Describe important Greek developments in the arts. Discuss Greek achievements in history, politics,...

2. Ancient Greece

Objectives• Describe important Greek developments in the

arts. • Discuss Greek achievements in history, politics,

biology, and logic. • Summarize how Alexander the Great created an

empire. • Describe how Hellenistic kingdoms became

centers of learning and culture.

Geography shapes Greek Civilization• Greece is a peninsula, which means that it is

surrounded on three sides by water. • Greece is one big peninsula made up of a series

of smaller peninsulas, in addition to many small islands, which means Greece enjoys many natural harbors.

Mountains and Settlements• Because mountains cover much of Greece, there

are few flat areas for farmland.• People settled in those flat areas along the coast

and in river valleys.• They lived in villages and towns separated by

mountains and seas.

Mount Olympus • Greece is covered with mountains. They are not

huge mountains but if you are trying to go from place to place in Greece, you'll find the mountains a bit of a hindrance.

• The highest mountain in Greece is Mount Olympus.

Mountains and Settlements• Traveling across the mountains and seas was

difficult, so communities were isolated from one another. As a result, the people created their own government and ways of life.

• Even though they spoke the same language, Greek communities saw themselves as separate villages.

Seas and Ships• Since travel across the rugged mountains was so

difficult, the early Greeks turned to the sea.• On the South was the huge Mediterranean Sea,

to the west the Ionian Sea, and to the east was the Aegean Sea.

Seas and Ships• The Early Greeks used the sea as a source for

food and as a way of trading with other communities.

• The Greeks became skilled shipbuilders and sailors.

The Mediterranean Sea moderates Greece's climate, cooling the air in summer and providing warmth in the winter months. Summers are generally hot and dry. Winters are moderate and rainy in coastal regions and cold and snowy in mountainous areas.

Volcanic

• Another important aspect of the Greek environment is that it is very unstable.

• Greece is in the middle of a very volcanic zone, between the European and African tectonic plates.

• There are several active volcanoes and earthquakes are common.

The Climate• The climate is

Mediterranean.• The Mediterranean

Sea affects the Greek climate, cooling the air in summer and providing warmth in winter.

• The warm summers are cooled by a seasonal breezes from the Mediterranean.

Soil and Plants• Vegetation is

dependent on geographical regions.

• Due to the variety of land, there a some 6,000 indigenous species in Greece.

• In Ancient Greece, farmers grew olives, figs, grain, fruit and grapes in the fertile valleys.

Agriculture

Olive grove in rocky Greek soil

Common Foods in Ancient Greece

Soil and Plants• However, other parts of

Ancient Greece had drier soil and less vegetation, particularly around the cities.

• Although surrounded by sea water, they found it difficult to find fresh water away from the valleys.

• The high mountains also prevented large-scale farming, so the Greeks were forced to look beyond their own country for fertile land.

Capital City

• The capital city is Athens. It is famous for beautiful beaches and the sea.

Physical Geography• The Land

• Mountains dominate land; cross land travel difficult• Fertile river valleys were center of settlement• River valleys formed basis of polis• No place more than a few miles from sea• Outdoor life common due to temperate climate

• The Sea• Greece is a series of peninsulas, islands• Sea travel easier than land communication• Most Greeks took to the sea

• Economy• Agriculture: Grains, honey, olives, grapes• Herding: Goats, sheep, cattle• Trade: Necessary to make up for lack of resources

Trading Cultures Develop• Many cultures settled and developed in Greece.• Two of the earliest were the Minoans and the

Mycenaens.• By 2000 BC the Minoans had build an advanced

society on the island of Crete.• These two civilizations influenced the entire

Aegean region and helped shape later cultures in Greece.

The Minoans• Minoans had build an advanced society on the

island of Crete, in the eastern Mediterranean.• Because they lived on an island, the Minoans

spent much of their time at sea.• They were among the best shipbuilders of their time.

The Minoans• Although Crete’s location was excellent for

Minoan traders, sometime in the 1600s BC a huge volcano erupted just north of Crete. This eruption created a giant wave that flooded much of Crete.

• The eruption threw up huge clouds of ash, ruining crops and burying cities. This eruption led to the end of Minoan civilization.

