Bell Ringer

1. Bell Ringer • If you could go back in time, what time period would you go to and why?

2. Ancient Greece Chapter 4

3. The First Greek Civilizations • Geography played an important role in the development of Greece • It was small compared to Egypt or Mesopotamia • The territory was only 50,000 square miles—about the size of Louisiana

4. The First Greek Civilizations • The mountains caused the Greeks to be isolated from one another, thus creating different cultures within the country • Because each community was so small, more people were involved in local politics • The warfare between the communities eventually devastated the Greek society Mt. Olympus

5. The First Greek Civilizations • The Greeks were well adjusted as seafarers • Greece was surrounded by the Mediterranean Sea, Aegean Sea and Black Sea • They later established colonies throughout the Mediterranean

6. The First Greek Civilizations • A Bronze Age occurred in 2800 BC on the island of Crete • Called the Bronze Age because they used bronze • Society was referred to as the Minoans • Flourished between 2700 and 1450 BC • A palace was discovered in the city of Knossos (NAH-suhs)

7. The First Greek Civilizations • The remains of Knossos revealed a rich culture • The Minoans were a sea empire based on trade • They traveled through Greece and even to Egypt in search of goods • Historians believe that the Minoans were destroyed by a tidal wave or by an invasion from the Mycenaeans (My-suh-Nee-uhnz)

8. The First Greek Civilizations • Mycenae (my-SEE-nee), one of the Mycenaean Greek civilizations, flourished between 1600 and 1100 BC • The Mycenaean Greeks were part of the Indo-European peoples who spread to southern and western Europe, India and Iran • They were warriors who prided themselves on their heroic deeds in battle • The Mycenaean civilization collapsed in 1100 BC due to attacks from the north

9. The First Greek Civilizations • After the collapse of the Mycenaeans, Greece’s population dropped off due to food supplies • This period, known as the Dark Ages, lasted from 1100 to 750 BC • Few records exist from this period • Farming was not revived until 850 BC

10. The First Greek Civilizations • During the Dark Ages some people left the mainland of Greece and sailed for Ionia (current day Turkey) • Others, the Aeolian Greeks, settled on the Island of Lesbos • Still yet, the Dorians established themselves in the Peloponnesus as well as Crete • During the 8th C. BC the Greeks adopted the Phoenician alphabet • Made writing simpler (only 24 letters)

11. The First Greek Civilizations • Homer (not Simpson) was one of the most famous poets • Wrote the Iliad and the Odyssey • Both are epic poems • Epic poems are long poems that tells the deeds of great heroes • Homer taught courage and honor • A hero who strives for excellence is what the Greeks called arete (ahr-ah-tee)

12. The Greek City-States • By 750 BC the polis had become the central focus of Greek life • Polis (also known as city-state) is a town, city or village where people could meet for political, social and religious activities • The word polis is the root word for our word politics • The meeting place was usually on a hill that was fortified called an acropolis • Was a refuge for attacks as well as a religious center

13. The Greek City-States • Below the acropolis was the agora, a place for assembling and a market • The city-states varied in size • Athens was the largest with 300K by the 5th C. BC • The polis was a community that shared common goals • There were three groups in the community: people with political rights (adult males), no political rights (women and children), and noncitizens (slaves and resident aliens)

14. The Greek City-States • While the citizens of the polis had rights, they also had responsibilities • Aristotle said that every citizen belonged to the state, not himself • The citizens were very loyal to their city-states • They were very distrusting of other city-states • This divided the country into independent units that would lead to its ruin

15. The Greek City-States • As the city-state evolved, so did the military • It used to be the aristocrats fought the battles • In 700 BC they had foot soldiers called hoplites fighting the battles • They carried round shields, short swords and a thrusting spear • They marched as a unit in a rectangular shape called a phalanx making it difficult for armies to harm them

16. The Greek City-States • Between 750 and 550 BC many Greeks began to move to look for new farmlands and trade • Each colony became a new polis • One of the most notable was Byzantium, which became Constantinople, and is now Istanbul • This lead to increased trade which included pottery, wine and olive oil • They imported fish, timber, wheat, metals, and slaves

17. The Greek City-States

18. The Greek City-States • The new trade created more wealthy people who wanted more power, but couldn’t because of the aristocrats • Tyrants seized power from the aristocrats • Even peasants supported the tyrants because they were tired of the aristocratic domination • The tyrants kept power by hiring soldiers

