Chapter 5
Classical Greece, 2000 B.C.–300 B.C.
The history and culture of classical Greece has a significant impact on the modern world.
Seafaring Traders
Minoans Trade in the Mediterranean
The Minoan People
• The Minoans, powerful seafaring people, live on Crete in Aegean Sea
• Dominate trade in eastern Mediterranean from 2000 to 1400 B.C.
• Culture influences others, especially Greeks
Unearthing a Brilliant Civilization
• Excavations of Knossos, capital city of Minoan civilization, revealed:
- Minoans were peaceful, athletic, lovers of nature and beauty
- Women had major role, especially in religion
- Sacrificed animals, and sometimes people, to gods
• Archaelogists name civilization Minoa after King Minos
- King Minos—legendary king who owned a minotaur
Minoan Culture’s Mysterious End
• Earthquakes in 1700 B.C. cause damage, but Minoans rebuild
• In 1470 B.C. major earthquakes and volcanic eruption
• Minoans never recover from disasters
• Invaders from Greece take Minoan lands
Phoenicians Spread Trade and Civilization
The Phoenician People
• Phoenicians—powerful traders in wealthy city-states along Mediterranean
• Skilled shipbuilders, seafarers; sailed around continent of Africa
Commercial Outposts Around the Mediterranean
• Phoenicians set up colonies in western and central Mediterranean
• Famous for red-purple dye produced from snail
Phoenicia’s Great Legacy: The Alphabet
• Developed system of writing to record trade deals
• Later developed into western alphabet
Ancient Trade Routes
Trade Links Peoples
• Land routes link Mediterranean world and Asia
• Indian traders sail to Southeast Asia and Indonesia
• Trade helps spread culture, ideas, religion
Origins
Cultures of the Mountains and the Sea
Geography Shapes Greek Life
• Collection of separate lands where Greek-speaking people live
• Includes mainland and about 2,000 islands
The Sea
• The sea shapes Greek civilization
• Proximity to sea, lack of resources encourage sea travel and trade
The Land
• Mountains slow travel, divide land into regions
• Lack of fertile land leads to small populations, need for colonies
The Climate
• Moderate climate promotes outdoor life
• Greek men, especially, spend much of their time outside
Mycenaean Civilization Develops
Origins
• Mycenaeans—Indo-Europeans who settled on Greek mainland in 2000 B.C.
• Took their name from their leading city, Mycenae
• Mycenaean warrior-kings dominate Greece from 1600–1100 B.C.
Contact with Minoans
• After 1500 B.C., Mycenaeans adopt Minoan sea trade and culture
The Trojan War
• Trojan War—fought by Mycenaeans against city of Troy in 1200s B.C.
• Once thought to be fictional, archaeological evidence has been found
Greek Culture Declines Under the Dorians
Dorians Replace Mycenaeans
• Mycenaean civilization collapses around 1200 B.C.
• Dorians—possibly relatives of Bronze Age Greeks—move into Greece
• Less advanced than Mycenaeans, Dorians leave no written records
Epics of Homer
• Oral tradition grows, especially epics of Homer—a blind storyteller
• Epic—a narrative poem about heroic deeds
• Homer’s epic the Iliad, about Trojan War, shows Greek heroic ideal
Greeks Create Myths
• Greeks develop their own myths—traditional stories about gods
• Greeks seek to understand mysteries of life through myths
• Greeks attribute human qualities—love, hate, jealousy—to their gods
• Zeus, ruler of Gods, lives on Mount Olympus with his wife, Hera
• Zeus’s daughter Athena is goddess of wisdom and guardian of cities
Warring City-States
Rule and Order in Greek City-States
The City-State
• By 750 B.C. the Greek city-state, or polis, is the formal government
• A polis is a city and its surrounding villages; 50 to 500 square miles
• Population of a city-state is often less than 10,000
• Citizens gather in the marketplace and acropolis—a fortified hilltop
Greek Political Structures
• City-states have different forms of government
• Monarchy—rule by a king; aristocracy—rule by nobility
• Oligarchy—rule by small group of powerful merchants and artisans
Tyrants Seize Power
• Rulers and common people clash in many city-states
