Section 3: Victory and Defeat in the Greek World

• Before the war•400s B.C.: Persian Empire intends to

extend influence over all of Europe•Greek city-states cooperate with

each other in resisting the Persian attack

The Persian Wars• 546 B.C.: Persian

armies led by Cyrus II, conquered Greek city-states of Ionia in Asia Minor

• 499 B.C.: Ionians revolt against Persians, but Darius I of Persia put it down

Marathon

• Darius tried to send an army around the northern coast of Aegean Sea; supply ships destroyed by storm, had to turn back

• 490 B.C.: Darius sent fleet directly across Aegean to coastal plain of Marathon

• Darius waited for Athenians to attack; they didn’t; Darius decided to move south

• Athenians attacked as Darius was getting supplies together to move south

• Persians lost 6,400; Greeks lost only 192

Salamis• 480 B.C.: Darius’ son and successor,

Xerxes invaded Greece from north• Themistocles, Athenian General, received

advice from oracle of Delphi to have the Greek allies try and defeat Persia by sea

• King Leonidas of Sparta led an army to Thermopyle (mountain pass north of Athens) to delay the Persians

• Greek traitor advised the Persians of the Greek plan; Greeks held on long enough for the navy to draw the Persians into the strait of Salamis (off coast of Athens)

• Outnumbered by Persians, Greek ships were smaller and faster, destroyed most of the Persian ships

• 479 BC: Persians retreat to Asia minor

Peloponnesian War

• Persia still a threat• Athens forms Delian League (alliance

against Persians, included most city-states except Sparta)–name comes from the island of Delos,

where the treasury was kept.

Athenian Empire

• Athens begins to dominate other city-states, transformed form anti-Persian league to Athenian empire

• Athenian trade and influence growing, many city-states formed an alliance against Athens; Sparta headed this alliance

Conflict• Peloponnesian War lasted 431-404 B.C.;

brief period of peace in between• Athens had upper hand at first, Spartans

made deal with Persia–Persia gives Sparta money to build

navy–Sparta sponsors Persia taking Ionia

• 430 B.C.: plague in Athens kills 1/3 of the population and its leader Pericles–Some Athenians want to fight, others

want peace–Several Athenian allies change sides

and fight with Sparta• Sparta (supported by Persia) lays siege

to city• Athens surrender in 404 B.C.

Effects of War• War brought destruction to the winners and the

losers• Population declined• Unemployment increased, young men emigrate

to Persia to join army• Greeks lose ability to govern themselves• Fields and orchids destroyed• Sparta tried to rule other city-states,

overthrown by Thebans in 371 BC• Thebans were overthrown by Macedonia in

350s B.C.

Section 4: The Glory That Was Greece• Greek Philosophers–After Athens’ defeat, this city-state

became home to several philosophers thinkers who tried to understand human life.

Socrates• believed deeply in truth

and justice; –many people did not

trust him; – thought his teachings

were a danger to young people.–Brought to trial and

condemned to death

Plato

• Socrates pupil• Recorded many of

Socrates’ ideas• Became an

important thinker in his own right

Aristotle• Plato’s student• Wrote books that

summarized the knowledge of the Greeks

• Developed a way of reasoning

• System of logic became the foundation of scientific thought used today

Greek Art

• Parthenon• Built to honor the

goddess Athena• Example of classical

art reflects order, balance and proportion

Greek Drama• Athens became home to a group of very skilled

playwrights.• Tragedies plays about the pain and suffering of human

life.• Love, hate, and war were common themes.– Tragic heroes main characters; had flaws that

caused their downfall.• Comedies plays that made audiences laugh

about important ideas.–Critical of customs, politics, and people– Showed that Athens was a free and open

society

Alexander and the Hellinistic Age

Alexander—Empire Builder

• 359 B.C., Phillip II became king of Macedonia located north of Greece.

• Prepared his army to invade Greece• Demosthenes Athenian orator, tried to warn

the Greeks.– United too late to save themselves

• Macedonians won• Greek independence over.

Alexander the Great

• Phillip planned to invade Persia next.• He was killed before he invaded.• His son, Alexander became king at age 20.• Became known as Alexander the Great.

Alexander Defeats Persia

• Prepared to carry out his father’s dream of world conquest.

• 334 B.C. invaded Persia.• Darius III, king of Persia, raised a huge army to

face him.• Alexander used a surprise attack.• Darius III had to retreat.

Alexander Defeats Egypt

• Moved south to enter Egypt• Crowned pharaoh • Founded a city that he named for himself –

Alexandria• Then turned back to Persia and won another

great battle.• Ended all Persian resistance• Won the empire

Alexander’s Other Conquests

• Alexander took his army as far as India.• Moved deep into that country• After many years of fighting, his soldiers

wanted to return home.• On the way home, he fell ill and died at age

33.

Domain Divided• 3 of Alexander’s generals divided his empire-

Seleucus, Ptolemy, Antigonus• Ptolemy took Egypt, Libya, part of Syria

(Cleopatra VII was a famous Ptolmaic ruler, lost her kingdom to Romans in 31 BC)

• Seleucus took rest of Syria, Mesopotamia, Iran, and Afghanistan

• Antigonus took Macedonia and Greece (Greek city-states wanted their independence, began fighting amongst themselves, later the Roman Empire would consume Macedonia and Greece)

Hellenistic Culture in Alexandria

What was Hellenistic culture?• Blended Greek with Egyptian, Persian, and

Indian influences.• Alexandria, Egypt center of this culture.– Located near the mouth of the Nile River on

the Mediterranean Sea.–Had a ship harbor– Large population from many different

countries

Alexandria• Beautiful city• Huge lighthouse towered over the harbor• Famous museum had works of art, a zoo, and

a garden• Had the first true research library–Held half-million scrolls of papyrus–Contained everything known in the

Hellinistic world

Science and Technology

• Used an observatory to look at the stars and planets

• Astronomers developed the idea that the sun was larger than Earth

• Euclid wrote a book with the basic ideas of geometry still used today.

• Archimedes invented the pulley; Archimedes screw (to bring water from a lower level to a higher one) used to bring water to fields being farmed.

Philosophy

• 2 new schools of philosophy arose in these times.

• Stoics argued that people should live a good life to keep themselves in harmony with natural laws.– Desire, power, and wealth led people down the

wrong path.• Epicureans people could rely only on what

they learned from their five senses; urged everyone to live moral lives.

Arts• Sculpture• Aimed at showing

perfect forms• Sculpted figures were

more realistic and emotional

• Largest known Hellinistic statue is the Colossus of Rhodes

• Over 100 feet high