The Greeks originated from migrations of people from the areas around Mesopotamia to Greece around 2000 BC. Two early civilizations, the Minoans and Mycenaeans, influenced later Greek culture before going into decline. The Greeks developed many independent city-states, with Sparta focusing on militarism and Athens nurturing democracy, philosophy, and the arts. Athens repelled the Persian invasions in the 5th century BC, beginning a period of cultural achievement, but was later weakened by war with Sparta. Alexander the Great then spread Greek culture throughout his vast empire before his early death.

1. Chapter 3
Ancient Greece

2. The Bible states that after the
Flood, the descendants of
Javan, one of Japheth’s
sons, travelled westward from
Mesopotamia and settled in the
“isles of the Gentiles”- Genesis
10:4-5.
This land is believed to be Greece.

3. The geography of Greece made
farming difficult, but not impossible.

4. The natural harbors encouraged
the Greeks to become a seafaring
culture.

5. http://education.nationalgeographic.com/educat
ion/media/ancient-mariners-
mediterranean/?ar_a=1
Video – ship wreck found from
ancient Greece.

6.  The Mountains and terrain made
communication difficult, the
isolation of the communities
caused the Greeks to develop a
fierce independent nature and
patriotism.
 They became known for their
love of individualism and self
sufficiency.

7. Archaeologists have found the
remains of two
civilizations, Minoan and
Mycenaean. They predate the
Greek civilization in the
Aegean region. The
civilizations were short-
lived, but their culture left its
mark on those to follow.

9. The earliest center of civilization in
the Aegean region was on the
island of Crete.
By 2000 BC, the Minoan
civilization flourished – named
after King Minos.

10. Trade allowed Minoans contact
with Egyptians who desired
Cretan olive oil and pottery.
It is suggested that the
Philistines were colonists from
this Cretan civilization.

11. Minoan love for beauty is evident
in the ruins of the palace at
Knossos.
It consisted of hundreds of rooms
and covered several acres.
“Modern conveniences” – flushing
toilets, bathtubs and piped water.

12. Mainland Greece
Established by invaders from the
north.
Much of their knowledge of
art, architecture and commerce
came from the Minoans.

13. The Lion Gate – Entrance to the fortified city of
Mycenae

14. When Knossos was
destroyed, possibly by
the
Mycenaeans, Mycenae
became the leading
commercial center of
the Aegean region.

15. Though the Minoans loved
beauty, their culture reflected a
strong military fervor.
- Palaces were built high on
hills and fortified.
- Rival kings fought often.
- Trade was expanded through
raids piracy and colonization.

16. The major commercial trade rival
of Mycenae was the city of Troy.
According to legend, the
Mycenaeans went to war with
Troy after Trojan Prince Paris
kidnapped the wife of a Spartan
King.
http://library.thinkquest.org/3011/troy.htm

18. Troy sat on a hill overlooking
the Hellespont.
This strait separates Asia Minor
from Europe. It linked the sea
trade of the Agaean world with
the land trade of the Fertile
Crescent.

19. Troy fell to the Mycenaeans
after the use of the “Trojan
Horse”.
This victory was short lived.
Around 1200
BC, Dorians, invaders from the
north conquered the main
Mycenaean fortresses.

20. The Dorian victory
marked the decline of
the Mycenaean
civilization and began
the Greek “Dark
Ages”.

21. The “Dark Ages” was a period of
invasion and neglect of the great
palace fortresses. They fell into
ruin.
They adopted a simpler life in
local villages and had little
contact with the outside world.
There was a blending of elements
in the Agaean world into a
common Greek Culture.

22. Knowledge from this period rests
largely on the poems the Iliad and
the Odyssey by Homer.
The Dark Ages are sometimes
called the “Homeric Age” because
his poems provide the only
glimpse of their culture.

23. Homer’s poems describe the
shaping of Greek culture
with stories of heroic
figures, brutal warfare and
great adventure.

24. Mythology played a very big
role in the shaping of Greek
culture.
Greeks used myths to explain
their beliefs about life, the
world and their gods.

25. According to Greek
mythology, twelve chief gods
and goddesses lived on Mount
Olympus, the heaven of the
gods.
Zeus was the “king of gods and
man,” he ruled Mount
Olympus.

26. Apollo, son of Zeus, was the god
of the sun, music, and medicine.
Athena, was the patron of the city
Athens. She was the goddess of
wisdom.
Poseidon, Zeus’s brother ruled the
sea and earthquakes.

27. Anthropomorphic – having human
form or attributes.
The Greek gods of mythology had
human characteristics but
possessed amazing powers and
immortality.
They had the power to help or
harm man.

28. The apostle Paul may have
had Greek polytheism in
mind when he said that the
Gentiles were guilty before
God because they had
“changed the glory of the
uncorruptible God into an
image made like corruptible
man” Romans 1:23.

