Ch 4 Ancient Greece (2009)

I. The Rise of the Greeks, 1000–500 b.c.e.

A. The Emergence of the Polis

1. “Dark Age” after Mycenaeans ends with new contact and trade from Phoenicians (i.e.: alphabet)

2. Archaic Period begins (800–480 b.c.e.)

-explosive population growth

-urbanization

-specialization

-development of polis

3. polis (city-state): political unit of urban center rural territory

-includes an acropolis , an agora , fortified walls, and public buildings

5 major Greek city-states:

4. Ruled by aristocrats

5. endemic warfare between 200 city-states

- hoplite style of warfare (close phalanx formation of heavily armored infantrymen)

6. colonization: imperial conquering of remote locations (i.e.: Ionia & Black Sea)

-introduced Greeks to new ideas

-created sense of Greek identity

-invention of coins by Lydians

Hoplite Soldiers

6. political system in Archaic period: one-man rule by tyrants

-reduced power of aristocrats

-eventually ejected tyrants and either: oligarchy or democracy

7. religion: worship of anthropomorphic sky gods (forces of nature)

-state ceremonies

-sacrifice

-female fertility deities

-advice from oracles (oracle of Apollo at Delphi)

B. New Intellectual Currents

concepts of individualism and humanism

emerge

- humanism : philosophical approach focusing on reason, freedom of thought, and nature over religion

2. Herodotus : “father” of history (method of

investigation/research in book Histories )

tragic dramas

Pythagoras

C. Athens and Sparta

1. Sparta located in Peloponnesus in southern Greece

-Sparta enslaves Messenia ( helots )

-severely ascetic and militarized society

-all Spartan males trained for army (age 7)

Athens located in Attica

-period of tyrants

-developed democracy

3. Rise of Athenian Democracy:

a. Solon mediates crisis:

-Aristocrats keep large landholdings

-bans debt slavery

-removed family restrictions from

participating in public life

-instituted paid civil service

b. “Golden Age” of Pericles :

-massive public works

-Delian treasury moved to Athens…

-reconstruction of Acropolis

Athens

Athenian Government

I. Assembly:

-made up of all adult male citizens

-passed all laws

-debates were held in public

-all laws were posted in public places

Council of 500 :

-each district sent 50 representatives

-minimum age of 30; two term limit

Court System:

- jury pool of 6,000 citizens

-501 were chosen at random to serve as jurors

- ostracism (exiled for 10 years)

Greek Colonization

II. Persian Wars, 526–323 b.c.e

Roots of War:

1. 499 b.c.e. the Greek cities in Ionia stage 5-year revolt against Persians (Greeks back Ionians…Persians attack both)

2. 1st Persian War: Darius I captures Ionia and burns Athens

-attack foiled by Athenian forces at Marathon

3. 2nd Persian War: Xerxes lead large army and fleet

- Battle of Thermopylae (Persians defeat 300 Spartans)

-Battle of Salamis (Athenian naval victory)

-Sparta organized Hellenic League against Persians

-Athens organized Delian League (477 b.c.e.), push out Persians

First Persian War: In 490 B.C. Darius sent 600 ships and thousands of soldiers to invade Greece. He wanted to punish the Athenians for helping the rebels. Marathon Persian Empire Athens Sparta

Second Persian War: Battle of Salamis Salamis Athens Thermopylae The large Persian ships could not maneuver in the close quarters. The smaller Greek ships destroyed them . Xerxes could not avenge his father’s loss…

The Delian League: Read the points of view of a citizen of Athens and Naxos below and summarize the point of view of each of the citizens in a 2-3 sentence short-answer response. LA.A.2.4.2 Author’s purpose and point of view A Citizen of Athens: Naxos has nothing to fear from the Delian League. It is a defensive alliance formed to protect us from a Persian invasion. We proved during the last invasion that we could defeat the mighty Persians if we fought together. We admit we removed the treasury of the Delian League to Athens from the island of Delos. Our reason for doing so was only to protect the treasury in case of an invasion. We will need to build ships and to buy supplies. And since Athens is the strongest member of the League, is it not the most logical place to keep the League's treasury? True, we have forced other cities to remain in the League, but that is not Athenian tyranny. We must stay united, or the Persians will see their opportunity and conquer us one by one. No one can be permitted to weaken the League by leaving it. A Citizen of Naxos: The Delian League is a clever disguise for an Athenian empire. Athens is the strongest member of the League, and it forces every other city to accept its will. Can we defend Delos from a Persian attack? Why was the League's treasury not safe there? I'll tell you why. Athens wanted the money. Athens is rich, but it wants to be the strongest power in Greece. The Persians will not invade us. They learned their lesson at Salamis. Even if they do, there is plenty of time to form an alliance to defeat them. Athens uses the fear of Persia to build an empire of its own. Naxos is not afraid of Athens. We will not become its slaves. There is more danger from Athens than from all the armies of Persia.

B. Height of Athenian Power, 480–323 b.c.e.

1. The Classical Period of Greek history dominated by Athens (due to Delian League control)

-became imperial naval power

-lower-class men as rowers (eventually demanded democratic power)

- trireme : fast, maneuverable 170-oar boat

-profitable trade and tribute from subject states

-constructed impressive public works, grand festivals, and development of the arts and sciences

2. Two influential philosophers of Classical: Socrates and Plato

a. Socrates turned philosophy to study of ethics:

-created Socratic method

-“know thyself”

-tried on charges of “corrupting the youth” and sentenced to death

b. Plato (Socrates’ student) wrote dialogues ( The Republic )

-justice, excellence, and wisdom

-the world we see is a reflection of an ideal reality ( Allegory of the Cave )

-founded school, Academy

c. Aristotle (Plato’s student): focus on scientific method; school: Lyceum

C. Inequality in Classical Greece

1. Athenian democracy very limited

-free adult males citizens (10-15%)

-women, children, slaves, and foreigners

2. slaves: mostly foreign (1/3 of pop.)

-slaves allowed male citizens leisure time for political activity

3. Women’s Rights:

-Sparta: relatively free and outspoken

-Athens: more confined to home and oppressed (arranged 14 yr old girls-30 yr old men)

NO meaningful man-woman relations…

-men sought intellectual and emotional companionship with other men

Greek Male Homosexuality

pederasty : an older male with a younger male

lover.

-older male was to “teach” younger male about politics, military, & love…

D. Triumph of the Macedonians

Imperial Athens causes resentment by other city-states (effect?)

- Peloponnesian War (431 b.c.e): civil war between alliance systems of Athens and Sparta

-Athenian plague (1/3 die)

-Sparta (with a navy paid for by Persians) defeated Athens in 404 b.c.e.

2. Sparta’s arrogance caused internal conflict among Greeks

3. Persia recovers territory in Ionia

4. Macedonia developing into military power

- King Philip II of Macedonia (soldiers used longer spears called sarissa , new siege tech; catapults)

5. Alexander (the Great) invaded Persia in 336 b.c.e. -extends as far east as Indus - maintained administrative apparatus of Persian Empire -used Persian officials -intermarried -died 323 b.c.e in Babylon

Alexander’s Empire: 323 b.c.e