Ancient Greece consisted of a mountainous peninsula and over 2,000 islands in the Mediterranean Sea that lacked good farming land except in Crete. The isolated city-states developed separately, with the advanced Minoan civilization on Crete followed by the seafaring Mycenaeans. Athens and Sparta emerged as the dominant city-states, with Athens developing a direct democracy and Sparta emphasizing its powerful military. The Greeks later fought off the Persians in battles like Marathon and Salamis, then formed the Delian League alliance. Alexander the Great then conquered the Persian Empire and spread Greek culture across his vast new empire before his early death.

1. ANCIENT GREECE
Mountainous peninsula
2,000+ islands
Rocky ground, not good for farming (except Crete)
Mediterranean Sea
Ionian Sea
Aegean Sea
Moderate temperature
Mountains and seas isolated the separate city-states
3500 BCE Minoans farming on Crete
Mostly lacked natural resources, so colonized surrounding areas
-fishing, trade, Crete- farming
-Minoans: navy
-1400 BCE Mycenaeans- navy, weapons, defense, adopt Minoan advances
? 1200 Trojan War: Mycenaeans vs. Troy (Helen)
-1150- 750 BCE Dorian sea raiders- less advanced, trade declined; no writing
-Athenian Democracy vs. Spartan military state- bronze weapons, phalanxes
-Persian Wars Battle of Marathon; Greeks win
Battle of Salamis- Greeks win after sacrifice of 300 Spartan men
-478 BCE Delian League- Alliance
-Peloponnesian Wars: Athens vs. Sparta; Sparta wins 404 BCE
-333 BCE Alexander the Great vs. Persia (Darius flees) Alexander wins
-332 BCE Alexander into Egypt: founds Alexandria; crowned pharoah
-330 BCE Alexander into Mesopotamia: Babylon, Susa, Persepolis (Persian capital)
-327 BCE Alexander into India
-323 BCE Alexander dies of fever
-Macedonian generals fight over Alexander’s empire after his death (
Antigonus – Macedonia; Ptolemy- Egypt, Seleucus- Old Persian Empire)
-150 BCE Rome takes Greece
Minoans powerful, advanced civilization;
-Prepalatial: cities, no central government
- Protopalatial: king= ruler; palaces built
- Neoplalatial: all palaces destroyed, new bigger ones built;
villas, roads, classes develop; women active in society
Mycenaeans best at sea; fortresses on hills & mountains for
protection, bronze weapons
Dorians less advanced, lose writing
Ionians
750 BCE polis- city-states; 10,000 residents; acropolis: fortified
hilltop, center of government; agora: marketplace in acropolis
621 BCE Draco: Draconian Law- all are =; harsh death penalty
594 BCE Solon: outlawed debt slavery, organized 4 classes
500 BCE Cleisthenes: broke up nobility so all citizens involved in govt
Athens Democracy: rule by citizens
Pericles: direct democracy: citizens involved by lottery
(representative democracy- USA: citizens elect a
representative to speak for you in government)
SOUTH: Sparta- military state; boys 6-60 in military; women more
rights in society **Separate city-states became competitive: Athens & Sparta
Polytheism
Minoans: curled hair, wore jewelry
Mycenaeans: writing, palaces
Dorians: less advanced, little culture, no writing
Homer: blind poet: Iliad, Odyssey; mythology
ATHENS-
democracy, writing, DRAMA:
tragedy, comedy; philosophy:
Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Scie
nce:
Astronomy, math, Parthenon,
women no power, CLASSICAL
ART: perfect human form &
serenity; strong navy; Used
Delian League $ to fund
Athens
SPARTA- age 6-60: military
Peloponnesian Wars-
Athens vs. Sparta
- Macedonia: King Phillip III’s
phalanx system of military is
passed to son, Alexander
Alexander the Great combines
Greek culture (Hellenic) with
Eastern culture: Hellenistic culture
Language: koine: for trading;
Alexandria: trade, museums,
learning, art