29. In honor of Zeus, the Greeks held
religious festivals every 4 years at
Olympia, the site of a temple of
Zeus.
Physical contests became the chief
feature.
They became known as the
Olympic Games.

30. The games became so
popular that the
Olympiad, the four year
interval between the
games, became the Greek
method of dating
historical events.

31. The Games were a
very rare example
of cooperation
between the city
states.

32. Though their language, customs
and religious beliefs were the
same, the Greeks lacked political
unity.
As the Nile of Egypt brought the
Egyptians together, the mountains
of Greece isolated them and
hindered national unity.

33. They built their cities at the foot of
a hill. They a built a fortress on top
of the hill where they would
escape too when attacked.
The city was called the polis (city
state). This was the basic political
unit of Greece. The fortified hill
was called the acropolis (from the
word acro meaning “high”).

34. Greek city-states experienced four
basic forms of government.
Monarchy
Oligarchy
Tyranny
Democracy

35. Monarchy – Ruled by one. The
king received advice from a
council of nobles and a popular
assembly.
…gradually, the council assumed
the king’s powers….

36. This led to an
Oligarchy- rule of a few.
This produced tension between the
wealthy noble class and the lower
classes.
…this led to political unrest…

37. Dissatisfaction and unrest often
led to tyranny. Total control of the
government, usually gained by
military force.
Tyrants were not necessarily
corrupt.

38. Sometimes the tyrant was a
champion for the lower
classes. His reform often
allowed more people to
participate in the
government.

39. A unique political contribution of
the Greeks was the development
of democracy – rule by the people.
In this government, each adult
male citizen could share
responsibility of ruling his city.

40. The development of Greek city-
states was important in Greek
history.
Sparta and Athens represented
two opposing political systems
and ways of life. Other city-
states followed the example of
one or the other.

41. Sparta – located in the Southern
part of Greece on the
Peloponnesus peninsula.
Conquered by the Dorians – her
inhabitants were made slaves.
(Helots)

43. As the new rulers of Sparta
conquered surrounding areas and
enslaved their people the Helots
soon outnumbered the Spartans.
Because of fear of uprising, the
Spartans created a thoroughly
militaristic state.

44. Sparta life centered on warrior
training.
The highest goal of each Spartan
was the be the best warrior for his
city-state.
Sparta controlled ALL aspects of
her citizens’ lives.

45. A board of Spartan nobles guarded
the “status quo”. They protected
their society against change.
To ensure the success of the city
state, they used force or
intimidation to help establish
oligarchies in neighboring city-
states.

46. The city-states organized the
Peloponnesian League, with
Sparta at its head.
Its purpose was to stop the
advance of democratic principles
that were fostered by the
Athenians.

47. Sparta is associated
with
militarism, oligarc
hy and
glorification of the
state.

49. Athens nurtured
creativity, commercial
endeavors, democracy and
individualism. The Athenians
maintained the creative and
intellectual heritage of the
Minoan and Mycenaean

51. During the Homeric Age, Athens
was ruled by a king.
The noble class rose in power and
established a council of nobles
with a chief magistrate or archon.
One archon made positive
changes in Athenian government.

52. Under the leadership of
Solon, Athens took a step toward
democracy.
Political and economic stability
overcame the tension and hostility
created by the council of nobles.
He created the council of Four
Hundred, this gave representation
to all sections of Athens.

53. Solon forbade the practice of
making debtors into slavery.
After the death of Solon, the
political unrest returned.
Tyrants arose and made change.

54. Under the leadership
of Pericles, Athens
established a “rule of
the people.”

55. Athens, a fierce supporter of
independence and self
sufficiency, assisted Greek
colonies that had been
overtaken by the Persians.

56. Under King Darius I the
Persians crushed the revolt and
sought to punish Athens for her
part in the rebellion.
He sent a force to the Bay of
Marathon. The Athenians
marched out to meet the
Persians and won.

57. Darius was enraged and
set out to destroy the
Athenians. He died
before he could carry out
his invasion.
His son, Xerxes, set out to
complete this task.

58. After one failed attempt, Xerxes
was able to build a bridge across
the Hellespont from Asia Minor to
Greece.
They tied together ships with
ropes, and laid down a plank
roadway across the decks.

60. The Athenians and the
Spartans disagreed on how to
defend Greece. The Spartan
plan would leave Athens
exposed.
The Greeks made their stand at
Thermopylae.

62. The Persians were unable to
take the pass. But, a Greek
traitor showed them another
way thru the mountains. All
but 300 of the Greeks escaped.
The 300 stayed behind and
fought to the death in order to
hold the pass as long as
possible.

