Early Greece

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Early Greece
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Minoan Civilization

• Sir Arthur Evans discovered ancient ruins on the
  island of Crete in 1878.
• He named the civilization after the legendary
  tale of King Minos and the Minotaur.
• The Minoans were advanced in many ways, one
  included the use of indoor plumbing.

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Minoans Cont.

• On the island of Crete the palace of Knossos,
  there is a palace with frescos depicting
• Sailing
• Fishing
• Trade
• Bull Jumping
• Women Priests

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Minoan Language

• Linear A was the language the Minoans used
  however, scholars cannot translate it.
• This is the reason why the Minoan Civilization
  still remains to be a great mystery to historians
  and archeologists.
• Michael Ventris deciphered Linear B, and it is
  the earliest form of Greek.
• Linear B is associated with the Mycenaean
  Civilization.

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A Mysterious Disappearance

• After 1628 BC, much of the Minoan Civilization is
  reduced to ruins.
• On the island of Thera/Santorini, a volcano
  erupted causing world wide upheaval. According
  to scientists, the volcano ranked at a VEI-6 or
  7.
• The destruction at Akrotiri may be the origins of
  Atlantis.
• There also may be a connection to the Biblical
  Exodus in Egypt.
• The civilization lingered until about 1400-1250
  BC, until the Mycenaeans conquered what was left
  of the Minoan civilization.

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Mycenaeans Civilization

• Historians consider the Mycenaeans the first
  Greeks, because they spoke a form of the Greek
  language.
• While the Mycenaeans copied many aspects of the
  Minoans they were sharply different.
• They were more war-like
• Trojan War in Homers Iliad (Trojan Horse)
• Powerful Kings dominated city-states
• Built monuments like the Lions Gate

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Downfall to Dark Ages

• Many theories exist on why the Mycenaeans failed,
  but some include
• Drought and Famine
• Invasion by the Sea Peoples
• Collapse of Trade
• The Greek Dark Ages (1200 800 BC)
• Decrease in population
• Towns and cities were abandoned
• Writing and Trade ceased

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The Emergence of Greek City-States
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Geography of Greece

• Greece is mountainous!
• Greek communities often times developed
  independently because of the mountains, thus they
  were diverse
• As a result, they had their own government, laws,
  and customs.

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Greek Polis

• Around 800 BC, Greece stabilized!
• Polis- City State
• Each polis was unique, and developed separately.
• Acropolis- a walled high area containing
  fortifications and temples and located in the
  center of a polis
• Agora- an open area that served as a meeting
  place market in early Greek city-states
• Agoraphobia- fear of open spaces.
• The two major city-states were Athens and Sparta.

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Athens was the first democracy.

• Democracy type of government where people vote.
• Athens was a direct democracy where people vote
  on everything. However, only citizens could vote
• Breakdown of Athenian Social Structure

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Sparta

• Sparta was an oligarchy rule by the few!
• Sparta was ruled by two kings
• Helots outnumbered Spartans 7 to 1! This was the
  main reason for the strict war-like society
• Breakdown of Spartan Social Structure

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Sparta

• Sparta was an isolated city-state that was
  culturally and politically different from Athens.
• Great military, army feared by other nations.
• Fighting Machines!
• During the Peloponnesian War Sparta sacked Athens.

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Greek Military

• This is a hoplite, a Greek infantry soldier.
• Hoplites were middle class freemen who had to pay
  for their own weapon and shield.

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Greek Military Phalanx

• Soldiers get in a tight box. They each have a
  large shield and a 9 foot long spear.
• Was used in the Battle of Marathon in 490 BC.
  The Athenians defeated the Persians with this
  tactic.

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Greeks were Polytheistic!
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The Golden Age of Greece
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A Revolt leads to War!

• Persia wants all of Greece in their possession.
• Certain Greek city-states in Ionia have come
  under Persian rule. Growing tensions erupt into
  a revolt. The revolt leads to a war of epic
  proportions between Greece and Persia.

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Where is Persia?
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The Beginnings of the Persian War (490 479 BC)

• The cause of the Persian Wars started with the
  Ionian Revolt in started the war in 499 BC.
  Athens sent troops to support the cause!
• The Persian put down the revolt easily, but the
  actions of Athens angered King Darius.
• It took several years to get the full Persian
  army gathered, but he sent them to Greece in the
  year of 490 BC.

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The Major Battles of the Persian War

• The First Invasion
• Battle of Marathon (490 BC) Persians landed on
  the shores at Marathon, and the Greeks heard of
  this and rushed to meet the Persians.
• Greeks used the military tactic, the phalanx.
• Victory for Greeks!
• Significance of Marathon
• Greeks fight off a clearly more powerful enemy,
  and after this Greece becomes a dominant power in
  the ancient world.

