Chapter Objectives

The Ancient Greeks Chapter Objectives • Describe how geography and the Minoan and Mycenaean civilizations influenced Greek culture. • Compare the city-states of Sparta and Athens. • Identify the causes and effects of Greek wars with Persia. • Describe Athens under the leadership of Pericles and reasons Athens declined.

The Early Greeks The Geography of Greece • Mainland Greece is a mountainous peninsula—a body of land with water on three sides. • The Ionian Sea is to the west of Greece, the Aegean Sea is to the east, and the Mediterranean Sea is to the south. • Ancient Greeks were fishers, sailors, traders, and farmers. (page 117)

The Early Greeks The Geography of Greece • Although Greece’s rocky soil made it difficult to farm, people could grow wheat, barley, olives, and grapes in the favorable climate. (page 117)

The Early Greeks The Minoans • The ruins of the Minoan civilization, the first civilization to arise in Greece, are on the island of Crete. • Artifacts at the palace at Knossos reveal the riches of the Minoan people, such as wine, oil, jewelry, and statues. • The Minoan people were traders, traveling by ship to trade with other countries. (page 118)

The Early Greeks The First Greek Kingdoms • The first Greek kings were Mycenaean leaders, whose people invaded the Greek mainland around 1900 B.C. • The center of the Mycenaean kingdom was a palace surrounded by large farms. • The Mycenaeans began trading with the Minoans and learned much about Minoan culture. (pages 119–120)

The Early Greeks The First Greek Kingdoms (cont.) • Before collapsing around 1100 B.C., the Mycenaean civilization was the most powerful on the Mediterranean. • The Dark Age occurred between 1100 B.C. and 150 B.C. and was a time of less trade and poverty among people. • The Dorians invaded Greece, bringing new weapons and farming technology to the Greek people. (pages 119–120)

The Early Greeks The First Greek Kingdoms (cont.) • The Greeks learned about an alphabet from the Phoenicians, one of their trading partners. • The Greek alphabet had 24 letters that stood for different sounds. (pages 119–120)

The Early Greeks A Move to Colonize • After the Dark Age, Greek people began to set up colonies in other countries. • This colonization spread Greek culture. • Trade between colonists and the parent cities grew, and soon merchants were trading goods for money instead of more goods. (page 121)

The Early Greeks The Polis • A polis, or city-state, was like an independent country. • City-states varied in size and population. • An acropolis, located at the top of a hill, was the main gathering place of the city-state. • An agora, or open area, served as a market and as a place for people to meet and debate issues. (pages 122–123)

The Early Greeks The Polis (cont.) • The Greeks were the first people to develop the idea of citizenship, in which citizens of a country are treated equally and have rights and responsibilities. • In Greek city-states, only free, native-born, land-owning men could be citizens. • Citizens could vote, hold office, own property, and defend themselves in court. (pages 122–123)

The Early Greeks The Polis (cont.) • The military of the city-states was made of ordinary citizens, not nobles. • These citizens were called hoplites and fought each battle on foot instead of on horses. (pages 122–123)

Sparta and Athens Get Ready to Read (cont.) Focusing on the Main Ideas • Tyrants were able to seize power from the nobles with the support of Greek farmers, merchants, and artisans. • The Spartans focused on military skills to control the people they conquered. • Unlike Spartans, Athenians were more interested in building a democracy than building a military force.

Sparta and Athens Tyranny in the City-States • Nobles, who owned large farms, seized power from the Greek kings. • Nobles, who owned large farms, seized power from the Greek kings. • Farmers had to borrow money from nobles and often could not pay back the debt. • The farmers lost their land and had to work for the nobles or were sold into slavery. (pages 125–126)

Sparta and Athens Tyranny in the City-States (cont.) • Unhappy farmers demanded changes in the power structure of the city-states. • This unhappiness led to the rise of tyrants, or people who take power by force and rule with total authority. • Tyrants overthrew the nobles during the 600s B.C. (pages 125–126)

Sparta and Athens Tyranny in the City-States (cont.) • Tyrants maintained their popularity by building marketplaces, temples, and walls. • The Greek people eventually tired of the tyrants and created oligarchies or democracies. • An oligarchy is a form of government in which a few people hold power. (pages 125–126)

