CCPWC: Classical Greece

Study Guide for Classical Greece test, CCP Ancient World Civilizations (this set is not a one-way pass to an A, please still look over the lecture notes)

Basileus

King(s)/monarch(s) who ruled city states. Some may have more than one! (Sparta)

Monarchy

“rule of one”

Aristocracy

“rule of the best”

Oligarchy

“rule of the few.” always an exclusive group, but that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.

Tyranny

rule seized by an individual through overthrow. (tyrants, or self made monarchs, weren’t necessarily bad, only some.)

Democracy

“rule by mob” or “tyranny of the majority”

Polity

“rule of many” (republic form of government)

Evolution of Greek Gov’t

Kingship —> Oligarchy —> Tyranny —> Democracy

Examples of tyrants

Pheidon (Argos), Kypselos (Corinth), Peisistratidai (Athens), Periandros (Athens / Peisistratidai’s son)

3 Parts of the Greek Social Classes

1: Citizens (these were males that would vote and hold office. Requirements were 18yo, male, native, and own land.)

2: Residents (free people protected by law, but can never vote or hold office. Consisted of women, children, and foreigners.)

3: Underclass (slaves who were people in debt or prisoners of war. There was no racial component to slavery in ancient Greece.)

Arkhons

Governors, could only serve 1 year terms.

2 Parts to Athens Gov’t

1: Council (Boule and Areopagus. Areopagus was formed of former Arkhons. Areopagus eventually take son the role of the Supreme Court.)

2: Assembly ( The Ecclasia. all CITIZENS eligible to vote, vote on policies AND propose policies.)

Draco

Created famously harsh laws

Solon

Honest, rich, and fair. He changed Draco’s laws and changed the government. However, he was NOT a radical reformer, and did not address land ownership (because of the olive trees.) He is considered to have laid the groundwork for the development of Athenian democracy.

Persistratidai/Pisistratus

Pisistratus and his sons' tyranny rule led to a revolt, leading to a power struggle won by Kleisthenes. This ultimately leads to the rise of Athenian democracy.

Kleisthenes Constitution

1. 10 new tribes representing all classes

2. All adult males became Assembly members

3. Introduced ostracism / removed discredited leaders

4. Equality of laws & freedom of speech.

Ostracism

Introduced by Kleisthenes. A way of eliminating anyone who was becoming too powerful, preventing tyrants. If voted out, in the next 10 years they can't live in Athens.

2 Principles of Athenian Democracy (Instituted by Kleisthenes)

1: No professional bureaucrats! (nobody served on the council more than twice)

2: Each CITIZEN could hold office.

Polis

“city”

Synoikism

“to dwell together.” several villages fusing together to form a federation.

Acropolis

(upper) inner fortress. People usually came here in case of an emergency.

Agora

(lower) center of the public. This was the center of the public and economic activity. Here, people shopped, traded, attended religious ceremonies, and more.

Hoplite

5’4, 140lbs, heavily armed fighters. Fought together in the phalanx.

Phalanx

A closed, linear formation of soldiers. They could only use the phalanx in open, flat areas.

Athenian Education

Boys 7-18 y/o attended private school. Girls stayed home or went into entertainment. (Greeks were masters at treating wounds.)

Lykourgos

Set up the Spartan form of government / lifestyle (Rhetra.)

Rhetra

A militarized form of Spartan lifestyle / citizenship that cultivated the warrior-like society.

Spartan Life

• Pass inspection a few weeks after birth through tests (climbing up the long stairs)

• Age 7: Boys enter the Agoge

• Age 20: If they survived.. boys were rejected or accepted from the Agoge into the army (Not accepted=resident Accepted=full Spartan citizen). They could now marry, but lived in barracks.

• Age 30: Men can now have land and be put into the assembly. Helots supported your family.

• Age 60: Men could now retire from the military.

Spartan Currency

Iron bars (wow so tough of them)

Agoge

A militaristic training system, boys started at the age of 7, leaving at the age of 20.

Spartan Women

Women were encouraged to remain fit to bare future warrior children, as well as for an easier childbirth. They helped repair armor and weapons for their husbands / sons’ in the military, and were even able to own land.

