Ancient Greece

And the Mediterranean World

Chapter 10

Heather Barton

9AP WH Mrs. French

Greek city-states and Colonization

• Polis- a citadel and its fortified site, led to city-state– Athens, Sparta

• Non-centralized government

• Colonization-– Helped relieve population pressure

– 400+ colonies in the Mediterranean and Black Sea

– Greater Greek population in Italy than Greece itself

– Colonies ruled themselves w/clan based government system

– Led to more trade and interaction; spread Greek culture

– Gave Greeks access to colonies’ natural resources

– Lead to agricultural surplus in Greece

PersiaGreek links created conflict with Persia

•Persian Wars

•Darius controlled Turkey; attacked Greece

•Athenian man ran 1st marathon to get aid/more troops

•Xerxes controlled Athens for a time

•Skirmishes between Persia and

Greek city-states for several years

Peloponnesian War

• Delian League- alliances among poleis for protection from Persians– Athens led the Delian league; was funded by other poleis

– Persians didn’t attack, Athens benefited w/money, other poleis resented it

– Lead to Peloponnesian War (431-404 B.C.E.)• Athens vs. Sparta (and their colonies)

• Sparta wins

• Weakens Greece; uses resources

Macedon

•Colony North of Greece

•People followed clan government, recognized King

•King Philip II overpowered clans, created dominant rule

•Conquered Greece–Polis by Polis; they had no alliances

•Philip II assassinated

Alexander of Macedon

(Alexander the Great)

•Son of Philip II; inherits throne at 14yrs

•Conquers Ionia, Anatolia, Syria, Palestine, Egypt, Mesopotamia

•Conquers Persia

•Invades India, troops refuse to travel farther from home

•Died 33yrs.

•Left no master government for new empire

Rule after Alexander•Alexander’s empire was divided into 3 regions

•Antigonid- Greece, Macedon

•Greeks fought for independence

•Sent people to colonies to help over-population

•Ptolemaic- Egypt

•Peaceful; rulers stayed out of people’s lives

•Alexandria- capital of Hellenistic world, huge port, mouth of Nile

•Seleucid- Achaemenid empire (Anatolia to Bactria)

•Peace, prosperous, cities

Greek Geography and Economy

•Mountainous; bad for agriculture

•Greeks grew olives, grapes; produced olive oil, wine

•Traded for grain, fish, timber, pitch, tin, slaves

Olympics

•Began 776 B.C.E.; ran once every 4 yrs.

•Best athletes go to the Polis of Olympia

•Winners receive olive wreaths, recognized heroes

•Stopped after one millennium

Patriarchal Society

•Men ruled society

•Women were in charge of domestic affairs

•Women had no rights/property; Had the option of Priestess

•Men chose if their child lived (They couldn’t legally kill them, but they could abandon them in the mountains.)

•Exceptions: Sparta

•Both men and women could work businesses in Artisan families

•Sappho-(she) taught young women, wrote poetry, homosexual

Slaves

• Debtors

• Prisoners of War

• Sold at slave markets

• Considered property, investments

• Personal life depended on their owner’s treatment

• Possible to win freedom and citizenship by living an exceptional life

Philosophy• Socrates-father of Philosophy

– focused on human affairs

– didn’t record ideas

– questioned traditional morals/ethics of Greece

– condemned to death; committed suicide

• Plato-posed questions – intellectual aristocracy

– Recorded ideas

– believed people naturally led good lives and should value honor over superficial aspects

– theory of Forms and Ideas: the ability to understand the true nature of a quality; our world’s an imperfect reflection

• Aristotle-Studied biology, physics, astronomy, psychology, politics, ethics, literature – disagreed with Forms and Ideas

Leisure

• Religion – Polytheistic

– Pagan based

– Cults- some focused on morals, some were women only; ex:Dionysian cult

– Myths explain world and events• Creation myth: 1st chaos, then came earth, and sky, which created

day/night/sun/moon, followed by natural phenomenon and wars, and ended with their god Zeus ruling over his court of lesser gods

• Theater– 44 plays survived out of thousands

– Played into politics

Hellenistic Philosophy• Searched for peaceful satisfaction

• Stoics- – Believed in universal family

– Aid others and focus on virtue and one’s duties

Religions of Salvation• Promised eternal bliss

– Must follow the rules/moral conduct of religion in order to obtain it

• Saviors; god has a saving plan for the world

• Monotheistic

• Provided a sense of security