Greek Civilization

GREEK CIVILIZATION
1000 BC – 323 BC

ORIGIN
 Refers to areas of Hellenic culture that
were settled by ancient Greeks; Greek
peninsula, Cyprus, Aegean coast of Turkey
(Ionia), Sicily and southern Italy (Magna
Graecia).
 Started in 1000 BC and ended in 323 BC
(the death of Alexander the Great).

ORIGIN
 Succeeded by Hellenistic Greece / culture /
period – the integration of ancient Greek
into Roman empire.
 Ancient Greek culture and civilization –
influenced the later Roman civilization and
was the foundation of Western civilization
(language, politics, philosophy, art and
architecture).

ORIGIN
 The ancient Greeks- an Indo-European
race.
 Migrated southward from the region of
lower Danube River after 2000 BC to
Greek peninsula, which was called
“Hellas”.
 The settled Greek people called
“Hellenes”.

ORIGIN
 By 8th cent. BC – the emergence of self-governing
communities or city states.
 Later, the expansion of Greek colonies;
Aegean coast of Asia Minor, Cyprus,
Balkans, Sicily, Southern Italy, south coast
of France, northeastern Spain, Egypt and
Libya.
 Greek civilization flourished from 600 –
200 BC.

GOVERNMENT
 The city (polis) – the basic unit of Greek
government.
 “Acropolis” from “akros” (top) and “polis”
(city) means a big city.
 By 6th cent BC – dominant Greek cities;
Athens, Sparta, Corinth and Thebes.
 The most famous, Acropolis of Athens.

GOVERNMENT
 Each had a control over the surrounding
rural areas and smaller towns.
 Athens and Corinth – major maritime and
mercantile powers.
 Athens – naval power.
 Athens – practiced political democracy.

GOVERNMENT
 The dominance of Athens after the Persian
Wars (late 5th cent BC).
 By mid 5th cent BC – the establishment of
an Athenian Empire.
 Athenian culture flourished, esp. during the
Golden Age of Athens under the rule of
Pericles. The “Age of Pericles” (460-430
BC)

GOVERNMENT
 Following the reform of laws (by Solon,
Cleisthenes) – the establishment of an
assembly of adult male citizens; vote of
majority.
 Adopted by many other Greek cities.
 The “Laws of Athens” – spelled out state
laws and rights of citizens.

MAP OF ACROPOLIS IN
SOCRATES’ AND PLATO’S
TIME

GOVERNMENT
 Athens versus Sparta.
 Sparta - military power; the best army in
ancient Greece. Militarist regime under a
dual monarchy.
 The rise of Sparta after the Peloponnesian
War – Athens versus Sparta and its allies.
 Ended the Athenian Empire - Sparta
became the new dominant Greek power.

GOVERNMENT
 Sparta was ruled by two hereditary kings –
checked each other’s influence.
 The duties of the kings – religious, judicial
and military.
 Later, the dominance of Thebes.
 Followed by the invasion of Greek cities
by Macedonia; King Philip II and his son,
Alexander.

GOVERNMENT
 Driven by the desire to free Greek cities
from Persian influence.
 Alexander’s empire – Persia, Egypt, Syria,
Mesopotamia, Afghanistan and Pakistan.
 The establishment of Greek-speaking
kingdoms in Egypt, Syria and Persia –
practiced Hellenistic culture.

SOCIETY
 Striking feature in ancient Greek society :
 Free men
 Slaves
 Only free men could be citizens of a city-state
and entitled to full protection of the
law.
 In Athens, the free men were divided into
four social classes based on wealth.

SOCIETY
 Could change classes if made more money.
 In Sparta – given the title of “equal” if they
finished their education.
 Slaves had no power or status. Had no right
to have a family, own property, and did not
have legal and political rights.
 Many slaves from non-Greek people.

SOCIETY
 By the 5th cent. BC – slaves made up 1/3 of
the total population in some city-states.
 Described as “living tools”; as household
servants and laborers.
 Also city-states’ slaves or public slaves –
greater independence than household
slaves and performed specialized tasks.
 Temple slaves – as servants of the temple.

SOCIETY
 Slaves in Sparta called “Helots” – war
captives owned by state and assigned to
families. Mainly farmers – to provide food.
 Received harsh treatment, controlled
through the secret police or “Krypteia” –
led to revolts by helots.
 “Peroikoi” - Spartan subjugated people –
as traders and craftsmen.

SOCIETY
 Ordinary Spartans were soldiers, trained to
become soldiers from their early life.
 Emphasis on military fitness and training.
 Prohibited by law from trade, commerce or
crafts.

RELIGION
 Greek mythology.
 Legendary stories of Greek gods by Greek
poets; e.g. Homer and Hesiod.
 Gods and goddesses and ancient religious
festivals. E.g. Panathenaea and Olympic
Games.
 Zeus (father of the gods), Hera (Argos),
Poseidon (sea and Corinth), Hades (under-

RELIGION
 world), Athena (Athens), Aphrodite
(Corinth and Cythera, beauty and love),
Apollo (sun , poetry, music, art and manly
grace), Artemis (moon, wild nature, athletic
girlhood), Ares (war), Hermes (messenger
of the gods and patron of athletes).

