The Classical Age of Greece Golden Age of

The Classical Age of Greece Golden Age of Athens, Persian Wars, and the Peloponnesian War

ATHENIAN DEMOCRACY • Solon – Revised laws. Outlawed debt slavery and tried to reduce poverty by encouraging trade. • Cleisthenes – Divided Athens into 10 tribes that became the basis for elections. (Credited for creating Democracy) • Democracy? …Really? – Women, children, immigrants, slaves could NOT particpate. – 10% of population participated. • Athens used a Direct Democracy where people voted directly on issues. – Why not used in United States?

• First Persian Invasion – Marathon (Phalanx) • Athens beats Persia (Darius). • Second Persian Invasion – Thermopylae • Small Greek force held back large Persian force for 3 days. (Xerxes) – Salamis (Naval Battle) • Persia lost and were stuck in Greece. • Greece Wins Persian Wars

Golden Age of Athens • Athens & Delian League – Alliance of Greek city-states that was controlled by Athens. – Parthenon was built from $ from Delian League. • Pericles – Skilled politician who encouraged the spreading of democracy. – Commissioned the building of the Parthenon.

ACROPOLIS

PARTHENON

TEMPLE OF ATHENA NIKE

ERECTHEION

Pericles’ 3 Goals for Athens • 1. Stronger Democracy: Increased the number of paid public officials to strengthen democracy. – Athens had more citizen engaged in selfgovernment than any other city-state. • 2. Athenian Empire: Enlarged the wealth and power of Athens. – Used $ to build 200 navy ships. • 3. Glorifying Athens: Used $ from the Empire to beautify Athens by buying gold, ivory, marble.

Greek Styles in Art & Greek Drama • Greeks invented 2 types of drama (tragedy & comedy) and built first theaters in the west. • Parthenon was a 23, 000 sq. ft. building which contained the statue of Athena inside. • Athena stood 38 feet tall and was made of gold and ivory. • The Greeks values of order, balance, and proportions became the standard of classical art. • Tried to capture grace of the human body in their art.

Spartans & Athenians Go to War • Declared war in 431 B. C. – Athens: Naval Ships – Sparta: Stronger Soldiers • Plague killed almost two-third of Athenian population. • Athenians had a wall that kept out the Spartans. • After 18 years, Spartans took down the wall. • 404 B. C. Athens surrendered & changed their political program.

Philosophers Search for Truth • Philosophers are people who determined to seek truth. • They based assumptions on: – 1. Universe is put together in orderly way with subject absolute and unchanging laws. – 2. People understand laws through logic and reason. • Socrates who believed that absolute standards exist through truth & justice (Socratic Method) – Went to trial for corrupting youth of Athens. • Plato was a student of Socrates and famous work is called “The Republic” • Aristotle questioned nature of world and human belief and created scientific method.