Classical Greece flash cards

Greek Governments leading to democracy: 

• tyranny

• democracy

tyranny

Rule seized by an individual usually through overthrow.

democracy

“rule by mob” – is not always defined as the modern world defines it, can also include the “tyranny of the majority.

polity

rule of many; could also be known as a republic form of government

EVOLUTION OF GREEK GOVERNMENT:

kingship>oligarchy>tyranny>democracy

GREEK TYRANNY

Tyrants are self-made monarchs whose supporters are usually previously politically marginalized peoples

An example of a tyrant rule:

Kypselos overthrew the ruling oligarchy in Corinth and gave more rights to people. While Kypselos was loved for this, his son Periandros replaced Kypselos and banished all dissenters from the polis.

GREEK GOVERNMENT

Most Greek cities divide authority between multiple officials.

GREEK SOCIAL CLASSES: Greek social divisions: 

Citizens

^

Residents

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Underclass

Citizens

Males that could vote and hold office

Residents

Free persons protected by local laws, but could not vote or hold office, similar to modern idea of "resident aliens."

Underclass

slaves, often people in debt or prisoners of war. Note that there is not racial/ethnic component to slavery in ancient Greece

ATHEN'S GOVERNMENT:

• Arkhons

• Council

• Assembly

Arkhons

“governors,” serve one year terms.

Council

two different councils, the Boule who wield the most power and the Areopagos (comprised of former Arkhons, the elite members of society).  The Areopagos eventually evolve in to a role similar to the Supreme Court.

Assembly

(Republic Democracy) All of the citizens are eligible to vote (thus excluding women).  In Athens, the assembly has collective power and can vote on policies and propose policies.

DRACO

Composed Athens first written law code with the aim of reducing arbitrary decisions of punishment and blood  feuds between parties.

 Famously harsh, the laws were ultimately replaced by Solon

SOLON

• A modestly wealthy Athenian trader. Given “free hand” to make reforms to Draco's code.

• Did not attempt land reform due to mainly to length of time it takes to grow olive trees:  8 to 10 years!!

• Brought reforms in order to prevent future attempts at tyrants overthrowing the government.

• Included a one-time elimination of individual debts and freeing those enslaved for unpaid debts

• Solon divided the populace into 4 tribes or classes, with 100 representatives of each tribe elected as members of the Boule-

• These tribes (classes) are divided by wealth and suggest the possibility of social mobility (moving between the classes).

• Ultimately his reforms did not work, however, he is considered to have laid the groundwork for the development of Athenian democracy.

Tyranny of Persistratidai

Pisistratus took control of Athens after Solon left. Is and example of a good tyrant

KLEISTHENES

He created new a Constitution with the following criteria:

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.

• expands the Boule to 500 members.

• ostracism

• introduction of democracy

OSTRACISM

Introduced by Kleisthenes it was a practice employed to get rid of potential tyrants.  Done as a way to prevent one individual from too much power:

ATHENIAN DEMOCRACY:

1. No professional bureaucrats!!

2.  Each citizen  could hold office! 

The citizen is a male, land owner, naturally born citizen and 18 years old. 

Polis

In the Classical Greek context, the polis is a city-state. Polis is the root for the names many of American cities, such as Minneapolis and Indianapolis.

FORMATION OF POLIS: 

Synoikism

Synoikism

 Loosely meaning “to dwell together,” synoikism is the process by which smaller villages come together to form a large city or federation, politically fusing several poleis together

STRUCTURE OF THE POLIS: 

Acropolis

Agora

Acropolis

inner fortress. Usually contained the treasury and located on a fortified hill.

Agora

The center of public and economic activity.  Where people came to trade, attend religious ceremonies, vote, etc.

HOPLITE

Hoplites: heavily armored fighters.  Hoplites were typically middle-class farmers who thus had a vested interest in protecting the city-state. Hoplites became the backbone for the later Greek military.  Hoplites fought together in a formation called a phalanx.

PHALANX

This was a major military development that required order and discipline in the soldiers. The downside to fighting in a phalanx was that it was difficult to do on uneven terrain.

