Chapter 4

Ancient Greece

1900 – 133 B.C.

Location of Greece within Europe

Key Events• Athens and Sparta emerged as the

leading Greek city-states• The Greek military defeated the

Persian army• Greek Theatre, arts, and architecture

flourished during the Classical Age• Greek Philosophers such as Socrates,

Plato, and Aristotle established the foundations of Western Philosophy

The Impact Today• The Olympic games are held every 2

years• Greek architecture is still considered the

classical model of grace and symmetry• Greek plays continue to be performed

throughout the world• Current democratic systems of

government and citizenship are based on ideas originally developed by the Greeks

Timeline• Chapter covers almost 1800 years of ancient Greek history

• 1900 B.C. through 133 B.C.

Chapter Preview• Pericles Addresses Athens• Speech at public funeral during war between the Greek states of Athens and Sparta• Similarities with U.S. Constitution

Section 1

The First Greek

Civilizations

Greek Geography• A mountainous peninsula and

many islands (About the size of Louisiana)

• Mountains and sea played important roles

• Mountains isolated Greeks from one another – different communities developed their own ways of life

Map of Greece

Greek Geography (Continued)

• Communities became independent– Small size encourage participation in

politics– The rivalry led to warfare that

devastated Greek society• Greeks also lived on many

islands surrounding the mainland• There were many harbors along

the coastlines

The Minoan Civilization• Flourished between 2700 and

1450 B.C.• Was located on the large

island of Crete (Southeast of mainland)• Sea empire based on trade• An advanced civilization

The End of the Minoan’s• Sudden and catastrophic collapse in 1450 B.C.• How?–Tidal Wave (tsunami)–Invasion of Mycenaeans from the mainland of Greece–Historians do not agree

The Minoan’s and Mycenaean’s

The First Greek State: Mycenae

• Flourished between 1600 and 1100 B.C.• Made up of powerful monarchies–Resided in a fortified palace center–Built on hills and surrounded by gigantic stone walls

The Mycenaeans•Warrior people, proud of battle accomplishments• Mycenaean states fought one another• Major earthquakes caused significant damage• By 1100 B.C. Mycenaean civilization collapsed.

The Greek Dark Age• Approximately 1100 to 750

B.C.• Population declined and food

production dropped• Few records of what

happened exist• Significant developments

(use of iron; adoption of Phoenician alphabet; works of Homer)

Homer• Creator of epic poems – The Iliad and the Odyssey• Taught courage and honor (arete) through poems• Had some historical basis, but they also gave Greece an ideal past to serve as a model for future generations

Homer’s Iliad

Video:

Analyzing the Myths Surrounding the Trojan War (Discovery Education) – 5 Minutes

The Trojan War

Homer’s Odyssey

Video:

Homer’s Odyssey (Discovery Education) – 7 Minutes

Section 2

The Greek City-States

The Polis: Center of Greek Life

• By 750 B.C. The City State (Polis) became the central focus of Greek life

• Gathering place typically a hill • Fortified area called a acropolis• Below the acropolis was an agora• Community with common

identity and common goals

Greek Hoplites

Hoplites in a Phalanx Formation

Greek Colonies• Between 750 and 550 B.C.

new Greek colonies established in southern Italy, southern France, eastern Spain, and northern Africa• Review of Page 117 Map

Tyranny in the City-States

• Greek tyrants were rulers who seized power by force from the aristocrats• Although it did not last, the rule

of tyrants had ended the rule of the aristocrats in many city-states.• Development of democracy and

commitment to oligarchy

Sparta (The Spartans!)• Conquests

created captured people (helots).• A Military State

(Read & Discuss: Young People in Greece - Page 118)

Government of Sparta• Oligarchy headed by 2 kings• Ephors (5 men elected each

year)• A council of Elders (2 Kings

and 28 citizens over age 60)• Assembly of male citizens• Remained Isolated from rest

of world

Athens• Political

turmoil leads to drastic change and the creation of the Athenian democracy

Ancient Athens

Section 3

Classical Greece

The Challenge of Persia• The Persian Wars (499 – 479

B.C.) – Review of map on page 122

• Legend of Athenian Runner. Today’s marathon is based on this heroic story.

• Relate to The Movie “300”• Ultimately the Greeks defeat

the Persians ending the war

The Growth of the Athenian Empire

• After the defeat of the Persians, Athens takes over the leadership of the Greek world.

