Chapter 5 The Greek CityStates

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Chapter 5The Greek City-States

• 2000 BC 404 BC

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Lets Review

• Think rivers and geography

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Section 1 Early Greeks and the Rise of City-
States

• Main Idea The Geography of Greece isolated
  settlements and strong points from one another,
  leading to the rise of city-states

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Geography

• Mainland Greece lies on the southern part of the
  Balkan Peninsula.
• Where is the Balkan Peninsula?
• The sea came to play an important part in the
  lives of the Greeks.

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Balkan Peninsula
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Geography

• Geography made it hard for early people to
  develop a sense of unity
• Short mountain ranges cut up the Greek mainland
• Rivers did not aid travel and trade between
  villages
• Instead of a large kingdom or empire forming in
  Greece, separate city-states arose

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Minoan Civilization

• About 1900 AD archaeologists found evidence of
  the earliest Greek civilization
• This was the Minoan civilization
• It developed on the island of Crete

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Minoans

• King of Crete King Minos
• Palace located at Knossos
• Many Minoans became sailors and traders
• Frescoes paintings made on wet plaster walls

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End of the Minoans

• Around 1628 BC a volcano erupted on a nearby
  island
• Tidal waves caused by the volcano destroyed many
  coastal settlements on Crete
• Minoans began to grow weak
• In about 1400 BC the Mycenaeans from the Greek
  mainland conquered Crete

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Mycenaeans

• Were a warring people
• Clan several related families
• Tribe made up of several clans ruled by a
  chief
• Peloponnesus
• By 1200 BC earthquakes and warfare had destroyed
  most Mycenaean cities

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Polis

• Polis Greek word for city-state usually
  developed around a fort
• Polis was based on 3 basic and connected ideas
  (1) geographic territory, (2) community it
  represents, (3) political and economic
  independence it provided
• Absolutely self-sufficient and independent
• Loyalty to and identity from

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Polis

• Acropolis hill fort, temple, other important
  buildings
• Agora marketplace main public meeting place,
  people would gather to discuss issues
• Each city-state had own calendar, money, weights
  and measures

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Minoans
Mycenaeans
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Section 2

• Why were cities isolated?
• What did people have in common?
• religion, language, festivals, idea that
  non-Greeks were barbarians

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The Main Idea

• Greeks sought to improve their lives through
  religious practice and experiments in government.

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Greek Epics

• Epics long poem about heroes and great events
• Iliad story of the Trojan War
• Odyssey story of the journey home from the
  Trojan War
• Author?

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Greek Religion

• Did not emphasize high standards of personal
  morality. Religion served several purposes
• 1. Wanted religion to explain nature
• 2. Explain the emotions that sometimes cause
  people to lose self-control
• 3. Could bring certain benefits here and now
• Hades was not viewed as a place of punishment or
  reward

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Greek Myths

• Created myths to explain the world
• Mt. Olympus
• Olympic Games in honor of Zeus
• First held in 776 BC
• No 2nd or 3rd place
• Respect for athletes

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• Women had separate Olympic Games
• In honor of Hera
• Shorter competitions

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From Kings to Democracy

• Chieftains relied on wealthy landowners to
  support their rule and to form armies
• Aristocrats small groups of wealthy landowners
  best men noble class
• Eventually nobles took power from the Kings

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• Aristocracies Greek city-states controlled by
  nobles
• Privileged social class, composed of wealthiest
  landowners in city-state
• Hoplite non-aristocratic soldier
• Hoplites demanded more of a say
• Poor and farmers also became unhappy with nobles
• People look for leaders who could provide a
  better life

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• Tyrants illegally took power but had peoples
  support
• Many tyrants turn bad get overthrown
• Popular Government people can and should rule
  themselves
• Democracy government where citizens take part
  - all citizens?
• Not all city-states are alike
• Some leaders are still limited by councils

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Section 3 Sparta and Athens

• Review
• At first Greek city-states were governed by
  Kings. The Kings were overthrown by aristocrats.
  Eventually the aristocrats were overthrown by
  tyrants who, in turn, were overthrown by citizens
  who set up popular government.

