Greece (Hellas)
Geography of Greece
Rugged Peninsula
 Juts out into the
Aegean Sea
 Also made up of
many islands in
Ionian/Aegean
Seas

Geography of Greece
 Has
no navigable rivers (little more
than creeks) – rough mountains,
narrow valleys, excellent bays
 ¾ is covered with mountains
 Mt. Olympus – highest peak
Results:
 Sea
shapes Greek civilization
 Greeks live in isolated independent
communities due to mountains
 Population small
 Mountainous region encouraged
political fragmentation—
communication extraordinarily poor
Early Greeks
 Herders

and farmers
Sheep & goats, grains, grapes & olives
 Pirates,
sailors, traders, & fishermen
Minoan Civilization
1750BCE -1500BCE
King Minos
 minotaur

Sir Arthur Evans – Palace at Knossos
Frescoes
 Indoor plumbing
 No defensive wall

PALACE OF KNOSSOS
KING MINO’S LABYRINTH
Minoan Civilization
 Religion-
polytheistic worshipped the
forces of nature—Mother Goddess
 Economy- traders established a
shipping empire—overseas trade
 Women- enjoyed a higher status than
in other ancient civilizations
 Developed writing called Linear A
Mycenaean Civilization
1400BCE – 1200BCE
 Warlike
people—came from Central
Asia
 Settled in the Peloponnesus
 Mycenae – chief city which was
heavily fortified
 Economy- sea traders and raiders
Trojan War- 1250 BCE
Iliad – Homer
 Helen – wife of
Menalaus
 Agamemnon

Trojan War
The Iliad and the Odyssey reveal many of
the values of ancient Greeks. Homer’s
heroes display honor, courage, and
eloquence.
The epics of Homer have been inspiring
writers for almost 3,000 years.
Trojan War – Achilles v. Hector
Odyssey - Homer
 Odysseus
Heinrich Schliemann
Greek Dark Ages
1100BCE—800BCE
 Invaded
by Dorians
 Results:
Cities plundered—300 years of rule
 Iron weapons
 Trade disrupted—many Greeks left
 Writing & artistic skills forgotten

Development of Greek City-States
Development of Greek City-States
– fortified hilltop & surrounding
fields (city-state)—decentralized
political structure
 Acropolis- center – home of the
temples
 Agora – the public square – center
for politics
 Polis
Greek Government
Between 750 BCE and 500 BCE, the
Greeks evolved different forms of
government.
 Monarchy- government by King or
Queen
Greek Government
Slowly, power shifted to a class of
noble landowners. At first, the nobles
defended the king, but in time, they
won power for themselves. A
government ruled by a landholding
elite is called an aristocracy.
Greek Government
As trade expanded, a new class of
wealthy merchants, farmers, and
artisans came to dominate some citystates. A government in which power
is in the hands of a small, powerful
elite, usually from the business class,
is called an oligarchy.
Changes in warfare
650BCE – iron
age
 Hoplites—heavily
armed infantry
 Phalanx—
formation of
heavily armed foot
soldiers

Sparta
Located in Laconia—isolated part of
Peloponnesus
Rulers were two kings and a council of
elders. Citizens 60 years old or older.
Rulers formed a military society.
Conquered people were turned into slaves,
called helots.
Ephors (5) were elected to direct daily
affairs of government
Rulers forbade trade and travel.
At birth newborns taken before
ephors-healthy they live—deformed
they die
Government ran every aspect of
citizens life
Sparta
All boys at age 7 sent to barracks to
begin military training—public flogging
each year
admired for ability to endure pain
age twenty began military service and
allowed to marry—still lived in
barracks
Sparta
 At
age 30 became citizens and given
land and helots—allowed to live at
home
 At age 60 allowed to retire
Sparta Women
 Women
trained to be wives and
mothers of soldiers
 Enjoyed more freedom than other
Greek women
 Participated in strict physical training
and military drills
Sparta Women
 Physical
training done in the nude
 Needed to be fit to bear healthy
children
 Absolute obedience to father then
husband
Sparta
 Made
no contributions in art,
literature, philosophy or science
 Sparta discouraged visitors
 Trade and commerce limited
 No coined money and prohibited gold
and silver
Athens 700 BCE
located in Attica—poor soil so they turned
to the sea
Society grew into a limited democracy
Male citizens over age 30 were members of
the assembly.
Rulers encouraged trade with other citystates.
Athens
many small farmers will be forced into
slavery for debts
commoners will have no political rights
Archons (9) will try to make improvements
by appointing Draco to draw up Athens’
first written code of laws—very harsh code
Reforming Athens
 Solon
– 594 BCE
Abolished debt slavery—freed those
already in debt slavery
 Extended citizenship
 Limited land ownership
 Fathers teach sons a trade

Athens – The rise of Tyrants (tyranny)
“Champions of the People”