• Form a defensive alliance called the Delian League

• Athens creates an empire under Pericles

• Democracy flourishes (Age of Pericles)

Age of Pericles• Creation of a direct democracy (In

Athens all male citizens participated and voted)

• City officials ran the government daily

• Development of ostracism – Banning of a harmful political figure from the city for 10 years

• Massive rebuilding after Persian war

Age of Pericles

The Great Peloponnesian War

• Between Athenian Empire and Sparta (Very different societies)

• Athens eventually surrenders• Overall the Greek City states were

significantly weakened• Map review (Page 124)• Primary source reading (Plague in

Athens – Page 991) Read & Discuss

Daily Life in Classical Athens

• 5th Century B.C.–150,000 Citizens in Athens• 43,000 Were adult males with political

power–35,000 foreigners with law protection–100,000 Slaves (Common in Athens)

• Economy based on farming and trade

• The family and the role of women

Eyewitness to History• Read Together and discuss:

An Athenian Husband Explains His Wife’s Duties (Page 126)

Section 4

The Culture of Classical Greece

Greek Religion• Greek Gods and Goddesses (Mount

Olympus)• Zeus (The Chief God and Father of

the Gods)• Greek Religious rituals involved

prayers often combined with gifts to the gods based on the principle “I gave so that you will give”

Greek Religion (Continued)• Festivals Honored the Gods– First Olympic games held at the Olympic

Festival in 776 B.C. (Read and Discuss – Page 130 “The Way it Was”)

• Learned the will of the gods through an oracle (sacred shrine where a god or goddess revealed the future through a priest or priestess)

Olympic Games

Greek Drama• Plays were in outdoor theatres in the

form of tragedies. Presented as trilogies (set of 3 plays with a common theme)

• Greek Playwrights – Aeschyius, Sophocles, and Euripides

• Themes – – Good and Evil - Nature of Human

Beings– Nature of Divine forces - Individual Rights– Comedy (After tragedies)

Greek Philosophy• Socrates – The Socratic Method

(Question and Answer format to lead people to their own reasoning). Sentenced to death for “Corrupting youth”

• Plato – Great Philosopher. A student of Socrates. Explained views of government in “The Republic”.

• Aristotle – A student of Plato. Differing view of government.

Greek Architecture• Temples dedicated to a god or

goddess– Center walled rooms

(statues/treasures/gifts)– Surrounded by columns

• Most famous temple (The Parthenon)– Located in Athens– Built around 440 B.C. – Dedicated to Athena, the patron goddess

of Athens

The Parthenon

Section 5

Alexander and the

Hellenistic Kingdoms

The Threat of Macedonia• Macedonia (North of Greece)

emerged as a powerful kingdom by the end of the 5th Century

• Greeks looked down on the Macedonians as uncivilized foreigners

• King Philip II and his powerful army defeated several united Greek states in 338 B.C.

• King Philip was assassinated in 336 B.C.

Alexander the Great• King Phillip II had wanted to go after

Persia next • Alexander was the son of King Philip

II and took over as King of Macedonia at the age of 20

• Alexander took over the quest of attacking the Persian Empire

Alexander’s Conquests• By 332 B.C. Syria, Palestine, and

Egypt were under Alexander’s control

• He built Alexandria as the Greek Capital of Egypt.

• In 331 B.C. He turned East and defeated the Persians at Gaugamela and took possession of the rest of the Persian Empire.

Alexander (Continued)• Over the next 3 years he tried to

move further east but his army was weary of fighting and insisted on heading home.• Alexander returned to Babylon,

where he planned more campaigns, but died in 323 B.C. from wounds, and fever at the age of 32.

The Empire of Alexander

What Made Alexander Great!

• Great Leader and a master of strategy

• Brave and reckless fighter who was willing to risk his life and lead his men into battle

• Tried to imitate Achilles (The warrior hero of Homer’s Iliad)

• Kept a copy of the Iliad and a dagger under his pillow

Alexander the Great

• Due to his conquests, Greek language, architecture, literature, and art spread throughout Southwest Asia and the Near East.

The Hellenistic Kingdoms• Alexander created the Hellenistic Era

(To imitate Greeks)• Although the united empire created

by his conquests fell apart soon after his death, Greek language and ideas spread throughout the area of the empire

• 4 Hellenistic Kingdoms emerged:– Egyptian - Macedonian– Pergamum - Syrian

Hellenistic Culture• Significant accomplishments

especially in science and philosophy but also in architecture and sculpture

• Alexandria had the largest library of ancient times and also a museum for scholarly research

• Pergamum, the most important city in Asia Minor, also became a leading cultural center

Alexander the Great

Video:

Alexander the Great (Discovery Education) – 6 Minutes

Chapter 4Ancient Greece

Wrap Up and Review

Living in Ancient Greece

Chapter Review Video:

Living History: Living in Ancient Greece (Discovery Education) – 20 Minutes

Key Events (Re-visited)• Athens and Sparta emerged as the

leading Greek city-states• The Greek military defeated the

Persian army• Greek Theatre, arts, and architecture

flourished during the Classical Age• Greek Philosophers such as Socrates,

Plato, and Aristotle established the foundations of Western Philosophy

The Impact Today (Re-visited)

• The Olympic games are held every 2 years

• Greek architecture is still considered the classical model of grace and symmetry

• Greek plays continue to be performed throughout the world

• Current democratic systems of government and citizenship are based on ideas originally developed by the Greeks