Ancient Greece
Early Civilizations in Greece
The Parthenon
I. Geography
A. Mountains divided Greece
and led to cultural and
political divisions.
1. Greece is made up of
two peninsula (southern
most part of the Balkan
Peninsula and the
Peloponnese Peninsula)
that is 80% mountainous
2. Physical divisions
created fiercely
independent
communities which led
to devastating rivalries.
Geography
B. Seas linked Greece to the
rest of the world.
1. Surrounded by Aegean,
Mediterranean, and
Ionian Sea
2. Long sea cost with
many harbors
3. Greeks became
seafarers
4. Established Colonies
which spread Greek
Civilization throughout
Mediterranean World
II. Minoans and Mycenaean
A. Minoans: Bronze Age Civilization established on
Island of Crete by 2800 B.C. Were Not Greek but
influenced the peoples of Greek Mainland
B. The Minoan Civilization was a far ranging sea
empire based on trade.
1. Knossos was at the center of the Minoan World.
2. Had catastrophic collapse around 1450 B.C. from
either a tidal wave or by an invasion by
Mycenaean Greeks.
The Minoan World 2000 to 1400
B.C.
Knossos (Major city of Crete: trade
center)
Minoans and Mycenaean
C. Mycenae was the first Greek State
1. Flourished from 1600 B.C. to 1100 B.C.
2. Indo-Europeans
3. Formed powerful Monarchies
4. A warrior people, prided themselves on their
heroic deeds in battle
5. Poet Homer wrote about military adventures.
6. Around 1100 B.C. Mycenaean civilization
collapsed
The Mycenaean World
III. Dark Age (1100 B.C to 750 B.C)
A. Very few records of time period.
B. Aeolian Greeks settled in established parts of
Greece (Northern & Central, Island of Lesbos)
C. The Dorians established in Southwestern Greece in
the Peloponnese and southern Aegean Islands
D. In 850 B.C. farming revived. There was also a
revival of some trade, iron replaced bronze in
weaponry and farming tools.
E. In the mid 8th century B.C. the Greeks adopted the
Phoenician Alphabet.
IV. Homer: Poet of Dark Age
A. Iliad: epic poem of early
Greece that tells the
deeds of a great hero.
1. Recounts stories from
the Trojan War
B. Odyssey: epic poem that
recounts journeys of
Odysseus back to his wife.
C. Homers Poems taught the
values of courage and
honor.
D. The Trojan War
1. Is the Trojan War
Real?
a. The story of the
Trojan is found in
epic poems, like
Homers the Iliad and
the Odyssey, and
Greek Tragedies.
b. However, in 1870 a
German
archaeologist
excavated a site he
identified as troy.
2. When and Where?
a. When: many ancient Greeks believed the war
took place in the 13th or 12th century B.C.
Eratosthenes gives the dates as 1194 -1184
B.C. which corresponds with a catastrophic
burning of Troy Vlla.
b. Where: in what is modern day Turkey near
the Dardanelles.
3. What were the Causes?
a. According to Greek mythology, it started as a
dispute between goddesses, Hera, Athena, and
Aphrodite.
b. Helen of Troy, married to a Spartan King, fell in
love with Paris of Troy and was taken to Troy.
c. Menelaus, the Spartan King, and Agamemnon,
Helen’s Brother and the King of the Mycenaes,
led an expedition of troops that laid siege to the
city for 10 years.
4. Who Won?
a. The Trojan
Horse?
b. They used the
ruse of the
Trojan Horse to
trick the
Trojans and
slaughtered
many of them
and burned the
city.
The Trojan Horse: Myth or Reality
The Greek City-States
V. The Greek City-States (or polis) is
the center of Greek life
A. Organization of the City State
1. Acropolis: fortified area at the top of a hill that
was used for safety and a religious center where
temples and public buildings were built
2. Agora: open area that was used for a market and
a place where people could assembly
3. Athens was the largest city-state with 300,000
people. Most city states were small with only a
few hundred or several thousand people
The Greek City-States (or polis) is the
center of Greek life
B. Community of the City-state
1. Communities had three groups of people: Citizens with
political rights (adult males), citizens with not political
rights (women and children) and non citizens (laborers,
slaves and resident aliens).
2. Citizens had rights but also responsibilities to their citystate (loyalty)
3. Loyalties of citizens to their city-state had a negative
side. City-States distrusted one another (early form of
Nationalism)
4. Hoplites were foot soldiers who marched shoulder to
shoulder (formation called Phalanx) and created a wall
of shields.
