Greek Society/Persian
War
The rise of power and Democracy
in Greece
Polis

City-State
– Many were small towns
– Community of relatives, more than the classic
definition of “state”
– A brotherhood of man
 Where justice prevails
 Those who fail to follow are animals
– Much different than today?
– Originally meant a citadel-Acropolis
 The agora
– Market place/civic center
Hoplite Phalanx

A military technique
– Armored men
– Spear and shield
– 8 rows, sometimes more
sometimes less
– Could withstand a cavalry
charge
– Hold your ground
 Failure to do so would
surely mean defeat
– Citizen Soldiers
 Used to defend lands,
especially during
harvest
Magna Graecia

Expansive Greek Colonization
– Establishment of polis’
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Asia Minor and the Black Sea
Italy and Sicily
Spain
France
– Independent and at times beholden to the mother
cities
– Pan-Hellenic: “all-Greek”
 A sense of pride when confronted with different peoples
Tyrants

Aristocrats
– Move up and gain power
 Use of military and support
– Ability to hold support
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Drainage systems
Water supply
Support of arts and literature
Defense
– Their fall
 Repression and cruelty
 Went against the very ideas of the polis
– Rule without answering to a people who admire law and justice
doesn’t work
Sparta
Not much different than any other polis
 1st Messenian War: 725 bce

– Increased population and lack of land
– Attack Messina
– Reduced population to serfs: Helots

2nd Messenian War: 650 bce
– Helots rebel with help of other Peloponnesian states
– Spartans put down rebellion
– A shift occurs in Spartan society
Spartan Society

Its all about preparing for war and commitment
to the Polis
– Birth
 Male and female survival depends on being physically fit
– 7 yrs old: males are taken from their mothers and
given to instructors
– Athletics, military, and endurance
– 20 yrs old: enrolled in the Army until 30
– Barracks, companionship
– 30 yrs old: citizenship, plot of land, ability to marry
– 60 yrs old: retirement
– Women: more freedom than most of Greece, but still
beholden to the state
Spartan Gov’t

Two kings
– Shared power
– A king had to go into battle with his men

Council of Elders
– 28, 60 yrs old, served for life
– Judicial functions
– Consulted before proposals are put before the assembly of Spartan
citizens

Assembly of Spartan Citizens
– 30 yrs old
– Mostly a figure head
 Agreeing on decision already made

Board of ephors
– Check the king
– Foreign policy decisions
– Guarded against Helots
The Peloponnesian League

Spartan defeat of Tegea
– Must follow Sparta and provide an Army
– Becomes the model
– Every Peloponnesian state joins
 Except Argos

A true army
Athens

Aristocratic Rule
– Areopagus
 Council of nobles
– Years of Unrest
– Draco: 621 bce
 Codifies and publishes laws
– Extremely harsh i.e. the term “Draconian”
– Solon: 594 bce
 Does away with debt and ends slavery
 Most important: CASH CROPS
– Increases the wealth and power of Athens
– Clisthenes: 510 bce
 Founder of Democracy
 Deme- small town or ward- center of civic life
 Assembly of all male ciizens
Athenian Society

Farmers
– Hard life, not much leisure

Aristocrats
– Symposium: Modern version frat life
 A lot of leisure
 Drinking games
 gambling
 Sports: chariot races, wrestling, races, etc.
Athenian Religion

VERY Polytheistic
– Many Gods
 Zeus the top dog
– Also reverence for mortal men who are brave
 Achilles
– Oracle at Delphi
 Fortune tellers
 Consulted before most major decisions made
 Especially important during Persian Wars

VERY Polytheistic
– Many Gods
 Zeus the top dog
– Also reverence for
mortal: heroism
 Achilles
– Oracle at Delphi
 Fortune tellers
 Consulted before most
major decisions made
The Persian Wars: Ionian Rebellion
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Greek polis’ on Asia Minor
Fall to Lydian King Croesus: 560 bce
– Not too harsh
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Fall to Persians: 546 bce
– Trouble begins

Aristagoras
– Urges Persians to sack Naxos
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Failure creates fear
Calls for Ionians to rebel
Spartans refuse to help
Athens sends ships
495 BCE Persians reclaim Miletus
Asia Minor
Marathon
490 bce- Persians attack Eretria and sack
Naxos
 Instead of submitting to Hippias,
Athenians revolt
 Confrontation at Marathon

– 10,000 against a force of 10 to 1
– Defeat Persians
 Lose only 192 men
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Hiatus for 10 years
Xeres

481 bce: gathers an army of 1million and a navy of 600 ships
– Ships are to provide
support and supplies
– Marches his men
Athens
– Crosses at Hellespont
– Themistocles
 Urges Athens to build a
Navy
 By 480 bce 200 ships
Hellespont: Miracle!!!
Thermopylae
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Greatest battle in history
Narrow pass between
mountains and sea
King Leonidas of Sparta
 Leads 300 Spartans and
8,000 support
 Holds off Persian army
for 3 days
 betrayed
– Traitor shows
Persian’s a passage
– Spartans stay and die
Thermopylae Today
Near Defeat

Athens falls and is burned
– Citizens escape and destroy crops as they
leave…why?

Naval battle at Salamis
– Persian fleet strong and faster
– Athenian fleet slower
 Engage the ships, cross over and burn them
– Persian fleet destroyed
Defeat

Persian general Mardonius
– Holds central Greece

Greeks gather the largest army to that
time
– Defeat Persians at Plataea: 479 bce
 Mardonius is killed
 Persians flee
Tensions

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Greeks continue to engage Persians
Athens and Sparta vie for power
– Actually Athens doing most of the vying

Athenian Navy
– Fleet hit hard in Egypt: 455 bce
– War with Persia ends: 449 bce

446 bce
– Rebellions in Boeotia and Megara break Athenian Army
 Spartans invade
 Pericles sues for peace instead of fighting
– Give up all lands outside of Attica
– Spartans recognize Athenian Empire