Ancient Greece Mr Giesler Global Studies What I
Ancient Greece Mr. Giesler Global Studies
What I Know About Greece What I Want to Learn About Greece What I Learned About Greece
Refer to Notes Packet
Geography q Unlike other early civilizations, Greek civilization did NOT rise in a fertile river valley q Rugged and remote corner of S. E. Europe q Much of Greece is mountainous and rocky terrain q Has several plains.
Geography q The Pindus Mountains start in northern Greece and stretch south to the Gulf of Patra. q Geographically no where in Greece is more than 60 km from the sea q Greece is located on the southernmost point of the Balkan Peninsula and is flanked by 3 large bodies of water: the Aegean Sea, the Ionian Sea, and the Mediterranean Sea.
Geography q The Peloponnesus Mountains occupy southern part of Greece. q Approximately 20% of Greece is made up of islands. q Crete is a large island located in the Mediterranean Sea q Most of the people in Greece live along the coast, or along rivers and harbors. q Climate - Most of Greece has a mild climate q Summers are warm and dry q Rain is heavy during the winter months, with some mountain areas getting snow.
Early Civilizations of Greece Minoan Civilization q Occupied the island of Crete q First inhabitants probably migrated from Asia Minor q We do not know a lot of the Minoan Civilization q What we do know, English archaeologist Sir Arthur Evans provided q Success of the Minoans was a result of trade…not conquest q Minoans established outposts throughout the Aegean world, including mainland Greece q Location allowed the Minoans to cross the seas to the Nile River Valley and the Middle East
Early Civilizations of Greece Minoan Civilization q Through contact with Egypt and Mesopotamia, the Minoans acquired ideas and technology – Cultural Diffusion q Minoan reached its peak between 1750 – 1500 BCE q The Palace of Knossos (NAHS uhs) q Archeologist digs reveal painting suggests that women moved freely and may have enjoyed more rights than women in most ancient civilizations
Early Civilizations of Greece Minoan Civilization q About 1400 BCE, Minoan Civilization vanished q Archaeologists are not sure why…maybe a volcanic eruption on nearby island q Maybe an earthquake q Invaders definitely played a role – the Mycenaeans
Early Civilizations of Greece The Mycenaean's q Indo-European people q Conquered Greek mainland q Dominated the Aegean world from 1400 – 1200 BCE q Sea Traders q Reached Sicily, Italy, Egypt, and Mesopotamia q Influenced by the Egyptians and Mesopotamia – Cultural Diffusion
Early Civilizations of Greece The Mycenaean's q Lived in separate city-states on the mainland q Warrior-king ruled his village q Rulers amasses treasure; gold ornaments that archaeologists have unearthed from their tombs)
Early Civilizations of Greece The Mycenaean's q The Trojan War – 1250 BCE q Legend or Reality? ? ? q May had its origin due to economic rivalry with Troy q Troy – rich trading city in now present-day Turkey q Troy controlled the straits that connect the Mediterranean and Black Sea q Trojan prince Pars kidnapped Helen, wife of a Greek King q The Mycenaeans sailed to Troy to rescue her q For 10 years, the Greeks and Troy fought
Early Civilizations of Greece The Mycenaean's q The Trojan Horse q Seeking entrance into Troy, Odysseus ordered a large wooden horse to be built. q Its insides were to be hollow so that soldiers could hide within it. q A number of the Greek warriors, along with Odysseus, climbed inside. q The rest of the Greek fleet sailed away, so as to deceive the Trojans. q One man, Sinon, was left behind.
Early Civilizations of Greece The Mycenaean's q The Trojan Horse q When the Trojans came to marvel at the huge creation, Sinon pretended to be angry with the Greeks, stating that they had deserted him. q He assured the Trojans that the wooden horse was safe and would bring luck to the Trojans. q The Trojans celebrated what they thought was their victory, and dragged the wooden horse into Troy. q At night, after most of Troy was asleep or in a drunken stupor, Sinon let the Greek warriors out from the horse, and they slaughtered the Trojans.
Early Civilizations of Greece Not This Homer q Mycenaean power faded q 1100 to 800 BCE, Greek Civilization seemed to have step backwards; trade declined, cities were abandoned, and people stopped writing q Homer; Greek poet; author of the Iliad and Odyssey q According to legend, Homer was blind and would wander from village to village playing his harp and singing of heroic deeds q His tales were passed from generation to generation before they were written down
Early Civilizations of Greece Homer q The Iliad, serves as our primary source about the Trojan War, including several writing liberties such as gods, goddesses, and a talking horse Mother tells me, the immortal goddess Thetis with her glistening feet, that two fates bear me on to the day of death. If I hold out here and I lay siege to Troy, my journey home is gone, but my glory never dies. If I voyage back to the fatherland I love, my pride, my glory dies… TTYN – what is Homer’s message in this passage?
