ANCIENT GREECE

NATURAL ENVIRONMENT

HELLAS:- South of the Baklan Peninsula- Coast of Asia Minor- Islands of the Aegean and Ionic Sea

NATURAL ENVIRONMENT

Not common things Common things

Mountainous topography and

islands

Political division

Each valley or island: polis (city-

state)

• Same civilization : same language, culture and religion.

• Mediterranean Sea: sea trade and communication network.

• Mediterranean climate: wheat, vines and olives.

NATURAL ENVIRONMENT

INFLUENCE IN THE WESTERN CIVILIZATION

- DEMOCRACY- LITERATURE (threatre, poetry, history)- PHYLOSOPHY- SCIENCE (Maths, Physics, Astronomy, Medicine)- ART

TIMELINE

  MINOAN CIVILIZATION

Chronology 3000 - 1450 B. C.

Location Crete

Cities

Capital: Knossos. Cities with palaces (economic, political and religious centres)

Government

Monarchy: King Minos

Economy

Trade: they exported pottery, fabrics, bronze objects and goldsmithing

End Invaded by the Mycenaean

MINOAN CIVILIZATION

KNOSSOS PALACE

KNOSSOS PALACE: THE QUEEN’S ROOM

KNOSSOS PALACE: THE BULL-LEAPING (TAUROTACAPSIA)

KNOSSOS PALACE

VOLCANIC ERUPTION OF THIRA

  Mycenaen civilization

Chronology 1600 - 1200 B. C.

Location

European Greece (Achaeans invaded the region)

Polis Capital: MyceanaeWalled cities

Government

MonarchyWarrior society

Economy

Agriculture and livestock. They controlled the metal trade

EndInvassion of the Dorians (from the North of Greece)

MYCENAE

TREASURY OF ATREUS

THE DARK AGE

- Chronology: 1200-750 B.C.

- Lack of information

- Introduction of iron

- Invassion of the Dorians

THE ARCHAIC PERIOD

POLIS:- Independent city-states- Own government, laws,

currency and army.- City and territory

around it.- Athens, Sparta,

Corinth, Thebes, Argos…

MONARCHY

• “The power of one person” = king (Basileus).

OLIGARCHY

• “The power of a few” = aristocrats (government of the best)

• Consultive assembly of citizens (no vote)

TYRANNY• Tyrant: aristocratic leader who defends the interests of

the citizens and did political and economic reforms

AthensRevolts (7th BC) and reforms (6th

BC)

Solón and CleisthenesRight of all citizens to

participare in the city’s

government

DemocracyPower of the

citizens (demos)

Social unrests (7th and 6th century BC) ask for reforms to favour the people

THE ARCHAIC PERIOD

GREEK COLONISATION

CAUSES

Population growth

Poor soil

Social inequality

Poor peasants

Famine

STAGES

1. Until 650 B.C. - Magna Graecia

(Italy)- Western

Mediterranean (Massalia, N of África)

2. from 650 B.C.:- Black Sea (Olbia,

Sinope)

COLONIES

Fertile lands close to the coast

Keep the polis organization and

links with the metropolis…

… but they were independent

CONSEQUENCES

Trade increases

Imports: food and metals

Exports: goods

Contacts with other people

Phoenicians, Etruscans,

Egyptians…

THE ARCHAIC PERIOD

Black Sea (Olbia, Sinope and Trebisonda)

Magna Graecia (Italy)

Western Mediterranean

(Massalia)

THE ARCHAIC PERIOD

THE ARCHAIC PERIOD

Penteconter

Bireme

Trireme

Using light ships, Greeks travelled along the coast in search of places to settle and trade with the indigenous people.

2. La época arcaica: las polis

GREEK AND PHOENICIAN COLONISATION IN THE IBERIAN PENINSULA

GREEK POLIS OF AMPURIAS

THE CLASSICAL AGE (5th and 4th c. B.C.)