4 Parts of Spartan Gov’t

1: Kings (Sparta was ruled by 2 Kings with political AND religious power. One king would go off to fight, while the other would stay back in Sparta.

2: Ephors (Former Spartan soldiers who calmed down the Spartan king in battle. They are the administrators of the city.)

3: Gerousia (The Spartan advisory council, consisting of 28 elders who propose policies.)

4: Assembly (SPARTAN assembly votes on policies, but cannot propose them)

3 Parts to Spartan Society

1: Homoioi / Spartiates (8000 Men dedicated to warfare, held all political and military power).

2: Perokoi (women, children, and Men who flunked out of the Agoge, or weren’t accepted into the military. Free people who were not Spartan.

3: Helots (“slaves” who were owned by the state. They were assigned to a Spartaite.)

Spartan Decline

Low birth rates due to separation of men in the Agoge and the women, dead soldiers that couldn’t be replaced, death in the Agoge. This all lead to lower population, which meant smaller army, weakening Sparta.

Ionian revolt

The Ionian revolt rebels ask Greece for help attacking the Persians (for destroying their temples and taking their land). The Spartans decline, and Athenians agree to help. Persia gets mad at Greece for helping the rebels, beginning the Persian Wars.

PERSIAN BATTLE I: Marathon (Greek victory)

The Persians send a naval attack to Marathon, where the Greeks were already prepared for them. After fighting for a bit, the Greeks pushed the Persians back to their ships, cutting their hands so they count get back on. The Persians die and flee, leading the Greeks to their first victory.

Darius I

King who got mad at Athens, and began the Persian invasion (Marathon)

Miltiades

General in charge of Athenian defense. He could sit and do nothing to the Persians, he could send his armies to fight the Persians head-on, or he could send his armies to sneak up on the Persians.

PERSIAN BATTLE II: Thermopylai (the ONLY Persian battle victory)

The Persian army walks to Thermopylai, creating a “boat bridge,” while the Persian navy sails. A Greek traitor shows the Persians the way to the Greeks, and with a sneak attack, they defeat the Greeks.

Xerxes

Harsh son of Darius who leads the Persians to victory at Thermopylai.

Leonidas I

Spartan leader of the Greek army, gets defeated by Xerxes.

PERSIAN BATTLE III: Salamis (Greek victory)

After the Persians burnt Athens, the Athenians gathered at Salamis. The Greek navy (Themistocles) lured the Persian to a spot where the Athenian boats could smash into and destroy the Persians’. This was a naval battle won by the Greeks.

Themistokles

Led the Greek navy to victory at Salamis. He was so obsessed that “the Persians are coming,” that he eventually got ostracized and ends up in Persia.

PERSIAN BATTLE IV: Plataiai (Greek victory)

Xerxes retreats to Persian to plan, but leaves a large portion of his army (who are defeated.) The Greeks kill a striking majority of the Persians with an arrow attack, defeating the Persians for good.

Pausanias

Spartan general leading Greeks to victory at Plataiai.

Mardonius

(Xerxes son-in-law) Persian general defeated by the Greeks at Plataiai.

3 Results of the Persian War

1: Athens becomes the most powerful city-state in Greece

2: Athens organizes the Delian league, forming an alliance with other city states

3: Athenians dominated Greek with their alliance, slowly creeping towards an Athenian Empire

Delian League

(defensive alliance for Athens and its leadership. this treasury is out of reach to other city-states so they can’t steal money from it. This forced city states to join the Delian League for protection against the Persian.)

1: To protect Greece from further Persian aggression

2: To protect Athens’ grain and silver

Cimon

Introduced Greek’s modern coinage: drachma. (Leader of the Delian League after Themistocles was exiled, leading to trade expansion.)

Peloponnesian League

Sparta’s “Delain League” because they felt threatened by Athens’ extreme defensiveness and alliances. “If they can, we can too.”

2 ways Sparta is in decline post-Persian wars

1: An earthquake destroys the city, leaving an open window for the helot revolt

2: Prominent generals were accused of aiding the Persians and were executed/arrested

 Kleroukhies

Athenians military / economic outposts places in allianced city-states, started by Perikles.

