CHAPTER 5:
CLASSICAL GREECE
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GREEK STATION STAMPS
• Use your worksheet from the Greek Stations to complete the following
assignment on your own paper.
• Imagine the post office has announced a contest to create a
commemorative Greek stamp.
• Choose 4 Greek accomplishments from your worksheet & design a
commemorative stamp for each accomplishment. Each stamp should be
labeled and in color.
• Under each stamp, briefly explain the accomplishment is.
ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS
1. Describe the creation and development of
Greek government.
2. Compare the development of Athens and
Sparta.
SECTION ONE: CULTURES OF THE
MOUNTAINS AND THE SEA
I. Geography Shapes Greek Life
•
Very mountainous
•
2,000 islands that are located in the Aegean
and Ionian Seas
•
Physical geography shaped Greek traditions
and customs
A. The Sea
• Greeks’ lives revolved around the sea
• Aegean Sea, Ionian Sea, Black Sea all important
transportation routes- linked most parts of Greece
and other societies
• Poor in natural resources, lacked wood, metals, and
farmland
B. The Land
• ¾ of Greece is covered by mountains= difficult to
unite Greece under a single gov’t
• Most formed small independent communities
• Travel was very difficult - 60 miles could take up to 7
days
• Only 20% of land usable for farming
• Poor farmland= Greece never able to support a large
population
C. The Climate
• 48 degrees F in the winter, 80 degrees in the
summer
• These moderate temps supported an outdoor
life for the ppl
II. Mycenaean Civilization Develops
• Settled the Greek mainland around 2000 BC
• name from their city Mycenae
• City located on a steep rocky ridge surrounded by a 20
foot thick wall
• Warrior kings ruled surrounding villages and farms
(1600-1100 BC)
MYCENAE
A. Culture and Trade
• Sometime around 1500 BC Mycenaean’s came
into contact w/ the Minoans through trade
• Saw importance of seaborne trade
• Adapted much of Minoan culture to their own
including writing system
• Influenced religion, art, politics, and literature
B. The Trojan War
• A 10 year war b/w the Mycenaean’s and Troy (located on
Anatolia)
• Believed to have started w/ the kidnapping of Helen, wife
of a Greek king
• Trojans lose b/c of Greek trick- Trojan horse
• Thought at first to be a story, evidence gathered shows
that Trojan War may have been based on real ppl and
events
MYCENAE AND TROY
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III. Greek Culture Declines
• Mycenaean’s collapsed after the Trojan War
• 1200’s a new group moved in called the
Dorians
• far less advanced- economy collapsed, trade
halted
• so interesting b/c it looks like Greeks forgot
how to write, no written records for the next
400 years
A. Epics of Homer
• With no written record, ppl
learned their history through
spoken word
• Greatest storyteller was a
blind man named Homer
• Greatest epics were The
Iliad and The Odyssey
• The Iliad was about the
Trojan War
B. Greeks Create Myths
• Greeks dev. a rich set of myths - traditional
stories about their gods
• Explained the mysteries of nature and the power
of human passion
• Contribute human qualities- love, hate, and
jealousy to gods
• Greek gods argue/compete w/ each other
constantly- much like humans. But the gods live
forever
Zeus, ruler of gods, lives on Mt. Olympus, with his
wife Hera and their daughter,
Athena- the goddess of wisdom
Section 2: Greece’s Warring City States
I. Rule and Order in Greek City
States
• 750 BC polis was fundamental
political unit in ancient Greece
• Each polis made up of 50- 500
sq miles
• less than 10,000 residents
• Each polis is a city-state
A. Greek Political Structures
• Greek City-states had various forms of gov’t, 3
main types:
1. Monarchy- ruled by king
2. Aristocracy- ruled by groups of wealthy nobles
(landowners)
3. Oligarchy- ruled by a few powerful people
(merchants and artisans)
B. Tyrants Seize Power
• rulers & common ppl often clashed
• nobles sought to gain power by appealing to the
lower classes for support- called tyrants
• Unlike today, tyrants in ancient Greece generally
not harsh- most started building programs to help
the common ppl
II. Athens Builds a Limited Democracy
• Some city-states moved toward a democracy- rule
by the ppl, to avoid power struggle between rich &
poor
A. Building Democracy
• First step 621 BC- made by Draco, developed
a legal code based on equality of all citizens
under the law
• Draco’s code dealt harshly w/ criminals and
introduced debt slavery- work as slaves to repay
debts
BUILDING A DEMOCRACY CONTINUED…
• Second Step- 594 BC- Solon came to power,
introduced new reforms:
• Outlawed debt slavery
• Organized Athenian citizens into four social
classes according to wealth
• Top 3 classes could hold political office
• All citizens could participate in the assembly
• Any citizen could bring charges against
wrongdoers
BUILDING A DEMOCRACY CONTINUED…
• Third Step- Around 500 BC Cleisthenes
introduced new reforms
• organized social classes based on geography
rather than wealth
• Increased power of assembly by allowing
anyone to submit laws
• Created Council of Five Hundred, proposed
laws, managed assembly- members chosen by
voting or at random
BUILDING A DEMOCRACY CONTINUED…
• reforms made Athens a limited democracy, only
citizens could participate in gov’t
• “citizen”= free, adult, male, property owner, born in
Athens
• Everyone else excluded from citizenship and had
few rights
Draco
• Equality
• Debt
slavery
Solon
• Social
classes
• Top 3
hold
office
Cleis.
