Greece: Revolution in the Meditteranean

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GeographyGreece is located on the Balkan peninsula

about the size of Louisiana in the Mediterranean Sea.

Located on the continent of Europe, it’s very close to Egypt, the Persian empire (which includes Turkey) and Rome.

Mountains divided Greece into different regions. 75% of Greece is covered in mountains.

Seas Surrounding Greece

a.Aegean Sea is to the East of Greece.

b. Ionian Sea to the West of Greece in btw. Greece and Italy.

c. Mediterranean Sea to the South of Greece.

Seas

• Source of food• Means of trade

• Transportation

• Helped exchange ideas with other cultures

Mountains• Little farmland

• Villages and towns separated from each other travel difficulty

• Little contact between towns

• Mountains covered 3/4th of Greece

• Grew olives, grapes, & grain

• Raised sheep, goats, pigs, & cattle for skins to make clothing

Settlements

a. Most people lived along the coast.

b. Soil was rich and there was a mild climate which was good for farming and raising animals.

c. The Greeks sold their crops to other lands located across the seas.

d. Trade spread Greek ideas and Greeks got the alphabet and coins from other civilizations.

Early Greek Civilization

• This civilization was developing on the island of Crete while Egypt and Mesopotamia were flourishing.

• Aegean Civilizations– Minoan (island of Crete)

– Mycenaean (mainland Greece)

Minoan Civilization

• The Minoan Civilization was an Aegean Bronze Age civilization that arose on the island of Crete and flourished from approximately 2700 to 1450 BC. The Minoan culture was established by the 27th century BC.

• Trade with Fertile Crescent and Egypt– Olive oil & pottery

• Love of art and beauty

• Knossos = capital– Flush toilets– Bath tubs– Indoor plumbing

KING MINOS

• In Greek mythology, Minos was a king of Crete, son of Zeus and Europa. After his death, Minos became a judge of the dead in the underworld.

• Every nine years, he made King Aegeus pick seven young boys and seven young girls to be sent to Daedalus' creation, the labyrinth, to be eaten by the Minotaur.

LABYRINTH

• In Greek mythology, the Labyrinth was an elaborate structure designed and built by the legendary artificer Daedalus for King Minos of Crete at Knossos.

• Its function was to hold the Minotaur, a mythical creature that was half man and half bull . Daedalus had so cunningly made the Labyrinth that he could barely escape it after he built it.

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THE FALL OF MINOANS

• Sometimes in 1600s BC a huge volcano erupted that created a giant wave or Tsunami that flooded much of Crete. The eruption also threw up huge clouds of ash ruining crops, and burying almost all cities in Crete.

• The eruption devastated the island of Thera (also called Santorini), including the Minoan settlement at Akrotiri, as well as communities and agricultural areas on nearby islands and on the coast of Crete.

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MYCENAEAN PERIOD

• Mycenaean Greece refers to the last phase of the Bronze Age in Ancient Greece (ca. 1600–1100 BC). It takes its name from the archaeological site of Mycenae in Argolis, Peloponnese, southern Greece.

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• This period of Greek history is the historical setting of much ancient Greek literature and myth, including the epics of Homer.

KING AGEMEMNON

• When Helen, the wife of Menelaus, was abducted by Paris of Troy, Agamemnon commanded the united Greek armed forces in the ensuing Trojan War.

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TROJAN WAR

• In Greek mythology, the Trojan War was waged against the city of Troy by the Achaeans (Greeks) after Paris of Troy took Helen from her husband Menelaus king of Sparta.

• The war is one of the most important events in Greek mythology and has been narrated through many works of Greek literature, most notably through Homer's Iliad

TROJAN HORSE

• The Trojan Horse is a tale from the Trojan War about the subterfuge that the Greeks used to enter the city of Troy and win the conflict.

• In the canonical version, after a fruitless 10-year siege, the Greeks constructed a huge wooden horse, and hid a select force of men inside

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• The Greeks pretended to sail away, and the Trojans pulled the horse into their city as a victory trophy. That night the Greek force crept out of the horse and opened the gates for the rest of the Greek army, which had sailed back under cover of night.

• The Greeks entered and destroyed the city of Troy, decisively ending the war.

THE FALL OF MYCENAEANS

• From around 1200 BC, the palace centers and outlying settlements of the Mycenaean’s highly organized culture began to be abandoned or destroyed, and by 1050 BC, the recognizable features of Mycenaean culture had disappeared.

• Many explanations attribute the fall of the Mycenaean civilization to climatic or environmental catastrophe combined with an invasion by Dorians or by the Sea Peoples or the widespread availability of edged weapons of iron, but no single explanation fits the available archaeological evidence.

DARK AGES (ca. 1100–800 BC)

• The Greek Dark Age or Ages and Geometric or Homeric Age are terms which have regularly been used to refer to the period of Greek history from the presumed Dorian Invasion and end of the Mycenaean Civilization around 1100 BC, to the first signs of the Greek polis in the 9th century BC.

HOMER

• In the Western Classical Tradition, Homer is the author of the Iliad and the Odyssey, and is revered as the greatest of Greek epic poets.