Pisistratus – 546 BCE
 Redistributed land to landless
 Non-land owners gained citizenship
 Gained power with support of poor
Cleisthenes – 507 BCE (created foundations for Athenian
democracy)
 Created Council of 500 (supervised foreign affairs, the treasury
and proposed laws to be voted on by assembly)
 Athenian assembly (all male citizens) given final authority to
pass laws—introduced ostracism
Athens Women





Women had no share in public life (take part in
most religious festivals)—could not own
property besides personal items
Excluded from public life otherwise
Considered inferior to men—not able to reason
like men—always had a male guardian
Chief obligation was to bear children (sons)
Take care of family and her house (did it herself
or had slaves do it)
Athenian Women





Women were strictly controlled—married at the
age of 14 or 15
Not provided with any formal education (some
learned to read and play musical instruments)
Expected to stay at home out of sight unless
attending funerals or festivals
One position was to be a priestess
Family was important institution in Ancient
Athens—nuclear family
Athens Boys
 Read
and write—also studied music,
memorized poetry and rhetoric-art of
skillful speaking (public speaking)
 Attended schools if parents could pay
for it or hire tutors
Athens
 Young
men did receive military
training (keep body healthy)
 Athens encouraged young men to
explore many areas of knowledge
(unlike Sparta)
Greek Society
Greek city-states were independent
which caused rivalries
Though they fought each other they had
common bonds and would unite against
foreign enemies
Slavery was permitted in Greece
Greek Society
They honored the same ancient heroes.
 They participated in common festivals.
 They prayed to the same gods.
 They shared the Greek language.
 They felt superior to non-Greeks, whom
they called “barbaroi,” people who did not
speak Greek.

Greek Life




A distinctive feature of Athenian life and Greek
life in general was acceptance of homosexuality
Accepted belief that homosexual and
heterosexual practices were normal parts of life
(probably more common among the aristocracy
than lower classes)
Stage in development of a mature heterosexual
life
Warriors would fight harder to impress and
protect lovers
Persian Wars
Persian Wars
 Cause:
Greeks support Miletus
(Ionian Greeks) located in Asia Minor
in their rebellion against Persia
 Persian King Darius swore revenge
against Athens– 490 BCE Battle of
Marathon - Pheidippides
Results:
Themistocles –
convinced Athens
to build up navy
 King Xerxes – 480
BCE Battle of
Thermopylae –
300 Spartans led
by Leonidas

BATTLE OF SALAMIS
Battle of Plataea 479 BCE


Final battle of Persian Wars
Largest Greek army ever assembled defeated
Persians
The Golden Age of Athens
460 BCE – 429 BCE


Pericles
 Opened all political offices to any citizen
 More voice in government (direct
democracy)—not perfect (slavery, women no
political rights etc.)
 Great for the arts
Parthenon – temple to Athena sculpted by
Phideas
Peloponnesian War
431 BCE – 404 BCE
Peloponnesian League – counter to the
Delian League
 Starts with commercial dispute between
Corinth and Athens
 Sparta destroys Attica – source of
Athenian food.
 Athens withdraws behind its Long Walls
– safe as long as seaport remains open

Peloponnesian War
431 BCE – 404 BCE
 Athens
falls –causes:
A plague hits Athens (2/3 of population
lost including Pericles)
 Attacked Syracuse (Sicily) a Spartan
ally—disastrous campaign (40,000 lost)
 Sparta ally itself with Persia – needs
their navy to blockade Athenian port

Results of Peloponnesian War
 The
Athenian Empire is destroyed
 Greece will suffer as a result of such
a long conflict
 Greek city-states will not recover
from wars
Greek Philosophy





Philosophers – “lovers of wisdom”
First was Thales (father of philosophy) –
believed that water was the basis of life
Through reason and observations Greek
philosophers believed they could discover laws
that governed the universe
Sophists were “men of wisdom” who put
success above all things even traditions
Main concern was how to achieve political and
social success
SOCRATES
People think for
themselves
Known for Socratic
method, using
series of questions
in order to
challenge
implications of
answers
Motto-”know
thyself” helps to
have correct
behavior
Drank hemlock
PLATO
Emphasized
reason
ARISTOTLE
Reason is the
highest good
Emphasized
importance of
reason—founded
The Academy
Favored rule by
single strong and
virtuous leader
Wrote Doctrine of
the Mean--taught
that good conduct
meant pursuing
moderation
Founded the
Lyceum
Alexander’s tutor
Wrote The
Republic
Believed the ideal
state should
regulate every
aspect of citizens’
lives
Arts & Architecture—Reflects
concern with form and order
ARCHITECTURE
Architects tried to convey
a sense of perfect balance
to reflect the harmony of
the universe.
Example: The Parthenon
Used columns
ART
Early sculptors imitated
rigid Egyptian poses.
Later sculptors emphasized
natural poses that were
lifelike but also idealistic.
Showed perfect and
graceful human forms
male nude favorite subject
TYPES OF COLUMNS
Doric
TYPES OF COLUMNS
Ionic
TYPES OF COLUMNS
Corinthian
GREEK RELIGION




