Geography of Greece

Location:
 Southern end of Balkan Peninsula
 Surrounded by water on 3 sides
○ Adriatic Sea & Ionian Sea to West
○ Mediterranean Sea to South
○ Aegean Sea to East
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Uneven Coastline
 All of Greece had easy access to a sea
 Economy became based on sea industries
○ Trade
○ Fishing
○ Sailing
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Difficult to Unify
 Mountain ranges run center of Greek mainland
 Jagged coasts divide sea villages
 Independent City-states developed
Early Greek Peoples
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The Minoans
 Located on Crete, island South of Greek mainland
 Named after King Minos
○ Palace of Knosos
 Accomplishments:
○ Frescoes – form of art where pigment was pushed into wet plaster on walls
○ Metalworking – art made of bronze, gold, silver, etc.
○ Developed written language, Linear B
 Economy based on sea-travel & trade
○ Created series of sea ports on Asia Minor & Aegean islands
○ Developed strong navy
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The Mycenaeans
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Controlled southern Greek mainland (Peloponnesus)
Clans based on military/war leaders
Built fort like cities
Took over Crete
The City-States of Greece
No Unified Nation, independent city-states developed
instead
 The Polis

 Based on three main ideas
○ The geographic territory
○ The community it represented
○ Political & economic independence
 Characteristics of most city-states
○ Acropolis – hill on which the central fort and temples were found
○ Agora – marketplace & main meeting place
○ Usually small w/less than 10,000 people each
○ Only free adult males had rights
○ Most spoke same language & shared similar cultural beliefs
Greek Culture in Homeric Age
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Literature:
 Most Greeks were illiterate
 Literature passed through oral tradition
 oral traditions gathered into two main works by Homer
○ The Iliad – epic poem about Trojan War between Mycenae and Troy
○ The Odyssey – epic poem about the travels of Odysseus, a Mycenaean
king, on his way home from the Trojan War
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Religion:
 Three main ideas about Greek religion
○ Wanted to explain natural events
○ Wanted to explain emotions & why people act the way they do
○ Wanted certain benefits such a good luck, health, & good crops
 Concept of afterlife: the spirit went to the realm of Hades for
either reward or punishment
 Religious beliefs explained in myths, stories about the gods
 Future could be predicted by oracles, special
priests/priestesses
Greek Government

The Aristocracy:
 City-states led by warrior chiefs
○ Warrior chiefs relied on wealthy land owners for support
○ Wealthy land owners known as aristocrats, or “best men”
 Aristocracy: the privileged upper social class
○ Controlled military
○ Acted as judges & leaders in communities
○ Took over from the warrior chiefs

Changes that weakened Aristocratic control on government
 Hoplite:
○ non-aristocratic soldier, infantry
○ Gained greater say in politics
 Farmers & poor citizens unhappy w/ aristocracy
 Tyrants take over
○ A person who gains control of the government thru force
○ Usually conditions improved in the beginning, but became brutal leaders later

Democracy Develops Greece
 People overthrow tyrants
 Popular government developed: gov where the people rule themselves
 Democracy: gov where the citizens make the decisions for the city-state
Spartan Society

Peloponnesus conquered by invaders from north
 Helots: the conquered people
 Capital located at village of Sparta

Three Social Groups:
 Equals
○ Descendents of the invaders
○ Controlled the government
○ Owned the land
 Half-Citizens
○ Freemen who either farmed or worked in trades/artisans
○ Served in the military
○ No political power
 Helots
○ Slaves
○ Were kept under tight control, disobedience was violently dealt with
Spartan Government & Military

Spartan Government
 Two Kings
○ One king controlled the military
○ One king controlled the home matters
 Council of Elders
○ 28 male citizens over the age of 60
○ Proposed laws & held court
 The Assembly
○ Included all landowning males over 30
○ Led by 5 Ephors who ensured kings acted within the law
○ Voted to pass/reject laws made by council
○ Controlled the education of the young
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The Military
 Every male became a member of the military
○ Age 7, boys leave home to live in military barracks
○ At age 18, training focused on war
○ Age 20, active duty military
○ Age 30, men could move out of the military barracks
○ Age 60, men left the military to work for the public
 Education of Girls
○ Focus on physical strength & to be devoted to the Spartan state
Society of Athens
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Located on Attic Peninsula
 Limited farming due to poor soil conditions
 Primarily focused on sea trade
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Three Tier Society:
 Citizens
○ Men born in Athens, had full political rights
○ Women born in Athens, did not have right to vote
 Metics
○ Free people born outside of Athens
○ Could not take part in government nor own land
 Slaves
○ People captured in war
○ Treated as property
○ Freed slaves became Metics
Government of Athens

