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Ancient Greece. Geography. Not a River civilization Short swift rivers Only 20% of land suitable for farming Mountainous Both protects and isolates Greece Makes foreign invasion difficult Also limits travel and communication among city-states Long irregular coastline
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Geography • Not a River civilization • Short swift rivers • Only 20% of land suitable for farming • Mountainous • Both protects and isolates Greece • Makes foreign invasion difficult • Also limits travel and communication among city-states • Long irregular coastline • No part of Greece more than 85 miles from the coast
Greece • No single political system • Most oligarchies • City states– not a single country • Independent and competing • Constant conflict between Greek city states and others • Trade very important • Land is limited so always looking for ways to ease the overcrowding and gain raw materials • Colonies • Need for strong military but communication, transportation important
Minoans • Early civilization on Island of Crete • Remains found around 1900 AD by Sir Arthur Evans • Palace • Located at Knossos • Labyrinth (maze) • Mural • Fun loving people • Dancers, sports and Bull leaping
Legend of Minotaur • King Minos & Pasiphae • Receive a gift of a white bull from Poseidon • Minotaur • Half man, half bull • Every year Athens required to send 7 boys and 7 girls as tribute to King Minos • Theseus • Son of King Aegeus who vows to stop the tribute by killing the Minotaur • Ariadne the daughter of King Minos falls for Theseus and assists him in killing of the Minotaur by giving him a sword and a ball of twine • Kills the Minotaur
Collapse • Minoan civilization will collapse • Mystery • Historians believe it may have been destroyed by • Tidal waves • invasion
Mycenaean • Settle in Greece around 2000 BC • Warlike • Believed to invade the Minoan civilization • Adapted Minoan culture • Writing system • Most famous military exploit- Troy • 10 year seize • Told in Homer story of the Iliad and Odyssey
Troy • Historians thought stories of Troy were totally fictional • 1870 Heinrich Schliemann claims to have found the ancient city in Turkey
Dorians • Defeated the Mycenaeans • Less advanced • Historians call the next 300 years the Dark Ages • Lost skills- writing and crafts • Thousands of Greeks will flee to Ionia on Asia Minor
Ionians • Will reintroduced culture, crafts and skills to Greece • Hellenic civilization will emerge
Religion • Polytheism • 12 most important Gods live on Mount Olympus • Humanized their Gods • No animal forms- totally human • Behave like humans • Wanted Gods that they could bargain with • Did not Believe in life after Death
Olympics • Held every 4 years to honor Zeus- Father of Gods • Sporting events • Men only- • Emphasis individual rather than team sports • Foot race, broad jump, discus throwing • Winners received wreaths of olive leaves
Greek City States • Base political unit • Common characteristics • Small size • Polis- city and surrounding countryside • Small population • Public meeting place • Acropolis- • Fortified hill at center of city • Where temples to local gods stood • Agora • Public square • Political center of polis • Where merchants and artisans conducted business
Political Structures • Monarchy • Ruled by a king • Hereditary • Some claim divine right • Practice in Mycenae
Political Structures • Aristocracy • Stated ruled by nobility • Rule is hereditary and based on land ownership • Social status and wealth support ruler’s authority • Practice in Athens (594 BC)
Political Structures • Oligarchy • Stated rule by a small group of citizens • Rule is based on wealth • Ruling group control by military • Practiced in Sparta
Political Structures • Direct Democracy • State ruled by its citizens • Rule is based on citizenship • Majority rule decides vote • Practice in Athens (461 BC)
Athens • Locate on Attica • 5miles from sea • Special port city of Piraeus • Name after God Athena • Parthenon
Citizenship • Originally citizenship • only to men who father and maternal grandfather had been citizens • Had to have land • 507 B.C. Constitution • All free Athenians born men citizens • Regardless of class or land ownership
Athenian government • All equal before the law • Freedom of Speech • Believed that all citizens were capable of holding public office • Jury system • Had between 201-1001 members • Majority rule • Large- hard to threaten or bribe that many members
Ostracism • Athena system for removing bad politicians • Each year citizen write the name of undesirable politicians • If name appears 6,000 times- he could be exile
Athenian Education • Education at Agora • Main textbook Iliad and Odyssey • Rhetoric • Art of public speaking
Greek Golden Age • 500-350 BCE • Philosophy • Truth through rational thought and deliberate observation • Process not findings are the key • Many findings proved erroneous • Precedent • Seek knowledge for its own sake • Nature became focus • More orderly than gods • Truth through human examination not religious ritual • Laid the foundation for history, biology, political science and logic
Socrates • Seek answers by asking questions • Socratic method • Skeptical about conventional methods of teaching • Convicted for corrupting youth • Committed suicide
Plato • Athenian aristocrat who was taught by Socrates • Academy • Record teachings of Socrates • Republic • Prefer Spartan form of government over Democracy
Aristotle • Student of Plato • Author of over 200 books • Help to develop the scientific method • Based on logic, observation and experimentation • Politics • Believed the ideal form of government was a balance of monarchy, aristocracy and democracy • Preferred the power to rest with middle class because they know how to command and to obey