Greek religion has no uniform faith or creed—
usually worshiped same deities
No sacred books and was a religion of more
ritual than beliefs
Did not have to follow any particular rule of life,
practice certain virtues, or even live decent lives
in order to participate
No priesthood (did not make religious rules or
doctrines)
GREEK RELIGION
Individual Greeks either visited the temple
occasionally on matters of private concern
to celebrate a particular festival
 The altar (stood outside) was important—
offered sacrifices to gain favor of gods
 Meetings were times of high spirits
instead of pious gloom

Literature
Dramas – developed out of
celebrations to Dionysus – god of
wine
 Presented in Amphitheaters
 Greek
Tragedies
Aeschylus – father of
Greek tragedy
Wrote 90 but only 7
still exist
Oresteia shows the
dangers of pride
Sophocles –wrote
127 plays
Very few still survive
Oedipus the King
Antigone
Euripides- wrote
Trojan Women and
Medea
Comedy



Plays which ridiculed people, ideas & social
customs
Aristophanes – greatest of Greek comedy
writers (wrote political and social satires) –
mocked everyone including his audience, wrote
The Frogs, The Clouds, The Birds
Also wrote Lysistrata – Shows women forcing
their husbands to end war with Sparta
History
The Greeks applied reason, observation, and logic to
the study of history.
Herodotus is called the “Father of History.”—wrote
History of the Persian Wars
Herodotus stressed the importance of research, while
Thucydides showed the need to avoid bias.—wrote
History of the Peloponnesian War
Herodotus and Thucydides set standards for future
historians.
Achievements of the Hellenistic
Culture
Pythagoras derived a formula to calculate the relationship
between the sides of a right triangle. The Pythagorean
Theorem
Euclid wrote The Elements, a textbook that became the
basis for modern geometry.
Archimedes used principles of physics to make practical
inventions, such as the lever and the pulley. Founded
the science of hydrostatics (water-displacement) and
established the value of pi
ARCHIMEDES INVENTIONS
Achievements of the Hellenistic
Culture
Aristarchus theorized about a heliocentric, or suncentered, solar system.
Eratosthenes showed that the Earth was round
and accurately calculated its circumference.
Greek physicians described the human nervous
system–better surgical tools and techniques
Hippocrates studied illnesses and cures and set
ethical standards for medical care. Hippocratic
Oath
Macedonians
Philip II (One-eye) will unite
Macedonians–then unites Greece under
one ruler
 Wanted to destroy the Persian Empire
 Used professional soldiers (very well
trained) not mercenaries (fought for pay
not loyalty)

Macedonians
 Philip
II crushed Greeks at Battle of
Chaeronea (Greeks failed to unify in
time)
 Assassinated at his daughter’s
wedding before he could launch his
attack on Persian Empire
Alexander the Great
Son of Philip II
 Set out to
complete his
father’s mission
 Had elite force
known as the
Companions

Alexander the Great
 Crushed
rebellion by the city-state of
Thebes
 Invaded Persian Empire with a force
of 37,000 men (5,000 cavalry)Gordian Knot
 First battle was at the Granicus River
against Darius III
Alexander the Great



Attacks and defeats
Darius III at Issus - now
controls Asia Minor
Conquers Egypt—seen
as liberator
Invades Persia crushes
Darius III at Gaugamela –
now king of Persia
Alexander the Great




Moves eastward – 7 years and 11,000 miles (empire
stretches from Greece to Indus Valley)
Reached the Indus Valley and defeated Indian army
Men refuse to go on- wanted to go home
Alexander dies in Babylon at age 33
Alexander the Great
 Conquered
largest empire the world
had ever seen
 Founded many new cities many of
which were named after him
 Empire divided between three
generals—Antigonus received
Macedonia/Greece
Alexander the Great
 Seleucus
received Asia Minor and
the Fertile Crescent
 Ptolemy received Egypt
 Greatest achievement was spreading
Greek culture
Hellenistic Culture
 Hellenistic
culture is a blending of
Greek, Persian, Indian and Egyptian
cultures (Eastern Cultures)
 Alexandria, Egypt became the center
of Hellenistic society
 Sight of great advances in astronomy
and mathematics
Achievements of the Hellenistic
Culture - Philosophy
Zeno – founded the philosophy of
Stoicism – accept whatever life brings
 Epicurus - founded the philosophy of
Epicureanism – greatest good was to be
happy in life—doctrine of pleasure
 Diogenes – most well known follower the
philosophy of Cynicism – criticized
materialism – live according to nature