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Why does the phalanx work so well?
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The Major Battles of the Persian War cont

• The Second Invasion- In 486 BC Darius died but in
  480 BC, Xerxes (Darius son) sent more powerful
  force by land.
• Battle of Thermopylae (480 BC) Victory for
  Persians
• Delayed by Spartans
• Athens captured burned
• Battle of Salamis
• Themistocles tricks Xerxes into leading his ships
  into the narrow straight of Salamis. Persian
  ships are to big and are slow to maneuver.
• Persians defeated by Athenian navy
• Battle of Plataea (479 BC) Persian army defeated
  at Plataea

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Aftermath of the Persian War

• Persia wasnt as much of a threat to the Greeks,
  but the Delian League was created just as a
  safe-guard.
• Delian League was a band of city-states that
  sought to maintain defense against Persia.
• Treasury was on the Island of Delos
• Athens starts growing more powerful because it
  was the lead city-state in the league.
• Athens begins to conquer neighboring city-states
• Treasury money used to rebuild Athens, at the
  other city-states displeasure.
• 30 years peace, agreement made by all Greek
  city-states. (This doesnt last long!)

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Makings of a Greek Civil War!

• As Athens overstepped its bounds on numerous
  occasions.
• Built Long Walls
• Used treasury money to rebuild city
• Forced Delian League membership
• Sparta headed the Peloponnesian League, and
  tension mounted once again. Only this time the
  Greeks were battling each other.

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The Peloponnesian War (431- 404 BC)

• First Phase
• Athenian advantage Large Athenian Naval Fleet
• Sea Battle Advantage
• Spartan advantage Honed warrior society
• Land Battle Advantage

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Athenian Long Walls
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The Plague Emerges in Athens

• Pericles, a skilled politician came up with the
  idea to retreat within the city walls of Athens.
• Unfortunately, sanitation problems grew in the
  city and many people started showing signs of
  illness.
• Pericles dies from this mysterious illness
• Athens is crippled, and a truce was formed in 421
  BC.

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The End of the Peloponnesian War

• Second Phase Athens strengthens and fights
  Sparta at the naval Battle of Aegospotami.
• Athens losses 90 of ships
• Sparta cuts trade lines and Athens cant recover
  from this deadly blow
• Significance
• Athens never regains former glory of the Golden
  Age.
• Allows a Macedonian king to gain importance, and
  Phillip II of Macedon will conquer all of Greece.

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Part Two Greek Achievements
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Nature of Athenian Democracy

• Three main bodies
• Assembly- all citizens eligible to take part in
  government
• The Council of 500- wrote the laws that would be
  voted on by the Assembly
• Complex Court Systems- 6,000 people from the
  Assembly would hear trials and sentence
  criminals.
• The Archon- served as chief of state (9 elected)
• Head of both the Council of 500 and Assembly,
  elected for one year term

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Definition of Athenian Citizen

• Only free men over the age of 30 who completed
  military training.
• Only about 10 of population could participate in
  government affairs.
• Vote in all elections
• Serve in office if elected
• Serve on juries
• Serve in military during war

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Overview of Athenian Democracy

• Important Aristocrats (Noblemen)
• Draco- reformed laws
• He believed that harsh punishment would solve
  unrest. Rich/Poor gap grew!
• Solon- revised Dracos laws
• Overturn harshest laws
• Debt Slavery abolished
• Allowed ALL men to participate in the Assembly,
  not all can hold office.
• Peisistratus
• Tyrant- seized power by force
• Cleisthenes- created the Council of 500 to break
  up aristocratic family power

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Greek Philosophy

• Three Greatest Greek Philosophers
• Socrates
• Sought truths about broad concepts such as truth,
  justice, and virtue
• Plato
• Most famous work is, the Republic.
• Timaeus and Critias (speak of Atlantis)
• Aristotle
• Used logic and reason to study the natural world.
• Reason- is clear and ordered thinking
• Logic- the process of making inferences
• Taught Alexander the Great

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Greek Architecture

• Parthanon
• Dedicated to Goddess Athena
• Columns
• Doric
• Ionic
• Corinthian

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Greek Drama

• Tragedies, plays that told stories of human
  suffering that usually ended in disaster.
• Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides
• Comedies, humorous plays that mocked people or
  customs.
• Aristophanes

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Greek Art

• Statues very lifelike and active.

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History Science

• History
• Herodotus first historian or father of
  history
• Thucydides showed the need to avoid bias.
• Medicine
• Hippocrates the Hippocratic Oath all patients
  must be treated regardless of class

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Alexander the Great
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The Rise of Macedonia

• After the Peloponnesian War between Athens and
  Sparta the two city-states just tried to control
  each other.
• While fighting continues amongst them a new
  empire called Macedonia is on the rise.
• King Phillip II begins to establish his power by
  conquering Greece.
• Phillip is an accomplished assassin and kills off
  other competitors for the throne
• He is captured by the Thebans 369-367, and learns
  Greek military tactics here.
• King Phillip the II was the father of Alexander
  the Great.
• Alexanders mother Olympias dreams of an
  auspicious future for the child in her womb.