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The Main Idea

• While Athens was known for its laws and
  government, Sparta was known for the physical
  strength and discipline of its people.
• Keep in mind we are the Homestead Spartans

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Sparta

• Helots?
• Sparta became a rigid and highly militarized
  society
• Groups in Sparta
• Equal descended from the invaders
• Half-Citizens
• Helots

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Sparta

• Helots greatly outnumbered the Spartans
• Therefore, the Spartans had to use force to
  control them
• Legend held that the Spartan people were
  descended from Hercules

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Sparta

• Two kings were the head of Spartan government
• One king led the army, the other king took care
  of matters at home
• Controlled the lives of citizens from birth to
  death

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Spartan Military Society

• Goal was to make every adult male citizen part of
  the military machine
• Newborn babies were examined unhealthy were
  left to die
• Primary Source page 114
• At age 7, boys went to live in military barracks
• Age 20, could marry, but not live at home until
  age 30

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• Authorities believed that love of money
  interfered with military discipline
• Men remained available for military service until
  60 years old
• Paid high price for power gave up individual
  freedom created little in art, literature,
  philosophy, or science

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Government

• Compare the basic features of direct and
  representative democracies
• Direct Democracy all citizens participate in
  making the decisions
• Representative Democracy citizens elect
  representatives to run the government for them

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Athens

• One of the least fertile areas in Greece
  Athenians turned to the sea
• Only Athenian born men had full political rights.
  Women could not vote or hold office.
• Metics non-citizens because born outside Athens
• Like all Greeks, Athenians considered slavery
  natural and necessary.
• In time, slaves and metics made up more than half
  of Athens's population

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• Draco believed to have created Athenss first
  written law code around 621 BC. Dracos laws
  were so harsh and severe that today we call a
  harsh law a Draconian law
• Solon outlawed slavery for debt
• Analyzing historical context involves trying to
  understand events and people within the context,
  or circumstances, of their times.

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Athens

• The Main Idea Daily Life in Athens consisted of
  simple economic and educational pursuits, and
  family concerns.
• Most Athenian citizens were farmers
• Terracing
• Athenian assembly voted to send farmers and
  workers to set up overseas colonies
• Trade was the mainstay of Athenss economy

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Athens

• Athenians believed that money should be spent on
  buildings to benefit the whole community, not on
  private homes.
• Marriage and family life were important
• Parents always arrange marriages
• Girls married young 13 or 14
• Husband might be twice her age or older
• Legally and socially Athenian women were
  considered inferior to men

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• Most Greeks were poor and hardworking
• Work long hours, had little leisure time
• Athenians placed great value on literacy and
  education
• Athenian ideal stressed a sound mind in a healthy
  body
• Ethics deals with what is good and bad, and moral
  duty
• Rhetoric was the study of oratory, public
  speaking, and debating

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Section 5 The Expansion of Greece

• The Main Idea Destructive wars that pitted
  Greeks against other powers and city-state
  against city-state weakened Greece
• Persian Wars In about 500 BC the Greeks in Asia
  Minor rebelled against the Persians. Athens
  helped these city-states in their uprisings.
  Thus begins the conflict between the Greeks and
  Persians

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Persian Wars

• Darius easily puts down rebellion in Asia Minor
  gets greedy wants to invade Greek mainland
• Athenians defeat Persians at Battle of Marathon
  an uneasy peace lasts for 10 years
• Xerxes son of Darius, attacks Greece, several
  city-states unite to fight Persians
• Battle of Thermopylae

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Persian Wars

• Xerxes army entered Athens and destroyed it
• Xerxes was tricked into attacking Athens fleet in
  narrow Salamis Strait. Greeks sank much of
  Persian fleet
• Athens and Sparta join forces to defeat Persians
  and end Persian wars
• Map on p. 122

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Delian League

• Alliance of city-states with Athens as leader
• Eventually 140 member city-states who contributed
  money or ships
• Money kept on island of Delos

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Pericles

• Great general, orator, statesman
• Held public office or was active in public life
  from 461 429 BC
• During these years Athens reached peak of power
  and wealth
• Under Pericles, Athenian democracy reached its
  height

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Pericles

• Moved Delian Leagues money from Delos to Athens
• Uses money for good of Athens
• Forces more city-states to join League

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Peloponnesian War

• Tensions grow between Athens and Sparta until war
  breaks out in 431 BC
• The Peloponnesus Sparta and Athens were both
  full of young men whose inexperience made them
  eager to take up arms
• Spartans had a stronger army
• Athens had a stronger navy and could bring in
  food by ship so they take safety behind the city
  walls
• What happens to Pericles?

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Peloponnesian War

• War continues for 27 years
• Internal fighting further weakens Athens
• With help of Persia, Spartans block Athenss food
  supply
• Starving Athenians surrender in 404 BC