Transcript Ancient Greece: Day 2

Ancient Greece: Day 2
Persian War, Philosophers,
Peloponnesian War, Alexander
and Science & Technology,
1
Athens
• Attica Peninsula; leading
Greek city-state (Polis)
after 750 BCE
– Monarchyaristocracytyr
annydemocracy
• Early Problems:
– Small farmers unable to
compete with imports
• sold land, forced into slavery
if unable to pay debts
– Common people had no
voice in Government
Athenian Leaders
• Many different forms of government in
Greece (monarchy, aristocracy, oligarchy,
tyrants, democracy)
• Athenian rulers w/democratic reforms:
• Draco: legal code w/equality under law
• Solon: outlawed debt slavery & all citizens allowed to
participate in Athenian assembly
• Cleisthenes: Council of 500 created with random
membership & all citizens could submit laws to Athenian
assembly
• Citizenship – free adult males born in
Athens (no women, slaves or foreigners)
Phalanx
• Greek military formation of hoplites
• Heavy infantry, column formation
• If the front row falls, the next row takes
their places
Philosophy
• Sophists – questioned
people’s unexamined
beliefs & ideas about
justice & values
• Socrates – critic of
Sophists (believed
absolute truths did exist
for truth and justice);
Socratic line of
questioning; Athenian
jury condemns to death
Philosophy
• Plato – student of
Socrates; wrote The
Republic (vision of
perfectly governed
society); founded a school
called the Academy
(lasted 900 yrs)
• Aristotle – student of
Plato; method for arguing
logic w/rules; applied
methods to psychology,
physics, & biology;
tutored Alexander the
Great
Philosophy
• Stoicism – founded by Zeno;
people should live virtuous
lives in harmony with the will
of god or natural laws; human
desires, power, & wealth
should be checked; promoted
social unity
• Epicureanism – founded by
Epicurus; gods had no interest
in universe; virtuous conduct &
absence of pain; goal was to
achieve harmony of body and
mind
Zeno
Persian War
• Persian Empire controlled Middle East and
Greek colonies on Asia Minor
– Colonies Revolted(with aid of Athens), Persian king
(Darius) determined to punish Athens
• Battles
– Marathon: Persia attacks, Athens defeats (490 BCE)
– Athens built huge navy and organized the city-states
(Themistocles)
– Thermopylae; attacked by Xerxes (son of Darius),
Persia won (480 BCE)
– Naval battle of Salamis, Athens won
– Final battle of Platea, land battle won by Spartans,
drove off Persians
• Greek Democracy prevailed and were able to
have a “golden age”
Persian War
Peloponnesian War (Athens & Sparta)
(431 BCE-404 BCE)
• Athens formed Delian League for protection against the Persians,
pirates
– really turns into the Athenian Empire
• Sparta & others create an anti-Athens alliance; Peloponnesian
League
• Part I – Spartans invade Athenian territory & burned food supply;
city remained safe with colonial & foreign trade; plague in Athens;
truce signed
• Part II – Athens send fleet to attack Syracuse (ally of Sparta);
expedition was a failure (fleet & army) was destroyed; surrendered 9
years later
Delian League
Peloponnesian War Continued…
• Effects:
– Ruined fields, city-states ripe for take over, Athenians lose
faith in their democracy
– Sparta broke, detested for being anti-democratic
– Weakened both and allowed for Macedonians to dominate
This picture actually
represents the Persian War,
but it looked cool. Notice the
Phalanx behind Leonidas!
Alexander the Great
• Phillip of Macedonia (Alex’s Dad)
– Tried to unify city-states by force
– united the militaries and planned to attack Persia, but
was assassinated
• Alexander
– Conquered Persian Empire (Middle East and Egypt), to
the Indus River
– Largest empire to this point
– Died of fever at 33
• Spread Hellenism (culture of the Greeks)
Alexander the Great Conquering Persia
Science and Technology
• Astronomy
•
Aristarchus – estimates Sun’s size
at 300 times larger than earth (was
off a bit); said Earth revolved
around the Sun
•
Eratosthenes – calculated Earth’s
size at 28-29,000 miles (is 24,860)
• Math & Physics
•
Euclid – wrote Elements
(geometric propositions & proofs)
•
Archimedes – gifted in geometry
& physics; invented device that
raised water from the ground & the
compound pulley
Euclid