Greek Test

Greek Ages: 1.Heroic- w/ Minoans/Mycenaeans 2. Dark age- w/ Dorian invasion and rule 3. Archaic period- development of a polis (art=weird smile and tight posture) 4. Classical period- greatest period of cultural flowering (rise of Athens) (art= ideal beauty and loose figure) 5. Hellenistic Age- Alexander the Great’s rule and spread of Greek Culture (art= emotion and natural figure- not ideal) • • • • •

Cultures of the Mountains and Sea Ancient times, Greece not a united country Collection of separate lands where Greek-speaking people lived Minoan on Crete powerful at the time Greece was a mountainous peninsula in the Mediterranean plus 2000 islands in the Aegean and Ionian seas

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Ionian Sea

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Minoans/Greeks were skilled sea-farers + traders The mountains divided the land into different regions, influencing politics o They had little arable land and transportation Varied climate, mild- supported outdoor life Indo-Europeans settled on Greek mainland in 2,000 BCE called Mycenaeans 1,500 BCE- Mycenaeans contact Minoans + saw value of sea trade o also adaped minoan writing system and art, religion, politics, and literature 1,200 BCE- Mycenaeans fought against independent city of Troy (Trojan war legend) o sea raiders called Dorians attacked/burned Mycenaean cities (could have been distant bronze age relatives-spoke a Greek dialect) Dorians= much less advanced so Greeks forgot how to write o From 1150-750 BCE little is known about Greece o History learned through spoken work (ie. Epics of Homer- based on real events like Trojan war in Iliad) o Iliad hero’s are warriors- Achilles and Hector o Greek Heroic value of Aretē- virtue and excellence esp. displayed in combat/athletics

Had rich myths about Gods  Theogony by Hesiod- source of much mythology  Sought to explain nature passion etc.  Gods had human qualities but lived forever • Athena- goddess of wisdom and Greek guardian of cities. Athens named after her Warring City States: Sec. 2 • Dorians and Mycenaeans began to identify w/ local area less w/ ancestors’ culture • Method of governing changed from tribal/clan control to city states • 750 BCE city-state aka. Polis had (marketplace-agora, fortified hill top- acropolis, villages/countryside) • city-states had many different forms of government (Note: Athens democratic NOT Greece) o monarchy, aristocracy, oligarchy o mostly- powerful ppl gained power through local support and displace previous ruler= tyrant ATHENS: Politics • Moves to democracy • Draco a nobleman created a legal code that all Athenians (rich or poor) are equal under law. Also very harsh punishments (death and slavery) • Solon outlawed debt slavery, created 4 social classes according to wealth- top 3 can hold political office. And all citizens can participate in Athenian assembly + any can bring charge against wrongdoers. • Pisistratus = gained power as a tyrant, redistributed land/wealth, increased public works = more jobs, allowed more citizens active role in gov. (Son Hippies- ousted cause he was mean) • Cleisthenes broke up power of nobility- organized citizens into 10 groups based on location NOT wealth. Increased power of assembly. All citizens can submit laws for debate and passage. Created council of 500- proposed laws and counseled the assembly: members chosen at random. o Created limited democracy but citizenship was very inclusive. Education • Sons of wealthy families received formal educated starting at age 7 o Prepared them to be good citizens, learned reading grammar poetry history math and music and logic and public speaking and debating and athletics o Later boys went to military school • Girls- educated @ home by mother’s and females o Learnt housekeeping and child rearing o Some learnt to read and write but women had very little to do w/ Athenian life SPARTA: South Greece in Peloponnesus, cut of by Gulf of Corinth • Military State o Conquered neighboring messenians and forced them to become helots=peasants who work the land and pay ½ to the Spartans o Messenians revolted and Spartans were outnumbered so barely won  Then decided to develop military state • Had an assembly of all Spartan citizens which elected officials and voted on major issues • Council of 30 elders proposed laws for assembly to vote on • 5 elected officials carried out the laws and controlled education and prosecuted in court • they had 2 kings to rule over military • Social Order o

1. Citizens descened from original inhabitants 2. Non-citizen who were free (commerce and industry) 3. Hellots- almost slaves • 600-371 BCE Spartans had most powerful army in Greece, but no original arts • Men in army from age 7-30 o Very tough life but produced tough and resourceful soldiers o Spartan girls received military training and were taught to put service to Sparta above all • Women had considerable freedom b/c men were always away in the army Persian Wars • Iron allowed ordinary citizens to fight (more cheap than bronze) • New kind of army with a phalanx (foot soldiers -hoplites stood side by side with spears and shields) • Persian Wars between Greece and Persian Empire began in Ionia (coast of Anatolia • Greeks had been settled there but Persians conquered area • Ionian Greeks revolted and Athens sent aid • Perian king Darius the Great defeated rebels and voved to destroy Athens • Persian fleet with 25000 men landed in Marathon and fought 10,000 Athenians in phalanxes • Greeks charged and defeated Persians greatly • Pheidippides sent from Marathon to Athens to give news and died • 10yrs later Darius’s son Xerxes went to Greece and they were divided on what to do o came to narrow mtn. pass at Thermopylae- 7,000 Greeks (300 spartans) stopped Persian advance for 3 days. o Athenians debated defense of city o Themistocles ordered evacuation and positioned incredible navy on nearby island Salamis o Xerxes set fire to Athens, but then Greek triremes defeated Persian navy. • Athenians + other greeks formed Delian league. o Encompassed over 200 city states, Headquarters in Athens o Gave money to Athenians to rebuilt city Section 3. democracy and greece’s golden age • 477-431 BCE= golden age of Athes: poetry sculpture drama philosophy architecture and science o advancement in the arts and sciences • Pericles- wise and able statesman in Athens (32 yrs) politician speaker general o 3 GOALS  strengthen Athenian democracy  hold and strengthen empire  glorify Athens o before public officers were unpaid (only wealthy could afford the job)  made it a paid job  more citizens engaged in self-government o direct democracy = form of gov. in which citizens rule directly and not through representatives o used Delian league money to build absolutely wonderful navy + glorify/beautify Athens (built the Parthanon-honoring Athena) o this period had CLASSICAL ART- portraying ideal beauty • Greek Drama- built 1st theaters and invented drama as an art form o