• Geo
classes
• Council
of 500
Limited
Democracy
B. Athenian Education
• Schooling only for sons of wealthy landowners
• Began school at the age of seven
• Edu aimed at making men good citizens
• Studied reading, grammar, poetry, history, math and
music
• trained in logic and public speaking
• Athletics important in edu
• Girls learned from females at home
III. SPARTA BUILDS A MILITARY STATE
• located in southern Greece, nearly cut off from rest
of Greece by Gulf of Corinth
• Greatly contrasts w/ other city-states, especially
Athens.
• Instead of a democracy, Sparta develops a military
state
SPARTA AND ATHENS
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A. Sparta Dominates Messenians
• 725 BC- Defeat Messenians ,forced them to
farm the land, called them helots, took ½ their
crops ea year
• Messenians revolt but fail, Spartans, fearful of
another revolt, create a new, stronger gov’t
B. Spartan Government- Several branches:
• Assembly—composed of all Spartan citizens, elected,
voted on major issues
• Council of Elders—30 older Spartans proposed laws
on which the assembly voted
• 5 elected officials—carried out laws passed by
Assembly, also in charge of edu & court cases
• Kings- two kings ruled over the military forces
Spartan Government
C. Spartan Social Groups
• Ruling families, citizens- owned land
• Free Non-citizens—worked in commerce
and industry
• Helots—worked farms or as house servants
Spartan Social
Classes
D. Spartan Daily Life
• 600BC- 371BC, Sparta had strongest military in
Greece
• Individual expression was discouraged, did not
value the arts
• Spartans valued duty, strength, discipline
• At age 7 boys moved into army barracks begin
their training. Stayed until age 30.
• Trained in all forms of weather, wore a light tunic
and no shoes, slept w/o blankets and on hard
benches
• Girls received some military training, and were
granted much freedom to run the household and
businesses while the men were on active
military duty
• Both men and women taught to put Sparta
above all else- even above family
•
Could watch History Channel Video
“Spartan boot Camp: Killing Machines”
THE PERSIAN WARS (490 BC)
IV. The Persian Wars (490 BC)
• Greatest threat to Greek city-states- invasion from
Persian Empire
• Many wars fought b/w Persia & Greek city-states=
The Persian Wars
A. A new kind of Army emerges
• Cheaper iron replaces bronze, making arms and
armor cheaper= new, bigger armies made up of
all classes of ppl
• New army tactic feared by all, Phalanx—
formation of soldiers with spears
•
HC- Sparta
Deconstructed
B. Battle of Marathon
• Persian Wars— b/w Greece/Persian Empire,
began in Ionia
• Greeks in Ionia conquered by Persians
• Greeks revolt, Athens sends ships to help fight off
the Persians
• Persians win, vow to destroy Athens
• Persian army attacks Athens at Marathon
• Greeks arranged in phalanx, Persians attack and
are defeated
• Runner, Phedippides races to Athens to announce
Greek victory then dies
IONIA
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C. Persians attack again
• 10 yrs after Marathon, Persians try again to
destroy Athens
• Persians invade, halted at a mountain pass called
Thermopylae- 7,000 Greeks (including 300
Spartans) fight Persians
• Greeks betrayed, 300 Spartans volunteer to hold
Persians while rest retreat, all 300 killed
• Persians finally defeated at Salamis
HC: Last
stand of the
300
D. Consequences of the Persian Wars
• Greek city-states formed an alliance called the
Delian League to help protect against future
Persian attacks
• Athens becomes strongest voice in the Delian
League, dominates other city-states