The Greek City States

The Greek City StatesI. Early Greeks

A. Land & Sea

1. Balkan Peninsula

-Divided by short mountain ranges

2. Seas provide for trade

B. Early Greek Peoples*

1. Minoans – earliest known peoples

2. Traders and sailors

3. Accomplishments:

1. Writing system

2. Frescos

3. Running water

3. Polis (City-States)*

a. Centered around a fort

b. Consisted of city, lands & farms surrounding

c. Represented

1). Geographical territory

2). Community

3). Political & economic independence

d. Similarities

1). Citizenship: males born in Greece

2). fort built on acropolis (hill)

3). agora (marketplace)

e. Separate identity

1). Government & laws

2). Calendar

3). Money

4). Weights & measurements

f. Same traits

1). Language (Greek)

2). Religious practices

3). Festivals

II. Greek Society

•A. Greek Culture

•1. Religious beliefs

•a. Purposes

•1). Explain nature

•2). Explain irrational actions

•3). Benefits for living

•4). Afterlife is unimportant

•b. Myths*

•1). Rationalization of world

•2). Oracles - priests & priestesses

•a). Translate the wishes of the gods

•c. Pleasing the gods*

•1). Show strength & bravery

•a). Olympic Games honor Zeus

•2. Literature*

•a.Homer: Iliad

•1). Trojan War

•b. Homer: Odyssey

•1). Post war story

•B. Government

•1. Aristocracies*

•a. Ruled by privileged class / group of nobles

•3. Hoplite

•a. Wealthy non-aristocrat soldiers

•4. Tyrants

•a. Took control w/ people’s support

•c. Increased trade

•d. Became unjust

•e. Tyrant: someone who abuses power w/ brutality

•5. Popular government

•a. Democracy - government by the people

•b. Limited participation

III. Sparta & Athens

•A. Sparta

•1. . Government

• a. 2 kings

• 1). Lead army

• 2). Conduct religious ceremonies

•b. Ephors*

•1). 5 yearly elected men

•2). Charged w/ public affairs

•3). Guide education

•2. Social Classes

•a. Aristocrats (equals)

•b. Peroicci (half citizens)*

•1). Free, tax paying

•2). Artisans & Merchants

•3). Served in military

•c. Helots - “captured”

•1). Worked the land

•2). Enslaved people owned by city-state

•3). 1/2 crops to land owner (aristocrats)

•4. Basic beliefs

•a. Change is bad

•b. Be the strongest military power

Sparta Other city-states

Using iron rods Using coins

Uneducated Literature & Art

Farmers & Slave labor Business & Trade

Poor High Culture

•B. Athens

•1. Government

•a. Monarchy

•b. Oligarchy

•1). Small wealthy ruling class

•f. 508 bce – Cleisthenes

•1) Direct Democracy*

•2) Council of 500

•a) 10 tribes - 50 men

•b) 1 yr term - no more than 2

•c) Proposed laws to assembly

•d) Athenian born men only

Direct Democracy:all citizensparticipate

in governmentdecisions

Representative

Democracy:elected

representatives

govern

IV. Daily life in Athens

A. Athenian Economy

1. Farming

2. Trade

3. Public works*

1. Money spent on public buildings

3. Men

a. 7 y.o. – schooling

b. Pedagogue taught manners

c. 18 y.o. - formal citizen

4. Women*

a. No rights:

1. No property rights

2. Not in public w/o permission

C. Education

1. Memorization

•2. Sophists - open schools for older boys*

•a. Ethics: good/bad, moral duty

•b. Rhetoric: public speaking / debate

V. Greek Expansion

• A. Persian Wars

• Persians attempt to expand west

• Battle of Thermopylae – story of 300 Spartans (Greece loses)

• Battle at Salamis – Persians defeated by Athenian navy*

• B. Delian League

•1. Defensive league

•2. Members gain benefits, lose independence

•3. Pericles uses money to benefit Athens*

D. Peloponnesian War (431 bc)

•1. Athens & Corinth fight over trade

•2. Athens & Sparta rivals

•3. Sparta lays siege to Athens

•a. Sparta joins with Persia to stop Athenian supplies

•4. No unity for Greece

VI. Greek Art

• The Golden Age

• “Beauty for the sake of beauty.”

• A. Architecture

•1. Parthenon - temple to Athena atop the Acropolis

•a. Perfectly balanced

Parthenon Interior

Temple toAthena*

• B. Painting

•1. Subject

•a. Mythological events

•2. Style

•a. Contour & depth (light/shade)

•b. Showed simplicity and balance*

• C. Sculpture

•1. Realistic & proportionate*

• D. Greek Ideals

•1. Glorified the human being

•2. Pride in city-states

•3. Belief in harmony, balance, order & moderation

•4. Belief in combining beauty & usefulness

VII. Philosophers & Writers*

• Philosophy: the study of basic questions of reality and human existence

• Began a new way of thinking about the world and society

• Cosmologists – studied nature of the universe*

• A. Socrates

•1. Education is key to personal growth

•2. Socratic Method - learning through questioning

•3. Students should learn to think for themselves*

• B. Plato

•1. Student of Socrates

•2. Government should be aristocracy*

• (intellectual upper class)

• C. Aristotle

•1. Student of Plato

•2. Logical study leads to truth

•3. Ethics - what brings happiness

D. Writing history

1. Herodotus - Father of History

a. Noted observed vs. retold

2. Thucydides

a. History should be fair and accurate*

E. New Ideas

a. Hippocrates – bases medicinal treatment on reason not magic*

b. Thucydides -

VIII. Alexander the Great

• B. Alexander the Great

• 1. Desires to spread Greek culture*

• 2. Student of Aristole

• a. Science & philosophy important

• C. Alexander’s Empire

• 1. Unifying Macedonians, Greeks & Persians

• 2. Builds Alexandria

• 3. Rules known world until death

• a. 3 generals split kingdom

• D. Greek Influences*

• 1. Greek methods for banking & business

• 2. Art, architecture, and literature spread throughout known world*

IX. Hellenistic Culture

• Hellenistic: Greek-like: a blend of Greek, Mediterranean and Asian cultures

A. Contributions:

1. Women’s rights to property

2. Increased the middle class*

3. Medicine

a. autopsy criminal bodies

b. learned from Egyptian practices*

c. Hippcrates – believed in medicinal practices based on reason not on magic*

Lasting Impacts*

• Democracy

Things to know for the test!!!*Cultural diffusion