BULL-LEAPING

The Mycenaean • Although they lived in what is now Greece and

influenced Greek society, historians don’t consider the Minoans to be Greek.

• This is because the Minoans didn’t speak the Greek language.

The Mycenaeans • The first people to speak Greek, and therefore the first to

be considered Greek were the Mycenaeans.• By the mid-1400s B.C., the Myceneans took over Crete and

become the major traders in the eastern Mediterranean.• They set up colonies in northern Greece and Italy from

which they shipped goods to markets around the Mediterranean and Black Seas.

The Mycenaeans • The Mycenaeans didn’t think trade had to be

conducted peacefully. They often attacked other kingdoms.

• Some historians think the Mycenaeans attacked the city of Troy, possibly starting the legendary Trojan War.

Minoans Vs. Mycenaeans

Minoans• They spent much of their

time at sea, trading in the Mediterranean.

• Ships carried goods such as wood, olive oil, and pottery all around the eastern Mediterranean.

• They became the victims of a huge volcano that erupted north of Crete.

• They were not considered to be Greek, since they didn’t speak Greek.

Mycenaeans • They were the first people to be

considered Greek.• They lived inland and built

fortresses. • They were more violent in their

trade.• They took over Crete and

became the major traders in the eastern Mediterranean.

• They developed colonies in northern Greece and Italy, from which they shipped goods around the Mediterranean and the Black Sea.

Greeks Create City-States• About 300 years after the Mycenaean civilization

crumbled, the Greeks started to join together in small groups for protection and stability.

• Overtime these groups set up independent city-states.

• The creation of city-states marked the beginning of what is known as Greece’s classical age.

Life in a City-State• Not everyone who lived in the city-state lived

inside the city walls.• Farmers, for example, lived near their fields outside the

wall.

• Life in the city focused on the marketplace• Because it was a large open space, the market also

served as both political and religious meeting place.

Life in the City-State• The city-state became the foundation of Greek

civilization.• Beside providing security for its people, the city gave

them an identity.• People thought of themselves as residents of a city, not as

Greeks.

City-States and Colonization• Groups from city-states around Greece began to

set up colonies in distant land in search of trade or to deal with over population.• Once they are established, these colonies become

independent City-State.

Patterns of Trade• Although the colonies were independent, they

often traded with city-states on the mainland.

Forces Uniting the Greeks

Ancestry

Language

Literature

Religion Olympic Games

Government in Athens

Aristocrats and Tyrants Rule• Greece is the Birthplace of democracy, a type of

government which people rule themselves.• Before democracy in Athens, kings rules the city-

state.• Later, a group of rich landowners, or aristocrats

took power.

Aristocrats and Tyrants Rule

• The aristocrats dominated Athenian society.• As the richest men in town,

they ran the city’s economy.• They also served as

generals and judges.• Common people had little

say in the government.

• In the 600s BC, a group of rebels tried to overthrow the aristocrats.• They failed• Their failure resulted in

harsher laws.

Athens Creates Democracy

• Around 500 BC Cleisthenes overthrow the aristocrats and created a new form of government – Democracy.• All citizens (men) had the right to participate in the assembly.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Cleisthenes.jpg

Changes in Athenian Democracy

• As time passed, citizens gained more power.

• They served on juries to decide court cases.

• Athens remained a democracy for about 170 years.

• It reached its height under Pericles.• Pericles encouraged the

Athenians to take pride in their city.

• He believed that participation in government was as important as defending Athens in war.

End of Democracy in Athens• In 330s BC Athens was conquered by the

Macedonians from north of Greece.• The king ruled like a dictator. No one could make

decisions without his approval.• The assembly still met to make laws, but it had to

be careful not to upset the king.• Eventually, a new king took over and ended Athenian democracy altogether.

Sparta: A Nation of Soldiers• The Spartans were

Dorians who conquered Laconia.

• The region lies in Peloponnesus, the Southern part of Greece.

• The invaders turned the conquered people into state-owned slaves, called helots, and made them work the land.

• Because the helot greatly outnumbered their rulers, the Spartans set up brutal system of strict control.

