Greek History 3/11/15 8:33 PM

YALE GREEK HISTORY RISE OF THE POLIS (after Mycenaean fall) LECTURE 4 Ethics and Values in Homer Arte: Greek Masculine Qualities, excellence towards admiration -courage -beauty -strength -cleverness through speech Aristocracy claims descent from gods Afterlife/Face Death by seeking honor and legacy -exemplified by Achilles Greeks had a very secular view of life (opposed to Judeo-Christian tradition) Politicon Zoon: Aristotle term for a man who lives in a polis. Men NEED a polis if no polis, then a god No history of individualism in Ancient Greece. Community was the source of meaning Nihilism emerges from individualism? Nomoi: norms of society Mythos: a tale When a man has too much becomes too arrogant afflicted with Hybris takes violent action struck by Ate harmful act struck by Nemesis Ex: Oedipus Moderation is a key value for Greeks. No Hedonism

Brief History: Mycenaean Dark Ages Archaic/Classical Period (750-500 BC) *Homer composed Illiad in 750 BC 1st Olympic Games 776 BC Polis: -in Homer: Physical place, citadel at center of town Polis is not a city-state Later: Men are the polis (sense of community and structure) Largest Polis: Athens anyone in peninsula of Attica -1000 square miles Ideal Size of Polis according to Aristotle: 5000 male adults Agora: marketplace -not central to polis, mainly agricultural No city walls at first No Kings in Polis, Aristocratic republic instead (council of aristocrats) Hesiod: Poet Codrus: soldier, buried on sport where he died RISE OF THE POLIS (After Mycenaean Fall) LECTURE 5 The Emergence of the Polis Zeus will punish polis for acts of one man Justice can only exist in a polis, the only good life is in the polis Croesus: richest man in the world, asks Solon who the happiest man was

Solon: wise man/poet/political figure who responds that a simple man in Athens was because of his successful polis, sons, and sacrifice as citizen-soldier

Wrote poetic pamphlets for new Athenian government Good polis creates good citizens reciprocal Greeks invented the idea of citizens opposed to subjects So why did Greece become so great?

Advanced farming with centralized leadership Small family farms (about 10 acres) which encourage

improvement of plot and techniques Marginalized land is used and optimized Many skills learned from Asia No wasted land, diverse crop portfolio Farmers grew, processed, and stored Slaves (1 or 2 per farm)

Law enforced by aristocrats via councils (possibly elected)