Perikles

Stole from the Delian league to rebuild Athens / The Long Walls, and lead them through their Golden Age. Introduced Direct Democracy, while keeping Ostracism relevant.

“The funeral Oration”

Famous speech given by Perikles

Thucydides

Recorded Perikles’ speech.

Peloponnesian War Provoke

Delian League vs Peloponnesian league. Athens asks Sparta if they need help with the helot revolt, but Sparta send them home, and Athens is offended. Sparta calls for war against the Delain League (Athens and allies).

Pelop. War Pre-Knowledge

Sparta dominates the land, Athens dominates the sea. Athens has the money advantage, but they are confined to their city.

Pelop. War Begins!

Sparta destroys large areas around Athens, limiting their food production and Athenians retreat behind their walls. However, the long Walls protect their way to the sea, so they can get food through the navy. Fight in the spring, retreat in the Winter. (Perikles is deposed, but will eventually return to power).

Athenian Strategy for the Pelop. War

Perkiles gathered everyone in the city, but there was a plague. His death lead to a power struggle between Cleon and Nicias

Cleon vs Nicias (Cleon wins)

Cleon: wants to FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT!

Nicias: wants to sue for peace

Peace of Nicias

Cleon dies, and after losing 2 generals, Sparta finally agrees to sign the Peace of Nicias. The treaty that was supposed to last for 50 years, only lasts for 3 years, because Athens’ allies didn’t agree, and Sparta made promises they couldn’t keep.

Syracuse

Athens could reject alliances or fight; and they chose fight. Athenian’s commander was killed at Syracuse, and Nicias fell ill. The Spartans get high ground, and kill the Atenians. War is officially declared.

Alcibiades

Drunkenly vandalized temples and a traitor who told Sparta to build forts to cut off Athen’s food / silver supply. He says to Athens that he will negotiate a treaty with Persia if they let him back in and suspend democracy, and they say yes, but the treaty never happened.

Sparta and Persia

Sparta finds a new commander, Lysander. Instead of Athens making a treaty with Persia, Sparta does! Persia builds them ships.

Lysander

Negotiates treaty with Persian alliance and gets the ships built for Sparta. In return, Sparta gives Persia land.

Argunisae

The Spartans win the battle of Argunisae, and the Athenians were unable to recover the swimming soldiers. From this, their best commanders were executed.

Aegospotomi

Since the Athenian fleet is destroyed, Sparta attacks Athens and wins. Sparta has won the Pelop war, but doesn’t know how to run a large hegemony, so they let Athens take the lead and reinstall democracy.

6 Pelop. War Turning Points

1: Death of Perkiles (Plague kills Perkiles, forming a power struggle; Cleon vc Nicias. Cleon wins, ironically dies in battle, and Nicias is put into power, but his treaty didn’t work, so war is back on.

2: Failed Sicilian Expedition (Athens loses 2 fleets of ships + 2 armies).

3: Defection of Alkibiades (Alkibiades tells Sparta to build forts to stay outside Athens year round, and cut them off from their Silver supply so they can’t get food, and will use up all of their resources).

4: Persian alliance with Sparta (They get money and build their ships, the place where they were short. Now they can defeat the Athenian navy.)

5:  Defeat at Arginusae (Commanders didn’t follow “X happened, now do Y”, so Athenians remove most experienced commanders and best leaders, because they got executed. Athens undermines their own chance of success).

6:  Defeat at Aegospotami (the Spartan fleet destroys the Athenian fleet. Victory for Spartans on the water (bc of Persia). Athens can’t bounce back. Sparta as won the war).

Result of Pelop. War Turning Points

1: Athens is forced to disband the Delian league

2: They have to destroy the long walls and rest of Athenian fleet

3: Sparta forced Oligarchy

-Democracy is suspended, tyrants (Athenian men who agree to do Sparta’s bidding) are former students of Socrates

4 Pelop. War Results

1: Greece returns to a multi-polar system

2: Democracy survives in Athens

3: Sparta turns into small city because they’re lifestyle doesn’t fit with the outside world

4: Persia gets land, so they are the real winners

Battle of Luketra

Thebes defeats Sparta, and become the hegemonic ruler of Greece

Epameinondas

Thebian general that defeats Sparta at Luketra