Ancient Greece
2000 B.C.E. – 133 B.C.E.
Valarie Young
Valarie Young
The Persian Wars: Overview
Despite their
cultural ties, the
Greek city-states
were often in
conflict with one
another.
The threat of the
powerful Persian
empire united the
Greek city-states.
Valarie Young
The Persian Wars: Overview
United, the city-states
defeated the Persians
and ended the threat of
Persian invasions.
Persian prisoners
The First Persian War
546 B.C
• Cause
– Persian Empire
conquers Greek
colonies in Ionia
• Response
– Ionians refuse to pay
tribute and begin to
rebel
– Secretly the Athenians
send weapons & a
ship to aide the
rebellion
Valarie Young
The First Persian War
546 B.C
• Result:
– Darius I of Persia
crushes rebellion
– leaves Athens
Greek vs. Persian
alone but…
Valarie Young
Valarie Young
The Second Persian War 490 BC
• Cause
– Revenge for
Athenian
interference
• “Master,
Remember the
Athenians” every
day a servant said
that to King
Darius!
Valarie Young
The Second Persian War 490 BC
• Results
– Battle of Marathon
• Outnumbered Greeks
defeat Persians
• 6,400 Persians die!
• Pheidippides carries
message of victory home
to Athens 26 miles
• The distance of the
marathon.
“Rejoice, we
conquer.”
Then he died.
Valarie Young
The Second Persian War 490 BC
• Results
– build fleet of faster ships to prepare for
another attack
– Athens asks other city-states to form an
alliance (1st ever in Greek history)
Third Persian War 480 B.C.
• Cause
– Persians want
revenge
– Come after Athens
by land and by sea
Major Battles
– Battle of
Thermopylae
Led by Spartan
King Leonidas
6,000 Spartans vs.
200,000 Persians
Athens is burned
Valarie Young
Third Persian War 480 B.C.
Valarie Young
Major Battles
–Strait of Salamis:
Naval Battle
Persian fleet
sunk -Forced to
retreat!
–Battle of Plataea
a year later final
Persia forces
defeated
Battle of Salamis
Valarie Young
Third Persian War:
The Outcome!
Results
•Athens increases
its status among
the city-states.
•Athens wants a
permanent
alliance with the
city-states but
with them at the
head.
•Sparta is upset!
Valarie Young
The Delian League Formed
•
•
•
•
Alliance headed by
Pericles of Athens
To defend further
Persian invasion
Collected dues from
members
Problems
1. Forced members to
remain
2. Used $ to rebuild
Athens
3. Promoted
democracies only
Sparta
jealous!
Valarie Young
The Impact of the Persian Wars
1. Athens emerged as the most powerful city-state.
2. Athens organized the Delian League, an alliance
with 150 Greek city-states and colonies in the
Aegean region.
3. Athens used the Delian League to create an
Athenian empire.
4. With Pericles as its leader, Athens enters into its
Golden Age! But who was paying bill?
5. Sparta will eventually form an opposing alliance
with the neutral city-states
Valarie Young
The Peloponnesian War:
The Alliance System Fails!
Valarie Young
The Peloponnesian War: CAUSES
1. Many Greeks outside of
Athens resented
Athenian domination.
2. Sparta formed the
Peloponnesian League
to rival the Delian
League.
3. Sparta and Athens
rivaling for
supremacy…
Which life style would
influence the other citystates?
Which type of government?
Valarie Young
Simulation: Diplomacy of War
1. Divide into groups of three
2. Read simulation instructions
3. You have 20 minute to complete the
simulation and then report to the class.
Valarie Young
The Peloponnesian War
• Athens abusing funds
from Delian League
• 27 year war ensues
• Enthusiasm for the war
high on both sides
• Pericles brings all the
people into the city
• He depends on the navy,
high walls and food
supplies to string out the
war
Valarie Young
"long wall" strategy of Pericles
Valarie Young
A Mysterious Plague Hits Athens!
• However a plague hits and
nothing can stop the
disease…morale is low..