Spartan government• The Spartan government included two kings and

a council of elders who advised the monarchs.• As assembly made up of all citizens approved

major decisions.• Citizens were male, native-born Spartans over

the age of 30.• The assembly also elected five ephores, officials who help the real power and ran day-to-day affairs

The Rigors of Citizenship• From childhood, a Spartan prepared to be part of

the military state.• Every new born was examined and the sickly children

were abandoned to die.• At the age of seven, boys began training for a lifetime

in the military.• Toughened by a coarse died, hard exercise, and rigid discipline, Spartan youth became excellent soldiers.

The Life of a Spartan

Birth

•Newborns brought to ephors (leaders) for examination

•Sickly babies left to die of exposure

•Healthy babies•Boys lived

with their parents until age seven

•Girls stayed with their parents until marriage, and learning weaving, cooking, cleaning

Age 6

•Boys sent to military school for strict physical training

•Weapons and endurance training

•Frequent beatings

•Taught basic reading and to be laconic (use brief speech)

Age 20

•Young men became soldiers

•Allowed to get married

•But lived in the barracks until age 30

Age 30

•These soldiers became citizens

•Could vote and could live in their own homes

•Remained in the military until age 60

Women• Girls had a rigorous upbringing.

• They were expected to produce healthy sons for the army.

• They therefore were told to exercise and strengthen their bodies.

• Spartan women had to obey their fathers or husbands. But they had the right to inherit property.

• Because men were occupied with war, some women took on responsibilities such as running the family’s estate.

Sparta and Its Neighbors• The Spartans isolated themselves from other

Greeks.• They looked down on trade and wealth, forbade,

their own citizens to travel, and had little use for new ideas or the arts.

Laconia: Sparta

Athens vs. SpartansAthens Sparta

Government

First to rule as a democracy.

Ruled as an oligarchy by 2 kings.

Location Built below the acropolis which stands on a hill above all of Athens

Surrounded by mountains, which makes it difficult for it to be invaded.

Men and Education

Creative city state. Believed in good education for boys. Joining the army was optional

Very focused on obedience and war. People did not have any luxuries.

Women in society

Girls were not regarded as important. Could be taught at home. Were not allowed to take part in war business or education

Girls were to grow up to be the mothers of warriors. Although they were not allowed to fight, girls took path in all the training because fit ladies produced fit babies.

War Athens wanted to control as much land as possible.

Although more powerful kept for themselves unless their army was needed.

Forces for Unity• Strong local ties, an independent spirit, and

economic rivalry led to fighting among the Greeks city-states.

• Despite these divisions, Greeks shared a common culture.

• They spoke the same language.• Honored the same ancient heroes. • Worshiped the same gods. • Participated in common festivals.

The Persian Wars• In 492 B.C. King Darius I of Persia cast an eye

across the proud Greek city-states.• Seeking revenge for a Greek insult, he sent

messengers throughout Greece demanding gifts of “earth and water.” – Symbols of submission to Darius.

The Persian Wars• Many of the city-states

obeyed Darius’ demands since the Persian empire was the most powerful in the Mediterranean world.

• But Athens and Sparta were not so quick to submit.

• Instead, the Athenians threw Darius’ messengers into a well, while the Spartans tossed them into a pit. The Persians, they said could collect their own earth and water.

The Persian Wars• The Greek historian Herodotus told this story of

Greek defiance and pride. Despite their cultural ties, the Greek city-states were bitterly divided. Yet, when the Persians threatened, the Greeks briefly put aside their differences to defend their freedom.

The Persian Wars• By 500 B.C., Athens had emerged as the

wealthiest Greek city-state.• The Persians conquered a huge empire stretching

from Asia Minor to the border of India.

The Persian Wars• Through under Persian rule, these Ionian city-

state were largely self government, still, they resented their situation.

• In 499 B.C., Ionian Greeks rebelled against Persian rule. Athens sent ships to help them.

The Persian Wars• The Athenians defeated the Persians at Marathon

in 490.• Darius died before he could mass his troops for

another attack. • In 480 B.C. his son Xerxes (Zerkseez) sent a

much larger force to conquer Greece.

The Persian Wars• By this time, Athens had persuaded Sparta and

other city-states to join in the fight against Persia.• A small Spartan force guarded the narrow

mountain pass at Thermopylae. Led by the great warrior king Leonidas.

The Persian Wars• After defeating the Spartans, the Persians

marched south and burned Athens.• The city was empty. The Athenians had withdrawn to

safety.

