Greek Civilization

emerged in a rugged remote corner of Southeastern

Europe
gave rise to a classical civilization
Early People of Aegean
Crete - cradle of an early civilization
that later influenced Greeks
Minoan Civilization
Minos – a legendary King of Crete
Success was based on trade
Set up outposts throughout the Aegean world
Acquired ideas and technology from Egypt and
Mesopotamia
 Rulers lived at Knossos
Rooms for royal families, religious shrines,
banquet halls and working areas for
artisans.
A Civilization Disappears
Volcanic eruption
Earthquake followed by tidal waves
Invasion of Mycenaeans
Mycenaean
Indo- Europian people
Sea traders
Learned may skills including the art of
writing Lived in a separate city-states
A warrior King built a thick walled fortress
 Economic rivalry between Mycenaeans and Troy
Troy controlled the passages that connect
Meditteranean and Black Seas
Greek legend contributes the war to a romantic
cause.
The Age of Homer
Mycenaean civilization crumbled under the attack of
sea raiders
Dorian invasion from the north
People abandoned the cities
 2 Greek Epic Poems
Iliad
Chief source of information about Trojan
Story involves Gods, Goddesses and even a
talking horse
Story of Achilles, the mightiest warrior
Odyssey
Struggles of Odysseus
The ancient Greeks absorbed many ideas and
beliefs from Mesopotamia and Egypt
Developed unique ideas about how best to govern
city-states
Mountains and Valleys
Greece – part of Balkan Peninsula which extends
southward into the Eastern Mediterranean sea
Mountains divide the peninsula into valleys
Hundreds of rocky islands spread toward the horizon
Greeks built a small city-states, cut off from one
another by land or water
Endless rivalry led to frequent wars
Mediterranean and Aegean seas
Provided a vital link to the world
Coastlines provided safe harbor for
ships Greeks become skilled sailors
Carried cargoes of olive oil, wine and marble
Sailed to Egypt, the Middle East and Asia
Minor Returned with grains, metals and ideas
Greeks expanded the Phoenician alphabet
Greeks alphabet became the basis for all
Western alphabets
Rapid population growth forced Greeks to leave
Wherever they traveled, Greek settlers and
traders carried their ideas and culture.
Unique version of city-states
Acropolis – high city with great marble temples
Flatter ground – marketplace, theater, public
buildings and homes
Early Governments
King – ruler of polis
Monarchy – central power
Aristocracy - power shifted to a class of noble
landowners
Oligarchy – power is in the hands of small, powerful
elite from business class (merchants, farmers,,
artisans)
 Increased power of the middle class
Iron weapons and tools
New method of fighting emerged
Phalanx – massive formation of a
heavily armed foot
soldiers
Two most influencial city-states,
Sparta and Athens
SPARTA: A NATION OF
SOLDIERS
Spartans were Dorians
Spartan Government
 Two Kings
 Children were prepared to be part of the military
Age 7, boys began training
Age 20, man could marry
Age 30, after specialized training, took his place in
the assembly
Sparta and Its Neighbors
Spartans isolated themselves
They were admired by their military skills
Suffered from its rigid ways
 Warrior class shrank
 Its power declined
 Located in Attica, north of Peloponnesus
From monarchy to aristocracy
Nobles judged major cases and dominated
the assembly
Demands for Change
Athenian wealth and power grew under
aristocracy
Merchants and soldiers wanted more
rights Farmers demanded change
Moves slowly towards democracy
Solon – wise and trusted leader
Appointed as archon or chief official
Outlawed debt slavery
Opened high offices
Granted citizenship to foreigners
Gave the Athenians more say in important
decisions Introduced economic reforms
Encouraged export of wine and olive oil
Only the wealthy landowners could serve in many
positions
Rise of tyrants – people who gained power by
force
Word tyrant has come to mean a vicious and
brutal ruler
Athenian tyrant Pisistratus seized power
Helped farmers by giving them loans
Land taken from nobles
New building projects gave jobs to the
poor
Weakened the aristocracy

