Transcript An Introduction to Ancient Greece, Athens and Sparta

An Introduction to
Ancient Greece
Before we begin…
“Civilization” refers to the
point at which human societies
organized and took root
around certain spots.
This stopped the tradition of
nomadic hunting and gathering
as people converted to an
agricultural lifestyle (which
means that they would grow
and raise their food instead of
going out and looking for it).
Early stone arrowhead
Civilization
It is thought that the six earliest
civilizations around the world
were Mesopotamia, Egypt,
Indus, Shang (or Yellow River
valley), Mesoamerica and
Andean South America.
However, these all have
different dates attached to
them. Some date back as
many as 9000 or 10 000 years
ago, while others are as recent
as 3500 years ago.
The “Fertile Crescent” of
Mesopotamia
Civilization, cont’d
The reasons for the differences are
many, but geography is important (the
right climate to grow and raise food)
as is having the right animals around
(some are more easily tamed than
others to do work and stay put).
Teotihuacan, in Central America
Geography is also important when it comes to living conditions and
exposure to others. Areas close to lakes and rivers supplied constant
water to facilitate agriculture, and being surrounded by mountains or
water would protect a civilization from invaders. A regular climate
would include seasonal changes that humans can survive as well as
regular rainfall. Places that had all of these features were ideal for
humans to settle.
Civilization cont’d
When humans started living in one place,
development quickly followed – stone buildings,
irrigation, and more importantly, organization.
That means everything from government to
infrastructure (roads, sewers, etc.) to special jobs
(carpenter, stone mason, blacksmith, etc.).
Thus, civilization was born…
Ancient Greece
Ancient Greece is considered by many
historians to be the birthplace of modern
“western” civilization (that of a European
tradition).
Statue of the Greek
God, Zeus
That’s not to say there weren’t others that
were important (Ancient Egypt, for
example, was very important, and likely
taught the Greeks a thing or two), but the
traditions of government, science,
philosophy and architecture (just to name
a few) that Europe and many other
societies around the world have today can
all be traced back more than 3000 years
ago to Ancient Greece.
When was “Ancient Greece?”
Ancient Greece refers to the time period beginning in 2500
BCE with the Minoan civilization up to about 86 BCE with
the full conquest of Greece by the Roman Empire.
However, the really important period in Ancient Greece
can be narrowed to between 800 BCE (development of
Greek Alphabet) to 350 BCE (when the Macedonian
Empire would eclipse Greece).
A Minoan Fresco
A Mosaic of Alexander the Great
Geography and Greece
Geography played an
important role in the
development of ancient Greek
societies.
Much of Greece is made up of
small plains and river regions
among mountains (80% of
Greece is mountainous).
The rest is comprised of small
islands.
Map of Ancient Greece
Geography and Greece, cont’d
Mountains and islands isolated Greek societies, and
despite common religions, languages and traditions
(spread through trade and colonization), Greek city-states
were very independent.
This took their development along different paths and
also caused them to war with one another.
Mount Olympus, close to Thessaloniki
Minoan Civilization (2500-1450 BCE)
While technically not a Greek City-State, the Minoan
civilization of Crete (big island south of the Greek
mainland) was a pre-cursor to Ancient Greek society.
Many Greek societies were influenced by the
developments of the Minoans.
Minoan Civilization, cont’d
The Minoan civilization reached its height between 2000 and
1450 BCE. This was indeed a developed society, as a grand
palace built at Knossos reveals a complex structure, containing
private rooms for the King’s family and elaborate bathrooms
(with evidence of drainage and sewage systems that were fairly
advanced).
Ruins of the palace at Knossos
Minoan Civilization, cont’d
The Minoans also had
advanced pottery and
artistry, which they traded
with other societies.
Minoan jug
circa 2000 BCE
Indeed, Minoa was a seafaring trading power above
all else, and their influence
was felt throughout the
Aegean sea, and even in
Egypt.