19. The Greek City-States • The tyrants gained popularity by building new markets and temples • By the 6th C. BC the tyrants lost power because many Greeks believed in rule of law, and felt the tyrants were an insult to it • This was important because it lead to the development of democracy in some city-states

20. The Greek City-States • A democracy is a government ruled by the people • Other city-states developed oligarchy governments • These are governments ruled by a few

21. The Greek City-States • Sparta, a Greek city-state, decided to conquer its neighbor, the Laconians, when it needed more land • They then moved on to the Messenias • After the conquered both, they turned those citizens into serfs, or helots, who worked for the Spartans • In order to keep them in line, they developed a military state

22. The Greek City-States • Between 800 and 600 BC Spartans were a rigid military group (that is why our word Spartan means “highly self-disciplined”) • Men joined the army at the age of 20 • They could marry, but still had to live in barracks and eat meals with other soldiers • At age of 30 they could vote • Stayed in army until age of 60

23. The Greek City-States • Because men lived in the barracks, the women had more freedom than other Greek women • They were expected to exercise and remain fit to bear healthy children • They expected their husbands and sons to be brave in war

24. The Greek City-States • The Spartan government was an oligarchy • It had two kings that led Spartan army campaigns • Five men known as ephors (eh-fuhrs) were responsible for educating youth about citizenship • A council of elders with two kings and 28 citizens over 60 voted on issues

25. The Greek City-States • To make their beliefs safe, Sparta closed itself off from the rest of the world • It discouraged visitors who might bring “new” ideas in • It denied citizens the right to travel abroad • It discouraged citizens from studying philosophy, literature, or the arts • Encouraged citizens to study art of war

26. The Greek City-States • Athens had been ruled by a king until the end of the 7th C. BC • Athens became an oligarchy • Peasants weren’t happy due to lack of land, couldn’t pay off debt • They were sold into slavery • On the verge of civil war, the Athenian aristocrats gave power to Solon in 594 BC • He forgave peasants debts and released them from slavery • Because they couldn’t get land, they still resorted to tyranny

27. The Greek City-States • The tyranny was ousted in 510 BC only to come back two years later • Cleisthenes (KLYS-thuh-neez) created a new council of 500 that supervised foreign affairs, oversaw the treasury, and proposed the laws that were voted on by the assembly • The Athenian Assembly would debate and then vote on issues • These reforms led to the Athenian democracy

28. Assignment • Would you want to live in Greece? Why or Why not? • 3 paragraphs

29. Classical Greece • Because the Greeks were spread throughout the Mediterranean they came in contact with the Persians • The Persians had already claimed the Ionian Greek cities • In 499 BC the Ionians tried to revolt with the help of the Athenian navy • This led the Persian ruler, Darius, to seek revenge

30. Classical Greece • In 490 BC the Persians landed on Marathon (only 26 miles from Athens) • The Athenian army attacked the Persians despite the fact that they were outnumbered-the Athenians won • According to legend an Athenian runner named Pheidippides raced 26 miles back to Athens and with his dying breath he said “Victory, we win” • Today’s marathons are based on this heroic story

31. Classical Greece • After Darius died, Xerxes (ZUHRK-seez) ruled Persia • The Greeks began building up the navy and tried to delay the Persians at the pass of Thermopylae (Thuhr-MAH-phu-lee) • They held off the Persian army for two days • The 300 Spartans in the Greek army were especially brave • When one was told that Persian arrows would darken the sky, he responded with “That is good news. We will fight in the shade!” • Due to a traitor, the Persians knew how to outflank the Greeks • This lead to the Athenians abandoning their city • However, the Greeks built up the largest army of that time and defeated the Persians in 479 BC

32. Classical Greece • After the defeat of the Persians, Athens became the leader of the Greek world • They formed a defensive alliance known as the Delian League • This League pursued an attack on the Persian Empire and freed all Greek states that had been under Persian control • In 454 BC the Athenians moved the headquarters of the Delian to Athens and created an empire

33. Classical Greece • Pericles became a dominate figure in Athenian politics from 461-429 BC • This period becomes known as the Age of Pericles • The Athenians became more involved in their government which had become a direct democracy • This is when every (male) citizen votes on issues

