Classical Persians and Greeks

1. Classical Persians and Greeks

2. Classical Era • During the Classical Era, early civilizations spread beyond river valleys • Some of these civilizations achieved enough power to conquer their neighbors and create giant empires • This was also a time when civilizations also began to reflect more on morality and the meaning of life • As a result, many of the world’s major religions emerged • These civilizations developed institutions, systems of thought and cultural styles that still influence us today • Their art, music and literature set the standards against later works would be judged

3. Apply it! • How is the Classical Era significantly different from the Development Era?

4. The Persian Empire (2,000 BCE-100 BCE) • The Persians lived in Southwest Asia on the Iranian Plateau between the Caspian Sea and the Persian Gulf • The Persian ruler Cyrus the Great united the people of this area and then expanded Persia by conquering territories as far as the Indus River

5. Building an Empire • Darius (grandson of Cyrus) unified the Persian Empire further by: • Building a network of public roads • Introducing a uniform set of weights and measures • Establishing several capital cities • Utilizing coin or “money economy” • Establishing a Postal Service • Divided empire into provinces, each with a local officials local to the Persian King

6. Persian Religion • Zoroaster creates Zoroastrianism • Taught there were two gods • Ahura Mazda (good and light) • Ahriman (lies and evil) • This was closer to monotheism, but not quite because both were considered gods

7. The Glory of Greece • Ancient Greece consisted of a large mountainous peninsula, the islands of the Aegean Sea, and the coast of present-day Turkey • Because of Greece’s hilly terrain, farming the land was difficult and most of the soil was only suitable for pasture

8. The Glory of Greece • Ancient Greeks relied on trade and produced wine, olive oil, and pottery which they traded with other peoples of the Mediterranean • Through these trade contacts, the Greeks became exposed to key achievements of other ancient civilizations, such as the alphabet (Phoenicians)

9. Apply it! • What “forced” Greece to create city-states? • What did Greece’s geography mean for their economy?

10. Early Greek Civilization • Minoans • Early Greeks that flourished on the island of Crete from 2000BCE to 1400BCE • Developed their own form of writing, used copper and bronze and were skilled at shipbuilding • Mysteriously disappeared around 1400BCE

11. Early Greek Civilization • Mycenae • A second ancient Greek Civilization thrived around Mycenae (on Mainland Greece) and the coast of Asia Minor from 1400 to 1200BCE • Around this time the Dorians, a group of people from northern Greece, conquered the Greek mainland

12. The Rise of Greek City-States • Mountains and the sea caused Greek centers of population to be cut off from one another • As a result, separate city-states developed, each with its own form of government and system of laws • In Greek, the word for city state was polis

13. Apply it! • Why were city-states a “natural” thing for the Greeks?

14. The Rise of Greek City States • Greeks did share a common culture • Language • Religion • Myths • Traditions • Economic ties

15. Military Sparta • Sparta is located in the southern part of Greece, called the Peloponnesus • In 725BC, the Spartans conquered their neighbors • They then forced the helots to farm for them • The Spartans had to constantly use force to maintain control over the helots • Due to this threat, life in Sparta was organized around military needs • Individualism and new ideas were discouraged • Strict obedience and self-discipline were highly valued

16. Democratic Athens • The city-state of Athens developed a unique system of government: Democracy • Every citizen could participate in the government directly by voting on issues to be decided by the city-state • The main governing body of Athens was the Citizens Assembly • Only a minority of residents in Athens were citizens • Women, foreigners, slaves, were not citizens and could not participate

17. Other Government Types • Theocracy • Government by a religious leader, or group • Aristocracy • Government by a small group of wealthy land owners • Oligarchy • Government by a few (usually business owners) • Monarchy • Government by hereditary rulers (king or queen)

18. Apply it! • How was Athenian Democracy different from American Democracy today? • How was Sparta’s expansion and subsequent militarism a catch 22? • How were Athens and Sparta able to develop so differently?

19. Persian Wars • Persians under Cyrus wanted to conquer the Greeks of the Balkan peninsula • He first sent messengers to ask the Greek city-states to surrender…most refused and so Cyrus invaded with plans to win by warfare

20. Apply it! • How would the Persian Wars further bolster the pride of the Greeks?

21. The Golden Age of Greek Culture • Following the Persian Wars, the Greeks enjoyed a “golden age” • Pericles of Athens championed democracy • He collected revenues from other city-states to rebuild Athens • Art, literature, and philosophy all flourished

22. Apply it! • What is a golden age? • Why is it historically important that Athens had a golden age?

23. Greek Philosophy • The Greeks believed that human reason was powerful enough to understand the world and solve its problems • 3 philosophers—Socrates, Plato and Aristotle, asked important questions and tried to find answers

24. Socrates • Socrates questioned his students about the use of moral terms… • What is goodness? What is morality and justice? • In 399BC, Socrates’ enemies persuaded the Athenian Council to condemn Socrates to death for corrupting the young

25. Plato • Plato, one of Socrates’ students, took the questioning even further • He concluded that values like goodness, beauty and justice actually exist as independent ideas that are more real than the changing “appearances” we see in daily life • In The Republic, Plato described an ideal city-state ruled by philosopher kings

26. Apply it! • How does Plato’s world view match up with your own? • Plato believes that the one who rules should be the philosopher king…why?

27. Aristotle • Aristotle was a student of Plato • He was less concerned with abstract concepts and instead collected and classified things from animals, to city-state constitutions and studied their relationships • Aristotle made a lot of observations and theories about science and astronomy

28. Greek Art and Architecture • Greek sculptures and architects tried to design statues and buildings with ideal proportions • Greek buildings and statuses were not the white marble you see in museums today • They were brightly painted with bold colors • The Parthenon, a splendid marble temple with beautiful columns, was constructed on the hill known as the Acropolis • Inside was a giant statue of Athena, patron goddess of the city

29. Apply it! • Why does Greek art give us an unrealistic view of what we should look like? • Why is it still awesome?

30. Greek Science and Mathematics • Geographers like Eratosthenes showed the Earth was round and calculated its circumference • He also created a device (sieve) for discovering all prime numbers up to any limit • Archimedes is considered one of the greatest mathematicians of antiquity • He worked in geometry and also practical applications of levers and pulleys, volume and density, as well as catapults and water pumps

31. Greek Music and Literature • Greeks listened to choral music and instruments like the stringed lyre and flute, and developed musical scales • Greek Historians like Herodotus and Thucydides, told the story of the past • And worked to avoid bias and emphasize proper research • Greek playwrights like Sophocles, completed the first known comedies and tragedies that Greeks watched from giant open-air amphitheaters

32. Peloponnesian Wars • Following the Persian Wars, a rivalry erupted between Athens and Sparta • Athens had used their power and influence to force other city-states to pay them taxes • Sparta finally declared war on Athens in the Peloponnesian Wars • After 30 years of fighting, Sparta finally proved victorious by borrowing Persia’s Navy • The war weakened all the Greek City-States

33. Apply it! • Why was the Peloponnesian War called the war between the Elephant and the Whale? • Why would Sparta’s victory be a blow to world-wide government advancement?

34. Women in Greece • In general, men regarded women as inferior and excluded them from public life • Women were to manage the home, and were subject to their husband’s will • Spartan women, however, enjoyed greater status and freedom than elsewhere in Greece • Many were given an education and physical training • Athenian women could own clothing and slaves, but they could not own land or enter into contracts

35. Apply it! • How did the status of women differ between city-states? • How did the status of women in Greece differ between that of Egypt? • In general, how do civilized societies treat their women? • How is this different from Paleolithic peoples?