Ancient Greece
Geography
 Greece comprised of peninsula, 2000 islands, eastern edge Aegean
 Land
 Very mountainous! (3/4 covered w/ mountains)
 Travel hard
 Led small, independent city states
 Little fertile land
 Result small population
 Lacked natural resources
 “Greeks did not live on land, but around seas.”
 Mediterranean, Aegean, Ionian, Black seas
 Travel and trade
 Climate
 Moderate temp. led outside lifestyle
The First “Greeks”: The Mycenaeans
 Bronze Age people (1600-1200 BCE)
 Replaced & inspired by earlier Bronze Age
people the Minoans
 Named after city Mycenae
 Believed people warlike
 Battle scenes , fortified city walls
City of Mycenae
Mycenae City Walls
Lions Gate
Cyclopean Walls
Mycenaean Artifacts
Shaft Graves
Mask of Agamemnon
Beehive Tombs
Heinrich Schliemann
 Discovered Mycenae and Troy
 Convinced discoveries home legendary Kings
Agamemnon and Priam of Trojan War
 Epic Poem written by Homer
 Iliad
Troy
King Priam’s Treasure
The Greek Dark Ages
The Dorian Invasion
(DORIANS}
Decline in Greek Culture
Homer and Hesiod
The Iliad and The Odyssey
Theogony and Works and Days
Greek Religion
Basic characteristics
 Polytheistic
 Hierarchal
 Moral guideline
 Anything in excess improper
 Explained world
 Myths
Olympian Gods and Goddesses
 Aphrodite- Love & Beauty
 Apollo- Sun & Music
 Ares- War
 Artemis- Hunt
 Athena- Wisdom & Arts
 Demeter- Harvest
 Dionysus- Wine
 Hades- Underworld
 Hephaestus- Metallurgy
 Hera- Family
 Hermes- Trade
 Hestia- Hearth
 Poseidon- Sea
 Zeus- Sky
Muses
Fates
Furies
Characteristics of Gods
 Immortal, but not all powerful
 Act like humans, have human vices too
 Meddle and mingle w/ humans
The Underworld
 “Place of Hades”
 Early thought = Gloomy Place
 Later thought = Place of Judgment
 Rewarded or cursed
 Fields of Asphodel
 Tartarus
 Punishment fit crime
Worship of the Gods
 Build temples
 National shrines
 Oracle of Delphi
 Sacrifice
 Festivals
 Olympics
Greek City-States
The Polis
 Greek City State or Citizen State
 “the people” or “the community”
The Polis continued…
 Each polis had an agora (market place)
and acropolis (fortified citadel)
Forms of Government
Monarchy
Aristocracy
Oligarchy
Direct Democracy
• Rule by king
• Rule hereditary
• Ruler claim divine
right
• Rule by nobility
• Rule hereditary
• Social status,
wealth support
ruler authority
• Rule by small group • Rule by citizens
citizens
• Rule based on
• Rule based on
citizenship
wealth or ability
• Majority rule
• Rulers control
decides vote
military
Athens
Athens: Building a Democracy
 Draco
 Aristocracy
 “Draconian” Law Code
 Solon
 Democracy
 Wealthy hold political office
 All citizens participate in Assembly
 No Debt slavery
 Cleisthenes
 Reorganized society: 10 groups based on where lived not wealth
 Strengthened power Assembly
 Established Council 500
Athens: Education
 Boys educated to be good citizen
 Girls taught to be good wives/mothers
Sparta
Sparta: Building a Military State
 Messenian “helot” Revolt led to need for
strong state
 Men serve in military age 7-60
 Agoge
 Women received military training; had
considerable freedoms
 “duty, strength, discipline over freedom,
individuality, beauty, learning”
Sparta’s Oligarchy
 5 Ephors
 Chief legal officials; monitor kings
 Elected annually
 Council of Elders
 30 members o/ age 60
 Served for life
 2 kings
 Military
 Hereditary position
 Assembly
 All male citizens
Spartan Society
Sparta
 Spartans
 Citizens
Perioikoi
 Perioikoi
 2nd class citizens
 Helots
 Slaves
Helots