Name: _____________________________
Date: ________________________
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Seventh Grade Social Studies
Mr. LaBrache
Ancient Greece
A Unit Outline
Directions:
Below is the complete outline that was compiled from all the research done in each class. You
should be familiar with all this information for the test on Ancient Greece coming up next week.
If you have questions, you should see me as soon as possible to avoid “cramming” for the test.
I.
Social Structure of Athenian Society
1. The Agora
a. Was the central marketplace in Athens
b. Gathering place to discuss life and politics
c. Center of commerce/trade in Athens
2. The Acropolis
a. Was the place where all government business was taken care of
b. Up on a hill above the city
c. The Parthenon (the Temple to Athena) was located here
d. Also the place where religious ceremonies would occur
3. The Populous in Athens
a. FOR INFORMATION ON POPULATION: SEE CITY-STATES OF
ATHENS VS. SPARTA SECTION
II.
Democracy in Athenian Society
1. Key people in development
a. Hippias – the last tyrant in Athens (kicked out in 510 BC)
b. Draco – first person to codify (write down) the laws in Greece,
punishments were almost always subject to death
c. Solon – made improvements on Draco’s laws
i. Created the Council of 400
ii. Got rid of debt slavery
iii. Lessened the penalties of certain crimes
iv. Set up the Peoples’ Court
d. Cleisthenes – seen as the real “Father of Athenian Democracy”
i. Redistributed the population set up in Athens
ii. Created the Council of 500
2. Citizens’ Assembly
a. All citizens could participate
b. They met to discuss and vote on laws proposed by the council
c. They met on a hill called the Pynx, about every 10 days
d. About 5,000 to 6,000 citizens would show up
e. Decided the very important issues for the city-state
3. Council of 500
a. Members were selected by annual lottery from the members of the
assembly
b. Their job was to discuss and prepare laws for the assembly to vote on
c. They discussed the day-to-day affairs of the city-state
4. United States vs. Greek Democracy
a. Greece was a Direct (Pure) Democracy
i. Every citizen would vote and participate in government
ii. If you had an opinion, “go tell it on the mountain”
iii. Every citizen would vote and make laws as well
b. United States is a Representative Democracy
i. Citizens have the power to vote and can run for office
ii. We have many people, so we elect others to represent our thoughts
iii. If we want a law made, we contact those people and tell them what we
think
iv. Those people can be Representatives or Senators
v. Some small towns in the U.S. still use Direct Democracy; it comes in
the form of a town meeting
III.
Relationship between Greeks and their Neighbors
A. Warring neighbors
1. Assyria
a. Found in northern Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq)
b. Were war-like peoples, did some trade but mostly fought with Greeks
c. Greeks did learn how to do some metalwork from them, used to make
weapons
2. Persians
a. From the area of modern-day Iran
b. Eventually fought and conquered Asia from Turkey to India (even Egypt
at some points in time)
c. Their expansion west brought them in contact with Greek islands
d. Greeks did not want to give up islands so got into a large war
3. Persian Wars – Battle of Marathon
a. Darius I wanted to attack Athens
b. He was mad that Athens interfered with Persian expansion
c. He underestimated the power of Athens and their allies and lost the battle
4. Persian Wars – Battle at Thermopylae
a. Xerxes (Darius’ son) hated Athens too, wanted to attack and beat them
b. He was met by Athens and allies (including Sparta) at small mountain pass
at city-state of Thermopylae
c. Too many Persian for Greeks to win
d. King Leonidas (of Sparta) told Athens and others to flee and leave the
Persian to him
e. 300 Spartans eventually lost to the Persian
f. Xerxes then attacked Athens and burnt it to the ground (but no people
there)
5. Persian Wars – Battle of Salamis
a. Xerxes wanted to finish off Athens and heard they were weak
b. He attacked them, by water, in waters off the island of Salamis
c. Greeks (mostly the Athenian navy) tricked the Persian and crushed them
at sea
d. Seen as one of the greatest naval victories in history
6. Persian Wars – Battle of Plataea
a. Persians wanted to beat someone, so attacked Plataea (close ally of
Athens)
b. Spartans did not want Persian on the Greek mainland, so they fought here
c. Spartan army crushed the Persians and finally the Persians leave Greek
mainland
B. Trading neighbors
1. Etruscans
a. Found in the northern region of the Italian peninsula
b. Were great builders and traders
c. Greeks traded with them, acquired new building styles
d. Greeks also fought with them
e. Make weapons
2. Egyptians
a. From the northeast corner of Africa
b. Great trading partner of the Greeks
c. Greeks acquired papyrus and most importantly, grain to feed their people
3. Phoenicians
a. From the east coast of the Mediterranean
b. Area that is now present-day Syria, Lebanon, Israel and Jordan
c. Excellent shipbuilders, sailors and traders of the Mediterranean
d. Greeks used them as trade partners and got purple dye from them
IV.