63. Xerxes burnt Athens to the
ground. The Athenians had
retreated to Salamis, an island off
the coast.
Themistocles, the leader of
Athens, devised a trap. He leaked
information to Xerxes that the
Athenians were escaping by
sailing north.

64. Xerxes fleet was unable to
maneuver in their ships in the
morning tide…The smaller Greek
ships were able to ram and sink
many of the Persian ships as
Xerxes looked on.
The Persians continued to interfere
in Greek affairs, but the Greeks
were able to hold on to their
independence.

65. Freedom from the
Persians lifted the Greek
spirit. A period of great
cultural achievement
known as the “Golden
Age” would follow.

66. Athens became the leading
city-state of all Greece. She
encouraged the formation of
a defensive alliance among
the city-states. This alliance
was known as the Delian
League.

67. This was the Age of Pericles.
He established a democracy.
He called Athens the “school of
Greece.”
Great advancements were
made in
thought, art, science, literature,
drama, and architecture.

68. Following the Golden Age came the
Peloponnesian war. This was a
devastating civil war pitting Athens
against Greece.
Sparta was concerned over the great
influence and wealth Athens had
accumulated.
Sparta emerged victorious, but
constant uprisings due to oppressive
Spartan control continued to plague
the city-states.

69. Macedonia was united under
the rule of King Philip II. His
kingdom extended into Greece.
Many city-states began to turn
to him hoping to find unity.

70. Philip was assassinated and his
son, Alexander, took the throne.
He had been taught by Aristotle
who instilled in him a great love
for Greek culture.

71. Alexander defeated the Persian
army under Darius II.
He had successfully avenged
the Greeks and become the
king of Asia.

72. Alexander’s thirst for conquest
was not satisfied. He marched to
India and was gone for eight years.
But, his men would not continue.
Before he was 33, Alexander died
of a fever.

73. Daniel foretold that Alexander’s
empire would be divided into four
kingdoms.
Daniel 8:21-22;11:4
There was no successor so his
generals fought for control and his
empire was divided.

74. Greek motto:
“Nothing in excess, and
everything in
proportion.”

75. The Greek army never conquered
the world, but her culture did.
Through Alexander’s
conquests, the language, and way
of life spread throughout the
world.
The term Hellenic is used to
describe Greed culture.
Hellenistic means “like the Greek.”

76. The Greeks began the
formal study of human
thought, the
humanities.

77. Greeks assumed a great truth: man
is the highest of created beings, but
they did not glorify God for
creating man, they celebrated and
glorified the ability of man.
They did not acknowledge their
responsibility to the
Creator, rather they believed man
was the judge of all things.

78. Thales of Miletus – The Father
of Philosophy
He sought to explain origin of
all things.

79. Socrates – “Know thyself”
Believed that truth could be
attained through reason, virtue
was knowledge and ignorance
produced evil.

80. Plato – Pupil of Socrates
Established the Academy in
Athens. Wrote Republic.
Realized that too much liberty
and freedom often leads to
anarchy – the breakdown of
government and order.

81. Aristotle – Came to Athens
from northern Greece.
- Studied at Plato’s academy.
- Tutor of Alexander the Great

82. To aide in man’s reasoning
ability, Aristotle developed the
syllogism.
3 step process of logical
thinking.
1. Greeks are human
2. Aristotle is Greek
3. Therefore, Aristotle is
human.

83. Epicurean and Stoic philosophies
Epicurus believed that great
happiness could be achieved thru
the avoidance of pain and fear.
Founded by Zeno – he taught that
man must accept his fate and life
a life of duty and self control.

84. Pythagoras – philosopher and
mathematician.
- Concluded that the
universe could be explained in
mathematical terms.

85. Hippocrates – Father of Medicine
Contrary to the Greek philosophy
that illness was a punishment of
the gods, he surmised illness has a
natural cause and recommended
treatments such as rest and proper
diet.

86. -Euclid – Father of Geometry
-Archimedes – Discovered the
principle of the lever.(ex…car jack)
-Eratosthenes – used geometry to
surmise that the world is
round…seventeen centuries
BEFORE Columbus.

87. Herodotus – Father of History.
Tried to present accurate
accounts, but his work contained
many myths and exaggerations.

88. Thucydides – wrote History of the
Peloponnesian War. Wrote a better
account than Herodotus because
he wrote without letting his
personal experiences and actions
influence his account.

89. Sophocles – wrote tragedy
Aristophanes – wrote comedy

90. Greeks excelled in art. The most
highly prized was their
urns, sculptures, and temples.
Grecian urns are among the most
beautiful ever fashioned. They
painted scenes of everyday
life, battles, competitions, and
activities of the gods.

91. Greek sculpture falls into three
periods
Archaic
Classical
Hellenistic

92. Three styles of Greek
architecture :
Doric –solid and masculine
Ionic – graceful
Corinthian - ornate