ATHENIAN EDUCATION:

Boys ages 7 to 18 were educated in private schools.

Girls were not educated, exemplifying the role of women in Greek society. A woman’s place was in the home or in entertainment.

SPARTA- LYKOURGOS

• Credited with setting up the Spartan form of government

• This included Rhetra

• Needed to develop a warrior class to contain the helots, who outnumbered the Spartans 10 to 1.

• He created the Spartan constitution.

Rhetra

The militarized form of Spartan citizenship that cultivated a warrior society. Rhetra which is the general system/lifestyle of the Spartans, defined by upholding the codes of their militaristic society.

SPARTAN LIFE:

A very militaristic society, male Spartan children were inspected by elders at birth; those deemed unfit were killed or cast off.  At an early age, Spartan boys were taught hunting and military skills.

Agoge

Spartan training system starting at age 7.

SPARTAN WOMEN:

Men and women were often kept separated, which made reproduction rates lower than in other Greek cities.  Thus, heavy losses in a Spartan battle severely weakened Sparta as a whole.

Women were encouraged to remain physically fit on the belief that fit women bore fit children (who would become better warriors).

Spartan women also helped to indoctrinate their children and husbands in the Spartan military system.  

Had the right to inherit property.

Spartan Downfall

1. Low birth rates because of the separation between men and women

2. The spartans had a lot of military losses

3. A lot of the boys did not survive the Agoge and Apitheodi

SPARTAN GOV’T:

Sparta is essentially an oligarchy:

• Kings

• Ephors

• Gerousia

• Assembly

Kings

Ruled by two kings with ceremonial power.  Kingships are hereditary.  Kings are military and religious leaders in Sparta.

Ephors

More powerful than kings, they are the administrators of the city.

Gerousia

An advisory council of 28 elders.

Assembly

All of the citizens eligible to vote (thus excluding women).  In Sparta, the assembly can vote on policies but cannot propose policies.

SPARTAN SOCIETY:

Full Spartan citizens were called Spartiates or homoioi.

• citizens did not need to own land 

• pass through the military training called  the “agogi”

Residents were called perioikoi = the “dwellers around” 

Slaves = helots: Similar to serfs, slave-like but not quite slaves.  Helots are legally tied to a piece of land they work for someone else.  They must work that particular piece of land regardless of who owns the land.

Helots

legally tied to a piece of land they work for someone else.  They must work that particular piece of land regardless of who owns the land.

PERSIAN WARS: IONIAN REVOLT

The leaders of the Ionian revolt went to Greece for assistance, first asking Sparta who initially decline to intervene.  Athens and Eretria, however, agree to help, and the rebels sack the Persian city of Sardeis. However, the rebellion suppressed, & Miletus burned. In return, Darius I of Persia decides to punish Greece for aiding the rebels.

Second Persian Invasion

destroys Eretria, attacks Marathon, and plans an attack on Athens.

MARATHON

• The Athenians again ask Sparta to aid them, and Sparta again declines, because of a religious festival

• The battle of Marathon is an estimated 60,000 Persians vs. 10,000 Greeks led by general Miltiades

• Greeks used the “Phalanx” a battle formation

• Athenians win the battle without Spartan help, the Athenians claim their superiority within Greece.

PERSIAN WARS: Third Persian Invasion- THERMOPYLAI

• Darius I’s son, Xerxes, launches a huge force from land and sea (estimated at 1 million people) in order to avenge his father and defeat Greece

• Smaller city-states immediately surrender to Xerxes

• A small Greek army gathers to fight Xerxes at Thermopylai

• led by the Spartan Leonidas I

• They initially hold off Xerxes and the Persians. A traitor eventually shows the Persians a way around the Greek army, and the Persians win the battle.

PERSIAN WARS: SALAMIS

• After the Persians burn Athens, the refugees gather at Salamis.  The Persians follow to attack them, but the Greek navy (led by Themistokles) is hidden nearby and destroys most of the Persian fleet. 