• Tyrants—nobles and wealthy citizens win support of common people
• They seize control and rule in the interests of ordinary people
Athens Builds a Limited Democracy
Building Democracy
• About 621 B.C., democracy—rule by the people—develops in Athens
• Nobleman, Draco, develops legal code based on equality of citizens
• Ruler Solon abolishes debt slavery; Cleisthenes has citizens make laws
• Only native-born, property-owning males are citizens
Athenian Education
• Schooling only for sons of wealthy families
• Girls learn from mothers and other female members of household
Sparta Builds a Military State
A Unique City-State
• Sparta, isolated from much of Greece, builds military state
Sparta Dominates Messenians
• Around 725 B.C., Sparta conquers Messenia
• Messenians become helots—peasants forced to farm the land
• Harsh rule leads to Messenian revolt; Spartans build stronger state
Sparta’s Government and Society
• Sparta government has four branches; citizens elect officials
• Three social classes: citizens, free noncitizens, helots—slaves
Spartan Daily Life
• Spartan values: duty, strength, individuality, discipline over freedom
• Sparta has the most powerful army in Greece
• Males move into barracks at age 7, train until 30, serve until 60
• Girls receive some military training and live hardy lives
• Girls also taught to value service to Sparta above all else
The Persian Wars
A New Kind of Army Emerges
• Cheaper iron replaces bronze, making arms and armor cheaper
• Leads to new kind of army; includes soldiers from all classes
• Phalanx—feared by all, formation of soldiers with spears, shields
Battle at Marathon
• Persian Wars—between Greece and Persian Empire—begin in Ionia
• Persian army attacks Athens, is defeated at Marathon in 490 B.C.
Pheidippides Brings News
• Runner Pheidippides races to Athens to announce Greek victory
Thermopylae and Salamis
• In 480 B.C., Persians launch new invasion of Greece
• Greeks are divided; many stay neutral or side with Persians
• Greek forces hold Thermopylae for three days before retreating
• Athenians defeat Persians at sea, near island of Salamis
• Victories at Salamis and Plataea force Persian retreat
• Many city-states form Delian League and continue to fight Persians
Consequences of the Persian Wars
• New self-confidence in Greece due to victory
• Athens emerges as leader of Delian League
• Athens controls the league by using force against opponents
• League members essentially become provinces of Athenian empire
• Stage is set for a dazzling burst of creativity in Athens
Democracy and Greece’s Golden Age
Pericles’ Plan for Athens
Pericles as Leader
• Skillful politician, inspiring speaker, respected general
• Dominates life in Athens from 461 to 429 B.C.
Stronger Democracy
• Pericles hires more public officials; creates direct democracy
• Direct democracy—citizens rule directly, not through representatives
Athenian Empire
• Takes over Delian League; uses money to strengthen Athenian fleet
• Sparta and other cities resent Athenian power
Glorifying Athens
• Pericles buys gold, ivory, marble; hires artisans to beautify Athens
Glorious Art and Architecture
Architecture and Sculpture
• Pericles builds the Parthenon—a large temple to honor goddess Athena
• Within temple, sculptor Phidias crafts 30-foot statue of Athena
• Sculptors create graceful, strong, perfectly formed figures
• Classical art—values harmony, order, balance, proportion, beauty
Drama and History
Tragedy and Comedy
• Greeks invent drama as an art form; includes chorus, dance, poetry
• Two forms of drama: tragedy and comedy
• Tragedy—tells story of heroes’ downfall; themes of love, hate, war
• Comedy—makes fun of politics and respected people; slapstick humor
• Greek dramatists include Aeschylus, Euripides, Aristophanes
History
• Historians Herodotus and Thucydides record and study past events
Athenians and Spartans Go to War
War Begins
• 431 B.C. city-states Sparta and Athens at war—Peloponnesian War
Peloponnesian War
• Sparta has better army, Athens has better navy
• Plague strikes Athens in 430 B.C., kills many—including Pericles
• Sparta and Athens sign truce in 421 B.C.
