The Ancient Greece

Division of Greek History:

1. The Dark Ages - Homeric period

2. The Archaic period

3. The Classical period

4. The Hellenistic Greece

5. The Roman Period

BEFORE THE DARK AGES 3 CIVILIZATIONS WERE CREATED:

1) The Cycladic Civilization

- created on Cycladic islands in Aegean sea
- culture was represented by the female statues (made from marble) as IDOLS (used for
religion)

2) The Minoan Civilization

- created on Crete
- people built palaces around which were cities (economic and political centres)
- the main palace was Nossos
- they used the Linear A and Linear B writing

3) The Mycenaean Civilization

- on Peloponnese, around Southern Greece
- Athens, Sparta, Thebes, Pylos
- writing was the Linear B
- at the top were the kings

The Dark Ages (1110BC - 800BC)

- the main civilizations were destroyed by the Aeolians, the Ionians and the
Dorians
- people of those tribes lived in villages (based on the blood relations)
HOMER
- on the top of the village was a king called 'Bazileos'
- Sparta and Athens weren't destroyed
- the name 'Dark Ages' is used because people did not use writing system
documents except Homer

The Archaic Period

- city states were called by the name 'Polis'

Sparta
- a military city state
- economy was based on the work of 3 classes:

1) Spartans – free citizens of Sparta, they were the full-time soldiers, had political and civil rights

2) Perioeci – traders and crafts men, they had the right to live in Sparta
 3) Helots – they were slaves, without any rights, often they were farmers

Political system of Sparta: - 2 kings were controlled by 5 officers (Efforts)

- the council of Elder (Gerusia)
- free citizens met at Assemplex

Athens
- Democratic and agricultural state
Division of society:

1) Free Inhabitants – had rights

2) Foreigners – limited rights

3) Slaves – did not have any rights

Political system: Officers were from the aristocratic families and they were called ICONS (9 of them)
- the Areopagus (the Council of Eldest)

The Greek Democracy

- democracy means ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

- the Greeks started to colonize other territories because of lack of …………………………………………,
…………………………………………………, …………………………………..tension and ………………………………………………
- colonies were created n Sicily, Southern Italy, the coast of Asia Minor
- conflict with Persia

Influence of colonisation and situation in Greece:

- the new rich class was created from the ………………………………………………………….. but they didn't have
the …………………………………………………………….because they weren't from the aristocratic families
- these rich people wanted to change the situation in Greece because they wanted political power
- the archons had to change the law in Athens
Draconian Law - it was an Archons who published ………………………………………………, this law declared
some new rights for this new class

Solon's Reforms - the poor could take part in the Public

- he abolished ……………………………………………… Assembly - Ecclesia
- divided society into…………………………………..
Tyranny of Peisistratos and his sons
groups according to their ……………………………….
- he had his own way of solving the social
- the richest (not only aristocrats) could be
clashes between the aristocrats
elected
- limited power of aristocrats

Cleisthenes' Reforms
- the classical period started with his reforms
- he divided people according to the …………………………………………………………………………. Into
………………………………………………………..
- created the Council of 500 (50 members from each Phylae)
- public Ecclesia - all free men could vote
- independent courts of justice called Heliaia
Ostracism - was a procedure under the Athenian democracy in which ……………………………………………….

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
The Golden Age of Democracy - Pericles and his democracy
- Ecclesia had …………………………………………………. and ………………………………………………………………… power

- all men over 20 could take part in it

- the Committee of 500 (members chosen by elections for one year, each phylae 50 members, ruled
1/10 of the year)
- offices - all offices were …………………………………………………………….. - not only rich could hold the office
- 10 strategists - military commanders
- Heliaia - court of justice, each year 6000 Athenians chosen to serve in juries
- Golden age of art

The Persian Wars

Definition: ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Reasons: the Greek population ………………………………………, city-states set up colonies along the coast
of Black Sea and the Mediterranean sea, Persian empire wanted to gain the way to sea, Persians
conquered ………………………………………………………… (it was a territory of Greek cities on the coastal part
of Asia Minor) -> Ionians wanted help and ………………………………………………………………… helped them

The 1st Invasion (492BC) The 3rd Invasion (480BC)

- Persian emperor ………………………………………
started the 1st invasion against Greece
- Persian fleet was destroyed by the storm
The 2nd Invasion (490BC)
- ……………………………………….. started with it
- the battle at ………………………………………………
- Athenians were led by
……………………………………………………….and they
defeated the Persians
- Persians retreated from Greece
- Persians were led by
………………………………………… (son of Darius) and
Spartans by ……………………………………………………
- first battle was at ………………………………………..,
Spartans were defeated
- Persians wanted to destroy the Athens after
they won over Leonidas, the Athens were
evacuated, Persians burnt them down
- in 480BC was a battle at
…………………………………………….. - Persians were
defeated but they stayed in Greece because of
winter
- in 479BC was a battle at
…………………………………………………….- Persians
lost the battle, they retreated
The Delian League: a …………………………………………………………………………………….. created by Greek city-
states against Persians
- the Athens were on the top because they were the richest

The Peloponnesian War

Definition: a conflict between ……………………………………. and …………………………………….. (431 - 404BC)

Reasons: After the Persian wars, the …………………………………………… treaty was signed. The Athens
became powerful and wealthy, Sparta was jealous of them and wanted more power. There was a
huge rivalry between them. The conflict started because of territory of city ……………………………………..

War: Spartans declared a war on the Athens, but the Athens had a problem with …………………………...
The Athenians were forced to sign the Peace of ……………………………………... Athenians broke this peace
by conquering the city-states on the island ………………………………………………. Spartans defeated them at
the battle of ………………………………………….. The last battle was at …………………………………………………………
in 404BC. The Athenians were defeated and Spartans installed their own government. The type of
government was ………………………………………………………………………...

The Hellenistic Period

- Macedonia was a small country on the North of Greece

- Most of Macedonians were ……………………………………………………………….

Philip II. Macedonia

- gained the throne in …………………………………………BC
- his dream was to unite all …………………………………………………………………………………..
- he formed the alliances with many Greek city-states, others he conquered
- in ………………………..BC when the Athens and Thebes joined forces against him, Philip II. defeated
them at the battle of …………………………………………………………..
- he then had all of Greece under his control

Alexander the Great

- gained the power at the age of 20
- his teacher was ……………………………………………………………….
- his dream was to create a………………………………………………………
- his goals was to unite the Macedonians, the Greeks and the
Persians

His foreign policy: Alexander the Great

- he defeated the Persian king
………………………………………………..and gained the power in Persia
- the Indian campaign began in 326BC
- he planned to establish his capital in …………………………………………………………
- founded over 70 cities from which 16 of them were called ………………………………………………………………
- he died in 323BC
- after his death his generals divided the empire among themselves:

1. Antigonus - king of …………………………………………………………………………

2. Ptolemy -………………………………………………………………………………………..

3. Seleucus - …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
The Greek culture

Architecture: 3 types of orders

1. Dorian/Doric - ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

2. Ionian/Ionic - ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

3. Corinthian - …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

The Greek alphabet: they learned about writing and the alphabet from the ……………………………………,
they used 24 letter, it was a first alphabet with vowels
Religion: ……………………………………………….., gods lived on the mount Olympus, 12 major gods, eg:
Zeus, Athena, Aphrodite, Ares, Hades, Poseidon
Philosophy: Socrates, Plato, Aristotle...