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Classical Greece
Athens – First Democracy
• City-States – a small country based around a main city
• Aristocrats – wealthy/powerful families who rule the government
• Tyrants – Leaders who take power – usually newly rich, not part of the old aristocracy
Parthenon in Athens
• Period of Tyrants didn’t last long, but important
• In order to remain popular, Tyrants took land from the aristocrats and gave them to the peasants
• Greeks believed in the rule of law – tyrants were an insult to that ideal
• When the last tyrant in Athens was overthrown a leader (Cleisthenes) took over and changed the government.
• He had seen the power of the common people.
• He created the Athenian assembly – male citizens who had the final say on laws after free and open debate.
• Democracy was born! (510 B.C.)
Persian Wars490 B.C.
• Persia was a large and powerful empire at this time.
• Persia controlled Ionia
• Greece helped Ionia revolt.
• To get back at Greece for this offense, Darius led an invasion that landed near Athens.
• Battle of Marathon
• Darius died and Xerxes took over.
• He vowed revenge.
• Invaded with huge army and navy.
• Greeks tried to delay the Persians at a place called Thermopylae (300)
• Persians captured Athens after it was abandoned.
• Persians navy defeated at the Battle of Salamis – Persians couldn’t supply their army and had to retreat.
Great Peloponnesian War431 B.C.
• The 2 most powerful City-states of Classical Greece were Athens and Sparta
• Athens a democracy was dynamic and drew brilliant and hard working people to it.
• Sparta was very different.
Sparta
• Sparta was all about their military
• Sparta conquered the city-states that were around them and enslaved their populations
• Since they had enslaved whole (little) countries of free people they were constantly afraid of an uprising.
• Boys left home and began military training at age 7.
• Underfed on purpose
• At 20 they were in the army
• Girls were unique in that they were educated (less focus on military)
• Sparta had the best army
• Athens had the best navy
• They went to war.
• Athens retreated with its walled city.
• Plague broke out and killed 1/3rd population.
• War lasted about 25 years
• Athens fleet was finally destroyed.
• Athens surrendered and was destroyed.
Culture
• Drama– Aeschylus – tragedies– Sophocles – Oedipus Rex– Euripides – more realistic
• History– Herodotus – wrote History of the Persian
Wars – seen as the first historian (yeah!)– Thucydides – General who fought in the Great
Peloponnesian War and wrote the history of it. Considered the greatest historian of the ancient world. Instead of writing about gods and legends he examined events and people.
• Philosophy – an organized system of thought
• Philosophers attempt to answer questions about the nature of the universe.– Pythagoras – essence of universe found in
music and numbers– Sophists – goal was to argue effectively
3 of the Greatest Philosophers
• Socrates – no writings of his own, we know about him from his pupils writings– Used a teaching method called Socratic
method– Q & A to lead students to find the answer
themselves.– Believed all real knowledge is already present
within each person.
• Plato – considered greatest philosopher of Western civilization– Student of Socrates– Wrote a great deal– Shadow world– The Republic a book about government in
which philosopher kings rule
• Aristotle– Student of Plato– He used a scientific method – observing and
recording– Believed that a constitutional government was
the best.– Viewed as the most influential thinker of the
Western world.– His student was Alexander the Great
