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Minoan
› Crete – 2000 BC
› Island
› Trade and
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colonization with
Fertile Crescent
Olive oil
Pottery
Ancestors of
Philistines?
Knossos, capital city –
destroyed in 1400 BC
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Mycenae
› Mainland of Greece
› Adopted art,
architecture, and
commercial practices
from Minoans.
› 1400 BC became
leading center of
Aegean region.
› Military fervor
› 1200 BC conquered
by Dorians.
Western coast of Asia Minor
 Hellespont – strait separating Asia Minor
from Europe.
 Linked the land of the Fertile Crescent
with the sea trade of the Aegean world.
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Myceneans
attacked them.
Ten-year siege.
Troy falls.
Sneak attack with
Trojan horse.
Read Trojan War inset p. 56
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1150-750 BC
New intruders
Neglected palace
fortresses for simple
life in villages
Blended cultures into
a common Greek
culture.
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The Homeric Age
Homer’s epic poems
› Iliad
› Odyssey
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Myths (stories)
explain their beliefs
about life, the world,
and God.
Mount Olympus
Zeus
Apollo
Athena
Poseidon
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Polytheism –
› Worship of many gods
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Monotheism –
› worship of one god
› Greek gods were anthropomorphic (had
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human characteristics)
Had immortality and extraordinary powers
Invented by men, exhibited human sins
Games were held in honor of Zeus every 4
years on Mount Olympus.
Ultimate Goal of the Greeks – to attain
physical perfection
The games were a rare demonstration of
cooperation between the Greeks.
The mountains of Greece tended to
isolate the Greek city-states and
hindered their national unity.
 They built their cities at the foot of a hill
with a fortress at the top.
 They called their city a “polis,” and the
fortress an “acropolis.” (acro = high)
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The polis was the basic political unit of
Greece. However, it acted like a nation.
The ancient Greek’s ultimate source of
authority was his polis.

Greek city-states experienced 4 basic
forms of government.
› Monarchy – rule by one
› Oligarchy – rule by a few
› Tyranny – government had complete control
› Democracy – rule by the people
Greek City-State Period – 750-500 B.C.
 Two opposing political systems and
poleis

› Sparta in southern Greece on the
Peloponnesus
› Athens – to the northeast on the mainland
Conquered by Dorians who enslaved the
Helots who were numerous.
 Dorians created a militaristic state in
response to fear of uprising of the
majority.
 Sparta developed a warrior culture.

Spartan elders controlled all aspects of
the lives of the people.
 Boys left their mothers at the age of 7
and were placed in army barracks and
began their warrior training.
 They were beaten to learn to be tough.
 They were starved to learn to be tough.
 The weak were culled from the pack
and eliminated.
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They were encouraged to steal to prove
their resourcefulness.
 At the age of 20 they became part of
the army.
 At age 30, if they had proved their
worthiness, they could become citizens
of Sparta.
 They lived in the army camp and were
prepared to fight at all times.
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Spartan girls were trained to be mothers
of warriors
 They also learned to be self-disciplined
and tough.
 Spartan mothers expected their sons to
“return with their shields or on them.”
 Every aspect of their lives were
determined from furniture to food.
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Sparta was an oligarchy.
 It was ruled by a five elders who
guarded against change. They forced
the status quo (existing state of affairs).
 Sparta often forced oligarchy on
neighboring city-states and organized
them into the Peloponnesian League to
guard against the democracy of the
Athenians.
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Sparta was associated with militarism,
isolation, oligarchy, and glorification of
the state.
Athens nurtured creativity, commercial
endeavors, democracy, and
individualism.
 Athenians loved beauty, art, and
learning.
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Athens was a monarchy during the
Homeric Age.
 Later the nobles took over and
produced an oligarchy with a chief
magistrate called an archon.
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Under the statesman Solon, Athens
moved toward democracy in 594 B.C.
when he gave representation to all
sections of Athens in the Council of Four
Hundred.
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In the 5th century B.C. under Pericles,
Athens established a “rule of the
people.”
At the beginning of the 5th century B.C.
the Persians advanced across Asia Minor
and into Greece.
 The Athenians, valuing their
independence, rebelled and overthrew
the Persians.

King Darius of Persia crushed the revolt
and landed a Persian force at the Bay of
Marathon (490 B.C.).
 The outnumbered Athenians met them
and surprisingly defeated the Persians.
 (Read Herodotus’ quote on p. 63)

Darius made plans to invade Greece in
revenge but died before he could carry
them out.
 His son, Xerxes (husband of Esther),
followed through on the assault on
Greece in 480 B.C.
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As the Persians advanced, the Greeks
disagreed on their strategy. The
Spartans wanted to defend the
Peloponnesus; the Athenians wanted to
defend the mainland.
 They finally agreed to take a stand at
the mountain pass of Thermopylae.

At Thermopylae about 7000 Greeks
faced a Persian army numbering at least
200,000.
 The Persians attacked several times but
could not take the pass.

Alas, the Greeks were betrayed by one
of their own who showed the Persians a
secret pass through the mountains.
 All the Greeks except for 300 Spartans
retreated. The 300, led by Leonidas,
stayed to hold the pass and give the
others a chance.
 Leonidas and his 300 Spartans fought to
the death defending the pass.
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The Persians pressed on to Athens and
destroyed it by fire; the Athenians fled in
retreat to the isle of Salamis, just off the
coast.
Thermistocles devised a trap for the
Persians.
 He sent a slave to report to the Persians
that the Greeks were afraid and were
sailing northward and that if the Persians
sent their navy in at dawn they could
catch the Greeks in retreat.

Unwittingly, the Persians came into the
Bay of Salamis as the tide was going out.
Their ships were stranded, and the
Greeks destroyed them.
 The Greeks beat back the Persians and
preserved their independence.
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The Greek victory gave the Greek
people pride, self-confidence, and
patriotism.
 Under Pericles, Athens’ advances in
thought, art, science, literature, drama,
and architecture were unparalleled
anywhere in the ancient world.
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Under Pericles, every adult male could
vote and participate in government.
 Note that the women, slaves, and
foreigners (about 90% of the population)
were still excluded.
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431-404 B.C.
 Athens versus Sparta
 Athens – naval strength
 Sparta – strong land army
 A plague weakened Athens and Sparta
dominated, returning Athens to a state
of oligarchy and tyranny.
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