THE CHRONOLOGY OF HELLENIC AND HELLENISTIC GREEK CIVILIZATIONS
8000 – 3000 BCE
2200 – 1100 BCE
1500 BCE
1600 – 1100 BCE
1200 BCE
1150 – 800 BCE
900 – 600 BCE
8th Century BCE
776 BCE
750 – 500 BCE
7th Century BCE
650 – 500 BCE
638 – 558 BCE
6th Century BCE
550 BCE
507 BCE
500 – 450 BCE
5th Century BCE
490 to 478 BCE
478 – 430 BCE
431 – 404 BCE
4th Century BCE
390 – 360 BCE
359 – 336 BCE
338 – 323 BCE
334 – 27 BCE
320s
300 – 100 BCE
3rd Century BCE
350 – 164 BCE
341 – 270 BCE
255 BCE
287– 212 BCE
282 – 133 BCE
256 – 146 BCE
200s BCE
189 – 27 BCE
189 – 125BCE
27 BCE
Neolithic settlements along Aegean: limited agriculture, trade; stone sculpture, megaliths
Land of mountains, valleys, islands; little fertile soil, small rivers; communication difficult, limited
Minoan civilization on Crete, Aegean islands; bronze culture, general gender equality; women had influence
Minoan trade with Egypt, Phoenicians brings in outside ideas, goods; chief deity = snake goddess of fertility
Minoan palace cities, Linear A alphabet; Mycenaeans develop trade, Linear B alphabet
Indo-European migrations into Peloponessus; confederation of independent kingdoms
Mycenaean fortified palaces; war society: nobles war bands, cavalry, personal combat; trade with Minoans
Free citizens = farmers, artisans, soldiers; agricultural settlements used serfs, slaves
Mycenaean chieftains limited by nobles, councils; Trojan War was a war over commerce
Dorian Greek invasions cause Dark Ages; loss of literacy due to invasions; beginning of Iron Age
City-states arise in valleys: rule by kings, nobles, aristocratic councils; dominate surrounding farming land
Landed elite dominate; common people had no power; small farms, herding goats, sheep
Large-scale agriculture limited by poor land, geography to growing grains, olives, grapes, honey
Commercial agriculture based on export of olive oil, wines; trade with Asia, Egypt, Sicily for cheap grain
Development of Greek alphabet; Homeric epics Illiad, Odyssey written down
Women: priestesses, weavers; much help as shopkeepers, farmers, artisans; society, family male-dominated
1st Olympic Games; Greeks honor common religious traditions, gods, but each polis favors specific gods
Regular religious ceremonies had public significance but lacked spirituality, emotion; was worldly, secular
Excess Greek population migrated to Asia, Italy, Spain, Black Sea; spread of Greek culture; develops trade
Rise of Phalanx, formation of citizen soldiers using spear, body armor; iron weapons increases citizenship
Age of Tyrants: dictators championing common, poor Greek farmer come to power, developed public works
Age of written laws and constitution replaces arbitrary oral traditions of law; public participation was ideal
Persian Empire conquers Greek city-states in Asia Minor; Athens supports rebellion
Sparta: military dictatorship of nobles relying on army, slave labor, agriculture; commerce restricted
Athens: democracy introduced, male citizens could vote, hold office; public debate; commerce dominant
Sparta, Athens cooperate to defeat two Persian invasions; both states emerge as the dominate Greek states
Golden Age of Athens under Pericles height of art, architecture, philosophy, theatre
Philosophy: Socrates (ethics), Plato (theory of ideas), Aristotle (reality of objects, systems) create tradition
Sophocles, Aristophanes use psychology, emotion to create drama; Thucycides, Herodotus write history
Age of Euclid (Geometry), Pythagoras (Geometry), Hippocrates (Medicine)
Art, architecture dominated by balance, order, reason; Corinthian, Doric, Attic styles of columns common
Delian League lead by Athens; increasingly Athens dominated league, allowed allies no votes, voice
Athenian warships, merchant ships build maritime, establish colonies, commercial empire of Greek islands
Peloponessian War between Athens, Sparta destroys Athenian Empire, devastates commerce
Commercialized agriculture overuses land, causing erosion; Greeks deforest land for navies
Theban alliance displaces Sparta, continued warfare devastated Greek city-states
Rise of Macedon under Philip II, his army of phalanxes, cavalry conquered Greece; Philip murdered
Alexander the Great of Macedon conquers Persian Empire to SW Asia, Egypt, W. India
