Brief Overview of Ancient Greek Culture

1. Brief Overview of Ancient Greek Culture

2. Greek Geography

4. Greek History • Bronze Age (~3000 – 1200 BC) • Epic Age (1200 – 700 BC) • Archaic Period (700 – 500 BC) • Classical Period (500 – 300 BC) • Hellenistic Period (300 – 30 BC)

5. Bronze Age Greece • Inhabitation by Indo-Europeans • Minoan civilization on Crete • Rise of the Mycenaeans on mainland Greece

6. Epic Age Greece • Loss of written technology • Composition of epic poetry

7. Archaic Period • Reinvention of writing using Phoenician alphabet • Development of the polis • Growth in seaborne commerce • Rise of Persian Empire

8. Classical Period • Foundation of the Athenian Democracy (508) • Persian invasion of Greece • Battle of Marathon (490) • Battle of Salamis (480) • Growth of Athenian culture and empire • Peloponnesian War (431-404)

9. Hellenistic Period • Rise of Macedon under Philip • Conquests of Alexander the Great • Fracturing of Alexander’s empire • Rise of Rome

10. Greek Society • Political and social life dominated by male citizens • Important elements: • War • Symposia • Athletics • Politics

11. Women in Greek Society • Lack of sources hinders full appreciation • Responsible for maintaining household • Monogamy increased importance of bearing children • Several women only festivals

12. Religion and Beliefs • Gods had personalities like humans • Main method of worship was sacrifice • Could consult oracles • Supernatural world interacts with natural world: • Magic • Spirits and ghosts of the dead • Dreams

13. Greece and Rome • Greek and Roman cultures begin to meld (Greece becomes a Roman province in 146 BC)