Social Studies - Ancient Greece

9th Grade

Topography - Ancient Greece

Ancient Greece had a very mountainous environment. This environment lead to hundreds of city-states like Athens and Sparta.

• ________ was isolated from the world due to being in the mountains

• _______ had a lot of cultural diffusion and migrants due to being near the mediterranean sea 

Athens

_______ was a democratic poli/city-state that’s economy was based off trade and had an artistic and philosophical culture. 

Geography of Athens

Located by both the Aegean Sea and the Mediterranean Sea which led to cultural diffusion and trade.

Politics of Athens

Democratic Republic

• Free men over 18 could vote

• Aristocracy

• Women and slaves could not vote

Aristocracy

Ruled by rich, seen in city state of A ____

Economy of Athens

• Based on trade

• Used silver coins to trade

Social Aspect of Athens

• Education: tried to make well rounded citizens of all males to participate in direct democracy 

• Women/slaves had no rights

Geography of Sparta

• Inland-farming

• Isolated by mountains

Politics of Sparta

Oligarchy Government

• Ruled by a few council of elders

• Monarchy - 2 kings

2 Kings - Sparta

Two kings were needed in _____ due to:

• One could go to war and die but,

• There would still be another one at home who could appoint the next king 

Economy of Sparta

• Based on farming and conquest

• Used iron bars which discouraged trade

Sparta

______ was an oligarchy city-state/poli whose economy was based on conquest and farming and culture was war/military.

Social Aspect of Sparta

• Education: training for men and women to serve in the military

• Women and slaves (helots) had some rights 

Helots

The people who Spartans captured during war (slaves)

• Spartans were very harsh

• Could earn rights overtime

Persian Wars - Causes

• Persia wanted to expand West to conquer Greek Poli/Aegean Sea for trade

• Greeks wanted political, social, and economic freedom

• Athens and Sparta united

Persian Wars - Effects

• Persians had larger force but the Greeks defeated them with military strategy

• Athens victory/control of trade/rebuilding led to Golden Age

• Delian League (collective security), formed by Greek city states for protection. Led by Athens, resented by Sparta… Greece moves on. This leads to a GREEK GOLDEN AGE 

Pericles

• Main leader of Athenian government

• Kept the direct democracy organized and prosperous

Socrates

• Focused on moral and psychological questions

• Used a series of question in debates to show the flaws in others’ ideas - a style called the “Socratic Method”

Plato

• Student of Socrates

• Discussed ethics, politics and the nature of ideas 

Aristole

• Student of Plato and tutor for Alexander the Great

• Advances in science and logic influenced scholars for thousands of years

Pythagoras

• Developed a method for explaining the relationship between angles and legs of right triangles now called the - Pythagorean Theorem 

Euclid

• Establishing the foundational principles of geometry and laying out a logical framework for mathematical reasoning using axioms and proofs 

Homer

• Created two poems that are still relevant today

• The stories are used as templates for modern story tellers

Herodotus 

• Created the field of study of ‘history’

• Wrote the truth and had no bias 

Order of Important Events

Paleolithic Age, Neolithic Age, Persian Wars, Golden Age of Athens, Peloponnesian War, Hellenism 

Peloponnesian Wars - Causes

• Athens created the Delian League of Greek city-states after the Persian War for protection

• Athens became rich from taxing other city-states and built the Parthenon

• Sparta resented this and allied with other city-states against Athens

Peloponnesian Wars - Effects

• Brutal 27 year civil war

• Athens was defeated engine golden age

• Sparta and all other Greek poli were greatly weakened leading to the rise of Alexander the Great (Macedonia)