Ancient Greece

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Ancient Greece
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Ancient Greece
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Impact of Greeces Physical Geography

• The physical geography of the Aegean Basin shaped
  the economic, social, and political development
  of Greek civilization.
• The expansion of Greek civilization, through
  trade and colonization, led to the spread of
  Hellenic culture across the Mediterranean and
  Black seas.

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Economic and Social Development

• Agriculture (limited arable land) led to trade
  and colonization in order to get needed food and
  supplies
• Commerce and the spread of Hellenistic culture,
  which was a mix of Greek, Egyptian, and eastern
  cultures (like Persian and Indian)
• Shift from barter to money economy (coins)

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Political Development

• Mountainous terrain helped and hindered the
  development of city-states (it was hard to have a
  united empire because the mountains divided
  Greece into separate regions)
• Greek cities were designed to promote civic and
  commercial life (through buildings and the
  production of dramas to honor gods and bring the
  community together)
• Because of overpopulation and the search for
  arable land, Greeks began to colonize (look for
  and settle other lands)

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Greek ReligionGreek Mythology

• Greek mythology was based on a polytheistic
  religion that was integral to the culture,
  politics, and art in ancient Greece.
• explained natural phenomena, human qualities, and
  life events
• Many of Western civilizations symbols,
  metaphors, words, and idealized images come from
  ancient Greek mythology

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Temple of Zeus
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Greek gods and goddesses

• Zeus god of gods lightning bolt as weapon
• Hera Zeuss wife/sister
• Apollo god of light, music, prophesy
• Artemis goddess of hunting/nature
• Athena goddess of Athens, wisdom, art, and war
• Aphrodite goddess of love, beauty, and
  fertility

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Artemis
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Greek Influence

• Symbols and Images Seen in Western literature,
  art, monumental architecture, and politics
• Examples
• Literature Homers Iliad and Odyssey
  Shakespeare
• Art statues, paintings
• Architecture Washington D.C. (columns)
• Politics democracy

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Homers Odyssey
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Architectural InfluenceColumns in Washington D.C.
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School of AthensRenaissance Painting
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Ancient Greek Government/Politics

• Classical Athens developed the most democratic
  system of government the world had ever seen,
  although not everyone could participate in
  decision-making
• Athens government became a foundation of modern
  democracies
• Contrasting philosophies of government divided
  the Greek city-states of Athens (democracy) and
  Sparta (oligarchy)

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Athens and SpartaGreeces most powerful
city-states
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Social Structure and Citizenship in the Greek
polis

• citizens (free adult males) had political rights
  and the responsibility of civic participation in
  government
• women and foreigners had no political rights
• slaves had no political rights (slavery was an
  accepted institution in all ancient civilizations

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AthensStages in the evolution of Athenian
Government

• Monarchy rule by king/queen (hereditary
  rule)
• Aristocracy rule by a few nobles
• Tyranny rule by one person who gains power by
  appealing to the poor majority
• Democracy rule by the people
• More and more people in Athens were armed with
  iron weapons, which led to democracy (one ruler
  couldnt take power from a large armed
  citizenry)

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Tyrants of Athens

• Draco did some good things to help the
  masses but passed and unpopular
  debt-slave law (forced people in debt into
  prisons or slavery)
• Solon outlawed the debt-slave law and
  helped extend democracy to more people

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Athenian Democracy

• Athens saw the origins of democratic principles
  (direct democracy-allowing all citizens to
  participate, paid public officials so even the
  poor can participate, public debates, duties of
  the citizen, etc.)

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Sparta

• Oligarchy rule by a few wealthy
• Rigid social structure (wealthy on top, slaves at
  the bottom)
• Militaristic and aggressive society (boys taught
  from the age of 7 to fight and serve Sparta)

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The Spartans
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The Persian and Peloponnesian Wars

• The Greeks defeated the Persian empire and
  preserved their political independence
• Competition between Athens and Sparta for control
  of Greece helped cause the Peloponnesian War

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The Persian Wars
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Importance of the Persian Wars499-449 B.C.

• Persian Wars united Athens and Sparta against the
  Persian Empire
• Athenian victories over the Persians at Marathon
  and Salamis left the Greeks in control the Aegean
  Sea
• Athens preserved its independence and continued
  innovations in government and culture

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The Battle of Marathon
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The Battle of Salamis
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Importance of Peloponnesian War431-404 B.C.

• Caused in part by competition for control of the
  Greek worldAthens and the Delian League vs.
  Sparta and the Peloponnesian League
• Resulted in the slowing of cultural advance and
  the decline of political and military power

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The Peloponnesian League
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The Golden age of Pericles

• Athenian culture, during the Classic Era, became
  of the of foundation stones of Western
  civilization
• mostly occurred between the Persian Wars and the
  Peloponnesian Wars
• Pericles extended democracy most adult males had
  equal voice
• Pericles had Athens rebuilt after the destruction
  caused by the Persian Wars the Parthenon is an
  example of this reconstruction (structure built
  to honor the citys goddess Athena)

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Pericles
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Contributions of Golden Age to Western
Civilization

• Drama
• Aeschylus Father of Tragedy, wrote the Oresteia
  trilogy
• Sophocles Oedipus the King
• Poetry
• Homer epic poems depicting valuable Greek traits
  like valor and honor including Iliad and The
  Odyssey
• History
• Herodotus Father of History, wrote The Persian
  Wars
• Thucydides wrote The History of the
  Peloponnesian Wars
• Sculpture
• Phidias famous sculptor who created the
  Parthenons sculpture of Athena (Athens patron
  goddess)

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Aeschylus-Father of Greek Tragedy
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The ParthenonTemple to Athena
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Contributions of the Golden Age to Western
Civilization

• Architecture
• Columns
• Doric oldest, seen in Parthenon, simplest style
• Ionic came later, more stylized, scroll shape
  capital at the top
• Corinthian latest style, most stylized with
  ornate flowery carvings
• Science
• Archimedes pulley and lever system to move large
  objects Archimedes screw to dig for water (build
  wells)
• Hippocrates Father of Medicine developed the
  first medical schools and tried to make medicine
  more science than magic

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Columns
DORIC
CORINTHIAN
IONIC/IONIAN
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Contributions of the Golden Age to Western
Civilization

• Mathematics
• Euclid Father of Geometry, wrote The Elements
  which stood as the definitive text on geometry
  into the 1900s
• Pythagoras Pythagorean Theorum
• Philosophy
• Socrates Father of Greek Philosophy believed
  that you had to question things the only way to
  find truth is through questions
• Plato student of Socrates wrote The Republic
  about the advantages of a representative
  democracy
• Aristotle student of Plato Father of the
  scientific method (question, hypothesize, test,
  conclude)

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Macedonia and the Empire of Alexander the Great

• The Macedonian conquest of Greece followed the
  weakening of Greek defenses during the
  Peloponnesian Wars
• Alexander the Great adopted Greek culture and
  spread Hellenistic influences throughout his vast
  empire

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Alexander the Great
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Philip II, King of Macedonia

• Macedonians, especially the upper classes felt
  that they were Greek and adopted Greek culture
• Philip II conquered most of Greece planned on
  avenging Greece and conquering the Persian empire

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Alexanders Empire
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Alexander the Great

• Established an empire from Greece to Egypt in the
  southwest and the margins of India in the east
• Extended Greek cultural influences
• Alexander the Great took over and expanded the
  empire after his father was murdered. He died
  young just as he was about to come back from his
  conquests