Ancient & Classical Greece

1. Ancient & Classical Greece

2. Geography • Balkan peninsula - mountains divide land into isolated valleys • hundreds of rocky islands

3. Minoan Civilization • 2000-1400 BCE - (1750-1500 BCE height) • located on Crete • sea traders • worshipped bulls and a mother-goddess • huge palace at Knossos discovered around 1900 CE • 1400 BCE vanished: natural disaster and invasion?

4. Mycenaean Civilization • 1400-1200 BCE • Greek-speaking Indo-Europeans who conquered mainland around 2000 BCE before overrunning Crete • intermarried with locals • sea traders dominated Aegean Sea • learned skills such as writing from the Minoans • influenced by Egyptians and Mesopotamians • city-states - warrior kings built thick-walled fortresses

5. Trojan War • 1250 BCE • Mycenaeansvs. Troy (Turkey) • economic rivalry vs. kidnap of Helen (wife of Greek king) by Paris (Trojan prince) • 1870s - Heinrich Schliemann uncovered evidence to prove the story is more than legend • war lasted 10 years before the Mycenaeans destroyed Troy and sent the Trojans into exile

6. Homer • 750 BCE • blind poet wandered from village to village playing the harp and singing about the stories of the Iliad and Odyssey • passed orally until they were written down

7. Dorian Invasion • 1100-800/750 BCE - Dark Age • Greek speaking invaders brought cultural decline • lost the skill of writing • had little outside contact • for centuries they lived in small, isolated villages

8. Classical Greece • safe, natural harbors and favorable winds facilitated development of a seafaring society of fishermen and traders • trade with Egypt, Mesopotamia, Asia Minor • exports - olive oil, wine, marble • imports - grains, metals, ideas (Phoenician alphabet) • only ¼ of the land was suitable for farming

9. Government • city-states (polis) developed rather than an empire • 750 BCE - population growth led to colonization around the Mediterranean Greeks shared a common culture: spoke same language, worshipped same gods, shared same heroes and festivals, felt superior to others • loyalty to city-states led to rivalry and frequent wars • each polis had a small population, provided for military defense, different forms of govt.: monarchy, aristocracy, oligarchy, democracy

10. Reforms • Solon - outlawed debt slavery, opened high offices to more citizens, granted citizenship to some foreigners, encouraged export of wine and olive oil • Pisistratus - gave farmers land taken from nobles and loans (agrarian reform), created building projects to give jobs to the poor • Cleisthenes - broadened role of ordinary citizens in the govt., all males over 30 became members of the legislature, established Council of 500 (choosing members by lot) to prepare laws for the assembly and supervised the day-to-day work of the govt., assembly became a true legislature (lawmaking body)

11. Limits of Athenian democracy • only male citizens could participate • citizenship was restricted • slaves provided most of the labor so that citizens could participate in govt.

12. Persian Wars • 499-479 BCE • Greek city-states defeat Persian Empire after a series of famous battles • Greeks form the Delian League - dominated by Athens

13. Age of Pericles • Golden Age for Athens - 460-429 BCE • economy thrived • government became more democratic • flourishing of arts, literature, and philosophy • salaries were paid to officeholders enabling poor men to serve in govt.

14. Peloponnesian War • 431-404 BCE (27 years) • Spartans and other enemies of Athens form the Peloponnesian League • Athens and allies vs. Sparta and allies • Spartans are victorious • Athenian greatness ended • democratic govt. suffered

15. Alexander the Great • 338 BCE - Philip II of Macedonia takes control of all Greece. • 335-323 - Alexander, son of Philip, conquers the Persian Empire, western India, and Egypt. It was the largest empire up to that point. • On his conquest, he brought along geographers, botanists, historians, and other men of science. • After his death at age 32, the empire was divided among three generals.

16. Hellenistic Civilization • It was a blend of eastern and western cultures, including Persian, Egyptian, Indian, and Greek. • Great progress was made in the sciences, including medicine, astronomy, geography, and math. • Alexandria, Egypt was the center of Hellenistic civilization. It was renowned for its library, museum, botanical gardens, zoo, art galleries, and astronomical observatory. Its lighthouse was one of the “Seven Wonders of the World.” • The spread of Greek culture was Alexander’s greatest achievement.

17. Art Architecture

18. Theatre Philosophy

19. Olympics Religion