• Plague destroys 1/3 of
Athenian population
• Most believe it was typhus:
high fever and rash
• Plague sweeps through a
total of 3 times during the
war
• Generals are dead, Pericles
is dead, no leadership
Valarie Young
Pericles’ Funeral Oration
Pericles gave a speech at the
annual funeral of Athenians
slain in battle.
This speech is considered
one of the earliest and
greatest expressions of
democratic ideals.
Athenians believed they were
fighting for a principle and a
life-style “good” for all
Greece.
Valarie Young
Pericles’ Funeral Oration
“Our constitution is called a
democracy because power is in the
hands not of a minority but of the
whole people.
We alone regard a man who takes
no interest in public affairs not as
harmless, but as a useless
character.”
--Pericles’ 431 B.C.
Valarie Young
The Peloponnesian War
• Sparta builds a
blockade around the
walls…
• No supplies or food
from the countryside
• Athens surrenders!
• All the Greek citystates divided and
chaos!
Valarie Young
The Peloponnesian War: Effects
1. Persia gained control of
many city-states
2. Defeated democracy in
Greece
3. Sparta would eventually
fall to Persia
4. Athen’s cultural
influence continues
Valarie Young
Great Philosophers of Greece
•The word “philosophy” comes from the
Greeks.
•“Philosophy” by Greek definition means
“love of wisdom.”
The Greeks believed that nature followed
general rules called “natural laws,” which
could be discovered by reason.
GOAL:
Understand the universe and the
people who lived in it…
Valarie Young
The Three Great Greek Thinkers
Who are they?
Valarie Young
Socrates
• No written records
•His student Plato wrote about him
•Took no pay for his work;
a stone mason by trade
•He believed the goal of education was to
improve peoples’ lives
“…the unexamined life is not worth living.”
-Socrates
Valarie Young
Socrates
•“Socratic Method”
question & answer
approach; helped people
recognize they didn’t
have all the answers!
• “Know thy self”…
Self-examination leads to
correct behavior and ethical
living. Why?
Socrates on Trial----WHY?
Valarie Young
•Seen by many to not believe in the gods
•Feared that he was corrupting the minds of the youth!
•He is found guilty and put to death! A scapegoat…
Valarie Young
Socrates
Reminded Greeks at his
trial
-that there is a
necessity in doing right,
even in the face of
universal opposition
-one must pursue
knowledge at all costs.
Valarie Young
Great Philosophers of Greece
“The Death of Socrates” Painted in France in 1787
• How does it depict this famous man?
-Noble, dignified & forceful.
-He is ready to meet his death but not
before he speaks his mind!
Sophists
• Paid for hire teachers; young
men
• Believed discovering universal
truth impossible
•Were interested in the
political and social success.
•Wealthy and often unethical
•Skilled debaters
•No absolute right or wrong
•Viewed as harmful by many
Athenians
Valarie Young
Valarie Young
•Socrates was labeled as being in this
group, he hated being “lumped” with
them!
•He did not hold their values!
Challenged the Sophists with not
teaching the young men correctly For
example, the kinds of questions they
asked:
“How could I succeed in politics?”
Socrates would want to ask:
“How should I live my life?”
Plato
Valarie Young
• Author of
The Republic
• No family or
personal property;
common good
government
• Yet the
government should
regulate every
aspect of its
citizens lives!
Started a school called
The Academy
Plato
• Rulers should be
unselfish.
• Believed that only
the most
intelligent should
participate in
gov’t.
• Believed in finding
“truth” through
reason!
Valarie Young
Valarie Young
Aristotle
Did not agree with his
teacher…
• Knowledge should be
gained from all the
senses.
• Major influence in
Western European
culture
• Believed women were
just “infertile men…”
and inadequate
Aristotle
Wrote Politics
•Supports family & personal
property
•A government that features
three social classes
•Favored a single, strong
ruler
•Able leaders that have a
respect for the law
•Responsibilities of citizens
to their government
Valarie Young
Finish their words…
Valarie Young
You can make them funny or serious!
1. Socrates: “Bad men live that they may eat and
drink, whereas good men eat and drink that they
may_______________.