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Herodotus(Athenian)- produced 1st work of history on Persian Wars o Greatest historian on classical age was Thucydides  Believed history repeated itself and understand history to understand present • Peloponnesian WAR (btw. Athens and Sparta) 431-404 BCE o Sparta declared war on Athens (for being a power) o Athens had stronger navy, Sparta had stronger army o Pericles strategy- to avoid land battle w/ Spartans (wait for a sea battle) o Spartans marched into Athens + burned everything  Pericles barricaded everyone in the city- get supplies thru sea trade  But a plague swept through and killed 1/3 of the ppl incl. Pericles o Athens tries to destroy Spartan ally Siscily (but their army/fleet was destroyed) o 404 BCE- Athens surrendered PHILOSOPHY: • Athens lost confidence in democracy + began to question values (gave rise to philosophers) • 2 assumptions for all philosophies o universe is put together in an orderly war o ppl can understand these ‘laws’ through logic and reason • SOPHISTS- questioned ppl’s beliefs and traditional values o Protagoras (famous one)- questioned gods and said there is no standard of truth o Socrates (critic of sophists)- absolute standards existed for truth and justice, but encouraged greeks to question themselves and moral characters  Brought to trial and killed for ‘corrupting the youth’  Plato- socrates’ student- wrote the republic= set forth vision of perfectly goverened society an almost meritocracy w/ an elite group (ruler) • Aristotle-plato’s pupil- questioned nature of the world and human belief thought and knowledge. Invented rules for arguing according to logic which was applied to psychology physics and biology o Tutored ALEXANDER the GREAT of Masadonia Section 4. Alexander’s empire • Macedonia (North of Greece) lived in mountain villages; many nobles thought of themselves of Greeks but Greeks didn’t think so • King Philip II created a professional army and prepared an invasion of Greece- hoped to eventually control Perisa • Demosthenes tried to warn Greek city-states of Macedonian threat but they disagreed with each other and were weak • Athens and Thebes united too late • Macedonians defeated Greeks at Battle of Chaeronia which ended Greek independence • City-states retained self government • Philip died before invading Persia • Alexander (not yet the Great) 20 yrs old, under Aristotle’s tutelage learned Greek values • Destroyed a Thebian rebellion • Sought to conquer Persia and Alexander defeated them at Granacus River • Alarmed, Darius raised a huge army but Alexander won through superior tactics (though outnumbered) and they controlled Anatolia • Darius tries to negotiate peace settlement but Alex says no and invades Egypt (part of Persia) and they crown him pharaoh

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Armies (Alex and Darius) met near Nineveh and Darius lost completely and Alex soon occupied SW Asia • Alex continued to grow empire • 326 BCE reached Indus Valley but morale was low so they turned back and Alex died on the way home :( • after death, Macedonian generals split up empire • Alexander created a blend of Greek and Eastern customs (Hellenistic culture) and spread this culture throughout the empire Section 5: The Spread of Hellenistic Culture • Hellenistic = Greek blended with Egyptian + Persian + Indian and had a common language (Koine) • Egyptian city Alexandria = center of commerce and Hellenistic civilization o International community, rich trading center o Attractions: Greek god statues, royal palaces, Alexander’s glass tomb, Lighthouse (Pharos), famous museum (to muses) and library (great works and commentaries on them), Colossus of Rhodes, Nike of Samothrace- art more natural, not as ideal o Sci. and tech.: museum had an observatory, Aristarchus of Samos estimated sun was 300x larger than earth disproving Earth>sun Greek belief; proposed Earth and other planets revolve around sun (Ptolmey incorrectly made geocentric model), Eratosthenes calculated Earth’s circumference really well  Eratosthenes and Aristarchus used geometry text compiled by Euclid  Archimedes estimated value of pi and explained lever o Philosophy and art (all looked for atoraxia = detachment from extremes)  Stoicism: Zeno founded stoicism- people should live virtuous lives in harmony with gods’ will/natural laws and human desires are dangerous distractions; promoted social unity • Be involved in politics for the good of all not personal gain, true happiness is found in great achievements  Epicureanism: founded by Epicurus- gods who have no interest in humans rule the universe; the only real objects are those that the 5 senses perceive; the greatest good/highest pleasure comes form virtuous conduct and absence of pain; humans’ main goal = achieve harmony of body and mind • Avoid pain seek pleasure, excess leads to pain, avoid politics  Cynicism founded by Diogenes: ignore social conventions + avoid luxuries, citizens of the world, live a humble life • By 150 BCE, Hellenistic world in decline, Romans on rise