A Greek Hoplite Phalanx
VI. Greek Expansion: between 750 and 550 B.C.,
some Greeks moved to the mainland in search
of good farmland and for the growth of trade.
A. The Greeks established colonies in Southern Italy,
Southern France, Eastern Spain, and Northern
Africa. In the North, Greeks set up colonies in
Thrace and along the Black Sea.
1. Most Notable city-state set up was Byzantium.
2. Establishing the colonies allowed for the spread
of Greek Culture throughout the Mediterranean
world.
3. Expanding trade led to a new class of rich
merchants.
VI. Greek Expansion: between 750 and 550 B.C.,
some Greeks moved to the mainland in search
of good farmland and for the growth of trade.
B.
Tyranny in the Greek City states
1. New rich class of merchants wanted political power, but were
denied by the ruling aristocrats.
2. Greek Tyrants seized power and were supported by the new
rich class (7th and 6th century B.C.) and kept power by using
hired soldiers. (like a dictatorship)
3. Greek Tyrants were supported by the people because they
tried to help the poor and launch several public works
programs.
4. Eventually, tyrants were seen as oppressive and against the
rule of law and fell out of the favor of the people.
5. The period Tyranny is important because it ended the rule of
the aristocrats and led to the development of democracy in
some city-states. (Others continued as oligarchies)
C. Two Rival City-States
Government
Military v.
Education
Philosophy
Sparta
Athens
Oligarchy (rule by
few): had two kings
Athenians formed the
foundations for Athenian
Democracy (rule by many)
Professional soldiers:
trained from the
child up. Had to join
at age of 20 and
served till 60.
Athenians wanted their
children to be well rounded
individuals; they went to
school to study the arts and
sciences. At age 18 they went
to a military school for two
years and then could live their
life the way they saw fit.
Turned their backs on
the outside world.
Spread Greek culture
throughout the world
Classical Greece
Pericles from the Altes
Museum in Berlin. A Roman
copy of a Greek work
sculpted after 429. Photo
taken by Gunnar Bach
Pedersen.
VII. The Challenge of Persia
A. The Persian Empire stretched from
India to Egypt in 500 B.C. and looked
to expand their empire into Greece.
1. Persia was unified by Cyrus and
created a powerful Persian
state. He had a reputation for
Mercy, and a genuine respect
for other civilizations.
2. Darius strengthened the empire
by dividing it into provinces led
by a Satrap. He improved
communications by maintaining
the roads and providing way
stations for food and shelter.
Cyrus the Great, King of Perisa
The Persian Empire
The Challenge of Persia
B. Darius tried to expand the Persian Empire by invading Greece.
In 490 B.C. the Persians were defeated decisively by the
outnumbered Athenians at the plain of Marathon. It was
minor defeat, but proved that the Persians could be beaten.
C. Darius’ son Xerxes became the Persian Monarch in 486 B.C.
He wanted revenge and invaded Greece. The Greek states
formed a defensive league under the Spartans, Athenians
followed their own policy, but all the Greeks were united in
an effort to defeat the Persians.
1. Athenian forces abandoned their city at the approach of
the Persian army.
2. In 479 B.C. the largest Greek army (up to that time)
defeated the Persian army at Plataea.
Why Fight?
• Greeks had been settling on the west coast of
Asia Minor (Persia)
• Persia conquered these colonies
• In 499 B.C. Greeks in these colonies revolted
against Persian rule (they were used to ruling
themselves—democracy)
• Athens sent troops to support the revolt
Crushing the Revolt
• Emperor Darius of Persia
crushed the revolt rather
quickly
• He decided to punish Athens
for helping the colonies
• After training for a few years
Darius sent troops to invade
Greece
• Sailed on to the Bay of
Marathon
Bronze statue of Emperor Darius
The Battle of Marathon
• Athens asked Sparta to help,
but Spartan troops would not
arrive for 9 days (they were
in the middle of religious
festivities)
• Other jealous city-states
decided not to help Athens
against the Persian Empire
• So Athens took on the mighty
Persian Empire by
themselves
A Serious Mismatch
• Persian troops—100,000
• Athenian troops—20,000
• Did Athens really have any hope against these
odds?
