Classical Greece Power Point

By: Susan M. Pojer & Brett Coffman
Liberty High School, Liberty, MO
Horace Greeley H.S. Chappaqua, NY

The Geography of Greece

Bronze Age Greece

Crete: Minoan Civilization
(Palace at Knossos)

Many parts of early Greek history are still a mystery, but
we do know that two distinct cultures developed in early
Greece.
The Minoans of Crete
• Minoan civilization developed
as early as 3000 BC
• Lasted nearly 2,000 years
Minoans and Mycenaeans
• Minoan ships sailed over
Aegean Sea, possibly farther
• Colonies established on dozens
of Aegean islands
• Ships filled with trade goods
sailed back and forth between
Crete and her colonies
Excavations at Knossos
• Much of Minoan life
revealed by excavations
– Solidly constructed buildings
– Private rooms
– Basic plumbing
– Brightly colored artwork
– Artwork shows life tied to sea,
women as priests, dangerous
games

Knossos: Minoan Civilization

Minoan Civilization

Speculation
• Much history of Minoan civilization result of guesswork, speculation
– Historians cannot read Minoans’ writing, Linear A.
– Does not appear to be related to languages of mainland Greece
• Until writing deciphered, most knowledge will come from art, objects
Rapid Decline
• Minoan civilization fell apart rather suddenly, possibly from disaster.
– Large eruption of volcanic island near Crete may have affected
worldwide weather patterns.
– Damage to Minoan ports, crops may have weakened society
• Minoans conquered by warlike Mycenaeans

The Mycenaean Civilization

The Mycenaean States
• Mycenaeans built small
kingdoms, often fought with
each other
• Name comes from fortress,
Mycenae
Minoan Influences
• Mycenaeans traded with
Minoans, copied writing
• Became great traders
• Trade increased after they
conquered Crete
Mycenaeans
First Greeks
• Mycenaeans considered first
Greeks, spoke form of Greek
language
• Earliest kingdoms owed much
to Minoans
Mycenaean Differences
• Society dominated by intense
competition, frequent warfare,
powerful kings
• Kings taxed trade, farming to
build palaces, high walls

Mycenaean Strength
• To show off strength, Mycenaeans built great monuments like Lion’s Gate
• Kings’ constant quest for power, glory inspired legends
• Most famous, story of Trojan War
Trojan War
Downfall
Mycenaean Strengths and Downfall
• War supposedly involved early Greeks, led by Mycenae, who fought powerful
city called Troy, in what is now Turkey
• War may not have happened, but ruins of city believed to be Troy found
• War played part in end of Mycenaean civilization, as did drought, famine
• By end of 1100s BC, Mycenaean cities mostly in ruins; dark age followed
• Greek civilization almost disappeared

A new type of society emerged in Greece in the 800s BC. The society
was centered on the polis, or city-state. Each polis developed
independently, with its own form of government, laws and customs.
Life in the Polis
• Polis, center of
daily life, culture
• Greeks fiercely
loyal to their polis
• Did not think of
selves as Greeks,
but as residents of
their particular citystate
Greek City-States
Infrastructure
• Polis built around
high area, called
acropolis
• Acropolis used as
fortification
• Included temples,
ceremonial spaces
• Agora, public
marketplace, below
Other Attributes
• Shops, houses,
temples near agora
• Gymnasium,
athletes’ training
grounds, public
bath
• Sturdy wall for
defense
surrounded polis

Phidias’ Acropolis

The Acropolis Today

The Agora

Political Systems of Greek City-States
Each major polis had a different political
system that developed over time.
• Corinth, an oligarchy, ruled by a few individuals
• Athens, birthplace of democracy
• Sparta, one of mightiest city-states, but least typical

SPARTA

Beginnings
• Sparta located on Peloponnesus, large peninsula of southern Greece
• First surrounded by smaller towns; over time Sparta seized control of towns
• After conquering town of Messenia, Spartans made Messenians into helots
Helots
War
The Might of Sparta
• Helots were state slaves given to Spartan citizens to work on farms so
citizens did not have to perform manual labor.
• As result, Spartan citizens free to spend time training for war
• Spartan emphasis on war not due to fondness for fighting, but as way to
keep order in society
• Helots outnumbered Spartans seven to one, kept in check by strong army

SPARTA
Helots Messenians enslaved by the
Spartans.