Early Athenian Government:
 Led by aristocrats
 Only male, land-owning citizens could hold office
 All adult male citizens served in an assembly
○ Elected generals during war times
○ Led by Archons
 An elected committee of 9
 Served 1 year terms
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Changes Come to Athenian Gov:
 Economic Problems
○ Trade prospered, but farmers grew poorer
○ Farmers sold into slaver to pay for debt
○ Poor begin to riot &
 Solon becomes an Archon
○ Outlaws the slavery for debt
○ Set up courts made up of citizen jurors
 Cleisthenes
○ Turns Athens into a democracy
○ Creates a Council of 500
○ Court decisions made by citizen jurors
Daily Life In Athens
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Economics:
 Agriculture:
○ Extremely rugged landscape
○ Terraced the hillsides
○ grew olives, grapes, & figs
 Oversea Trade
○ Established colonies throughout region
○ Exported olive oil, wine, etc
○ Imported grains & foodstuffs

Home & Family
 Marriage & family central social unit
○ Marriages were arranged
○ Mother took care of all children until age 6
○ At age 7, boys under care of a pedagogue, teacher of manners
Education

The Athenian Ideal:
 Stressed sound mind & body
 Wealthy boy received detailed education
 Subjects:
○ Politics
○ Reading
○ Writing
○ Poetry
○ Music
○ Gymnastics
 Sophists:
○ Teachers of older boys
○ Studied mathematics, government, ethics, & rhetoric
 Ethics: study of moral behavior
 Rhetoric: study of public speaking & debate
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At age 18, all boys entered the military
The
Persian
Wars
Persia’s Attempts to Control Greece Under Reign of Darius

 Athenians colonize parts of Asia Minor & Greek colonists revolt against Persian rule
 Darius of Persia violent ends uprising
○ Wanted to punish Athens for helping Greek colonists
○ Hoped to take control of Greek mainland
○ Conquers Thrace & Macedonia (North of Greece)
 Battle of Marathon
○ Persia invades Greek mainland
○ Athenians greatly outnumbered, but defeat Persians
○ Origins of the marathon traced to this battle
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Persia’s Attempts to Control Greece Under Rule of Xerxes
 Leads attacks aimed at taking control of Greek mainland
 Greek city-states unite to prevent takeover
 Battle of Thermopylae
○ 300 Spartans & Persian army clash at the mountain pass of Thermopylae
○ Spartans held off Persian army for 3 days
○ All Spartans died, but allowed other city-states to prepare
 Persia marches on to Athens
○ Athens evacuated, Persia destroys Athens
○ Persia attacks Athenian Navy at the Salamis Strait
○ Athenian Navy better equipped for fighting in tight strait, Athens Wins

Sparta & Athens Unite to defeat Persia at Plataea
 Greek city-states unit under the Delian League
Age of Pericles

Pericles comes to rule in Athens
 His reign known as a time of cultural & political success

Democracy in Athens
 All male citizens could hold public office
 Officeholders paid to work
 Positions chosen by lot so everyone had equal advantage

Athens Expands:
 Colonies established to help trade
 Athenian Navy dominated the Aegean Sea
 Created a standard system of weights & measures
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Expanded Delian League
 Center of Delian League moved to Athens
 Relative peace amongst member nations
 Will include 140 member city-states
The Peloponnesian War

Delian League losses power
 Tensions grow between Athens, Corinth, & Sparta
 Athens & Sparta became rivals

Sparta invades the Attic Peninsula
 Destroyed villages & burned fields
 Athenians retreat to city of Athens
 Sparta tries to “starve” Athens
○ Athenian navy brings in food supplies
○ Siege lasts for years
○ Plague breaks out in Athens, killing
thousands
○ Pericles dies
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War lasts 27 years
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Random periods of peace & war
Athens surrendered to Sparta
Constant war weakened both city-states
Sparta unable to control all of Greece
Thebes takes over weakened Sparta, but also unable to control all of Greece