Sparta and Athens Tyranny in the City-States (cont.) • A democracy is a form of government in which all citizens share power. • Sparta was an oligarchy; Athens was a democracy. (pages 125–126)

Sparta and Athens Sparta • To obtain more land, Spartans conquered and enslaved their neighbors, calling them helots. • To keep the helots from rebelling, the Spartans created a strong military of boys and men. • Boys entered the military at age seven. • At age 20, men entered the regular army and lived in the barracks for 10 years. (pages 126–127)

Sparta and Athens Sparta (cont.) • They returned home at age 30 but served in the army until age 60. • Spartan girls were trained in sports to become healthy mothers and were freer than other Greek women. • The Spartan government was an oligarchy containing two branches, a council of elders, and an assembly. (pages 126–127)

Sparta and Athens Athens • Boys in Athens attended school to learn reading, writing, and arithmetic. • Athenian girls learned household duties from their mothers. • Some wealthy girls learned reading, writing, and playing the lyre. • The government of early Athens was an oligarchy. (pages 128–130)

Sparta and Athens Athens (cont.) • A noble named Solon reformed the Athenian government in 594 B.C. • The tyrant Peisistratus seized power 30 years after Solon’s reforms. • Cleisthenes took power in 508 B.C. • He created a democracy in Athens. • Cleisthenes gave the assembly more power. (pages 128–130)

Sparta and Athens Athens (cont.) • He also created a new council to help the assembly carry out its duties. • Members of the council were chosen by lottery. (pages 128–130)

Persia Attacks the Greeks Get Ready to Read (cont.) Focusing on the Main Ideas • The Persian Empire united a wide area under a single government. • Both Sparta and Athens played roles in defeating the Persians.

Persia Attacks the Greeks The Persian Empire • Persians were warriors and nomads who lived in Persia, the southwestern area of what is today Iran. • Cyrus the Great united the Persians. • The Persians built a large empire, conquering Mesopotamia, Asia Minor, Syria, Canaan, and Phoenician cities. (pages 132–133)

Persia Attacks the Greeks The Persian Empire (cont.) • Darius came to power in 521 B.C. and reorganized the government. • The empire under Darius was divided into satrapies, each with a ruler known as a satrap. • The satraps answered to the king. (pages 132–133)

Persia Attacks the Greeks The Persian Empire (cont.) • The military of Persia consisted of full-time, paid soldiers known as Immortals. • Zoroastrianism, the religion of Persia, was founded by Zoroaster, who believed in one god, the freedom of humans, and the triumph of good. (pages 132–133)

Persia Attacks the Greeks The Persian Wars • After a failed rebellion by the Greeks, King Darius decided to stop the Greeks from interfering in his empire. • The Battle of Marathon occurred in 490 B.C. on the plain of Marathon, a short distance from Athens. • The Persians waited there for the Athenians. (pages 134–137)

Persia Attacks the Greeks The Persian Wars (cont.) • When they did not come, the Persian commander ordered the troops back on the boat. • When the horsemen were on the boat, the Greeks charged the Persian foot soldiers and defeated them. • After Darius’s death, his son Xerxes became king. • He vowed a new invasion of Greece. (pages 134–137)

Persia Attacks the Greeks The Persian Wars (cont.) • Athens and Sparta joined forces to defend against Xerxes’s attack. • The Greeks fought the Persians at Thermopylae for two days. • The Greeks lost the battle, but 200 ships were assembled in Athens. (pages 134–137)

Persia Attacks the Greeks The Persian Wars (cont.) • At the Battle of Salamis, the Greeks used their faster, smaller ships to defeat the Persian fleet. (pages 134–137)

Persia Attacks the Greeks The Persian Wars (cont.) • The Persians entered Athens and burned the city. • The Greek army won at Plataea. • This was the turning point of the wars with Persia. • The Persian Empire fell for several reasons. (pages 134–137)

Persia Attacks the Greeks The Persian Wars (cont.) • The Persians were weakened by war, and their rulers taxed the people and spent the money lavishly. • The sons of kings had little power, so they killed rulers to get power. (pages 134–137)

The Age of Pericles Get Ready to Read (cont.) Focusing on the Main Ideas • Under Pericles, Athens became very powerful and more democratic. • Athenian men and women had very different roles. • Sparta and Athens went to war for control of Greece.