To support their military lifestyle, the Spartans demanded strength and
toughness. All babies were examined after birth and unhealthy children
were left in the wild to die.
Combat School
• Boys taught physical, mental
toughness by mothers until age 7
• Entered combat school to toughen
for hardships of being soldier
• At age 20 boys became hoplites,
foot soldiers; remained in army 10
years before becoming citizens
Militaristic State
Women in Society
• Unusual among Greek city-states
• Women played important role
• Trained in gymnastics for physical
fitness, to bear strong children
• Women had right to own property,
unlike women in most of Greece
Sparta was led by two kings who served as military commanders.
Decision-making was largely left to an elected council of elders.

Hercules and Theseus
• Greeks also told myths about
heroes, used to teach Greeks
where they came from, what
kind of people they should be
• Some heroes, like Hercules,
who had godlike strength,
renowned through all Greece
• Others, like Theseus, who killed
Minotaur of Crete, famous
chiefly in home cities
Myths about Heroes
Lessons
• Heroes killed monsters, made
discoveries, founded cities,
talked with gods on equal terms
• Examples inspired individuals,
whole city-states, to achieve
great things
• Hubris, great pride, brought
many heroes to tragic ends
• Served as lessons not to
overstretch abilities

• 12 gods, goddesses were particularly influential in Greek lives
• These 12 lived together on Mount Olympus, highest mountain in
Greece
• Olympian gods thought to have great power, though not perfect
• Myths say gods flawed, often unpredictable—loved, hated, argued,
made mistakes, got jealous, played tricks on each other
Worship
• Almost all Greeks worshipped
same gods
• Each polis claimed one god,
goddess as special protector
• Example: Athens sacred to Athena
• Some locations considered sacred
by all Greeks
Mount Olympus
Sacred Locations
• Delphi sacred to all Greeks—
priestesses of Apollo were thought
to receive visions of future
• Olympia—every four years Greeks
assembled there for Olympic
Games; athletes competed against
each other to honor gods

Legends and Myths
• Much of what is known about
early Greece comes from
studying Greeks’ legends,
myths
• Myths, stories told to explain
natural phenomena, events of
distant past
• Greek myths explained where
they came from, how they
should live, cope with uncertain
world
Gods and Heroes
The Gods of Olympus
• Ancient Greeks believed in
hundreds of gods, goddesses;
each governed one aspect of
nature, life
• Example: Apollo controlled
movement of sun; sister Artemis
did same for moon
• Greeks believed gods would
protect them, city-states in
exchange for proper rituals,
sacrifices

Homer: The “Heroic Age”

The Mask of Agamemnon

ATHENS: Yesterday & Today

Early Athenian Lawgivers
$ Draco
“draconian”
$ Solon
$ Cleisthenes
created the first
democracy!

The prosperity of Athens was due in large part to its stable and
effective government. That government was the world’s first
democracy, a form of government run by the people.
Beginnings
• Athens, birthplace
of democracy
• Not always
democratic city
• First ruled by kings
• Later ruled by
aristocrats who had
money and power
Athenian Democracy
Reform
• Most Athenians
poor, had little
power over lives
• Gap between rich,
poor led to conflict
• Official named
Draco reformed
laws
Draconian Laws
• Draco thought way
to end unrest was
through harsh
punishment
• Belief reflected in
Draco’s laws
• Harshness of laws
worsened dispute
between classes

Phalanx

Piraeus: Athens’ Port City

Revision of Draconian Laws
• 590s BC, lawmaker Solon
revised laws again, overturned
Draco’s harshest laws
• Outlawed debt slavery; tried to
reduce poverty by encouraging
trade
• Allowed all Athenian men to
take part in assembly that
governed city, serve on juries
• Only wealthy men could run for,
hold political office
Solon and Peisistratus
Peisistratus
• Solon’s laws relieved tension
for a time, did not resolve it
• Tensions flared again after a
few decades
• 541 BC, politician Peisistratus
took advantage of conflict,
seized power
• Peisistratus a tyrant
• Claimed to rule for good of
people
• Violent but popular
• People liked fact that he pushed
aristocrats out, increased trade