RELIGION
 Gods’ intervention into human affairs;
wars and conflicts seen as punishments by
gods for evil doings of the people (divine
punishments).
 Opposed by Greek moralists and
philosophers.
 Insisted that there was a “higher power of
justice” (moral order).

“SCHOOL OF HELLAS”
 Athens as the centre of learning, art,
architecture, Greek literature and
philosophy.
 Famous philosophers; Socrates, Plato,
Aristotle.
 Historians Herodotus, Thucydides, etc.
 Athens as the “School of Hellas”.

PHILOSOPHY
 Greek words philo (love) and sophia
(wisdom). Philosophy means ‘love of
knowledge’.
 The Greeks were the first people who
asked “Why is the world the way it is?”
 As a response to Greek mythology –
rejected popular nature myths – natural
calamities as results of gods’ actions.

PHILOSOPHY
 Took analytical and rational view – e.g. on
the composition of the physical universe.
 Early philosophers, e.g. Thales,
Democritus, Hippocrates, Parmenides and
Heraclitus.
 The Sophists, e.g. Protagoras and
Aristippus.

PHILOSOPHY
 The idea of “relative truth” – the truth is
different for each individual.
 There is no absolute truth about nature or
morals. Also equated morality with success
or pleasure.

SOCRATES
 Opposed the Sophists’ view.
 Believed in the existence of a higher truth
and that humans possessed virtues
(philosophical and intellectual virtues).
 Using a technique of careful questioning to
obtain the truth – the “Socratic or
Dialectical Method” of inquiry.
 The “Father of Moral Philosophy”.

SOCRATES
 Emphasized on morality, good and justice.
 Virtues as the most valuable possessions –
the ideal life was spent in search of the
Good.
 The best way to live is to focus on self-development
rather than the pursuit of
material wealth, concentrate on friendships
and a sense of true community.

SOCRATES
 Sentenced to death – for denouncing the
popular Greek belief that the defeat of
Athens in the Peloponnesian War was a
punishment onto the city by goddess
Athena.

PLATO
 The pupil of Socrates and founder of the
Academy (Athens) – the most important
intellectual center in the ancient world.
 Shared Socrates’ ideas of human virtues.
 Unlike Socrates, he wrote many books
using “Socratic dialogues”.
 Famous works e.g. “Doctrine of Ideas” and
“Republic”.

PLATO
 In “Doctrine of Ideas” – physical world as
superficial and spirit world as real. Also
about the idea of justice, goodness.
 In “Republic” – the ideal state or
government, democracy, aristocracy,
monarchy, organized society, equality for
women, state control over education and
art (social and political thoughts).

PLATO
 Plato’s idea of “philosopher-kings” – to
achieve social justice and order.
 Plato’s social class system:
 Rulers of the state (philosophers)
 Guardians (soldiers)
 Producers (workers – common citizens)

PLATO
 The role of heredity and environment on
human intelligence and personality (the
modern theory of nature versus nurture).
 Dichotomy between knowledge and
opinion (the modern distinction between
objective and subjective).
 Wrote the story of the lost Atlantis in his
“Timaeus” and “Critias”.

ARISTOTLE
 A student of Plato and teacher of
Alexander the Great.
 The founder of Lyceum (Athens).
 Wrote many works on various subjects;
physics, metaphysics, anatomy, astronomy,
geology, psychology, politics, zoology,
geography, logic, biology, poetry,
economics, meteorology, economics ,

ARISTOTLE
 rhetoric, literature and poetry.
 “Nicomachean Ethics” – a person should
continually behave virtuously.
 “Aristonian Logic” – logic is the important
key to truth and happiness. Developed
systematic rules for logical thinking.
 Described as an encyclopedia of Greek
knowledge.

LANGUAGE AND WRITING
 Latin language and Latin alphabet – the
root of Roman language and alphabet.
 Invented five vowels (a,e,i,o,u).

HISTORY
 Herodotus, the “Father of History”.
 His work “Historia” (Investigation) –
based on his extensive travel.
 Discussed the life, customs, history and
politics of the Middle Eastern and Aegean
region.
 Separated facts from legends and wrote
based on direct observation and evidence.

HISTORY
 Thucydides – wrote on the Peloponnesian
War using primary sources.
 Emphasized on the complexity of human
motivations.

MEDICINE
 Hippocrates established the first school of
physician.
 Diseases and sickness were not due
supernatural or magical reason.
 Recorded on classified symptoms and
detail observation of ill patients.
 “Hippocratic Oath”.

LITERATURE
 The Greeks loved stories and tales.
 Poet Homer, wrote famous Greek epics,
“Illiad” and “Odyssey”.
 Poet Hesiod – wrote about Greek gods and
goddesses.
 Epic poetry and lyric poetry.
 Drama and theater; tragedy and comedy.

LITERATURE
 Inspired later Western writers, e.g. William
Shakespeare.
 Influenced the later Western dramas and
theaters.

ARCHITECTURE
 Temples and shrines, e.g. “The Parthenon”.
 Architectural designs (Ionic, Corinthian
and Doric).
 Statues – images of gods and men.
 Adopted by later Roman and Western
civilization.

Greek Civilization

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