Ancient Greece

Announcements

• Short Essay due in class today

• Virtual Class on Friday

• Today:• Significance of Ancient Greece (group exercise)• Geography & Introduction & Vocabulary of Ancient Greece• Themes of Classical Greece• Philosophy of Classical Greece

Significance of Ancient Greece?

• In groups of 3-4, discuss for 5 minutes the significance of Ancient Greece. You might think about P.E.R.S.I.A. + G.T. You can discuss either the importance of Ancient Greece in its own time, or its historical legacy today. Think about both broad categories (e.g., Sports) and specific examples (e.g., discus, marathon).

Geography of Ancient Greece

Politics in Greece

• Small, urban, independent city-states (poleis)

• Farmer-citizen-soldier• Experimentation w/

different forms of government– Tyranny– Oligarchy– Democracy

Religion in Greece

• Polytheistic• Oracles and

divination• Human gods/godlike

humans

Philosophy

• Rational > spiritual• Natural science and

humankind = focus• Socratic, Platonist,

Aristotelian, Epicurean, Hedonist, Cynic, Stoic, etc.

Early Greek Civilizations

• Minoans

• Myceneans

• Homer, Illiad, and Troy in the “Dark Ages”

Minoans

• First civilization ca. 2000 BC, on Crete

• Language = Linear A• Maritime traders• Destroyed by volcano

or Greek-speaking invaders ca. 1500 BC

Myceneans

• Warrior peoples on Greek mainland

• Civilization flourishes 1400-1100 BC

• Language = Linear B• Destroyed by invaders

ca. 1100 BC

• Greek “Dark Ages” follow

Archaic Greece (1000-500 BC)

• Homer• Illiad, Odyssey• The “Dark Ages” of

Greece?

Vocabulary to Know

• Polis• Phalanx• Oligarchy• Agora• Hoplite• Philosophy• Acropolis• Helot• Tyrant• ostracism

mkatz.web.wesleyan.edu/.../greek_numerals.html