Cultures of the Mountains and
the Sea
A.P. World History
Mr. Schabo
Crestwood High School
Greece
• Mainland Greece is a
mountainous
peninsula.
• Its coastline has
excellent harbors.
http://rad.usuhs.mil/rad/greece/greece0027.jpg
• As a result the
Greeks became
seafarers
Effects of Geography
• Did not live on land, but
around the sea
– International trade
– Colonization
• Organized into city-states
– Each city state was fiercely
independent & resisted
outside interference.
http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/europe/greece.jpg
• Moderate climate
encouraged outdoor
living
The Mycenaeans
• Indo-European group
that settled in Greece
in roughly 2000 B.C.
• Mingled with the
Minoans and traded
and settled the
Mediterranean area.
http://www.flashcardmachine.com/greek-art-arch.html
Mycenae
 Then
http://www.oneonta.edu/faculty/farberas/arth/ARTH209/minoan_mycenaean.html
Now 
Trojan War
• Mycenaeans fought a 10
year war against Troy,
because a Trojan prince
absconded with Helen, the
wife of a Mycenaean king
• Believed to have been a
legend, but in 1870s,
German archaeologist
Heinrich Schliemann
discovered what he believed
to be the remains of the city
of Troy.
http://www.crystalinks.com/trojanwar.html
The Dorian Period was an era of
decline in Ancient Greece.
Here is what was
accomplished in the
Dorian Period.
???
The Greek City-States
By 750 B.C. the fundamental political unit in
Greece was the polis.
The polis was made up of a city and the
surrounding countryside for 50 to 500 square
miles. Average population=10,000 residents or
less.
AGORA
Citizens
gathered in
one of these
two places to
discuss
government.
ACROPOLIS
Greek Political Structures
• Some city-states had a king—monarchy
• Some ruled by group of noble
landowners—aristocracy
• In some, wealthy merchants and artisans
took control—oligarchy.
• In some city-states tyrants, rulers who
represented ordinary people took control.
Athens Moves Toward
Democracy
In 621 B.C. a nobleman named Draco came
to power and developed a legal code based
on the idea that all men were equal. Under
Draco’s code death was the punishment for
almost every crime. Thus, it is from this we
get the word draconian, meaning extremely
harsh or severe.
The Reforms of Solon
Solon came to power in Athens in the
year 594 B.C. and instituted some farreaching democratic reforms.
• First, he outlawed debt slavery.
• Next he organized Athenians into
four different classes based on
wealth. The top 3 classes could hold
political office.
• Any citizen could bring charges
against wrongdoers.
Around 500 B.C. Cleisthenes
broke the power of the
nobility and organized local
government groups.
Gave all citizens the right to
submit laws for passage.
Created the Council of 500,
who advised the assembly on
proposed laws.
Any adult male property
owner was a “citizen.”
Athenian Education
Well done
Seppalaclese.
Only the sons of
wealthy families
received a formal
education.
They began at age 7
and studies grammar,
reading, history,
math, poetry, and
music.
They also learned . . .
• Logic and public speaking
•Athletic activities
•Girls stayed home and were
educated by their mothers.
They learned weaving,
cooking, child-rearing, and
managing the household.
The Spartan Way
Sparta built a disciplined
military state.
The Spartan government
consisted of an assembly in
which all citizens could
vote. It also had a Council
of Elders, 30 older citizens
who proposed laws. Five
elected officials carried out
the laws.
Sparta also had two kings.
The kings ruled over
the military.
One king could not
veto the actions of
the other.
The Spartan Social Order
• At the top were citizens descended from the
original inhabitants of the region. This
included wealthy landowners.
• Next came non-citizens who were free and
worked in industry and commerce.
• The helots were at the bottom and were
little more than slaves.
Spartan Daily Life
• All forms of individual expression
discouraged. Thus, there was no value
placed on the arts, literature, or intellectual
pursuits.
• The Spartans stressed duty, strength, and
discipline. As a result they had the most
powerful army in Greece.
Typical Boys Life
• When a male child was born it was immediately
dipped in a vat of wine. If it survived that ordeal
in good shape, it was kept. If, however, the baby
became weakened or ill, it was left on a
mountainside to die. Deformed or crippled babies
were also left on the mountainside.
• Boys left home at age 7 and moved into an army
barracks. Here they would stay until the age of 30.
They were expected to serve in the army until 60.
Spartan boys
• Spent their days marching, exercising, and
fighting.
• They were whipped regularly to desensitize them
to pain.
• They were given only light tunics to wear, and no
shoes.
• The slept without blankets on hard benches.
• Their daily diet consisted of coarse porridge.
Spartan girls
• Also received some military training.
• They ran, wrestled, and played sports.
• They were taught to put service above
everything—even love of family.
• Spartan women were given considerable
freedom compared to Greek women in other
city-states.
The Persian War
• Began on the coast of Anatolia, where
Athenians supported a rebellion against the
Persian Empire.
• Darius was ticked and vowed to teach the
Athenians a lesson.
When does this
Schabo guy
shut up???
The First Persian Invasion 490 B.C.
• 25,000 Persians invade Greece
• Battle of Marathon: 10,000 well-armed, highlydisciplined Greeks defeat the Persians.
• Persian casualties=6,000 plus
• Greek casualties=Less than 200
• Pheidippides ran 26 miles from Marathon to
Athens to deliver news of the victory so Athenians
would not give up the city. Then he died.
Enter Xerxes 480 B.C.
• The Persian king leads an enormous
invasion force down the coast of Greece
toward a narrow mountain pass known as
Thermopylae.
• 7,000 Greeks, including 300 Spartans
blocked his path.
The Tragic Outcome
King Leonidas dismissed
most of the Greek forces
and battled the Persians
with his force of 300,
stalling the Persian
advance for 3 days. This
gave the Athenians, under
Themistocles, time to
evacuate their city and
position their naval fleet in
the narrow bay of Salamis.
Thermoplae today
Meanwhile, back at Athens
• After destroying the Spartan force and
advancing on Athens, Xerxes found the city
deserted and burned it to the ground.
• Then he pursued the Greek navy into the
Bay of Salamis.
• The small, maneuverable Greek ships,
equipped with battering rams, destroyed the
bigger, clumsier Persian fleet.
Xerxes retreated back to Asia
Home,
James!
And don’t
come back
you big, fat
king person!
One Year Later
• Several Greek City-States, led by Athens,
formed the Delian League (an alliance) for
protection.
• Soon the Delian League grew to 200 citystates.
• Athens was about to enter its Golden Age.