The Age of Pericles The Athenian Empire • Athens joined forces with other city-states to form the Delian League. • The Delian League promised to defend its members against the Persians. • Athens eventually gained control of the Delian League. • The Athenians moved the Delian League from Delos to Athens. (pages 139–140)

The Age of Pericles The Athenian Empire (cont.) • Athens had a direct democracy. • In a direct democracy, people vote firsthand on laws and policies. • Direct democracy worked because of the small number of Athenian citizens. • In a representative democracy, people select smaller groups to vote on behalf of the people. (pages 139–140)

The Age of Pericles The Athenian Empire (cont.) • A general named Pericles led Athens for more than 30 years. • He promoted democracy by including more people in the government. • The age of Pericles was a time of creativity and learning. • Pericles built temples and statues in the city after the destruction of the Persian Wars. (pages 139–140)

The Age of Pericles The Athenian Empire (cont.) • He also supported artists, writers, architects, and philosophers. • Philosophers are people who ponder questions about life. (pages 139–140)

The Age of Pericles Daily Life in Athens • In the 400s B.C., the population of Athens was about 285,000. • This made Athens the largest of all Greek city-states. • Most Athenian homes had at least one slave, and wealthy families had many slaves. (pages 142–144)

The Age of Pericles Daily Life in Athens (cont.) (pages 142–144)

The Age of Pericles Daily Life in Athens (cont.) • Athenian farmers grew grain, vegetables, fruit, olives, and grapes. • Because there was little farmland, Athens had to import grain from other places. • Herders raised sheep and goats for wool, milk, and cheese. • Athens became the trading center of the Greek world. (pages 142–144)

The Age of Pericles Daily Life in Athens (cont.) • Merchants traded pottery, jewelry, leather goods, and other products. • Athenian men worked in the morning and exercised or attended assembly meetings in the evening. • Athenian women were responsible for caring for their children and their households. • Poor women might work in the fields or sell goods. (pages 142–144)

The Age of Pericles Daily Life in Athens (cont.) • Athenian women had no political rights and could not own property. • Aspasia was a well-educated woman who influenced Plato and Pericles. • Although she could not vote or hold office, she was influential in politics. (pages 142–144)

The Age of Pericles The Peloponnesian War • Other city-states along with Sparta became suspicious of Athens. • These city-states joined together against Athens. • The war that broke out is known as the Peloponnesian War. • Pericles’s funeral oration reminded Athenians about democracy and gave them courage to continue fighting. (pages 144–146)

The Age of Pericles The Peloponnesian War (cont.) • Athenians outside the city walls moved inside the city to protect themselves. • In the second year of the war, a disease killed more than one-third of the people inside Athens’ walls, including Pericles. • Sparta made a deal with the Athenians and built a navy. (pages 144–146)

The Age of Pericles The Peloponnesian War (cont.) • The Spartan navy defeated the Athenian navy, which brought supplies to the Athenians. • Athens then surrendered. (pages 144–146)

The Ancient Greeks Section 1: The Early Greeks Focusing on the Main Ideas • The geography of Greece influenced where people settled and what they did. • The Minoans earned their living by building ships and trading. • Mycenaeans built the first Greek kingdoms and spread their power across the Mediterranean region.

The Ancient Greeks Section 1: The Early Greeks Focusing on the Main Ideas • Colonies and trade spread Greek culture and spurred industry. • The idea of citizenship developed in Greek city-states.

The Ancient Greeks Section 2: Sparta and Athens Focusing on the Main Ideas • Tyrants were able to seize power from the nobles with the support of Greek farmers, merchants, and artisans. • The Spartans focused on military skills to control the people they conquered. • Unlike Spartans, Athenians were more interested in building a democracy than building a military force.

The Ancient Greeks Section 3: Persia Attacks the Greeks Focusing on the Main Ideas • The Persian Empire united a wide area under a single government. • Both Sparta and Athens played roles in defeating the Persians.

The Ancient Greeks Section 4: The Age of Pericles Focusing on the Main Ideas • Under Pericles, Athens became very powerful and more democratic. • Athenian men and women had very different roles. • Sparta and Athens went to war for control of Greece.

Chapter Objectives