• The Greeks now put their faith in the fleet of ships that Themistocles had urged them to build.

The Persian Wars• The Athenians lured the Persian navy into the

narrow strait of Salamis.• Athenian warships, powered by rowers, drove

into the Persian boats with underwater battering rams.

• On the shore, Xerxes watched helplessly as his might fleet sank.

The Persian War• The following year, the Greeks defeated the

Persians on land on Asia Minor.• The victory marked an end of the Persian

invasions.

Greek History• The Persians & Greeks: Crash Course World

History #5• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-

mkVSasZIM&list=PLBDA2E52FB1EF80C9&index=5

The Trojan War• Was the Trojan War a real historical event or

merely a legend in Mycenaean history?

The Trojan War• About 1200 B.C., the

Mycenaeans fought the Trojan War with the city of Troy in Anatolia.

• At the same time, foreigners invaded the Mycenaean homeland

• From 1100 to 800 B.C., chaos reigned throughout the eastern Mediterranean

• In the absence of a centralized state or empire, local institutions took the lead in restoring political order to Greece

The Trojan War (13th-12th Century B.C.)• The Trojans were people from ancient Troy

(Turkey).• The Trojan War was fought between the Trojans

and the Greeks over the beautiful maiden Helen…

The Trojan Horse• The Greeks wanted to sneak into the gates of

Ancient Troy, so they built a giant wooden horse and told the Trojans it was a gift from the Aechaens (Greeks).

Trojan War• Two epic poems by Homer

“Iliad” and “Odyssey” describe the Trojan War

• Approximately 1194-1184 BCE

• Greeks vs Troy • Helen of Sparta + Paris of

Troy “the face that launched a thousand ships”

• Achilles, Odysseus, Hector, Agamemnon and the Trojan Horse•Archaeologist- Heinrich Schliemann (claims that he found Troy and the early Greek civilization of Myceaneans)

Homer• Epic: a long poem which tells a story involving

gods, heroes, and heroic exploits:• Iliad: Greek perspective on the war against Troy in the

12th century B.C.• Odyssey: Experiences of the Greek hero Odysseus as he

sailed home after the Trojan.

Greek Accomplishments

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Philosophers: Lovers of Wisdom

• Greek thinkers challenged the belief that events were caused by the whims of gods.

• Instead, they used observation and reason to find causes for events.

• The Greeks called these thinkers philosophers, meaning “lovers of wisdom.”

Philosophers: Lovers of Wisdom

• Greek philosophers explored many subjects, from mathematics and music to logic, or rational thinking.

• Through reason and observation, they believed, they could discover laws that governed the universe.

• Much modern science traces its roots to the Greek search for such principles

Ethical Issues• Other Greek Philosophers were more interested

in ethics and morality.• They debated such questions as what was the

best kind of government and what standards should rule human behavior.

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Socrates Questions Tradition • One outspoken critic of the

Sophists was Socrates, an Athenian stonemason and philosopher.

• Most of what we know about Socrates comes from his student Plato.

• Socrates himself wrote no books. Instead, he passed his days in the marketplace asking people about their beliefs.

• Using a process we now call the Socratic method, he would pose a series of questions to a student or passing citizen, and challenge them to examine the implications of their answers

Socrates Questions Tradition • When he was about 70 years old, Socrates was put on trial. His

enemies accused him of corrupting the city’s youth and failing to respect the gods.

• Standing before a jury of 501 citizens, Socrates offered a calm and reasoned defense. But the jurors condemned him to death. Loyal to the laws of Athens, Socrates accepted the death penalty. He drank a cup of hemlock, a deadly poison.

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Plato Envisions A Perfect Society

• The execution of Socrates left Plato with a lifelong distrust of democracy.

• He fled Athens for 10 years. When he returned, he set up a school called the Academy. There, he taught and wrote about his own ideas

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• In his book The Republic, Plato described his vision of an ideal state. • He rejected Athenian

democracy because it had condemned Socrates just as it tended to other excesses.

• Instead, Plato argued that the state should regulate every aspect of its citizens’ lives in order to provide for their best interests

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• He divided his ideal society into three classes: • workers to produce the

necessities of life, • soldiers to defend the state, • and philosophers to rule.

