Greece- The Outsider 500 B.C.E. to 500 C.E.

1. Greece- The Outsider500 B.C.E. to 500 C.E. By Joseph Kim, Marilyn Sanabria, Ryan Horak, and Darryl Trickey

2. The Elements • Greece had many state-level governments (known as poleis) throughout peninsular Greece and Anatolia including Athens, Sparta, and Corinth. • Although agricultural production was not as prosperous as the Roman and Han empires, the fertile fields of Southern Italy and Anatolia served as the breadbasket of the poleis. • By about 800 BCE, the Mediterranean basin served home to many poleis. The poleis had many political forms which were resulted by the different traditions and times of revolutions throughout the period. For example, the cultures of Athens and Sparta were on opposite sides of the spectrum, despite being a mere 250 kms apart. • The poleis weren’t very conflicting toward each other except for the powerhouses of Athens and Sparta. In fact, the two poleis served as the leaders of the two sides of the Peloponnesian War later on.

3. Colonizing and Independent growth throughout the Mediterranean Basin • The Greek spread throughout the Mediterranean Basin was not based on one centralized idea or order. • The main reason colonization occurred around the Mediterranean was the strained resources of the Greek Peninsula. The colonies’ growth not only established fertile fields and land, but scores of copper, tin, iron ores, gold, etc. The most rich areas of resources were southern Italy and shores of the Black Sea. • So each colony was serving for it’s own needs and developed independent governments depending on needs of the certain area and the resources it contained.

4. The outburst of colonies developed a rich, abundant variety of resources. This developed into a key factor in the prosperity of overall Greece. • Trade created a millennia of opportunity, especially between the poleis, colonies based in Italy, and colonies based on the shores of the Black Sea. • Art and education boomed in some poleis, particularly in Athens where the great leader Pericles emphasized it. As colonies emerged all over the Mediterranean, the Greek language found it’s way throughout Europe. However, unlike empires such as the Romans, Greece did not have a foundation of laws set for all colonies and poleis. Each poleis also was reserved responsibility of it’s own infrastructure.

5. Effects and results of Greek Expansion • A large amount of trade helped commercial and economic organization in the Mediterranean basin. • Ship owners, merchants, and moneylenders formed partnerships to spread commercial ventures. • Trade links between the Greek cities and their colonies helped to bring a sense of a larger Greek community. • Athens became the leader of the Delian League because of their superior fleet. • They supplied the military force and the financial support went to their treasury. The other poleis didn’t like having to make contributions that seemed to benefit the Athens only. This led to the Peloponnesian War, which therefore made Greece unstable and volatile. • Because of the colonization there was a population increase in Greece.

6. So why wasn’t Greece an empire? • Greece was based on city-state governments, or poleis. An empire needs to be based on one government, ideology, and rule. Greece was based on unstable ground, and colonies had to fend for themselves. • Cultures among colonies/poleis were sporadically different depending on their geographical location. • Although Greece played a significant role in the economic, geographic, and philosophical battleground, effects were usually not as emphasized as the results of the Han and Romans.