Early Civilizations of Greece Homer q The Odyssey, q Homer tells the reader a story of the struggles of the Greek hero Odysseus to return home to his faithful wife, Penelope, after the fall of Troy. q During his journey home, Odysseus encounters a sea monster, a race of one -eyed giants, and beautiful sorceress who turns men into swine. TTYN – The Iliad and the Odyssey tell us what about the ancient Greeks? Homer depicts the heroism and courage of the ancient Greeks
The Rise of Greek City-States q How Geography played a big role in the development of Ancient Greece q The mountains divided the peninsula into isolate valleys q Beyond the coastline sat hundreds of rocky islands q The Greeks did NOT establish a large empire as the Egyptians and Mesopotamians had – they built many small city-states q City-states were cut off from one another by either land or water q Strong loyalty to their own city-state q Fiercely defended their independence q Frequent wars between the city-states
The Rise of Greek City-States The Polis q 750 BCE, a unique version of the city-state called the polis q The top of the city sat the acropolis or high city, with great marble temples dedicated to gods and goddesses q On flatter grounds lay the walled main city with its market place, theater, public buildings, and homes q Men would spend time in the marketplace, debating issues that affected their lives
The Rise of Greek City-States Early Governments q 750 – 500 BCE q Different forms of government q First, Monarchy – king or queen exercised power q Next, Aristocracy – class of noble landowners would win power for themselves q Trade expands and new middle class of wealthy merchants emerge q Challenged the landowning nobles for power. q Oligarchy – power is in the hands of a small, powerful elite, usually from the business elite
The Rise of Greek City-States Changes in Warfare q Technology contributes to military strategies and power q Iron weapons replaced bronze; iron cheaper; now the common man could acquire iron helmets, shields, and swords q New fighting methods emerge q The Phalanx emerges – formation of heavily armed foot soldiers q The phalanx reduces class differences TTYN – why did the phalanx impact class differences? Defense was now in the hands of ordinary citizens
What I Know About Greece What I Want to Learn About Greece What I Have Learned So far About Greece
Sparta and Athens q The effect of new technology and warfare lead to emergences of two dominate city-states: Sparta and Athens q Developed very different ways of life q Sparta stressed military virtues and discipline q Athens glorified the individual; would extend political rights to more citizens
Sparta and Athens Sparta q Spartans conquer Laconia q This region lies in the Peloponnesus (southern part of Greece) q Conquered people turned into slaves, called helots q Helots worked the land q Spartans administered a brutal system of strict control q Spartan Government – consisted of two kings and a council of elders who advised the elders q Assembly, made up of all citizens approved major decisions; citizens were male and over 30
Sparta and Athens Life as a Spartan q Young boys were bred to be strong Spartans q Spartan boys were only allowed to wear one layer of clothing q Spartan youth became excellent soldiers q Encouraged to steal to develop cunning and supplement their diet; if caught they would be beaten q Spartan women wrestled and took part in sports q Had to obey their fathers or husbands q The culture of Sparta changed from normal Archaic Greek to military and athletic.
Sparta and Athens Life as a Spartan q Elders judged whether Spartan babies were strong or weak enough to live. q. If they were judged too weak, they were hurled into a gorge or left to die in a hillside. q Life was made tough for the Spartan citizens so they could forever control the Messenians. q Even alcohol was banned to the Spartans, but the helots were allowed to drink.