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Greek World in 363 BC
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Phillips Death

• After Phillips death Alexander inherits the
  throne at the age of 20.
• He was taught military tactics by Aristotle.
• Greece revolts! They no longer want to be ruled
  by Macedonians.
• Thebes was made example of
• Alexander crushed its army, and sold the people
  into slavery and burned the city to the ground.

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Beginnings of an Empire!

• Alexander wanted all of Persia, and started a
  campaign after he dealt with all Greek revolts.
• He would find himself at odds with Darius III of
  Persia.

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Alexanders Army Persian Army

• Small
• Well Trained
• Fiercely Loyal to Alexander

• Large
• Disorganized
• No common language

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Alexanders Major Battles

• Battle of the Granicus River, 334 BC.
• Darius III didnt take Alexander seriously, and
  sent a general in his stead.
• Alexander came very close to dying in battle, but
  he overcame his injuries to be victorious.
• Battle of Issus, 333 BC.
• Darius III now is angered and will confront him
  at the Battle of Issus. However, he still
  doesnt take Alexander seriously, and even brings
  his family to the battle site.
• Darius loses the battle and flees without his
  family. Alexander captures them as prisoners of
  war, but treats them very well.

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Battle of Issus Map
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Alexanders Famous Conquests

• Siege at Tyre
• Alexander wanted to sacrifice to the Gods for his
  victories, but Tyrians refuse to let him into the
  city.
• They feared he would take over the city, so they
  would not let him sacrifice an offering at the
  temple.
• This angers him, and he decides to conquer the
  island.

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Alexander takes Persia

• Alexander is able to take Persia, and begin his
  empire.
• Alexander burns Persepolis Persian capital to
  the ground.
• He pushes on into India where his campaign turns
  sour.
• His soldiers are starting to doubt him.

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Bucephalus

• Alexander the Greats horse, and he tamed the
  wild stallion himself.
• As the story goes the horse was afraid of its own
  shadow, Alexander realized this and made blinders
  for the horse.
• It died at the Battle of Hydaspes, the last
  battle Alexander would ever fight in.

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Army Revolts!

• The soldiers are tired of fighting and want to
  return home to see family and friends.
• Alexander tries to persuade the army to continue
  on, but the men are ready to return to Macedonia.
  

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Alexander becomes sick and dies!

• Many have debated whether his death was
  intentional or natural.
• Poison is a possible answer because troops were
  ready to return home.
• Malaria is another possibility because of the
  climate in India misquotes are present in high
  numbers.

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No Successor for Alexander

• The Breakup of Alexanders Empire

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Hellenistic Greece
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Alexanders Empire on the year of his death
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What does mean to be Hellenistic?

• Hellenistic - The blending of Greek cultures
  with those of Persia, Egypt, and Central Asia
  following the conquests of Alexander the Great.
• Question to Consider What is an empire? Give the
  definition and explain how Alexander the Greats
  conquests apply.

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Blending Cultures

• Best way to encourage cultural exchange is
  through marriage.
• Alexander married Roxana of Bactria and Stateira
  of Persia.
• He also did this to legitimize his claims to the
  Persian Empire.
• Roxana bore Alexander a posthumous son (child
  born after the death of a parent). She named
  the child Alexander IV unfortunately, he never
  reaches adulthood because he was murdered in a
  political plot.

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Blending Cultures Cont

• Another great way to gain cultural exchange is
  through trade and education.
• When Egypt built the city of Alexandria the most
  important achievement was the Library of
  Alexandria, which contained information on
• Philosophy
• Literature
• History
• Science
• Medicine

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Life in the Hellenistic World

• What was the most significant change in
  Hellenistic society?
• Recall the main political unit of Greece was
  the city-state.
• After Alexander conquers much of the known world
  the political unit switches to kingdoms.

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Hellenistic Achievements

• Philosophy
• Cynicism- rejected the ideas of pleasure, wealth,
  and social responsibility. Instead, they should
  live according to nature. Withdrew from society.
• Many gave away possessions and became vagrants or
  wanderers. They were like homeless people in
  todays society.
• Epicureans- sought out pleasure, developed close
  friendships with those that shared similar
  beliefs
• Pleasure- Good
• Pain- Bad or Evil
• Stoicism- placed emphasis on reason,
  self-discipline, emotional control, and personal
  morality.

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Hellenistic Achievements cont

• Art and Literature
• Art pieces conveyed emotion and movement.
• Nike of Samothrace was carved in a flowing style.
• Literature focuses on everyday lives.

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Hellenistic Achievements cont

• Science and Technology
• Euclid Father of Geometry
• Formulated many of the ideas about geometry that
  we still use today.
• Eratosthenes
• Calculated the size of the Earth
• Archimedes
• Great Inventor compound pulley Mechanical
  screw for drawing water

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