Cleisthenes
Cleisthenes took over Athens after Peisistratus
• Reforms set stage for Athenian democracy
• Cleisthenes broke up power of noble families
– Divided Athens into 10 tribes based on where people lived
– Made tribes, not families, social groups, basis for elections
– Each tribe elected 50 men to serve on Council of 500, proposed
laws
– Each tribe elected one general to lead Athenian army

The Nature of Athenian Democracy
• As democracy, Athens ruled by the people, but not all people able to
take part in government; only about 10 percent of total population
• Only free male Athenians over age 20 who had completed military
training allowed to vote
• Women, immigrants, children, slaves had no role in government
Athenian Government
• Those allowed to take part in government expected to:
– Vote in all elections
– Serve in office if elected
– Serve on juries
– Serve in military during war

Three Main Bodies
• Athenian democracy consisted
of three main bodies—
• Assembly
• Council of 500
• Courts
Council of 500
• Created by Cleisthenes
• Wrote laws to be voted on
by full assembly
Height of Democracy
Assembly
• Included everyone eligible to
serve in government
• All present voted on laws, all
important decisions
• Called direct democracy
Courts
• Complex series of courts
• Members could number up to
6,000
• Chosen from the assembly
• Heard trials, sentenced
criminals

Elected Officials
• Most governing done by
assembly
• Some elected officials had
special roles
• Among elected officials,
generals who led city in
war
• Another elected official,
the archon
Special Roles
Archon
• The archon acted as head
of both assembly, Council
of 500
• Archons elected for term
of one year, but could be
re-elected many times
• Public servant, could be
removed from office,
punished if failed to serve
people well

Persian Wars: 499 BCE – 480 BCE

In the early 400s BC, the Greek city-states came into conflict with the
vast Persian Empire, a larger, stronger opponent.
Causes of the Conflict
• Roots of Persian Wars lay in
region of Ionia, in what is now
Turkey
• Ionian city-states founded as
Greek colonies, fell under
Persian rule, 500s BC
– Ionian Greeks unhappy with
Persian rule
– Wanted independence
– Rebelled, 499 BC
The Persian Wars
Revenge
• Ionian Greeks asked fellow
Greeks for help
• Athens sent aid, ships
• Persians put down revolt
– Revolt made Persian emperor
Darius angry enough to seek
revenge
– Planned to punish Ionians’ allies,
especially Athens, by attacking
Greek mainland

Persian Wars: Famous Battles
$ Marathon (490 BCE)
26 miles from Athens
$ Thermopylae (480 BCE)
300 Spartans at the
Mountain pass
$ Salamis (480 BCE)
Athenian navy victorious

The First Persian Invasion
• 490 BC, Persians set out to fulfill Darius’s plans for revenge
• Fleet carrying tens of thousands of Persian troops set out for Greece
• Came ashore near town of Marathon, not far from Athens
Persian Retreat
Marathon
First Invasion
• Warned in advance, Greeks arrived at Marathon, caught Persians unloading
ships, charged in phalanx, tight rectangle formation
• Persians counterattacked, more Greeks closed in, Persians retreated
• Legend says Athenian messenger ran from Marathon to Athens after battle to
announce Greek victory; died from exhaustion after delivering message
• Legend inspired modern marathon, 26-mile race commemorating dedication,
athleticism

Preparations for a Second Invasion
• Greek victory at Marathon shocked both Greeks, Persians
• Athenians could not believe they had defeated stronger foe
• Persians humiliated, furious
• Darius planned second invasion, but died before invasion launched
• Son Xerxes vowed revenge, continued to plan attack on Greece
Xerxes
• 480 BC, 10 years after first
invasion, Xerxes set out for Greece
• Hundreds of thousands of soldiers,
sailors, animals, weapons, supplies
• Greek accounts say Persian army
so huge took week to cross bridge
built into Greece
Athenians
• Faced with invasion, Athenians
called on other Greek city-states to
help fight off Persians
• Athens, bitter rival, agreed to help
• Had recently built large navy, took
charge of Greek fighting ships
• Sparta took charge of Greek armies

Second Invasion and Aftermath
The Greeks worried that they would not have time to prepare their
troops for battle. To slow down the Persians, a group of Spartans and
their allies gathered in a mountain pass at Thermopylae, through which
the Persians would pass to get into Greece.
The Second Persian Invasion
• Spartans held off entire Persian army
for several days
• Persians shown alternate path through
mountains; were able to surround, kill
Spartans
• Spartans’ sacrifice bought time for
Greeks’ defense
After Thermopylae
• Persians marched south to Athens,
attacked, burned city; needed fleet
to bring additional supplies
• Athenian commander lured fleet
into narrow strait
• Greek warships cut them to pieces
Persian army was no longer a match for the Greeks; and
within a year the Greeks had won the Persian Wars.