Leonidas, warrior-king of Sparta
Sparta and Athens Life as a Spartan q Sparta isolate itself from its neighbors such as the Greeks q Looked down and wealth q Forbade their citizens from traveling q Had little use for new ideas or the arts q Were willing to die for their city TTYN – Why would Sparta’s rigid system and inability to change lead to their decline in power
Sparta and Athens q Athens was located in Attica, north of Peloponnesus q Government would evolve from a monarchy into an aristocracy q 700 BCE, noble landowners held the power and chose chief officials q Nobles judged major cases in court and dominated the assembly q Merchants and soldiers resented the power of the nobles q Argued that their service to Athens entitled them to more rights q Demands for change also came from farmers q During hard times, farmers were forced to sell their lands to nobles; some were forced to sell themselves and family into slavery
Sparta and Athens q Athens moves closer to democracy; government by the people q Solon’s Reform q Solon – Chief Official granted permission to make needed reform q Outlawed slavery because of debt q High office to more citizens q Granted citizenship to foreigners q Gave Athenian assemble more say in important decisions
Sparta and Athens q Economic Reform q Encouraged the export of wine and olive oil; helped merchants and farmers by increasing demand q Citizenship still remained limited q Wealthy landowners still held onto the highest positions of authority q Rise of the Tyrants – people who gained power by force q Won support by imposing reforms
Sparta and Athens q Athenian tyrant, Pisistratus (pi SIHS truh tuhs) seized power in 546 BCE q Helped farmers by giving them loans and land taken from nobles q New building projects – gave jobs to the poor q Gave the poor a voice and weakened the aristocracy q 507 BCE, reformer Cleisthenes created the Council of 500 q members were chosen by lot of all citizens q Created law and supervised the day-to-day work of government q Created a legislature – lawmaking body, debated law q All male citizens over 30 were members
Sparta and Athens q Limited Rights q Only males citizens could participate in government q Slavery still existed q Slavery provided the citizens with the time to participate in government
Sparta and Athens q Women, as in other Greek city-states had no share in public life q Women must be guided by men q Managed the house, cared for the children, and prepared food q Boys received an education, girls received very little, if any q Young men received military training and encouraged to explore many others areas of knowledge q Studied to become public speakers TTYN – why would it be necessary to become a good public speaker? In a democracy you were expected to voice your opinion and views
Sparta Athens
Sparta and Athens q Common Culture q Spoke same language q Honored same ancient heroes q Participated in common festivals such as the Olympic Games q Prayed to the same gods (polytheistic)
Sparta and Athens q Believed the gods lived on Mt. Olympus in Northern Greece q Zeus – the most powerful god q Hera – goddess of marriage q Poseidon – god of the sea q Aphrodite – goddess of love q Ares – god of war q Athena – god of wisdom, gave her name to Athens
Sparta and Athens q View of non-Greeks q Trade expanded and so did Greek colonies q Came in contact with people who had different cultures and languages q Felt superior to non-Greeks q Called outsiders or non-Greeks barbaroi; people who did not speak Greek q English word Barbarians comes from barbaroi q This feeling of superiority and what they learned from other cultures would help the Greeks face a threat from the mightiest power in the Mediterranean world – The Persian Empire
What I Know About Greece What I Want to Learn About Greece What I Have Learned So far About Greece
Sparta and Athens The Persian Wars q “Earth and Water” q 492 BCE, King Darius of Persia sent messengers to the Greek citystates demanding gifts of “earth and water” as a symbol of surrender q Many states obeyed q Athens and Sparta declined q Prior to the Persian demand, the Greek city-states, despite their cultural ties, were often bitterly divided. q However, when Persia made their threat, they united to defend their freedom
Sparta and Athens The Persian Wars q By 500 BCE, Persian authority had stretched into the Ionian Sea q Ionian Greeks rebelled against Persian rule q Athens sent ships to help q Persians crush the rebellion within the Ionian cities. q Persia looks to punish Athens for interfering q Battle at Marathon – 490 BCE q Marathon, north of Athens
Sparta and Athens The Persian Wars q Persian outnumbers the Athenians two to one q Despite being outnumbered, the Athenians used an element of surprise q Persians retreated…. The Greeks were victorious q The Greek sent a runner to Athens to share the news q He sprinted nearly 26 miles
Sparta and Athens The Persian Wars q 480 BCE, Xerxes, Ruler of the Persians sends a much larger force to Athens q Sparta is on-board q Persians marched south to Athens; burn Athens; however, Athens was empty q Athens puts their faith in the fleet of ships that they had build q Strait of Salamis; Athenian ships trapped, rammed, and sank the Persian fleet TTYN – What effect would the victory over the Persians represent for the Athenians?
Sparta and Athens The Persian Wars q The Delian League – alliance with other Greek city-states designed to meet the continued threats from Persia q Athens dominates the league q Creates an Athenian Empire q Forced its allies to remain in the league against their will q The League and the power it gave Athens over the rest of Greece were to become one of the major reasons for the Peloponnesian War against Sparta and its allies.
