Ancient GreeceGeographic Features Influencing Greek Development

•The Sea•Peninsula within easy sailing distance from Egypt and the Fertile Crescent •Many Greeks became merchants and traders

•Insufficient farmland and natural resources•Established colonies on shores of Mediterranean

•Mountains•Enclosed fertile valleys that were isolated•Transportation over mountains were hazardous•Allowed for many city-states that were independent•Lack of unity in Greece

•Climate•Mild climate allowed for much outdoor activity including sports and civic life

Crete

Minoans2000-1400 BCE

Minotaur

Palace at Knossos

Throne Room and Store Room

Linear A and Linear B

Myceneans2000-1200 BCE

Dorians1100-700’s BCE

Homer

Iliad

Odyssey

Hellenic Period(Classical Greece)

700’s-336 BCE“Rise of the Greek city-states”

The agora

Sparta vs. Athens

Athens vs. Sparta• Descendants of the

Mycenaeans

• Attica peninsula

• Intellectual education– rhetoric

• Economy– Agriculture-grapes and olives

– Merchants and artisans

– Coins

• Descendants of Dorians

• Peloponnesus peninsula

• Physical Education– Boxing

– gymnastics

• Economy– Agricultural

– Iron

– Lagged

Phalanx

SPARTASPARTA

Helots Messenians enslaved by the Spartans.

Hoplite: citizen soldier (Spartan)

Athens

• Masters of strategy

• Masters of naval warfare.

• Trireme

Persians

• Known for their archery skills.

• Xerxes still holds a grudge for the Greek defeat of his father Darius

Greco-Persian Wars500-479 BCE

Battle of Marathon

Battle of Salamis

Battle Thermopylae

Xerxes (Persian)

Themistocles (Athenian)

King Leonidas (Spartan)

Herodotus

“300”• Thermopylae today. In 480 BCE the coast would

have been where the road is today.

Golden Age of Athens

Athens’ Road to Democracy

Draco: First law giver, although associated with

harsh laws

Solon: reforms Draco’s laws. Beginning of moral

law/democracy.

Cleisthenes:

“Father of Democracy”. Creates a type of legislature to make laws for the people. "To advise according to the laws what was best for the people".

Ostracon.

• The height of Greece’s intellectual accomplishments and economic productivity

• 460 BCE – 429 BCE

Pericles and the Golden Age of AthensPericles and the Golden Age of Athens

Public officials now paid so even the Public officials now paid so even the poorest citizen could participate if poorest citizen could participate if electedelected

The Parthenon at the Acropolis

Phidias’ AcropolisPhidias’ Acropolis

The Acropolis TodayThe Acropolis Today

The AgoraThe Agora

The ancient Greeks invented three types of columns. 

 

The Doric style is the most plain.  

The Ionic design is famous for its scrolls. 

The Corinthian style is quite fancy. 

PhidiasStatue of Athena

30 feet tall

Made of gold and ivory

The Classical Greek “Ideal”

The Classical Greek “Ideal”

Portray ideal beauty and proportion…not realism.

Graceful, strong, and perfectly formed

OlympiaOlympiaSite of first Olympic games

The Ancient Olympics:

Athletes & Trainers

The Ancient Olympics:

Athletes & Trainers

A section of the stone starting line at Olympia, which has a groove for each foot

Science and MathScience and Math

Pythagoras: Pythagorean theorem in geometry

Hippocrates: Greek physician, father of medicine

HistoriansHistorians

Herodotus—Father of History– Arranged his accounts from what he was told into a

narrative (history)– Detailed account of Persian War– Best source of information about Persian Empire and

Greece

Thucydides– Human aspects of history– History of Peloponnesian War (Athens vs. Sparta)– Rejected idea that deities played role in human history– Eyewitness accounts, evidence

Drama and Drama and TheaterTheater

Festival of Dionysus• Greek theatre began as

religious rites paying homage to Dionysus

• Dionysus = god of Wine and Fertility

• Dancing and singing hymns

Comedies (humorous)• Mocked people and

ideas

• Aristophanes—first anti-war play

Tragedies (serious drama)– Sophocles-Oedipus

the King

– Euripedes-Medea

Greek Masks

voice amplification and anonymity (anonymous)

PhilosophyPhilosophy• Philosophers: “Lovers of wisdom”• Logic and reason to understand the universe

• Sophists— “man is the measure of all things” …questioned existence and Greek Gods

VSVS.• Socrates—absolute truth and standards exist

– Examine your beliefs– Socratic Method/Questioning

• allows student to arrive at own conclusions

• goal to realize perfect ethics / ethical behavior

Peloponnesian War431-404 BCE

Delian League

Vs.

Peloponnesian League.

Outcome:

• After almost 25 years of battle, Athens surrenders, but there is no real winner. Sparta has no money, has no real system of rule, and “things fall apart”.

• The Peloponnesian War reshaped the ancient Greek world. The economic costs of the war were felt all across Greece; poverty became widespread in the Peloponnese, while Athens found itself completely devastated, and never regained its pre-war prosperity

• Someone is going to have to “save the day”…..

… and his son Alexander the Great.