34. Classical Greece • The citizens were welcomed to attend the meetings which were held every 10 days east of the Acropolis • This enabled even poor citizens to be proud of their city-state • To protect themselves from overly ambitious people, they created ostracism (banishment) • Pericles set in motion rebuilding programs to fix what was destroyed in the Persian Wars • He boasted that Athens had become the “school of Greece”

35. Classical Greece • After the Persians were booted out Greece was divided into two powerful groups, the Athenians and Spartans • Due to the fact that they had very different cultures they ended up at war with each other • The Great Peloponnesian War began in 431 BC

36. Classical Greece • During the second year of the war Athens was hit with a plague that killed a third of its people • Pericles died the following year • Fighting continued for another 25 years until Sparta defeated Athens in 405 BC • For the next 66 years Sparta, Athens and Thebes fight for control over Greece • Because of their fighting, they did not notice the growing power of the Macedonians, which cost them their freedom

37. Classical Greece • Read p. 124-125 “Daily Life in Classical Athens” on your own.

38. The Culture of Classical Greece • Religion affected every aspect of Greek life • 12 Chief gods were thought to have lived on Mt. Olympus • Zeus, the chief god, was father to the gods: Athena, goddess of wisdom and crafts; Apollo, god of sun and poetry; Ares, god of war; Aphrodite, goddess of love; and Poseidon, god of the seas and earthquakes

39. The Culture of Classical Greece • Religion didn’t focus on morality • Spirits of most people, regardless of how “good” you were went to a gloomy underworld ruled by the god Hades • They performed rituals so that gods may be nice to them • Events took place to honor the gods including athletic games at the Olympic festival in 776 BC • They would visit oracles which were priest or priestess who revealed the future according to the gods

40. The Culture of Classical Greece • Drama as we know it was created by the Greeks • The first dramas were tragedies • One of the most famous playwrights is Sophocles who wrote Oedipus Rex, a story about how the oracle of Apollo tells Oedipus that he will kill his father and marry his mother—despite his best attempts to avoid it, it comes true

41. The Culture of Classical Greece • The Greek tragedies dealt with the nature of good and evil, the rights of individuals, the nature of divine forces and the nature of human beings • Comedies developed later • They usually criticized politicians and intellectuals

42. The Culture of Classical Greece • Philosophy is the organized system of thought • It literally means “love of wisdom” • The Sophists were a group of traveling teachers who said it was more important for humans to understand themselves than try to understand the world • They believed their was not absolute right or wrong • True wisdom was being able to find and pursue one’s own good • They were viewed as harmful to society

43. The Culture of Classical Greece • Socrates, a sculptor who loved philosophy, is only known to us because his pupils wrote about him • He is still famous today because of the Socratic method of teaching • Question-answer method • He believed each human already possessed real knowledge • He said “the unexamined life is not worth living” • This philosophy led him to his death-tried for corrupting the youth of Athens

44. The Culture of Classical Greece • Plato was Socrates’ greatest student • Plato wrote and was fascinated with reality (how do we know what is real?) • He explained his ideas about the government in The Republic • He believed that all rulers needed to be sufficient in philosophy in order to rule effectively • He also believed that men and women should have the same education

45. The Culture of Classical Greece • Aristotle was Plato’s student • He favored examining what was here on Earth • He also researched politics and found only three good forms of government: the monarch, the aristocracy, and the constitutional government-his favorite

46. The Culture of Classical Greece

47. The Culture of Classical Greece • Parthenon-built 447-432 BC, dedicated to Athena to show pride in Athens

48. The Culture of Classical Greece • Read P. 132-133 “The Writing of History” and “The Classical Ideals of Greek Art”

49. Alexander and the Hellenistic Kingdom • The Macedonians had become a powerful kingdom by the end of the 5th C. BC • They were the northern neighbors of the Greeks • In 359 BC Philip II gained power and wanted to unite all of Greece under Macedonia • He was successful, but before he could turn his new found success against the Persians, he was assassinated • His son, Alexander, took over

50. Alexander and the Hellenistic Kingdom • Alexander’s conquests led to the Greeks’ language, art, architecture and literature spread throughout Southwest Asia • Alexander the Great was only 20 when he became king of Macedonia • He has learned military and political strategies from his father • He moved quickly to invade Persia