This elite class of leaders would be specially trained to ensure order and justice. The wisest of them, a philosopher-king, would have the ultimate authority.

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Aristotle Pursues the Golden Mean

• Plato’s most famous student, Aristotle, developed his own ideas about government.

• He analyzed all forms of government, from monarchy to democracy, and found good and bad examples of each.

• Like Plato, he was suspicious of democracy, which he thought could lead to mob rule.

• In the end, he favored rule by a single strong and virtuous leader

Aristotle Pursues the Golden Mean • He left writings on politics, ethics, logic, biology,

literature, and many other subjects. • When the first European universities evolved

some 1,500 years later, their courses were based largely on the works and ideas of Aristotle.

Monumental Architecture• Greek architects sought to convey a sense of

perfect balance to reflect the harmony and order of the universe.

• The most famous example of Greek architecture is the Parthenon, a temple dedicated to the goddess Athena.

Monumental Architecture• Greek architecture has been widely admired for

centuries. Today, many public buildings throughout the world have incorporated Greek architectural elements, such as columns, in their designs.

New York Public Library

The White House

Artists Craft Lifelike Human Forms• Early Greek sculptors carved

figures in rigid poses, perhaps imitating Egyptian styles.

• By 450 B.C., Greek sculptors had developed a new style that emphasized more natural forms.

• While their work was lifelike, it was also idealistic. That is, sculptors carved gods, goddesses, athletes, and famous men in a way that showed human beings in their most perfect, graceful form.

Sculpture

• Ideals of classical art—Order, Balance and Proportion

• Sculptures show grace, serenity, strength and perfection

• Most Greek Sculptures exist today because the Romans copied them

Arts• The only Greek paintings to

survive are on pottery. • They offer intriguing views

of every day Greek life.• Women carry water from wells.

• warriors race into battle, and athletes compete in javelin contests.

• Each scene is designed to fit the shape of the pottery.

Greek Poetry and Fables• Greek poems and stories are the oldest in the Western world and

serve as models for European and American poems and stories.• An epic is a long poem about heroic deeds.• The first great epics were the Iliad and the Odyssey, written by

Homer.• The Greeks believed these two epics were real history.• A slave named Aesop wrote many fable.

• A fable is a short tale that teaches a lesson.• Fables were passed from one person to another through oral traditions.

Drama

Comedies• Aristophanes• Plays satirized politics

and politicians, poking fun at society and ridiculing the rich

Tragedies• Created to honor the God of

Wine and fertility– Dionysus • Performed in Amphitheatres• Aeschylus, Sophocles, and

Euripides• Sophocles focuses on the

individual • Oedipus Rex despite doing

everything to change his fate still ends up killing his father and marrying his mother for which he punishes himself by stabbing himself in the eye

Olympic Games• Began in 776 BC in the city-state of Olympia• Held to honor Zeus• Competitions first included footraces then

wrestling, boxing, javelin, discus throwing were added

• The pankration event combined wrestling and boxing and had no rules except scratching the facial area

• Winner would receive a wreath of Olive leaves

Religion and Education• The ancient Greeks

created great myths and works of literature that influence the way we speak and wrote today.

• The Greeks created myths to explain the world.

• The ancient Greeks believed in many gods. These gods were at the center of Greek mythology.

Religion and Education

Temple of Apollo Oracle at Delphi

Worshipping the deities • Each city in Greece

had a god or goddess that the citizens worshipped. They built temples, statues, and had celebrations to honor that deity. They also made offerings to the gods.

Study of History• Herodotus—History of the

Persian wars—often calledThe father of history• Thucydides—History of the

Peloponnesian Wars• Began the scientific analysis

of events based on actual eyewitness accounts and factual evidence and then added their own poetic interpretations

Science• Eratosthenes—Correctly measures the earth’s

circumference.• Ptolemy—Geocentric theory—cartography,

creation of latitude/longitude• Archimedes—Develops a system of levers and

pulleys• Hippocrates —Medicine• Astronomy—Aristarchus—proposed • Heliocentric theory • Anaxagoras—eclipses

Activity• Research how did Greece influence our society

today?

Check Points

Check Point• Which of the following best summarizes the

geography of Greece?a) a rocky, mountainous landb) a land of flat, fertile plains c) a cold, barren landd) a land of small hills and dense forests

Check Point• In geographical terms, the land of Greece is a

largea) isthmusb) island. c) Continentd) peninsula.

