Rise of the Greek Polis [From the Trojan Wars to the Rise of Athens]

Rise of the Greek Polis[From the Trojan Wars to the Rise of Athens]

Homer, The Iliad

Invasions usher in a “Dark Age.” (1100-800 BC)

Invasions usher in a “Dark Age.” (1100-800 BC)

• Mycenaean civilization disappeared- warfare, poverty, insecurity and isolation.

• Extensive trade ceased• The knowledge of writing was forgotten• Palace workshops were abandoned• Art reflected primitive forms• Burials and graves were simple • No massive buildings/architecture• Fewer water wells were dug

How did life change after 800 BC?

• “The Greek Renaissance” 800 – 600 BC• Writing again became part of Greek culture

(Phoenician script!)• Population increased dramatically• Urbanization quickened • A merchant class emerged • Colonies around the Mediterranean multiplied • Overseas trade expanded • Rise in use of metals

The poet Homer: broke with the traditional treatment of the heroes of myth and legend

• An attempt to explore Man's psychological make-up

• Not just deeds and actions, but added what the hero thought and felt about his behavior

• Developed characters who were complex in their motives, who expressed emotions such as anger, vengeance, guilt, remorse and compassion.

• The Polis… is the name for the independent city-state of the ancient Hellenes people.

The Olympic Games date back to 776 B.C. The ancient Olympics were celebrated in the summer every four years at Olympia held in honor of the supreme Greek god, Zeus. Olympia is a remote religious sanctuary , there was no town or city there.

The polis developed into a self-governing community… that expressed the will of free citizens, not the desires of gods, hereditary kings or priests.

The great Greek contribution to political life:

• Individual members shared a sense of belonging to and participating in the polis.

• Community problems are caused by human beings and require human solutions.

• Laws expressed the rational mind of the community to insure its will and needs are met.

Sparta: the ultimate military state

Spartan warriors, c. 450 BC

The ruins of Ancient Sparta

Athens, cradle of democracy

Draco Solon 620’sBC 570’sBC

Pisistratus,

540’s BC

Cleisthenes,

500's BC

Pericles, 499-429 BC

• Pericles was the central figure in Athens for over thrity years

Herodotus: “Father of History” Persian Wars

The Ionian Revolt, 499-493 BC

The Battle of Marathon, 490 BCE

The Hoplite: Greek footsoldiers

Battle of Marathon, 490 BC

Battle of Marathon, 490 BC – Phaedippas brings the news to Athens

Themosticles:

Rushed the construction of 200 triremesOrganized Greek city-states into a defensive alliance that included Sparta

The Battle at Thermopylae, 480 BCE

The Athenians fled the city which was sacked and

burned to the ground by the Persians

But, the Athenians had a plan…

Battle of Salamis, 480 BCE

Persian King Xerxes... set to enjoy the battle

The Persian Wars were decisive in the history of the West. Had the Greeks been defeated, the cultural and political vitality we associate and inherit from the Greeks would never have evolved.The confidence and pride from these victories propelled Greece and Athens, in particular, to its “Golden Age.”

The creation of the Delian League, 478 BC

Pericles, 499-429 BC

Pericles was the central figure in Athens during its Golden Age