Cleisthenes – another reformer

Broadened the role of the ordinary citizens
Set up the council of 500 whose members were
chosen by citizens
Law making body (legislature)
Supervised the day to day work
All male citizens over 30 were members of the
 Democracy was quite limited
Only male citizens could participate
Tens of thousands of Athenians were slaves
Without political or personal freedom
Education for Democracy
Girls – received little or no formal education
Boys – attended school
 Studied music and memorized poetry
 Young men received military training
 Explore many areas of knowledge
 Polytheistic
Gods lived in Mount Olympus
 Zeus – most powerful
Hera – goddess of marriage
Poseidon – god of sea
Aphrodite – goddess of love
Ares – god of war
Athena – god of wisdom
View of Non – Greeks
Barbaroi or barbarian
People who did not speak Greek
Phoenicians and Egyptians
 When the Persians threatened the Greeks, they put
aside their differences to defend their freedom
The Persian Wars
Athens sent ships to help Ionian Greeks in a war
against Persian rule.
Victory at Marathon
Persian crushed the rebel cities
Landed to Marathon but overwhelmed by the fury of
the Athenians
Themistocles urged the Athenians to built a fleet of
warships and prepare other defenses
 Xerxes (Darius’ son) sent larger force
Athens and Sparta joined forces
Small Spartan force led by King Leonidas defeated
the Persians
Persians marched to Athens but were
also defeated
Unity saved themselves from Persian
threat
Results
Athens emerged as the most powerful
city-state
Organized Delian League – alliance with other city-
states
 Golden age for
Athens Pericles –
statesman Economy
Government become more democratic
thrived
Wise and skillful leadership
Political Life
All men should take part in the government
Salaries for men who held public office
Enabled poor men served the government
Direct democracy
 Pericles hired the best architect
Rebuilt acropolis
Magnificent temples
Creating jobs for the artisans
and workers
Asphasia – helped Pericles turn the Athens into a
cultural center of Greece
GREEK AGAINST GREEK
Resented Athenian dominations
Formed the Peloponnesian
League Sparta encouraged
oligarchy
Warfare broke out between Athens
and Sparta on
 Spartans allied itself with Persia and captured
Athens

The Aftermath of
WarPeloponnesian war ended Athens’ greatness
Sparta soon defeated by Thebes, another
Greek city-state
A new power rose in Macedonia, a kingdom
to the north
The ruler conquers the quarrelsome city-state
 Plato – emphasized the importance of
reason Set up an academy
Divided the society into 3 classes
 Workers – to produce the necessities of life
 Soldiers – defend the state
 Philosophers – to rule
Talented women should be educated and put
to use by
the state
Aristotle
Plato’s most famous student
Promoted reason as the guiding force for
learning
Set up a school, the Lyceum
He left writings on politics, ethics, logic, biology,
Statue of Athena
Athletes in motion
Carved gods,
goddesses,
athletes and
famous men
 Plays to honor Dionysus, god of fertility and wine
Actors wore costumes and masks
Dramas were based on myths and legends
Tragedy
Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides were the greatest
Athenian playwrights
Stories of suffering
Comedy
Humorous plays
Written by Aristophanes
ALEAXANDER AND
THE HELLENISTIC
AGE
 King Phillip gained alliances with many Greek city-
states through threats, bribery and diplomacy
He dreamed to conquer the Persian empire
He was murdered at his daughter’s wedding feast
Phillip’s wife, Olympias, put her son Alexander to the
throne
The Legacy of Alexander
Most lasting achievement was the spread of Greek
culture
Founded many new cities and named after him
Blending of eastern and western cultures occurred
Adopted Persian customs including Persian dress
After his death Hellenistic civilization emerged
 Alexander at 20, was already an
experienced soldier
Saw himself as 2nd Achilles
Earned the title Alexander the Great
His punishment was swift and
brutal
Ordered the city to be burned and inhabitants to
be killed or sold into slavery
Conquest of Persia
Alexander won his first victory at Granicus
River
Victory through Asia Minor to Palestine and to
Sudden Death
(Dowfall
Alexander)fell victim of a sudden fever and
died After years of disorder, three Generals
divided up the empire
Macedonia and Greece, Egypt and Persia
Alexandria
Located on the sea lanes between Europe
and Asia
Built enormous Lighthouse Pharos, among the
7 Wonders of the World
Built museums, laboratories, lecture halls,
zoo, and library
Learned to read and write
Held considerable power
In Egypt, Cleopatra came
to rule
HELLENISTIC
CIVILIZATION
Employed armies of architects and
artists
Mathematics and
Sciences
Pythagorean by Pythagoras
The Elements wrote by Euclid, basis for modern
geometry