The Legend of Pericles q The Golden Age – the years after the Persian Wars q Pericles leads Athens q Economy thrived q government became more democratic q 490 – 429 BCE – The Age of Pericles q Architects and sculptors to rebuild the Acropolis q New temples for the gods to remind Athens that the gods favored them q Building projects increased prosperity by creating jobs for artisans and workers q Athens became the cultural center of Greece
The Legend of Pericles q Pericles believed that all male citizens should take part in government q Began to pay salaries to those who helped in public office; enabled poor men to serve in government q The Assembly met several times per month q At least 6 K members would participate q Direct Democracy – large number of male citizens took part in the day-to-day affairs of government TTYN – How do we (today) participate in democracy? Indirect democracy – through representatives
The Legend of Pericles q The Funeral Oration q Thucydides, historian during the Age of Pericles “Our constitution is called a democracy because power is in the hands not of a minority but of the whole people. When it is a question of settling private disputes, everyone is equal before the law: when it is a question of putting one person before another in positions of public responsibility, what counts is not membership of a particular class, but the actual ability which the man possesses. ” TTYN – What is Pericles suggesting? Athenian citizens bore a special responsibility, We alone, ” he stated, “regard a man who takes no interest in public affairs, not as harmless but as a useless
The Peloponnesian War q Greek vs. Greek q Many Greeks resented Athens and Athenian domination q Two camps emerge; Led by Sparta q The Peloponnesian League q Sparta encouraged oligarchy vs. Athenian democracy q 431 BCE, war brakes out between Sparta and Athens q 27 years of war
The Peloponnesian War q Athens has a powerful navy, but Sparta has a land advantage q Sparta was located inland, therefore, could not be attacked by sea q Sparta marches to Athens q Pericles moves the citizens inside the walls of Athens q Disaster – a plague emerges; kills 1/3, including Pericles q Pericles successors were less able; power struggle undermines the city’s democratic government q Sparta aligns with Persia q 404 BCE, the Spartans capture Athens, stripped the Athenians of their fleet and their empire
The Peloponnesian War q The impact of the war q Athenian economy would revive q Spirit and greatness would never return q Democratic government suffered q Corruption and selfish interests replaced older ideals such as service to the city-state q Sparta would eventually be defeated by the Thebes, another Greek city-state q Greeks would continue to fight among themselves q 359 BCE, a new power rose in Macedonia, a kingdom to the north q Stay tuned for out unit on Alexander the Great
What I Know About Greece What I Want to Learn About Greece What I Have Learned So far About Greece
The Great Thinkers of Greece q Some great thinkers denied that events were caused by the whims of the gods – they used observation and reason to justify what happened q The Philosophers q Explored many subjects – mathematics, physics, music, logic, and rational thinking q Through reason and observation, they believed they could discover laws that govern the universe q Ethics and moral behavior – debated the best kind of government and what standards should govern people’s behavior
The Great Thinkers of Greece q The Sophists, questioned accepted ideas about truth and justice q Urged students to develop skills in rhetoric, the art of skillful speaking q Socrates was an outspoken critic of the Sophists – believed they undermined traditional values q Socrates – The Wandering Teacher q Questioned fellow citizens about their beliefs and ideas q Urged his students to question and critically examine all around them
The Great Thinkers of Greece q Socrates - Although he wrote nothing, he left Western philosophy the rich legacy of his example in the persistent pursuit of truth q The Socratic Method – to seek truth and knowledge q Devoted himself to free-wheeling discussion with the aristocratic young citizens of Athens, insistently questioning their unwarranted confidence in the truth of popular opinions q Charged with corrupting the youth and interfering with the religion of the city q Convicted Socrates; sentenced him to death in 399 B. C. E; drank hemlock in the company of his friends and died
The Great Thinkers of Greece q The legacy of Socrates q Plato – emphasized the importance of reason; through rational thought, people could discover unchanging ethical values, recognize perfect beauty, and learn how to organize an ideal society q The Republic – described his vision of the ideal state q Rejected Athenian democracy because it condemned Socrates q Believed that the state should regulate every aspect of its citizens’ lives in order to provide for their best interests
The Great Thinkers of Greece q Divided the society into 3 classes: workers, soldiers, and philosophers TTYN – Using Plato’s template for society, describe the role for each of three classes Workers produce the necessities, soldiers defend the state, and philosophers would rule; trained to ensure order and justice; the wisest would have the ultimate authority q Believed women could and should play an active role
The Great Thinkers of Greece q Aristotle q All types of government, Aristotle found good and bad examples q Suspicious of democracy; thought it would lead to mob rule q Favored rule by a single, strong, and virtuous leader q Reason was the guiding force for living and learning
The Beauty of Ancient Greece q Greek architecture has been admired and copied for centuries q Most of our knowledge of Greek architecture comes from the few surviving buildings of the Classical, Hellenistic and Roman periods…. . since Roman architecture heavily copied Greek q Ancient Greek architects strove for the precision and excellence of workmanship
The Beauty of Ancient Greece q Greek sculpture emphasized the same passion for perfection as architecture q Emphasized natural poses q Carved gods, goddesses, athletes, and famous men in a way that showed individuals in their most perfect, graceful form
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