Golden “Age of Pericles”:
460 BCE – 429 BCE

As leaders in the Persian Wars, Athens and Sparta became the two
most powerful, influential city-states in Greece. After the wars, Athens
entered a golden age as the center of Greek culture and politics.
Alliance
• After Persian Wars
city-states banded
together to defend
each other, punish
Persia
• Largest, richest of
alliance members
was Athens
The Golden Age of Athens
Delian League
• Alliance’s treasury
kept on islands of
Delos
• Alliance known as
Delian League
• Athens controlled
ships, money
• League grew in
membership, power
Increased Influence
• Some members
resented Athenian
dominance
• Members who tried
to quit attacked by
league fleet, forced
back into alliance
• League became
Athenian empire

Life in the Golden Age
Trade brought great wealth to Athens.
• Merchants from other parts of world moved to city,
bringing own foods, customs
• Athens very cosmopolitan as result
– Grand festivals, public celebrations, events
– Athletic games and city theaters
– Athens was the heart of Greek culture

Peloponnesian Wars

As the leader of the Delian League, Athens was the richest, mightiest
polis in Greece. Being rich and mighty brought many powerful rivals,
the greatest of which was Sparta, which wanted to end its dominance.
Peloponnesian
League
• Sparta head of
Peloponnesian
League, allied citystates
• Formed 500s BC,
to provide
protection, security
for members
The Peloponnesian War
Tension Built
• Tensions built
between Delian,
Peloponnesian
Leagues
• Mutual fear led to
war between
Athens, Sparta
War
• Athens feared
military might of
another league
• Sparta feared loss
of trading
• 431 BC, the two
declared war
• Lasted many years

War in Greece
• Initially neither side gained much advantage
• Sparta, allies dominated land; Athens, allies dominated sea
• Athenians avoided land battles; neither side won more than minor victories
Plague and Peace
Sparta’s Victory
The Course of War
• 430, 429 BC, plague struck Athens, changed course of war
• Pericles, Athens’ leader through beginning of war, among dead
• After plague, fighting heated up until truce in 421 BC
• 415 BC, war broke out again; Sparta took to sea as well as land, destroyed
Athenian fleet; Athens surrendered 404 BC
• Peloponnesian War almost destroyed Athens; Sparta also exhausted by war

Cycle of Warfare
After victory, Sparta’s army tried to act as Greece’s
dominant power
• Sparta’s wealth, resources badly strained, power worn down
• Spartans could not keep control of Greece
• City-state of Thebes defeated Sparta, could not maintain control
either
• Struggle for power led to long cycle of warfare that left all Greece
vulnerable to attack
• 340s BC, Macedonia, Greek-speaking kingdom to north, swept in,
took control of all Greece

Golden “Age of Pericles”:
460 BCE – 429 BCE

Science
Thales
• First great Greek thinker (625
B.C)
• First Philosopher, First scientist
• Mathematician, astronomer
• Greatest contribution:
“All events, even
extraordinary ones, can be
explained in natural terms
that can be understood by
humans.”
• Water is the fundamental
material

Science
Pythagoras
• Inventor of
Mathematics
• Created a system
for expressing
equations
• Through numbers,
all truth could be
expressed
(fundamental of
the world)
• Irrational numbers
bad

Science
• Pythagoras (cont)
– Pythagorean
theorem
– Trigonometry
– Music is based in
mathematics
• Principle of harmonic
vibration
• String length
relationships
(octaves, fifths, etc.)