POLITICAL SYSTEM OF ATHENSCITIZENS

(male over 18 years old, from Athenian parents. around

40.000)

EKKLESIA(Citizens’ assembly. Vote laws, decide about

peace and war. Decide about ostracism)

POPULARTRIBUNALS (HELIE)

MAGISTRATES(execute Assembly’s

decisions)BOULÉ (COUNCIL OF THE 500)

(prepare the laws)

10 STRATEGISTS(head of the army, apply the law)

9 ARCHONS(civil affairs. Preside the tribunals and religious acts)

POLITICAL SYSTEM OF ATHENS

3. La época clásica (s. V – s. IV a.c.)

TWO KINGSThey form part of the

GerousiaMilitary and religious power

GEROUSIAElderly council

(28 older than 60 + two kings)Propose laws to the Apella

FIVE EPHORSControl the kings

One year Preside the Gerousia

APELLAPopular assembly of citizens (men

over 30 years old). Voting by acclamation. Veto of the GerousiaElect the Ephors and the Gerousia

ARMYLead by the kings

Formed by hoplites (always) and perioeci (“foreing”, in time of

war)

POLITICAL SYSTEM OF SPARTA

THE GRECO-PERSIAN WARS (499-479 B.C.)

The Persian (Medes for the Greeks), lead by Darius I, started a territorial expansion since the mid of the 6th century B.C.

First Greco-Persian War Second Greco-Persian War

Cronology 499-490 B.C. 480-479 B.C.Persian Kings Darius I Xerxes IPersian generals Mardonius Hidarnes / ArtemisiaGreek generals, characters and battles

Miltiades and Philippides (Marathon)

Leonidas (Termopylae)Aristides y Themistocles (Salamis)

Finished in 490 B. C., with the victory of the Athenian soldiers (hoplites) in the battle of Marathon.

The Persians, after the battle of Termopylae (480 B.C.), sacked

Athens, but they were defeated in the naval battle of Salamis and the

land battle of Plataea.

THE GRECO-PERSIAN WARS (499-479 B.C.)

After conquering Asia Minor, they tried to conquer Greece, starting the Greco-Persian Wars.

2. La historia de Grecia

Battle of Marathon (490 B.C.)

ATHENS: Combat using frontal crash and tight lines.

SPARTA:- Spartan soldier: training since 7

years old (very strict military training and hard discipline.- Best soldiers in Ancient

Greece.- - Around 5000 soldiers

1. El ejército griego

1. El ejército griego

CONFRONTATION BETWEEN ATHENS AND SPARTA

The victory over the Persians gave the hegemony to Athens. Its the century of Pericles, a brilliant period in Ancient Greece.

DELIAN LEAGUE

Created in 477 B.C: to defend thmselves from the Persians

Confederation of polis

Treasury was kept in the island of Delos under Athenian control

PROBLEMS

Polis could not abandon the League

Athens kept the treasury

THE PELOPONNESIAN WARS (431 – 404 B.C.)

Delian League VS Peloponesian League

- Spartan victory

- End of Athenian hegemony

- All polis became weaker

Macedonia was a kingdom in the North of Greece, influenced by the Greek culture.

In the mid 4th century B.C., Philip II conquered Greece. s un reino al norte de Grecia, muy influenciado por la cultura griega.

ALEXANDER THE GREAT

His son, Alexander, continued the expansion:- Between 334 and 323 B.C. the conquered Persia, Egypt, Mesopotamia

and reached the Indo River.- Created new polis with his name like Alexandria in Egypt.

Alexander died without descendants, so his generals divided the Empire in different kingdoms called Hellenistic Kingdoms.

HELLENISATION

Expansion of the Greek culture (language, art, religion) and its merger with the Eastern culture =Eastern governemts (monarchies) + Greek culture.

La falange macedónica

SALIRSALIRANTERIORANTERIOR

Macedonian phalanx