Classical Greece

2.02 Identify the roots of Greek civilization and recognize its achievements from the Minoan era through the Hellenistic

period.2.03 Describe the developments and achievements of

Roman civilization and analyze the significance of the fall of Rome.

The Challenge of Persia

• The Persians– Greeks in Asia Minor

fell to the Persian Empire in the mid-sixth century BC

– 499 BC Athenian Navy assisted in an unsuccessful revolt

– Led the Persian ruler Darius to seek revenge

The Challenge of Persia• Battle at Marathon

– 490 BC Persians landed at Marathon– Only 26 miles from Athens– Outnumbered Athenians attacked and

defeated the Persians– News of the defeat was brought by

Pheidippides who ran from Marathon to Athens• Died after announcing the victory• Today’s marathons are based on this story

– Minor defeat to Persians but proved to the Athenians that the Persians could be beaten

– http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oTgez_mzfCY&feature=PlayList&p=68CB508ACE736674&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=3

The Challenge of Persia• Battle of Thermopylae– Xerxes took over after Darius’ death– Vowed revenge– Some Greeks formed a defensive league

under the Spartans• Athenians built a navy instead

– Xerxes led a massive invasion into Greece

– Greeks tried to hold them off at the pass of Thermopylae• Force of 7,000 held them off for 2 days• 300 Spartans in the Greek Army were

especially brave

The Challenge of Persia• Battle of Thermopylae

– A traitor told the Persians how to use a mountain path to outflank the Greek force

– Athenians abandoned their city– Greek fleet managed to defeat

the Persians– A few months later the Greeks

were able to regroup and defeat the Persians at Plataea

– http://www.learn360.com/ShowVideo.aspx?SearchText=thermopylae&ID=226989

The Athenian Empire• Athens took over leadership of the entire

Greek world after the defeat of the Persians

• Delian League– 478 BC– Defensive alliance– Formed against the Persians– Main headquarters on island of Delos– Eventually liberated almost all Greeks states

in Aegean from Persian control– Allowed Athens to create an empire

The Athenian Empire

• Age of Pericles– Dominated politics in

Athens between 461 & 429 BC

– Saw the height of Athenian power & brilliance

Pericles

• Created a direct democracy– Every male citizen participated in the

governing assembly & voted on all major issues

• Made it possible for poor citizens to take part in public affairs by paying office holders

• Helped Athens become the center of Greek culture

• Started massive rebuilding projects

Daily Life in Classical Athens

• By 5th century BC Athens had the largest population in Greece

• 150,000+ citizens– 43,000 men who had political

power

• People living in the city not as citizens– 35,000 foreigners– 100,000 slaves

Slavery in Classical Athens• Common in the ancient world• Most Athenians (except the very

poor) owned at least one slave• Wealthy citizens owned large

numbers– Usually employed them in

industry• Usual jobs included working the

fields or helping take care of homes

• Some were owned by the state and worked on public construction

Athenian Economy & Society

• Largely based on farming & trade• Family was an important

institution– Consisted of:

• Husband• Wife• Children• Other dependent relatives & slaves

also seen as family

– Primary function: • to produce more citizens

Athenian Economy & Society

• Status of women– Those who were citizens could

take part in most religious festivals

– Excluded from public life– Expected to remain at home– Had to have a companion if

leaving the home– No formal education– Married at 14 or 15

The Great Peloponnesian War

• After defeating Persians Greece divided between Athenians and Spartans

• Distrust between the two sides led to the Great Peloponnesian War

• Sparta finally won• Greatly weakened Greece

Greek Religion• Affected every aspect of life• Temples were major

buildings in cities• Gods & Goddesses lived on

Mt. Olympus• Dead went to a gloomy

underworld ruled by Hades• Rituals were important to

get the gods’ favor

Greek Religion

• Festivals were very important

• Helped start the modern Olympic games

Greek Religion

• Source of most Greek drama and art

• Romans adopted Greek gods (changed the names)

• Many stories about Greek gods appear in European and American literature

Greek Architecture & Sculpture

• Architecture– Temples to gods most

important– Ex: the Parthenon in Athens

• Sculpture– Lifelike statutes of humans– Showed a standard of ideal

beauty

Drama

• Plays usually presented in outdoor theaters

• First dramas were tragedies– Ex: Oedipus Rex by Sophocles– http://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=sA1_QZxvRyo&feature=related • Comedy developed later– Used to criticize politicians and

intellectuals

Writing History

• Greeks were 1st in the Western world to present history as an analysis of past events

• Herodotus: History of the Persian Wars

• Thucydides: The Peloponnesian War

Greek Philosophy• Philosophy – comes from Greek word

meaning “love of wisdom”• Pythagoras

– Pythagorean theorem– Essence of the universe is in music & numbers

• Sophists– Traveling teachers– Said it was beyond the human mind to

understand the universe– Goal was to argue effectively– No absolute right or wrong – based on the

individual

Greek Philosophy• Socrates– Taught without pay– Goal of education was to

improve the individual– Taught students to live by a code

of ethics– Used teaching method involving

a question-and-answer format– Questioned authority

Greek Philosophy

• Plato– Socrates’ student– Explained ideas about government in

The Republic– Believed men and women should have

the same education• Aristotle– Plato’s student– Believed people’s happiness tied to

their behavior– Studied natural science