2. Socrates: “As for me, all I know is that I
______________________.
3. Plato: “Even the gods love_________.
4. Aristotle: “No one loves the man whom he
____________________.
What is Aristotle saying?
“Educated men are as much superior to uneducated
men as the living are to the dead.”
Valarie Young
Other Schools of thought…
• Stoicism:
-Hellenistic philosophy, 300 B.C. by Zeno from
Phoenicia
Met on the “stoa”: an open porch
-take what life brings with dignity & reason
• Epicureanism:
- Hellenistic philosophy, 300 B.C. by the teacher
Epicurus; a happy life was one without pain,
anxiety and stress – live joyful & simply!
- Later followers stressed that fine pleasures &
luxury would bring true joy in life.
Valarie Young
The Golden Age of Athens
• Period of great
achievements in arts and
sciences.
• Athens rebuilt by Pericles,
Athenian General.
• Built with the money
collected by the League.
Valarie Young
Democracy & Greece’s Golden Age
List Pericles’ three goals for Athens. Give
at least one example for each.
Pericles’ Goals
Strengthen Athens’
democracy:
Increased number
of paid officials,
increased citizen
participation; juries
Direct democracies
Hold and strengthen
empire:
Built navy through
Delian League’s
funds, protected
overseas trade
Glorify Athens:
Hired artists,
built
architectural
projects and the
Parthenon
continued . . .
Valarie Young
Greek Architects and Artists
The work of Greek artists and architects
reflected a concern with balance, order, and
beauty. Harmony and Idealism are found in
the paintings, sculptures and buildings. All
the artwork offer views of Greek life. There are
thousands of artifacts left for us enjoy!
Greece
Architecture
Valarie Young
Valarie Young
The Parthenon
Dedicated to the Goddess Athena Parthenon.
Built between 447 BC and 438 BC.
Valarie Young
Columns
Columns are part of Post and Lintel
type construction
Valarie Young
Egyptians used post and
lintel architecture in their
buildings
Valarie Young
Columns
The Greeks adopted post and lintel from
the Egyptians modifying and developing
their own style of column or order
decoration
There are three types of Greek columns-which are still used today.
Valarie Young
1. Doric
• The first of the Greek order (the oldest)
Valarie Young
2. Ionic
• The second Greek order (the middle)
Valarie Young
3. Corinthian
• The third type of the Greek order
Valarie Young
• Columns are the post part in construction; the
Greeks also modified the Lintel part
Valarie Young
–Pediment (Lintel):
• Frieze: statues; usually of
the Gods
Valarie Young
B. Buildings
• Many Greek buildings remain at least
partially standing
These buildings and styles
influenced Roman architecture
that followed.
Valarie Young
Acropolis
• Main temple
complex in
Athens—and
Greece
• Built by
Pericles;
“Golden Age of
Athens”
Valarie Young
Parthenon
• Athena’s Temple at the Acropolis
Valarie Young
Athena Nike Temple
Valarie Young
Athena Nike cont.
Valarie Young
Valarie Young
c. Review
The Writing of History
Scientific Medicine Begins!
Valarie Young
The Greeks applied reason, observation, and logic
to the study of history and medicine.
•Herodotus is called the “Father of History.”
• Herodotus stressed the importance of research.
Thucydides showed the need to avoid bias.
Medicine
•Hippocrates & the Hippocratic Oath – all patients
must be treated regardless of class
Hippocratic Oath
Poetry and Drama
Valarie Young
Greek dramas were often based on popular myths and
legends. Through these stories, playwrights discussed
moral and social issues and the relationship between
people and the gods. Greek theater developed from their
religious festivals and ceremonies.
Ancient Theater at
Dodoni
Valarie Young
Famous Greek
Playwrights
• Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides wrote
tragedies, plays that told stories of human
suffering that usually ended in disaster.
• Aristophanes wrote comedies, humorous
plays that mocked people or customs.
Greek Drama: Its History,
Its Writers and its Theaters
Valarie Young
Alexander’s
• King Phillip II of
Father Charts His Macedon
–359 B.C. held
Course!
hostage in
Thebes
• Learns Greek
culture and is
taught by men
great
philosophers
of Greece
Alexander’s
Father Charts His
Course!
