Chapter 4 Ancient Greece 1 ppt

CHAPTER 4

The Ancient GreeksSection 1 The Early Greeks

• Mainland Greece is a peninsula- A body of land with water on three sides. • The geography of Greece (mountains, seas, etc.) resulted in many independent Greek communities.

THE MINOANS • The island of Crete lies southeast of the Greek mainland. • The Minoans were not Greeks, but they were the first civilization to inhabit what would later be known as Greece. • The Minoans created an extravagant palace in Knossos and made their wealth by trading. • By 2000 B.C. they controlled the eastern Mediterranean Sea. • About 1450 B.C. the Minoan civilization collapsed. Some historians believed they fell due to natural causes. Others believe a group from the mainland, the Mycenaeans invaded Crete.

THE FIRST GREEK KINGDOMS • Originally from central Asia, Mycenaeans invaded Greeks mainland in the 1800’s B.C. and Mycenaean leaders became the first Greek kings. • The palace of the ruler stood in the middle of the kingdom. Nobles, farmers and slaves lived beyond the palace walls. • Mycenaeans learned much from the Minoans- how to work bronze, build ships, use the sun and stars to find their way at sea, religion- before conquering them. • Myceneans were successful in trade but took pride in their deeds in battle. Their most famous victory is the Trojan War, led by King Agamemnon.

• By 1100 B.C., Mycenaean civilization had collapsed due to earthquakes & fighting within kingdoms. • 1100 B.C. and 750 B.C. – The Dark Age  Farmers grew food only for their families  Education ceased  Many Greeks left the mainland, expanding the reach of Greek culture • The Dorians moved in and settled on the Peloponnesus peninsula. They brought advanced weapons and farm technology. • Gradually people began to farm and educate again. They adopted the idea of an alphabet from the Phoenicians.

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As the Greek population grew, cities began sending people outside Greece to start colonies.

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Colony – a settlement in a new territory that keeps close ties to its homeland. Colonization led to the growth of trade and industry.

The Polis • At the end of the Dark Age, many nobles had overthrown the Greek kings and created city-states, known as a polis • Acropolis – a fortified area at the top of a hill used as a gathering place in the polis  Sometimes a religious center • Agora – an open area below the acropolis that served as both a market and a meeting/debating place

Citizenship • Greeks were the first people to develop the idea of citizenship. • Citizens – members of a political community who treat each other as equals and who have rights and responsibilities. (Only free native-born men who owned land) • In exchange for their rights (elect officials, pass laws, hold office, own property), citizens must serve in government and fight as citizen soldiers.

Section 2- Sparta and Athens

• Rule by the nobles began to decline by 650 B.C.  Small farmers demanded changes in the power structure and merchants and artisans wanted to be a part of government. • The growing frustration led to the rise of tyrants. Tyrant – someone who takes power by force and rules with total authority.

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Tyrants overthrew the nobles during the 600’s. However, most Greeks wanted rule by law with all citizens participating in government. By 500 B.C., most city-states had become either oligarchies or democracies: Oligarchy – a form of government in which only a few hold power Democracy – a form of government in which all citizens share in running the government Sparta (oligarchy) and Athens (democracy) became two of the most powerful governments of early Greece.

• Sparta was founded by the Dorians who enslaved their neighbors, the Helots, to be workers

• Fearing the Helots might someday rebel, government firmly controlled the people and trained the men for war • Spartan soldiers were trained until age 30, but remained in the army until age 60 • Spartan girls were trained in sports – running & wrestling

• Spartan government included two kings. They headed a council of elders who presented laws to an assembly. • The assembly voted on the laws and chose 5 ephors  Ephor – a person who enforced the laws and managed tax collection

• By focusing on military training, the Spartans fell behind in trade, technology and science, but played a key role in defending Greece

ATHENS

• Athenians focused on providing boys a good education, sports, and music • At age 18, boys finished school and became citizens and girls were taught at home by their mothers • During the 600’s B.C., Athens was an oligarchy ruled by landowning nobles • During the early 500’s B.C., the government was in much turmoil due to rebellion by the farmers • Cleisthenes, their most important leader, made the Athenian government a democracy

Section 3- The Persian Empire • Persians lived in what is today southwestern Iran • Cyrus the Great (559 B.C. to 530 B.C.) united the Persians into a powerful kingdom, larger than any in the world • In 539 B.C., Cyrus’ armies captured Babylon, northern Mesopotamia, Asia Minor, Syria, Canaan, and the Phoenician cities

• King Darius (521 B.C.) reorganized the government, dividing the empire into 20 states called satrapies • The Persian government paid people to be full-time soldiers, unlike the Greek city-states (citizen soldiers) • The Greeks often clashed with the Persians while setting up colonies in the Mediterranean region

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The Greeks and the Persians fought in several key battles  Battle of Marathon –Athenians successfully defeated the Persians as they attempted to attack Athens  King Xerxes, Darius’ son, vowed revenge against the Athenians  Battle of Thermopylae –Greek soldiers survived but Sparta’s King Leonidas and several hundred others fought to the death, losing this battle  Strait of Salamis – naval battle the Greeks won decidedly with smaller, faster, and easier to steer ships

• Battle of Plataea (479 B.C.) – the Greek army crushed the Persian army at Plataea, northwest of Athens  This battle convinced the Persians to retreat to Asia Minor The Fall of the Persian Empire • A weakened army, high taxes which led to rebellions, and fighting within the royal family made Persia vulnerable to attack • Persian Empire was conquered by Alexander the Great in 334 B.C.

Section 4- The Age of Pericles Population of Athens, 400s B.C.

100,000

Citizens 150,000

35,000

Foreigners Slaves

• Persians remained a threat to Greece

• Delian League – group of city-states, including Athens, but not Sparta who united in 478 B.C. to defend themselves against the Persians • Democracy in Athens  Direct democracy- People gather at mass meetings to decide government matters and every citizen can vote on laws and policies  Representative democracy (U.S.) – citizens choose a smaller group of representatives to make laws and governmental decisions on their behalf

Delian Leagues Direct Democracy • Usually fewer than 6,000 men attended the assembly meetings, which were held every 10 days •

The assembly passed all laws, elected officials, and made decisions on war and foreign affairs

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Ten officials known as generals carried out the assembly’s laws and policies

Pericles One of the leading figures in Athenian politics • Guided Athens for more than 30 years • Helped Athens dominate/control the Delian league

• Strived to make Athens more democratic • The Age of Pericles was a period of cultural prosperity – tremendous creativity and learning

The Peloponnesian War (431 – 404 B.C.) • Sparta vs. Athens for control of Greece • Did not understand or trust each other and clashed over political ideology and perceived aggression • The Spartans made a deal with the Persian Empire  They exchanged Greek territory in Asia Minor for enough money to build a navy • Sparta’s new navy destroyed the Athenian fleet

 Effects of the war  Weakened all of the major Greek city-states  Many people died, farms were destroyed, people lost jobs  Made it impossible for the Greeks to unite and work together again

 30 years later, war broke out again, further weakening the kingdom