Minoan vase
circa 1500 BCE
Minoan Civilization, cont’d
No one knows exactly why the Minoan civilization
collapsed, but some sort of catastrophe hit around
1450 BCE. After that, the Minoans never recovered
and their society all but disappeared as a new power
emerged…
A Minoan fresco,
possibly depicting 3
Queens, shortly
before Minoa’s
collapse.
Mycenae: The First Greek City-State (16001100 BCE)
Supposedly first ruled by the legendary Perseus, Mycenae was a
fortified city-state on the Greek mainland (near Athens) and was the
first proper Greek city-state. Unlike Minoa, the Mycenaeans were
Indo-Europeans and spoke a language closer to modern Greek.
The Mycenaeans established a kind of empire, with kings who
established fortified towns forming an alliance of independent states.
At the head of this alliance was a “king of kings” – the most famous
being Agamemnon.
“The Mask of
Agamemnon”
discovered in 1876
Mycenae, cont’d
The Mycenaeans were a proud warrior people, and the
most famous of their military exploits was the destruction
of Troy, made famous by the Greek poet, Homer
(although he wrote the “history” a few hundred years
after it happened).
Led by Agamemnon, a force of Mycenaean Greeks
attacked the city of Troy, later destroying it after invading
the city secretly by way of the “Trojan Horse.”
A triumphant
Achilles parades
the body of the
defeated Hector
Mycenae, cont’d
Unfortunately for the Mycenaeans, their success was shortlived, as in-fighting and competition between kings led to a
collapse of their civilization in about 1100 BCE, ushering
in a period known as the “Dark Ages” of Ancient Greece.
It’s important to note the rivalry between Troy and
Mycenae here. Troy was on the west coast of what is now
Turkey, and after the Trojan War, Greek settlements
actually took root in this area, known as “Ionia.”
Depiction of the
death of
Agamemnon
The Dark Ages of Ancient Greece (1100750 BCE)
After the collapse of Mycenae,
food production and population
dropped in many Greek citystates. Some kingdoms fell into
ruin and were abandoned.
In response, many Greeks
migrated to Ionia and
constructed new settlements
there. As trade and economic
activity started to recover,
technology developed and Iron
replaced Bronze as the metal of
choice.
Map of settlements in the
Dark Age of Greece
The Dark Ages, cont’d
It’s not really accurate to call them “The Dark Ages” (this
term is falling out of favour with historians, anyway).
Actually, a number of important developments happened.
Trade and “colonization” expanded, technology progressed
and the Greeks adopted the Phoenician alphabet to give
themselves a unified system of writing.
This was also the time of the great poet Homer, who wrote
The Iliad and The Odyssey.
No, not that
guy…
This guy!
The Archaic Age of Ancient Greece (750500 BCE)
The Archaic Age is also
known as the age of the Greek
City-States, as it was during
this time that a great number
of powerful city-states
emerged that would advance
Greek society across the
Aegean, and would also lead
to an outward expansion
across the area, putting
Greece face-to-face with the
Persian Empire.
A Greek vase from about 750
BCE. Notice the geometric
patterns, not found on vases
previously.
The Archaic Age, cont’d
One of the most important advances of the Archaic
Age was the development of the polis. While “polis”
could simply be seen as a fancy word for city-state (it
literally means “city”), it really is more of a collective.
Greeks began to see themselves as members, or
citizens of a polis, rather than simply subjects in a
kingdom. Indeed, it is from “polis” that we get the
modern word “politics.”
The Archaic Age, cont’d
Geography was once again an important part of the polis, as the
main gathering place was a hill, which in some cases had an
acropolis (the most famous one being in Athens).
The acropolis could be fortified to become a refuge during an
attack, and it could also be an important religious centre, on
which temples were built.
Below the acropolis was an agora, an open area where people
could assemble, as well as serving as a market.
The
Acropolis
of Athens
The Archaic Age, cont’d
The city-states also traded with each
other (friendly) and went to war with
each other (not-so-friendly). Thus,
both economic and military
developments occurred during the
Archaic Age.