Architecture • Pillars • Doric • Ionic • Corinthian • Statutes • Accurate in anatomy
Scientists • Euclid • Father of Geometry • Hippocrates • Father of medicine • Hippocratic oath • First to say that medicine is different from religion • Eratosthenes • Estimate the circumference of earth within 1% • Aristarchus • Sun larger than earth • Earth and planets revolve around the sun
Historians • Herodotus • Father of History • Separate fact from legend • Check reliability of his sources • Thucydides • First scientific historian • Completely reject idea that gods played a part in human history • Not only recite facts but gave explanations
Sparta • Located on Peloponnesus • Descendants of Dorians • Becomes a military state after Helots rebel • Helots- slaves • Lack natural barriers for protection • City did not have a wall • Like to boast they had a wall of men to protect the city
Spartan Life • Revolves around the military • Infants examined at birth to determine health • Unhealthy infants left on hillside to died • Boys separated at age of 7 to start military training and will be in the military until the age of 60
Spartan Government • Rule by two Kings • Had very little power • Ephors • 5 men who unlimited power to act as guardians of the state
Sparta • Will lag behind other Greek city-states in economic development • Shun trade, philosophy, science and arts • Use iron bars instead of coins for currency • Will be exceptional at Olympics • Key players in defending Greece against invaders
Persian Empire • Persia strongest military power in ancient world • Will want to extend its influence into Europe • Greek city states will cooperate with each other to stop the Persians
Persian Wars • First Persian War • Ionia (Asia Minor) was revolting against Persian rule • Ionia ask for aid from Athens who agrees • After Ionia fails to win its independence, Persia decides Athens must be punished. • Never made it to Greece because of major storm destroying part of the Persian fleet
Persian War • Second Persian War • Persian King decides on direct attack on Athens • Battle of Marathon • Persians greatly outnumber the Greek forces • Greeks trick the Persians and catch them off guard • Greeks win • Pheidippides runs 26 miles to tell of victory and then dies from exhaustion
Persian War • Third Persian War • 10 years later Persian King Xerxes wants revenge • Invades Greece with extremely large army • Oracle – • person who speaks with the Gods • Stated that Greece would be safe behind a “wooden wall” • Athenian General Themistocles believed the wooden wall was a fleet of ships
Third Persian War • To stall for time the Spartans try to delay the Persians at Thermopylae • Sparta-300 against Persian 7000 • Spartans held on for 3 days before they were betrayed by a Greek • Persian march toward Athens but will find the city deserted. • Themistocles pretend to be a traitor and told Persians that they could capture the Greeks at Salamis
Third Persian War • Greek fleet smaller and more maneuverable in the narrow straits will destroy the Persian fleet as Xerxes looks on. • Final battle at Plataea • Athens now considered savior of Greece
Delian League • Athens persuade other city states to join Delian league • Purpose to protect Greece • Sparta refuse to join • Many city-states become upset with Athens • Resent Athens domination • Athens spends funds on the Parthenon instead of ships
Pericles • Leader of Athens during the Golden Age • 3 Goals for Athens • Stronger democracy • Athenian Empire • Glorifying Athens
Peloponnesian War • Sparta vs. Athens • Neither side could win the victory • Athens will retreat behind their walls • 430 BC a plague will hit Athens wiping out 1/3 of their population • Sparta wins • Sparta will take over leadership of Greece but will be even worse than Athens • Leaves Greece open to outside invasion
Philip II of Macedonia • Philip II • Had spent time in Greece as a hostage • Admire both Greek culture and military organization • Goal of unifying Greek city states under Macedonian rule • Demosthenes- an Athenian orator appeal for the Greeks to united and fight for liberty • Philip II conquers all of Greece except Sparta
Alexander the Great • Inherits his father (Philip II) kingdom • Had been tutor by Aristotle • Understands the Greeks • Beginning of the Hellenistic Culture • Mixed the Greek culture with elements of Middle Eastern culture • Alexander will go on to conquer areas in Egypt, Persia and India • Creating the world’s largest empire
Greece and Rome important because • Western Civilization as we know it today began with these two empires • Most important contributions were • Concept of representative government • Art, architecture, literature, science and philosophy
Geography • Center of Mediterranean Sea • Center of trade for 3 continents • Europe- Africa-Asia • Mountains and foothills cover ¾ of peninsula • Rivers short and shallow- forms swamps
Etruscans • Rule between 900-500 BCE • Not able to decipher the writing • Art • Will greatly improve Rome • Drain marshland • Built with Brick • Establish the Forum • Center of Rome- seat of Government • Later Etruscans kings will be cruel • Resulting in a mistrust and hatred for the position of KIng
Legend of Rome • Romulus and Remus • Virgil • 7 hills of Rome
Patricians & Plebeians • Patricians • Wealthy aristocratic • 5% of population • Plebeians • Townspeople, landowners, merchants, shopkeepers farmers, laborers • 95% of Population • Both Patricians and Plebeians were citizens • Had right to vote • Responsibility of taxes, military service • But only Patricians could hold public office