City-States of Athens and Sparta
A. Athens
1. Citizenship
a. Males, over 18, register with your deme (village)
b. Pericles changes it so that both father and mother’s father had be a citizen
2. Women
a. In charge of the house and the slaves
b. In charge of raising the children
c. Did not have equal rights
3. Children
a. Wealthy boys start school at 7
b. Girls do not get any training unless taught from mother
c. Only rich girls get private tutoring at home
4. Metics
a. Live in Athens, but not citizens
b. There to make money
c. Pay taxes, can’t participate in government
d. Seen as second-class citizens
5. Slaves
a. Not citizens, owned by citizens (really seen as property)
b. Bought from other lands or were prisoners of war
c. Were two types of slaves
i. Domestic slaves
- owned by individuals
- treatment depended on owner
- could learn a trade, or even buy their freedom
ii. state/government slaves
- owned by Athens
- worked in the city
- did very dangerous jobs and did not live long
B. Sparta
1. Citizenship
a. Only males
b. Once reached the age of 30 you were a citizen
c. After military training
d. Also received a plot of land to work on
2. Women
a. Responsible for watching the house and the slaves
b. Responsible for making healthy babies
c. Could not hold jobs
d. Trained in physical training and some other “formal” training
e. Were better off than other Greek women of the time: could even own land
f. Spent most of their time with other women of the city-state, not with men
3. Children
a. Sent off to the barracks and military training at 7 years old
b. Learned how to “rough it” in life
c. Were beaten if they were bad and if they were good
d. Eventually would become tougher than other city-states, and this lead to a
better army
e. Would serve in the army at age 18 and done with training and military at
age 30
4. Slaves
a. State slaves were called helots
b. They were prisoners of war and owned by Sparta
c. Were given to male citizens when military training was done
d. They outnumbered Spartan citizens 10 to 1, were the cause of large and
powerful Spartan army
C. Peloponnesian War: Athens vs. Sparta
1. Athens forms Delian League
a. Alliance of city-states with Athens
b. They pay Athens for protection from future invasion from Persia
c. Athens uses the money to build up their navy
2. Athens gets rich
a. Persia never attacks
b. Athens navy gets huge
c. Athens starts to use navy to expand and get new colonies
d. Athens has extra money to start building projects
3. Sparta get angry
a. Jealous that Athens is so rich
b. Angry that Athens is starting to take over new lands
4. Corinth vs. Corfu
a. Corfu is a colony of Corinth
b. Corfu wants to be free from Corinth
c. Athens helps Corfu fight Corinth
d. Corinth gets help from Sparta
e. Sparta and Athens start to fight each other
5. Athens vs. Sparta
a. Athens has a better navy, Sparta better army
b. Sparta attacks Athens, and people hide inside city walls
c. A huge plague hits Athens and 25% of population dies
d. Athens suffers huge loss at the battle of Syracuse
e. Members of the Delian League start to leave Athens
f. Persia gives Sparta money to build up a large navy
g. Sparta shuts off Athenian supplies
h. Eventually Sparta wins
V.
Golden Age of Athens
1. Pericles the leader
a. Athenian statesman with many followers
b. Becomes the leader of Athenian democracy
c. Had three goals for thee Golden Age
i. Beautification
ii. Fortification
iii. Increase democracy
2. Financing Pericles’ Plan
a. Delian League formed by Athens to protect other city-states from another
possible invasion from Persia
b. Athens had extra money from the payments from the Delian League
c. Money went to Athenian navy first, then extra went to fixing the city-state
3. Beautification
a. Money goes to large building projects
b. Rebuild temples with new marble from quarries in the north
c. Made new large government buildings and houses for the rich
d. Built theaters for live performances of Greek theater
e. Had great playwrights
i. Sophocles
ii. Aristophanes
f. Had great philosophers
i. Socrates
ii. Plato (Socrates’ student)
iii. Aristotle (Plato’s student)
4. Fortification (protection)
a. Main goal was to protect Athens from invasion
b. Built up powerful navy
c. Created “long walls”
i. Were five miles long from Athens to its harbor
ii. Built to make sure Athenian food supply would not be cut off
5. Democracy
a. Citizens who served in government were now paid
b. Power spread more evenly between the rich and the poor