Ages of Greek

Developed sophisticated urban culture around 2700BC 

Minoan

Considered to be first advanced civ in Europe

Minoan

Knossos: location of King Minos, labyrinth, half-man half-bull minotaur

Minoan

Bull-jumping; non-violent bull fighting

Minoan

Writing system, Linear B, first evidence of emergence of Greek language & oldest written European language

Mycenaean

Interactions w/ non-Greek civilisations of Anatolia across Aegean Sea may have inspired stories of the siege of Troy

Mycenaean

• 1500BC: island Thera (Santorini) destroyed in one of largest volcanic eruptions in human history 

  “Greek Pompeii”

  Inspiration for story of Atlantis? – Plato 

Mycenaean

• 1250-1180BC: catastrophic series of events

  • not well understood

  • natural catastrophes, drought/famine, rebellions, invasions

Mycenaean

• Few historical records; mostly archeological evidence

  • Iron replaces bronze

Dark

Dramatic population decline

Dark

Consisted of mostly small farming villages

Dark

Power of Mycenaean period + dark age chiefs = inspiration for Greek heroes of homer’s Iliad & Odyssey in later period

Dark

Around 800BC; adopted Phoenician alphabet into Greek language

Archaic

• Rapid urbanisation; rise of the polis

  • Improving climate, better harvests led to population growth

  • Polis = city

  • Athens moves towards democracy (“demokratia”)

    • Demos “suburb”, turannos “absolute ruler”

Archaic

• Period of significant colonisation around Mediterranean

Archaic

• Tradition of Greek literature & storytelling is born

  • Epic poems of Homer; Iliad, the Odyssey (~8^th century BC)

    • Earliest stories in European culture

    • Events surrounding and after siege of Troy by the Greeks

  • Development of Greek tragedy

  • Mythology of heroes (e.g. Hercules) and pantheon of gods

    • Greek pantheon, “Olympians” living atop Mount Olympus

    • Existed since bronze age

    • Oracle at Delphi consulted for centuries to come

Archaic

• 776 BC: Hosting of games of Olympus (today’s “Olympic games”)

  • Celebration of Zeus at his temple

Archaic

Sculptures of human form start to appear more frequently

Archaic

Archaeological evidence of sophisticated, durable black & red pottery

Plethora of insight into lives of ancient Greeks

Archaic

Coinage in use in Anatolia around 650 BC

Archaic

• Development of Hoplite soldiers

  • Well-armoured spearmen fighting in well ordered, tightly formed ranks (“phalanx”)

Archaic

• Conflict with expanding Persian empire (Persian Wars)

  • Battle of Marathon

  • Battle of Thermopylae

  • Battle of Salamis

  • Battle of Plataea; Greeks finally defeat Persians

Classical

• Herodotus; first historian

  • First-hand written accounts

  • “father of history”

Classical

• Golden age of Greek culture

  • Sophisticated sculptures; more realistic depictions of human forms

  • Revolution in Greek philosophy; based on rational thinking

    • Socrates, plato, Aristotle

  • Developments in architecture

    • 447 BC: Construction of Parthenon, temple of Athena, in Athens

    • Erection of amphitheaters

Classical

• 431 – 400 BC: Peleponnesian War begins

  • Sparta challenges Athens (two leading powers)

    • Athens: democracy, focus on maritime trade & navy

    • Sparta: focus on land army, male citizens are highly-trained soldiers, enslavement of others

  • Ends in defeat of Athens & Athenian democracy

Classical

• Followed by Theban hegemony (371 – 362 BC)

Classical

• 338 BC: Battle of Chaeronea

  • Macedon seizes power & unites Greece for first time

  • Confederation of states; loss of the polis

Classical

• Macedonian kingdom

  • Innovated hoplite spears into sarissa spikes

  • Developed elite cavalry (cavalry + infantry); first shock cavalry in Europe

Hellenistic

• 336 BC: Alexander the Great assumes throne

  • Invasion of Persia

  • Battle of Issus

  • Siege of Tyre

  • Invasion of Persian Egypt; claims title of Pharaoh, leads to Ptolemaic Egypt, city of Alexandria

  • Battle of Gaugamela (331 BC)

  • Founds new cities Central Asia (e.g. Bactria n modern-day Afghanistan)

  • Failed invasion of India

Hellenistic

• Alexander dies aged 31 (323 BC)

  • Controversial legacy; 

Hellenistic

• Development of vast trade networks extending to India

Hellenistic

• Influence on cultures of Egypt, Palestine and Anatolia

  • Greek becomes common language

    • New Testament first written in Greek

  • Mathematical & scientific advances using Greek philosophical method

  • Great Library of Alexandria; contained all known written works

  • Seven Wonders of the Ancient World

Hellenistic

• Ends with Roman Conquest

  • 31 BC: Battle of Actium

    • Climax of rivalry between Rome & Greece

    • Octavian v. Cleopatra VII + Mark Antony

  • Octavian consolidates power in new Roman Empire; end of Roman Republic

Hellenistic