ILLIAD

• The Iliad is an ancient Greek epic poem in, traditionally attributed to Homer. Set during the Trojan War, the ten-year siege of the city of Troy (*Ilium) by a coalition of Greek states, it tells of the battles and events during the weeks of a quarrel between King Agamemnon and the warrior Achilles.

•

ODYSSEY

• The poem mainly centers on the Greek hero Odysseus (known as Ulysses in Roman myths) and his journey home after the fall of Troy. It takes Odysseus ten years to reach Ithaca after the ten-year Trojan War.

• In his absence, it is assumed he has died, and his wife Penelope and son Telemachus must deal with a group of unruly suitors, the Mnesteres or Proci, who compete for Penelope's hand in marriage.

Mythology

• Played dominant role in Greek life• Myths = to explain their beliefs about life,

world, god• 12 gods/goddesses• Zeus = king of Gods

– Apollo = son

• Athena = wisdom• Many gods had human characteristics

(anthropomorphism)

Olympic Games

• Every 4 years on Mt. Olympia

• Physical contest to please the gods

• Goal = to attain physical perfection

• Rare cooperation between Greek city-states

The Greek City-State• Usually built around a strong fortress (huge walls)• Fortress was located on top of a high hill called

the acropolis, for added protection• Farmers lived near fields outside of the city walls• Women, children, and the elderly would gather

inside the city walls for protection when needed though

• The men of the polis formed an army to fight off enemies

Polis Agora (Marketplace)

• City focused on marketplace

• Large open space in city• Farmers brought their crops

to the market to trade for goods made by craftsmen in town

• Shops lined the outskirts of the agora

• Also served as a meeting place for people

• Held political & religious assemblies in the agora

Sparta vs. Athens

• Southern Greece• Strict military state• Highest goal = best

warrior for Sparta• Government controlled all

aspects of life• Even women encouraged

to be physically fit!• Oligarchy government at

its best! – Peloponnesian League to

protect against Athens

• Eastern Greece• Creative and commercial• Highest Goal =

individualism & preserve culture

• Early rule by monarch• Later oligarchy• Solon created Council of

400– Represented all sections

of Athens• After Solon, tyranny

– Pericles – rule of people

ATHENS

• GOVERNMENTS IN ATHENS–Monarchy–Oligarchy

–Tyranny

–Democracy

MONARCHY

• In early Athens, kings ruled the city states.

• There were no written accounts about who became one of the monarchs, but written accounts said that there are some monarch that ruled Athens.

OLIGARCHY

• A group of rich landowners, or aristocrats took power. they dominated the Athenian society and ran the city’s economy.

• They also served as judges and generals.

DRACO

• A man named Draco created a new set of laws for Athens. These laws are very. For example, minor crimes such as loitering is already punishable by death.

SOLON• The people of Athens thought

Draco’s laws were very harsh , so in 590s BC, a man named Solon created a set of laws that were much less harsh and gave more rights for non-aristocrats.

• Solon’s law state that all free men living in Athens has the rights to became a citizen, people who could participate in government.

TYRANNY

• Because the athenians weren’t pleased With the rule of the aristocrats, they wanted a new form of government. In 546 BC, a noble man named Pisistratus, over-threw the oligarchy. Pisistratus is called a “Tyrant”, which meant a leader who held power through the use of force.

• After Pisistratus died, his son took over the power. Many aristocrats, however became unhappy because their power was gone. Some planned a rival city-state to attack the Athens. As a result of this invasion, tyrants lose power and aristocrats returned to power in Athens.

DEMOCRACY

• It was a system of Direct Democracy, in which participating citizens voted directly on legislation and executive bills. Participation was not open to all residents: to vote one had to be an adult, male citizen, and the number of these "varied between 30,000 and 50,000 out of a total population of around 250,000 to 300,000."

• At times, the opinion of voters could be strongly influenced by the political satire of the comic poets at the theatres.

CLEISTHENES

• He is credited with reforming the constitution of ancient Athens and setting it on a democratic footing in 508/7 BC. For these accomplishments, historians refer to him as “The Father Of Athenian Democracy”.

SPARTA• Sparta was officially ruled by Two

kings who jointly led the army. But elected officers had more power than the kings. These officials ran the Sparta’s day-to-day activities.

SPARTANS

• These are usually warriors that courageously defend there city-state.

• It also includes government officials, judges, and kings.

PERIOCI• They were the skilled artisans that

creates supplies for the city.

• Spartan merchants and traders are also a perioci.

• They were also the only people allowed to travel to other cities, which the Spartans were not, unless given permission.

HELOTS

• The helots were a subjugated population group that formed the main population of Sparta.

• Their exact status was already disputed in antiquity: according to Critias, they were "slaves to the utmost", whereas according to Pollux, they occupied a status "between free men and slaves“.

LYCURGUS• Lycurgus was the

legendary lawgiver of Sparta, who established the military-oriented reformation of Spartan society in accordance with the Oracle of Apollo at Delphi.

• All his reforms were directed towards the three Spartan Virtues:– equality (among citizens)

–military fitness

–and austerity.