Sparta Gains Victory
• 415 B.C. Athens renews war, attacks Syracruse; is defeated in 413 B.C.
• Athens and allies surrender to Sparta in 404 B.C.
Philosophers Search for Truth
Rise of Great Philosophers
• After the war, rise of philosophers—thinkers, "lovers of wisdom"
• Believe universe is subject to absolute and unchanging laws
• People could understand these laws through logic, reason
• Sophist philosopher Protagoras questions the existence of Greek gods
Socrates
• Socrates—believes in questioning, self-examination of values, actions
• Convicted of corrupting young people; sentenced to death in 399 B.C.
Plato
• Plato—student of Socrates; writes The Republic—an ideal society
• In 387 B.C., establishes Athens school, the Academy; lasts 900 years
• His writings dominate European philosophy for 1,500 years
Aristotle
• Aristotle—student of Plato; uses rules of logic for argument
• His work provides the basis for scientific method, still used today
• Tutors 13-year-old prince who becomes Alexander the Great
Alexander’s Empire
Philip Builds Macedonian Power
Macedonia
• Macedonia—kingdom of mountain villages north of Greece
• King Philip II—ruler, brilliant general; dreams of controlling Greece
• Macedonians call themselves Greek; rest of Greece does not
Philip’s Army
• Philip creates well-trained professional army; plans to invade Greece
Conquest of Greece
• 338 B.C. Macedonians defeat Greece; 336 B.C. King Philip murdered
• His son named king of Macedonia—becomes Alexander the Great
Alexander Defeats Persia
Alexander’s Early Life
• Tutored by Aristotle; inspired by the Iliad; has military training
• Becomes king when 20 years old; destroys Thebes to curb rebellion
Invasion of Persia
• 334 B.C. Alexander invades Persia; quick victory at Granicus River
• Darius III—king of Persia, assembles army of 50,000–75,000 men
• Alexander defeats Persians again, forces King of Persia to flee
Conquering the Persian Empire
• Alexander marches into Egypt, crowned pharaoh in 332 B.C.
• At Gaugamela in Mesopotamia, Alexander defeats Persians again
• Alexander captures cities of Babylon, Susa, and Persepolis
• Persepolis, the Persian capital, burned to the ground
• Ashes of Persepolis signal total destruction of Persian Empire
Alexander’s Other Conquests
Alexander in India
• Alexander fights his way across the deserts of Central Asia to India
• Alexander conquers Indus Valley area in 326 B.C.
• Reluctantly returns to Babylon, dies in 323 B.C.
Alexander’s Legacy
• Alexander melds Greek and Persian cultures; wife is Persian
• Empire becomes three kingdoms: (1) Macedonia, Greek city-states;
• (2) Egypt; (3) old Persia, also known as Seleucid kingdom
The Spread of Hellenistic Culture
The Spread of Hellenistic Culture
Hellenistic Culture in Alexandria
• Result of Alexander’s policies—a new vibrant culture
• Hellenistic culture—Greek blended with Egyptian, Persian, Indian
Trade and Cultural Diversity
• Alexandria—Egyptian city becomes center of Hellenistic civilization
Alexandria’s Attractions
• Lighthouse, called the Pharos, stands over 350 feet tall
• Museum contains art galleries, a zoo, botanical gardens, dining hall
• Library holds masterpieces of ancient literature; supports scholars
Science and Technology
Alexandria’s Scholars
• Scholars preserve Greek and Egyptian learning in the sciences
Astronomy
• Astronomer Aristarchus proves sun is larger than Earth
• Proposes planets revolve around sun; not accepted for 14 centuries
• Eratosthenes uses geometry to calculate Earth’s circumference
Mathematics and Physics
• Euclid—mathematician; Elements the basis for courses in geometry
• Archimedes—scientist; ideas help build force pump and steam engine
Philosophy and Art
Stoicism and Epicureanism
• Zeno founds Stoic school; promoted virtuous, simple lives
• Epicurus believes people should focus on what senses perceive
Realism in Sculpture
• Colossus of Rhodes—Hellenistic bronze sculpture over 100 feet tall
• Sculptors move to non-classical, natural forms; real people
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