The most significant military
development was the phalanx,
which arranged soldiers in a kind of
“human tank” with shields to guard
against spear and arrow attacks.
As long as it remained organized, it
was a very effective tactic, as it was
difficult for soldiers to be harmed
while in formation.
The Phalanx
The Archaic Age, cont’d
The city-states’ military development led to an
outward spreading of Greek culture (in the form of
colonisation) across the Mediterranean to Turkey
(Ionia), Italy, southern France and Spain, and even
North Africa.
Greece’s newfound wealth also led to a new
wealthy class of merchants, who were intent on
seizing power from aristocratic rich land-owners.
This would usher in the rule of the tyrants.
The Archaic Age, cont’d
The tyrants were not automatically bad. After gaining control
of city-state governments (through hired soldiers) many
wanted to maintain their popularity with citizens by
embarking on public works projects (like walls, temples,
roads and ports).
This worked for a while, but eventually many tyrants did
become oppressive, and the Greeks ousted them from power
by around 600 BCE.
The Greeks believed in the rule of law, and tyrants, no
matter how effective, were an affront to this. However, the
tyrants rule had a profound legacy, as some city-states evolved
from tyrant rule to rule by group, or oligarchy, and others
tried a new idea they called “democracy…”
Athens
By 700 BCE, Athens had become a
unified polis, beginning with rule by a
king but moving into control by
wealthy landowners – the assembly of
citizens had few powers.
By the end of the 600s BCE, Athens
had fallen into crisis. Draco, a
politician, had codified Athenian law
with harsh penalties attached for
breaking them. Debtors could be
forced into slavery.
Many farmers were forced into slavery
when they couldn’t pay their debts to
landowners, and civil unrest was
starting to brew. Cries came from the
citizenry to give land to the poor and
cancel debts.
Statue of the goddess, Athena
Athens, cont’d
After a series of tyrants tried and
failed to stabilize Athens, an
aristocrat, Cleisthenes, finally put
Athens in order by creating a
council of 500 – male citizens who
supervised foreign affairs, oversaw
the treasury and proposed laws
after free and open debate.
Bust of Cleisthenes
It was from this council that
Athenian democracy was born.
Sparta
A counter-point to Athenian society was Sparta. Sparta was a
military state made up of the Spartans and the helots (a word
that means “capture” – the people of conquered tribes that
the Spartans enslaved).
Between 800 and 600 BCE, Spartan society underwent
numerous reforms in an effort to strengthen its society and
maintain Spartan superiority over the helots. Boys were
taken from their mothers at the age of seven and put under
control of the state, to become soldiers.
At twenty, they were in the army, and although allowed to
marry, they were to continue to live in military barracks. At
thirty, they could vote in the assembly and live at home, but
they remained in military service until the age of sixty.
Sparta, cont’d
The Spartan reforms also affected government, and although
there was an assembly, Sparta was an oligarchy, with power
resting in the hands of two kings, responsible for the military,
and the gerousia, or council of elders.
The gerousia consisted of 28 citizens over the age of sixty
who were elected for life, and they prepared proposals for
the assembly, or apella to vote on (no debate).
Rarely did the apella reject a proposal from the gerousia, but
it did elect the gerousia, along with a group of 5 men, the
ephors, who supervised education for all youth and the
conduct of all citizens.
Sparta, cont’d
To maintain “order,” Sparta
discouraged the study of literature,
philosophy and the arts (they might
encourage new ideas) and visits by
foreigners. Spartans were not allowed
to travel abroad, except to conquer.
In the 500s BCE, Sparta used its
military power to organize an alliance
of Peloponnesian city-states, and was a
force to be reckoned with, having only
Athens and her allies as a rival. Until
someone else showed up in Greece…
Statue of a Spartan Warrior
Classical Greece 500 – 330 BCE
Classical Greece is the period that
saw the greatest developments and
largest expansion of Greek society as
a whole, but it started with a
confrontation between the city states
and a mammoth empire: Persia.