Check Point• Because traveling by land in Greece was difficult,

the Greeksa) became expert shipbuilders. b) gave up trying to travel.c) learned how to climb mountains. d) took up farming.

Check Point• Which of the following groups built an advanced

society on the island of Crete?a) the Minoans b) the Mycenaeansc) the Aegeans d) the Mediterraneans

Check Point• Which is true about the Mycenaeans?

a) The Mycenaeans lived on Greek islands.b) The Mycenaeans did not speak Greek.c) The Mycenaeans lived on the Greek mainlandd) The Mycenaeans were not traders.

Check Point• Which is true about the Mycenaeans?

a) The Mycenaeans lived on Greek islands.b) The Mycenaeans did not speak Greek.c) The Mycenaeans lived on the Greek mainland.d) The Mycenaeans were not traders.

Check Point• Which of the following led to the end of the

Minoan civilization?a) They were attacked by Europeans.b) Earthquakes destroyed many of their cities.c) A volcanic eruption ruined their cities.d) Other cultures refused to trade with them.

Check Point• Over time, the Greek people living in city-states

a) became bored and developed the desire to travel.b) disliked their city-states and began to rebel against

them.c) thought of themselves as residents of the city-state,

not as Greeks.d) fled their city-states in fear and set up their own

colonies.

Check Point• Why were juries in Athens designed to have an

odd number of members?a) to ensure that each citizen had a voteb) To prevent tiesc) to prevent aristocrats from being unfaird) so there would always be discussion

Check Point• ____ 8. Why were juries in Athens designed to

have an odd number of members?a) to ensure that each citizen had a voteb) To prevent tiesc) to prevent aristocrats from being unfaird) so there would always be discussion

Check Point• After Greek city-states were ruled by kings, they

were ruled bya) aristocratsb) citizensc) dictators. d) armies.

Check Point• During the early democracy in Greece, why did

people have meetings outdoors?a) To make it easier to hear speakersb) to allow visitors to watch the meetings c) To make sure everyone could attendd) to make it easier to vote

Check Point• Greek myths were stories that explained

a) what things the Greek people most valued.b) why natural or historical events happened.c) why humans should worship the gods.d) why humans or animals behaved like they did.

Check Point• According to Greek mythology, why are there

different seasons?a) Hera is punishing humans for not worshipping the

gods.b) Demeter is separated from her daughter during the

winter.c) Hephaestus is making weapons for the gods in his

forge.d) Apollo goes away for part of each year to rest.

Check Point• What was the most important aspect of life in

Sparta?a) Playing musicb) learning about philosophy c) preparing for battlesd) learning to lead people.

Check Point• What caused Darius to first become angry with

the Greeks?a) Greek city-states would not allow people to practice

Zoroastrianism.b) Many Greeks stated that Greece was more advanced

than Persia.c) Greek city-states refused to help Persia in its war

with Turkey.d) The Athenians gave aid to the Ionian Greeks during

their rebellion against Persia.

Check Point• From an early age, Spartan boys were trained to

bea) Teachersb) Soldiersc) Writersd) leaders

Check Point• ____ 16. At what age were Spartan men done

serving in the army?a) 40b) 50c) 60d) 70

Check Point• What can you infer about the ancient Greeks

based upon their achievements?a) The ancient Greeks most valued warfare and battle.b) The ancient Greeks valued philosophy and art.c) The ancient Greeks were most interested in farmingd) The ancient Greeks felt that literature was pointless.

Check Point• The Parthenon is a famous Greek

a) Poemb) Vasec) Buildingd) art

Check Point• Early Greek philosophers were important

because they were the first people toa) think about the mysteries and problems of life in

Greece.b) consider explanations for events other than that they

were the work of the gods.c) describe why the Greek gods and goddesses were to

be worshipped.d) help the rest of the Greek people make good

decisions in daily life.

Check Point• Democracy in Greece started in the city of

a) Creteans b) Minoansc) Athensd) Myceneans

Check Point• Because people were upset by his ideas,

_________was arrested and sentenced to deatha) Platob) Socratesc) Aristotled) Darius

Describe important Greek developments in the arts. Discuss Greek achievements in history, politics,...

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