Victory
• The Athenian army was well-trained and did
not break formation as they charged the
Persian lines
• The organized charge surprised the large but
scattered (and poorly organized) Persian army
• The Persian soldiers turned and ran from the
oncoming Athenians
A Slaughter
• The Athenian army almost drove the Persians
back to the sea
• Final tally
– Persians—6, 400 dead
– Athens—192 dead
– Darius returned to Persia never to return
Connection to the Past
• The modern marathon has its
roots in the Battle of
Marathon
• A Greek soldier, Phidippides,
ran from Marathon to Athens
(26 miles) to tell the
Athenians of the Greek
victory and to warn them that
the Persians may try to attack
• Phidippides died from
exhaustion after delivering his
message
• Today’s 26 mile marathon
races remember his heroic
act of martyrdom
Back for Revenge
• The Persian Emperor
Darius never returned, but
his son Emperor Xerxes
did
• In 480 B.C. the Persians
returned to Greece
• They brought even more
men this time around
Emperor Xerxes of the
Persian Empire
The Battle of Thermopylae
• Persians met a force of Greeks at Thermopylae
• This was a small mountain pass that controlled
access to all of Greece
• For two days 7,000 Greeks held the Persians
back, but…
The Downfall
• A Greek traitor showed the Persians a secret
passageway
• This allowed the Persians to sneak up from
behind and attack the Greeks
• Most of the Greek defenders ran away
A Heroic Act
• About 300 Spartans stayed behind and fought
to their deaths
• This allowed the other Greeks to escape
capture or certain death
Here come the Persians
• The Persians poured into Greece
• They got their revenge by wreaking havoc
• They even burned Athens to the ground
• What were the Greeks to do?
The Battle of Salamis
• As their city-state burned the Athenian people
and the army escaped to the island of Salamis
• The Persians were quick to follow the
retreating Greeks to Salamis
Those Clever Athenians
• The Greeks ships first sailed from shore like they
were fleeing the island
• They then turned quickly around and began ramming
the Persian ships
• Before the Persians knew what had happened half of
their fleet was on the ocean floor
• The Persians once again retreated back to Persia
The Final Battle
•
•
•
•
The Battle of Plataea
The Greeks and Persians at equal strength
Athens and Sparta fought side by side
Greek military superiority won out and Persia
retreated for good
VIII. The Athenian Empire
A.
After the defeat of the Persians, The Athenians became the leaders
of the Greek World.
1. Created Delian League: a defensive alliance. Helped liberate
all of Greece from the Persians.
2. Pericles: a dominant figure in Athenian politics from 461 and
429 B.C. (known as “Age of Pericles”). During this time, Athens
expanded its empire and democracy flourished at home
a. During the Age of Pericles, Athens became a direct
democracy and Athens became the center of Greek
Culture (art, architecture, and philosophy flourished)
b. Athenian economy was largely based on farming and
trade
c. Women could also be citizens, but they were not allowed
in political life, and were married off at age 14 or 15.
3. Slavery was common in Ancient world.
The Athenian Empire
IX. The Great Peloponnesian War
A. After the defeat of
the Persians, the
Greek world was
divided into two
groups:
1. The Athenian
Empire
2. Sparta and its
supporters
The Great Peloponnesian War
B. Each state built a different kind of society and they could not
tolerate each other. A series of disputes led to the
Peloponnesian War.
1. The war lasted from 431 to 404 B.C.
2. The Athenian strategy was to stay behind their city walls
and would rely on their Navy and colonies for supplies.
3. In the 2nd year of the war, sickness (a plague) killed more
than a third of the Athenian population.
4. In 405 B.C. the Athenian navy suffered a crushing defeat
at Aegospotami.
5. Athens was defeated in 404 B.C. and the city wall was
torn down.
6. The Greek city-states continued to squabble and ignored
the growing power of the Macedonians.
Athens v. Sparta
The Culture of Classical Greece
Greek gods and goddesses
X. Greek Religion
A. Religion affected every
aspect of Greek life.
B. It was believed that 12 Chief
gods and goddesses lived on
Mount Olympus. Zeus was
the chief god.
C. Greek Religion had no body
of doctrine, and was not
based on morality.
D. The Greeks performed rituals
to the gods and goddesses.
And had festivals to honor the
gods and goddesses.
E. It is the source of most Greek
drama and art.
Zeus
XI. Classical Greek Arts and Literature (art was
concerned with expressing eternal ideas).
A. Architecture and
Sculpture
1. architecture: Temple
(most important)
made with Columns
(style- appear more
open)
a. Parthenon most
important example
2. Sculpture: focus on
creating ideal human
form
What the Parthenon looked
like when it was constructed.
It was dedicated to the
goddess Athena.
XI. Classical Greek Arts and Literature (art was
concerned with expressing eternal ideas).
B. Drama
1. Greek Tragedies: Written
in trilogy form; dealt with
universal themes; good v.