Alexandria of Egypt founded, later largest Greek city: commercial, intellectual, cultural center of world
Migrant Greeks, Hellenized city elites, mercantile, industrial classes ruled Asian peasants, laborers
Greek generals set up large empires in Egypt, SW Asia, and Europe; armies of mercenaries, conscripts
Rise of new Greek cities in SW Asia; trade to India, Africa; economic partnerships, luxury manufacturing
Upper class women managed slaves, some commerce, arts; some influence in politics; appeared in public
Greek language of elite; science not practical but speculative; religions blend with Asian deities, traditions
Increasing use of slavery, rise of slaving markets, large scale farming using slaves, technology stagnated
Depopulation of Greece occurred as Greeks migrated to settle new cities, lands
Island of Rhodes controls Eastern Mediterranean trade, center of slavery, commerce, culture, philosophy
Epicureanism teaches freedom from pain, rejects religion; rise of popular mystery cults offering spirituality
Rise of Hellenized states in Bactria, Persia, India; exchanges of ideas, art, architecture, goods, some settlers
Flourishing of Hellenistic astronomy and mathematics; Archimedes was great mathematician, scientist
Rise of Pergamum in Asia; center of learning, invented parchment, 2 nd great library, center of architecture
Greece dominated by Leagues, few states opposed to Macedon but Greece not that important
Stoicism teaches finding good by living in harmony with divine will of god; influences Rome
Asiatic Greeks warred constantly, allowing Rome to triumph: many Greek elites became Romans, allies
Wars Macedonia, Seleucids gave Rome control of Western Mediterranean, Greek homeland
Rome deposed Cleopatra, annexed last Hellenistic state, Egypt; Rome is thoroughly Hellenized empire
CHANGE OVER TIME BY CHRONOLOGICAL PERIOD:
THEME
Patterns, impacts of interaction amongst major societies:
trade, exchanges, diplomacy, war, and international organizations
ANCIENT PERIOD
TO 1200 BCE
EARLY CLASSICAL
TO 340 BCE
LATE CLASSICAL
TO 1ST CENTURY
BCE
THEME
Changes in functions and structures of states, attitudes towards states, inc. identities,
political parties (the political culture) and emergence of the nation-state
ANCIENT PERIOD
TO 1200 BCE
EARLY CLASSICAL
TO 340 BCE
LATE CLASSICAL
TO 1ST CENTURY
BCE
CHANGE OVER TIME BY CHRONOLOGICAL PERIOD:
THEME
Impact of demography on people and the environment including migration, population growth and decline,
disease, urbanization, environmental degradation, and agriculture
ANCIENT PERIOD
TO 1200 BCE
EARLY CLASSICAL
TO 340 BCE
LATE CLASSICAL
TO 1ST CENTURY
BCE
THEME
Impact of technology including agricultural techniques, weaponry, manufacturing, transportation and
communications systems, and inventions
ANCIENT PERIOD
TO 1200 BCE
EARLY CLASSICAL
TO 340 BCE
LATE CLASSICAL
TO 1ST CENTURY
BCE
CHANGE OVER TIME BY CHRONOLOGICAL PERIOD
THEME
Religious, intellectual, cultural, and artistic aspects, developments,
interactions among and within societies
ANCIENT PERIOD
TO 1200 BCE
EARLY CLASSICAL
TO 340 BCE
LATE CLASSICAL
TO 1ST CENTURY
BCE
THEME
Systems of social, economic and gender structure
including inequalities and work or labor systems
ANCIENT PERIOD
TO 1200 BCE
EARLY CLASSICAL
TO 340 BCE
LATE CLASSICAL
TO 1ST CENTURY
BCE
CHANGE OVER TIME BY CHRONOLOGICAL PERIOD
THEME
The relationship of change and continuity between chronological periods
What led to the changes or continuities between each periods?
ANCIENT
PERIOD
TO 1200 BCE
EARLY CLASSICAL
TO 340 BCE
LATE CLASSICAL
TO 1ST CENTURY
BCE
What would be a good thesis sentence to describe the change over time between the Minoans and
the end of the Hellenistic Age? Write one using at least three of the themes.
NAME: _________________________ PERIOD: _______ DATE: ________________
CHART: CHANGE OVER TIME OF GREEK WORLD
Summarize the time period – use SCRIPTED. Do at least three themes
BEGINNING
TIME
PERIOD:
Dates:
Ancient
Minoan and
Mycenaean
periods
Key continuities from
previous period
INTERIM
TIME
PERIOD
Dates:
From
Dark Ages
to end of
Hellenic Period
END
TIME
PERIOD
Date:
Hellenistic
Age from
Alexander
To Rome
Key changes from
previous period
Explain why change or continuity
occurred