Transcript File - Yip the Great

The Pre-Greeks  Aegean Civilization
4 Sections of
Aegean World
- Minoan - Crete
- Mycenaean –
Greek mainland
- Trojan – Asia
Minor
- Cycladic –
islands of the
Aegean Sea
Classical Greece
Let’s talk about geography first – Yay!!
- peninsula is mountainous – leads to…
… development of fiercely independent
city-states
- rocky soil
limits large
scale
agriculture
and leads
to…
…overseas
colonization
- miles of coastline
& islands leads
to…
… seafaring &
trading mentality
Classical Greece
Development of the Polis
- Greek civilization begins
revival with introduction of
Phoenician alphabet
Polis – “fort” or “refuge”
- politics, policy, metropolis, police,
etc.
Four common characteristics
(besides independence)
Small size – Athens is smaller than RI
Small population – Athens at its
height was 40,000 citizens
Acropolis – “high city” with temples
and administrative buildings
Agora – marketplace for public
gatherings
Classical Greece
Evolution of Greek governments
- Monarchy – rule by one with hereditary
rights
- Oligarchy – rule by few - nobility
- Tyranny – rule by one with no hereditary
rights
- Democracy – rule by the people
Age of Kings (1000-700 BCE)
- little is known of this period
- many wars among poleis
- some limits on power of kings through
aristocratic councils – known mostly through
Homer’s epics – Homeric Age
Classical Greece
Rise of the Nobles or Oligarchs
- around 700 BCE, nobles in
many poleis began to seize more
power
- become more powerful through
debt slavery
- military power through cavalry
Age of Tyrants (700-500 BCE)
- tyrants replace oligarch promising reforms
- defend poor against excesses of aristocracy
- end struggles for political power among
nobles
- encourage trade
- pass just laws
- eventually became tyrannical (harsh &
unjust)
Classical Greece
Finally – Popular government or
Democracy
- begins in Athens
- rule by citizens  limited to male
landowners
- Is this really democracy??
- Solon – bans debt slavery
- Peisistratus – redistribute lands
- Cleisthenes – begins Assembly and
Council of 500 – direct democracy
Classical Greece – the 2 ideals
Athens – Democracy & Culture
Which way of life makes more sense?
Sparta – the Military
Ancient Athens
- center for arts, learning, and culture
- birthplace of democracy
- home to ancient world’s most famous philosophers, politicians,
etc.
- build powerful
empire stretching
across Aegean Sea
- height reached
under Pericles –
Age of Pericles or
Golden Age of
Athens
Athenian Government
Direct Democracy – laws passed by all citizens
- Assembly  all citizens; pass laws
- Council of 500 – 50 representatives from 10
tribes – present laws
- very few people were citizens  landowning
men over age of 18  estimates ~ 30-40,000
eligible voters out of population of 200-300,000
- boys enter military training for 2 years at age
18  expected to be ready when needed
- philosophy, art, drama, literature,
architecture
Ancient Sparta
- it’s all about their military
- weak infants left out to die
- age 7, boys enrolled into military
training
- harsh, cruel training to produce tough
soldier
- girls are trained to be physically fit – to
produce strong infants
- enter army at age 18 and stay until 60
- government  2 kings, 5 ephors, Council of 30
- helots  slaves from original conquered
population
- outnumbered citizens 7 to 1
- cruel & harsh to slaves
Classical Greece
The Unification of Greece – Persian Wars
Who were the Persians?
- efficient & effective
conquerors
- roads
- administrators
- tolerant
- Cyrus the Great – 550
BCE
- conquered Ionian citystates 546
- rebellions break out in 499, supported by
Athens
- Persia uses rebellions as excuse to
conquer all of Greece
- many poleis unite to repel invasions in
490
The Persian Wars
490 Battle of Marathon
- Athenians outnumbered by
Persians 10 to 1 (may have been
only 2 to 1)
- great victory for Athens
- Persian king Darius
480 Battle of Thermopylae
- Spartan army of 300 with
7000 Greeks hold 200,000
Persians for three days
- heroic defense
- Persians led by Xerxes,
Spartans led by Leonidas
The Persian Wars
480 Battle of Salamis
- naval battle
- Xerxes v. Themosticles
- Persian fleet tricked into small bay
where Athenian navy has advantage
- half of Persian fleet is destroyed
- Xerxes retreats
479 Battle of Plataea
- decisive battle
- combined Greek army
defeats remnants of Persians
- Persia is no longer a threat
The Persian Wars
1.
2.
3.
4.
Results
Unification of many Greek city-states
Great sense of pride and accomplishment
Feeling of Athenian superiority
Development of Athenian Empire
- Athens was on “top of the
world”
- Sparta withdraws to
isolationism
- invited city-states to form a
defensive league  Delian
league
- more than 140 city-states
joined
Aftermath of Persian Wars & the Peloponnesian Wars
- by 465 BCE, the Persian threat is over but Athens does not allow
city-states to leave
- used treasury of the Delian League to build the Parthenon
- moved treasury to Athens
- insisted all
criminal cases be
tried in Athens
- interfered in
internal affairs of
other city-states
- transform Delian
League from
alliance to Athenian
Empire
- caused resentment
 turn to Sparta
The Peloponnesian Wars
Sparta formed Peloponnesian League to
combat Athenian aggression
- commercial rivalry between Corinth &
Athens sparks war in 431 BCE
- Sparta’s hope for victory  army’s ability to
besiege Athens and destroy its outlying fields
- Athens’ hope for victory  navy’s ability to
bring in needed supplies and harass its
enemies’ coast
- war takes bad turn for Athens
in 429 w/ typhus outbreak which
kills 1/3 of the Athenian
population  including Pericles
- lack of strong leadership is
devastating for Athens
The Peloponnesian Wars
- war drags on until 404 BCE and total
defeat of Athens by Sparta
- Athens forced to 1.) tear down
defenses around city
2.) give up overseas
colonies
3.) swear allegiance
to Sparta
- Sparta will become dominant and
ruling city-state of Greece in immediate
aftermath of the war
- Sparta proves to be an inept ruling
state and will be overthrown by league
led by the city-state of Thebes in 371
The Peloponnesian Wars
- brings disaster for Greece 
leads to disunity and division
- city-states decline in population
-devastates fields and orchards 
particularly the olive orchards of
Athens
- rising unemployment  many
young men emigrate to Persia &
join their army as mercenaries
- lose ability to govern themselves
- lose faith in democracy and free
political discussion as Greece
turns back towards tyranny
-city-states unable to resist new
invaders – the Macedonians in the
350s