As the Greeks spread across to
Ionia, they came in contact with the
Persian empire, and the Ionian states
fell under Persian rule by the mid
500s BCE. In 499 BCE, the Ionian
states banded together and, led by
Athens, revolted against Persia.
Persian Warriors
Classical Greece, cont’d
Though the revolt was crushed, the Persian Emperor,
Darius, vowed revenge, and attacked mainland Greece
in 490 BCE, in Marathon. However, the Greeks
prevailed and the invasion was put down. This time…
Map of the Persian
Empire in 490 BCE
Classical Greece, cont’d
After the death of Darius in 486 BCE,
the new emperor, Xerxes, picked up the
torch. He led a massive force into
Greece – 180 000 troops, backed by a
navy and supply ships.
However, Xerxes had not counted on
the determination of the Greeks, and
after a massive battle at Plataea, which
saw the largest united Greek army ever
gathered, the Persians were utterly
defeated and the Greeks were free to
pursue their own destiny.
Depiction of
Persian and Greek
Warriors
Classical Greece, cont’d
After the repulsion of the Persians, Greek society flourished,
and it was during this time that great achievements in
architecture, such as the Parthenon of Athens (about 440 BCE),
and achievements in art, such as Greek sculpture and drama
(Sophocles) were seen.
This age also saw the growth of intellectual pursuits, as
Herodotus and Thucydides wrote histories which emphasized
facts (more so for Thucydides) and Socrates, Plato and Aristotle
established philosophy. Others, such as Pythagoras, looked for
unifying theories to explain the universe, giving birth to
Mathematics.
The Parthenon
Classical Greece, cont’d
Unfortunately, without a foreign rival to
unify them, the expansion of the citystates ultimately led to war. Athens
emerged during the Classical period with
a strong empire based on its navy, but
they were rivaled by Sparta with its
powerful army. The two societies were
organized in very different ways and
neither were tolerant of the other - the
two soon went to war.
Actually, Athens and Sparta (and their
allies) went to war a few times, in what
were called the “Peloponnesian Wars.”
Neither side would emerge in decisive
victory, and the weakening of the citystates led to its vulnerability to a new
empire building in the north.
Map showing Alliances of
the Peloponnesian War
Hellenistic Greece 360 – 320 BCE
The word “Hellenistic” means “to imitate Greeks,” and
that’s what much of the world did when the Greeks
would be unified again and actually march into Persia,
conquering it.
It’s an irony, though, that this was achieve by someone
who wasn’t Greek – Alexander the Great.
Alexander being
tutored by Aristotle
Hellenistic Greece, cont’d
Alexander was the son of Philip of
Macedon. The Macedonians were a group
of people who lived north of the major
Greek city-states, but started to get powerful
under Philip, as they organized themselves
under a strong army when the Greek citystates were fighting among themselves.
Alexander, while Macedonian, thought of
himself as Greek. He claimed to be a
descendant of Heracles (A.K.A.
“Hercules”) and wanted vengeance against
Persia for their invasion of the Greek
mainland.
Statue of Alexander
Hellenistic Greece, cont’d
He led a huge force past Ionia into Persia and pushed as far as India. In the
end, he both unified the Greeks and also established one of the largest
empires in history. Sadly (for him) it didn’t last long. He died at the young
age of 32, and Greek forces were so stretched that they became vulnerable
again to another foreign force: Rome.
His legacy, however, was far-reaching, as Greek literature, art and thought
were expanded far past the Mediterranean, and Greek culture itself was
transformed by coming into contact with others.
Alexander’s empire
Conclusion
Can one speak of a unified Greek nation, then? Was
Ancient Greece an example of an early nation?
Certainly, the Greeks went past tribalism into something new:
citizenship. The Greek city-state unified people and created
a new sense of identity that didn’t exist before, and many citystates shared cultural aspects in common (not to mention
language, religion and art).
However, most Greeks probably still thought of themselves
as members of a tribe (Spartan) or small group (Athenian).
It’s unclear then, if a truly “Greek” identity had emerged in a
national sense.
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