Evil, nature of human
beings
a. Oresteia by Aeschylus
only trilogy still around
today. (other writers
Sophocles and
Euripides )
2. Greek Comedies: more
like satire; make fun of
politicians
Classical Greek Arts and Literature (art was
concerned with expressing eternal ideas).
C. Writing of History:
Greeks were the first to
present history as a
systematic analysis of
past events.
1. Two Greek
Historians:
a. Herodotus:
History of the
Persian War
b. Thucydides:
wrote a history of
the Great
Peloponnesian
War.
Herodotus: the oldest Greek
historian
Classical Greek Arts and Literature (art was
concerned with expressing eternal ideas).
D.
Greek Philosophy: an organized
system of thought.
1. Most famous Greek
Philosophers:
a. Sophists: believed philosophy
harmful to youth
b. Socrates: believed in selfexamination, and living by a
code of ethics; gave us the
Socratic method.
c. Plato: a student of Socrates;
fascinated with the idea of
reality. Wrote the work
entitled The Republic.
d. Aristotle: a student of Plato,
he tried to find the best form
of Government in is Politics
Alexander and the Hellenistic Era
Alexander the Great
Macedonia invades Greece: by the end of the 5th
century, Macedonia emerged as a powerful
kingdom.
A. Philip and Alexander
1. Philip II came to power in 359 B.C. and wanted to unite
all of Greece under Macedonia.
2. In 338 B.C. the Macedonian army crushed the Greeks.
3. Philip II was assassinated before he could invade Persia in
cooperation with the Greeks. His son Alexander the
Great came to the throne at age 20 and quickly moved to
fulfill his father’s dream.
B. Alexander’s Conquests: he conquered the Persian Empire as
far as India when he was forced to turn back. He also
controlled Egypt and built the city Alexandria which was
named after him. He died at the age of 32.
Alexander’s Conquests
C. Alexander’s Legacy
1. He conquered a fast area that brought large
quantities of gold and silver into their economies.
2. His successors tried to imitate him by claiming
divine right to rule and creating military monarchies.
3. His conquests allowed the Greeks to spread their
culture throughout Southwest and Central Asia and
parts of North Africa. And, the Greeks absorbed
some aspects of the Eastern culture
Alexander spread Hellenistic culture
throughout Asia.
• Hellenistic is a fancy
word for Greek.
• Alexander spread
Greek technology
and ideas
throughout his
empire
XIII. The Hellenistic Era: a period that saw the
expansion of the Greek language and ideas to the nonGreek world in Southwest Asia and beyond.
A. Hellenistic Kingdoms: after the death of Alexander the
Great, the Macedonian Empire split into 4 Hellenistic
kingdoms, Macedonia, Syria, Pergamum and Egypt
Hellenistic Arts and Literature
B.
Hellenistic Arts and Literature
1. Alexandria: had largest library in ancient times. Hub for
poets, writers and philosophers
2. Pergamum had second largest library; became home to
scholars and artists.
3. Buildings included Baths, Temples and theatres
4. Sculptors focused on emotional and realistic art
5. The Hellenistic age produced a great quantity of literature.
a. Apollonius of Rhodes wrote the epic poem
Argonautica.
b. Theocritus wrote short poems that expressed a love of
nature and appreciation of its beauty
c. A new type of comedy developed that’s purpose was
just entertainment.
Hellenistic Agriculture and Art
The Winged Victory of
Samothrace
Hellenistic Theatre
The Ancient
Library at
Alexandria
Hellenistic Science and Philosophy
C. Science and Philosophy: considerable advancements were made
during the Hellenistic Age.
1. Science advances included the areas of astronomy and
mathematics.
a. Astronomy:
1) Aristarchus of Samos: believed the sun is the center
of the Universe and the earth rotates around the sun;
not widely accepted.
2) Eratosthenes: measured the earth’s circumference
within 185 miles of the actual figure.
b. Mathematics
1) Euclid: wrote the Elements,a textbook about
Geometry
2) Archimedes: established the Mathematical constant
pi
Hellenistic Science and Philosophy
1. Philosophy: Athens remained the center of philosophy
and two new schools of thought developed
a. Epicureanism: developed by Epicurus
1) Believed that people were free and could follow
their own self interest. The means to happiness
was the pursuit of pleasure (the only true good)
b. Stoicism: founded by Zeno who lost everything on
the trip to Athens
1) Stoics wanted to find happiness as well, but
believed that only true happiness could be found
by living in harmony with nature.