Valarie Young
–Loves Greece &
wants to unify it
• Conquered all
Greece except
Sparta
–Murdered 326.
B.C Stabbed by
a “friend” at his
daughter’s
wedding!
Valarie Young
Alexander Continues to Dream
• Goal and Plan
– To unite east & west (Greece &
Persia) into new Hellenistic
culture blending the cultures he
conquerors
– Name the cultures.
– Greek, Persian, Egyptian & Indian
• 334 B.C conquers Asia Minor
• 333 B.C forced Persian King
Darius III to flee and marries his
daughter Roxanna. The King’s
mother lives with him until his
death!
Valarie Young
Alexander Continues to Dream
• Goal and Plan
• Conquers
Mediterranean Sea
region and Egypt
–Declared pharaoh
–Why significant?
–Builds capital of
Alexandria and many
other “Alexandria's”!
The Dream Dies…
Valarie Young
– 331 B.C. Destroys Mesopotamia and
declared Persian Emperor
– 327 B.C. attempts to conquer India
• Soldiers rebel from 11 years of
exhaustion
• Alexander dies in Babylon of malaria
after 13 years as king
Valarie Young
The Empire of Alexander the Great
Valarie Young
Generals split his empire in four parts:
- Lysimachus
Asia Minor
- Ptolemy
Egypt, Libya, Syria
- Seleuces
Mesopotamia, Iran, and
Afghanistan
- Antigonus
Greece and Macedonia
Valarie Young
•
Impact
– Greek city-states again divided and
open to foreign invasion- the Romans!
The Legacy of Alexander
Valarie Young
Although Alexander’s empire did not last, he
had unleashed changes that would ripple
across the Mediterranean world and the
Middle East for centuries, the Hellenistic Age
The Legacy of Alexander
Valarie Young
• Gradually, a blending
of eastern and
western cultures
occurred
• Alexander had
encouraged this
blending by marrying
a Persian woman and
adopting Persian
customs.
The Legacy of Alexander
• Alexander’s most
lasting achievement
was the spread of
Greek culture.
• Across the empire,
local people
assimilated, or
absorbed, Greek
ideas. In turn, Greek
settlers adopted
local customs.
Valarie Young
Valarie Young
Great Minds of the Hellenistic Period
Zeno founded Stoicism, which urged
people to accept calmly whatever life
brought.
Pythagoras derived a formula to calculate
the relationship between the sides of a
triangle.
Euclid wrote The Elements, a textbook that
became the basis for modern geometry.
Aristarchus theorized about a heliocentric,
or sun-centered, solar system.
Valarie Young
Great Minds of the Hellenistic Period
Eratosthenes showed that the Earth was
round and accurately calculated its
circumference.
Archimedes used principles of physics to
make practical inventions, such as the lever
and the pulley.
Hippocrates studied illnesses and cures
and set ethical standards for medical care.
Bibliography
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
Valarie Young
http://www.historypictures.com/images/ppkwcb.gif
http://www.watson.org/%7Eleigh/links.html
http://www.stoa.org/diotima/
http://www.harperaudio.com/metafiles/0694517003.ram
http://home.triad.rr.com/warfford/ancient/grkmain.html
http://home.triad.rr.com/warfford/ancient/index.html
http://www.crystalinks.com/greece.html
http://www.sikyon.com/Sparta/sparta_eg.html
http://ccwf.cc.utexas.edu/~kallet/greece/pictures.html
http://www.wsu.edu:8080/~dee/GREECE/APOLOGY.HTM
http://wso.williams.edu/~junterek/index.html
http://www.aapsonline.org/ethics/oath.gif
http://www.angelfire.com/ct2/evenski/greekdrama/greekd
ramahome.html
14. http://wso.williams.edu/~junterek/index.html
Valarie Young
Designed by Valarie Young
• Prepared for her 10th grade World History
class at the Advanced Technologies
Academy, Clark County School District
2006-2007
• Posted with permission by Cynthia Frazer