Pythagoras
• Discovered
– Golden Mean
(ratio of 1.618)
• Body dimensions
• Crosses

Golden Triangle and Rectangle
• Golden Rectangle

• Golden Triangle
Pythagoras
– Isosceles with 72 and 36 degree angles
– Used to construct the Golden Spiral
– Dodecahedron forms a 5 pointed star
made of Golden Triangles
• Symbol of the Pythagoreans

•Ram’s
horns
•Sea
shells
•Flowers
•Galaxies
Golden Spirals

Science
• Anaximander
– Fire was the fundamental element
• Heraclitus
– Fundamental concept of change being
constant
– “No one can step in the same river twice”
• Xeno
– Any movement is impossible because you
can divide all space in half
• Democritus
– Atomic Theory
• Atoms were the fundamental of nature
• solved the Xeno dilemma

Hellenistic Science
• Euclid (320-260 BC)
– Lived in Alexandria
– Compiled Elements
of Geometry
• Used as a text book
until 1900
• Basis for Newtonian
physics

Hellenistic Science
• Archimedes (287-212
BC)
– Lived in Syracuse
– Greatest scientist until
Newton
– Trained at Alexandria
– Major discoveries in
hydraulics, mathematics,
mechanics, warfare, and
astronomy

Archimedes – Hydraulics
Macedonian
Crown
4 th c. BC
• Invented a planetarium
• Buoyancy – King’s crown
The wreath and
the gold have
equal weight
The wreath
displaces
more water

Archimedes – Mathematics
• Geometric
calculations
– Area/volume of
circle, sphere, cone
• Developed system
similar to calculus
– Polygons inside circle
with ever higher
numbers of sides
– Calculated value for
pi (∏) to accuracy of
0.0002
• Devised Scientific
notation (5 x 10 7 )

Archimedes – Mechanics
• Levers
–Defined theory
• Pulleys
–Challenge to
drag a ship
• Ship building
–Giant ship
–Cargo of 60
ships

Archimedes – Warfare
• War with the
Romans
– Claw cranes

Archimedes – Warfare
• Catapults
• Mirrors

Archimedes’ Creativity
(Environment and Motivation)
• Favor to the King
– civic duty
• Scientific curiosity
• War
• His opinion of his
greatest
accomplishment:
– "Perfect" geometric shape
which he asked to be
inscribed on his tomb
– Sphere inscribed in
cylinder
• Volume ratios = 3:2
• Surface ratios = 3:2
– Ratio of volumes and
areas of cone, sphere and
cylinder = 9:6:4

Hellenistic Science
• Aristarchus of Samos (250 BC)
– Purposed heliocentric universe
• Eratosthenes
– Calculated the
circumference of
the earth
– Claimed a ship
could sail around
Africa to India
– Claimed a ship
could sail west
to India

Philosophers

Hellenistic Philosophers
$ Cynics Diogenes
ignore social conventions &
avoid luxuries.
citizens of the world.
live a humble, simple life.
$ Epicureans Epicurus
avoid pain & seek pleasure.
all excess leads to pain!
politics should be avoided.

Hellenistic Philosophers
$ Stoics Zeno
nature is the expansion of
divine will.
concept of natural law.
get involved in politics, not
for personal gain, but to
perform virtuous acts for the
good of all.
true happiness is found in
great achievements.

Hellenism: The Arts & Sciences
$ Scientists / Mathematicians:
Aristarchus heliocentric theory.
Euclid geometry
Archimedes pulley
$ Hellenistic Art:
More realistic; less ideal than
Hellenic art.
Showed individual emotions,
wrinkles, and age!

Great Athenian Philosophers
$ Socrates
Know thyself!
question everything
only the pursuit of goodness
brings happiness.
$ Plato
The Academy
The world of the FORMS
The Republic philosopher-king

Great Athenian Philosophers
$ Aristotle
The Lyceum
“Golden Mean” [everything in
moderation].
Logic.
Scientific method.

Athens: The Arts & Sciences
$ DRAMA (tragedians):
Aeschylus
Sophocles
Euripides
$ THE SCIENCES:
Pythagoras
Democritus all matter made up of
small atoms.
Hippocrates “Father of Medicine”

The Parthenon

The Classical Greek “Ideal”

Olympia

The Ancient Olympics:
Athletes & Trainers

Olympia: Temple to Hera

The 2004 Olympics

Macedonia Under Philip II

Alexander the Great

Alexander the Great’s Empire

Alexander the Great in Persia

The Hellenization of Asia

Pergamum: A Hellenistic City

The Economy of the Hellenistic World

The Breakup of Alexander’s Empire