from India (his troops finally say “no
farther”!) he dies at age 33 in Babylon
• Though his empire disintegrates after his death, his rule
spread Greek or Hellenistic culture to much of the world
known to Greeks at that time. * The “Hellenistic Age”