ANCIENT GREECE

THE CRADLE OF WESTERN CIVILIZATION1750BC-133BC

I. EARLY PEOPLE OF THE AEGEAN

A. MINOANS:-early peoples who lived on Crete

1. capital at Knossos2. destroyed by volcanic

eruptionB. MYCENAE—conquered the Greek

mainland1. sea traders2. developed city-states3. the Trojan War-1250BC

II. GREEK LEGENDS AND HISTORY

A. TWO GREAT EPIC POEMS WRITTEN BY HOMER:

1. THE ILIAD—chief source of info. On the Trojan War

2. THE ODYSSEY---story of Odysseus and his attempt to find Ithaca

B. These epics are our main source of knowledge about early Greece.

III. GEOGRAPHY HAS SHAPED GREEK HISTORY

A. Many mountains and valleys isolated the city states

B. Few rivers and poor soil force them to become traders (“we live like frogs around a pond”

C. Many harbors and islands in the Aegean Sea

1. Fishing became a major source of food

2. Rapid pop. Growth caused Greeks to expand into colonies

IV. CITY – STATE GOVERNMENT

A. POLIS- THE CITYB. ACROPOLIS-THE HIGH CITYC. SMALL POPULATIOND. MOST WERE MONARCHIES.

1. ATHENS WAS A DEMOCRACYE. EACH DEVELOPED THEIR OWN

MILITARY AND DEFENSESF. OFTEN FOUGHT EACH OTHER

Acropolis

V. SPARTA-NATION OF WARRIORS

A. GOV: 2 KINGS AND COUNCIL OF ELDERS1. CITIZENS: MALE BORN Spartans over 302. Educated boys in warfare from age of 73. Totalitarian gov.-the people live only to serve the gov.4. Women expected to serve the gov. completely

VI. ATHENS-BIRTHPLACE OF DEMOCRACY

A. A limited direct democracyB. educated both the body and the

mindC. only male citizens could be in the

gov.D. slaveryE. when Athens was conquered,

democracy disappeared for centuriesF. had a very strong military

FORCES OF UNITY AMONG GREEKS

The Greek language Greek mythology The Olympics Views of non-Greeks as inferior Attack from outside

VII. THE PERSIAN WARS-492-480BC

A. CAUSE: Persia conquered Troy, and the Greeks tried to help Troy.

1. Persia then decided to conquer Greece.

2. Demand “land and water” from Greeks

3. 492BC- Persian fleet destroyed by a storm

4. 490BC- Persians are defeated at Battle of Marathon by Athens.

a. Persian king- Darius

b. Greek runner-Pheidippides-”Victory”

PERSIAN WARS (CON)

3.Darius dies, his son, Xerxes vows revenge on all of Greece.

a. Themistocles prepares Greece for battle

b. 480BC- Persians invade-500,000 and

defeat the Spartans (The “300”) at Thermopylae

c. Athenians trick Persians and defeat them at the Bay of Salamis

EFFECTS OF PERSIAN WARS

PRESERVED GREEK CULTURE WEAKENED THE PERSIANS SPARTA WOULD DEFEAT ATHENS IN

THE PELOPONNESIAN WAR AND DOMINATE GREECE

ATHENS REBUILDS UNDER PERICLES AND ENTERS ITS GOLDEN AGE-PLAGUE ATTACKS ATHENS

THE GLORY OF GREECE-GOLDEN AGE

“WE CULTIVATE THE MIND”1. GREEK PHILOSOPHERS-LOVERS OF

WISDOM -SOCRATES: CRITICIZED THE GOV. -WROTE NO BOOKS -USED “SOCRATIC METHOD” TO

TEACH -”KNOW THYSELF” -”THE UNEXAMINED LIFE IS NOT

WORTH LIVING”

-

--PUT ON TRIAL FOR CORRUPTING YOUTH, SENTENCED TO DEATH

PLATO -fled Athens after Socrates’ death. returned and wrote “The Republic”-wrote about Socrates’ teachingsARISTOTLE-set up a school-The Lyceum--a philosopher and a scientist--advised people to pursue the “golden

mean”--tutored Alexander the Great

GREEK CULTURE

1. ARCHITECTURE: - tried to create balance and harmony

-the Parthenon-”perfect building”2.SCULPTURE-idealistic view of man3.PAINTINGS- on vases, pottery and murals4.POETRY-epics5. DRAMA- in outdoor theaters -no scenery -fancy costumes and masks to

show emotions

-actors supported by Greek Chorus -tragedies and comedies6.HISTORY-used observation, logic and

reason -Herodotus-the “Father of History” -Thucydides- “History of the

Peloponnesian Wars” stressed the importance of

research.

ALEXANDER THE GREAT-WORLD CONQUEROR

Son of Philip II of Macedon.--Philip wanted to unite all Greek city-

states and conquer Persia--murdered, and Alexander takes

throne.--conquers Greece and invades Persia.

Defeats Persia at Battle of Issus---conquers all of Persia and reaches

India

ALEXANDER’S GOALS

1. CREATE A WORLD CULTURE-encouraged his men to marry into families of those conquered.

2. BUILD AN INTERNATIONAL ARMY-allowed soldiers to join from the lands he conquered

3. LEAVE A LEGACY-founded many cities and named them after himself

SPREAD GREEK CULTURE-had Aristotle as a tutor, admired Greek culture

323BC- Alexander reaches the Indus River, and turns back. Returns to Babylon – Starts planning his next campaign

-dies mysteriously, leaves his empire “To the Strongest”

-his empire is divided up among his generals in a power struggle.

ALEXANDER’S LEGACY (EFFECTS)

1.ALEXANDRIA- great Egyptian city (lighthouse, first library, Cleopatra’s capital, museum)

2. MANY OPPORTUNITES FOR WOMEN3.CREATED THE HELLINISTIC

CIVILIZATION- a blend of Greek culture and the lands he conquered

--new philosophies-Stoic, Epicurean --math: geometry, Pythagoras,

Euclid

--science: earth rotates on axis, and revolves around sun (heliocentric theory), earth is round.

--Archimedes- lever, principles of physics

--Hippocrates-Father of Medicine (oath)

EFFECT OF GREEK CIVILIZATION:--GAVE BIRTH TO MUCH OF WESTERN

CIVILIZATION