• Thermistocles uses fleet to lure Persian navy to the Strait of Salamis then used tides to attack Persians so they ran into each other. 

• Xerxes must retreat to Persia for the time being, but leaves a large army behind.

PLATAIAI

• The remaining Persians are defeated by the Greeks (Sparta, Athens, Corinth, a few other city-states) at Plataiai. Greeks led by Spartan general Pausanias vs. Xerxes son-in-law Mardonius. Mardonius is killed early in the battle and Persians are defeated.

RESULTS OF THE PERSIAN WARS:

1. Athens becomes the most powerful city-state.

2. Organized Delian League, an alliance with other city-states.

3. Dominated alliance, which slowly turned into Athenian Empire

Delian League

• The Greek naval alliance

• The alliance is led by Athens, but the treasury is initially in Delos

• Athens is behind the founding of the Delian League.

• The Delian League defeats the next Persian naval invasion at the Eurymedon

• The treasury of the Delian League is moved to Athens

  CIMON

• trade expands under Cimon with the introduction of the drachma, a silver coin currency, still used today

•  Cimon uses Athenian navy to intimidate and control league members.

• City-states pay money/tribute to the Delian League even after the war ends, but the Athenians spend the money on themselves. Athenians use money from the Delian League tributes to build up their own city in splendor.

Reasons for the Delian League

1- to protect greece and there shipments of grain and silver 

2- to protect greece from further persian invasions

Issues in Sparta:

 Sparta saw Athens aggressiveness as a threat. They collect city-states around Sparta and form the Peloponnesian League. 

Spartan problems:

Sparta is in decline during this time because:

1. Earthquake destroys the city and leads to helot revolt.  

2. Prominent generals accused of aiding Persians.

Themistokles

Leader of the Delian League early on and the Greek's naval leader. Eventually he is ostracized and ends up in Persia!

AGE OF PERIKLES

• Perikles is the leader of Athens at the start of the Peloponnesian War and leads Athens through what is considered the “Golden Age” of Athens

• Under Perikles Athenian economy thrived and becomes more democratic. Direct democracy is introduced and all citizens take part in government. Jury members received a stipend. Ostracism is continued. 

• The Long Walls are built to Pireaus.

•  Perikles made Athens the cultural center of Greece, all with money borrowed/stolen from the Delian League

PELOPONNESIAN WARS BEGIN

The war takes a long time as they are incompatible powers: Athens dominates the war at sea and Sparta the war on land. Athens has superior wealth at the outset and believes they can outlast the Spartans. However, Athenians are also confined to their city and to the city

Spartan king Archidamus II

invades Attica and destroys large areas around Athens. Athenians retreat behind the Long Walls. Pericles is deposed, but will eventually return to power. 

Pericles death leads to a split in leadership:

1. Cleon: wants to continue with the war.

2. Nicias: wants to sue for peace.

Peace of Nicias

Peace was supposed to last for 50 years but only lasted for 3 years! Peace treaty is flawed. Sparta makes promises it can’t keep and allies of Athens refuse to agree to the treaty. 

Alcibiades

convinces the Athenians to undertake an invasion of Syracuse, on the island of Sicily. The invasion was successful at first but soon turned into a disaster.

Athenian expedition is completely wiped out. Not one Athenian soldier from the expedition returns home!!

END OF WAR

War turns on Athens after disaster at Syracuse

Alcibiades is exiled and moves to Sparta and gives them the advice to build a permanent fort in Attica. This forces the Athenians to live behind the Long Walls year round and cuts them off from their silver supply with which they buy food.

The Spartans concluded a treaty with the Persians in 412 BC. The Persians supplied money for the Spartans to buy ships

The major turning point:

After a victory at the naval battle of  Argunisae, the Athenian admirals were unable to pick up survivors in the sea due to a freak storm. This violated a long standing Athenian tradition. The Athenian admirals were condemned and executed, removing the last of Athens experienced leaders.

Lysander

• Spartan admiral

• wins the battle of Aegospotomi. The Athenian fleet is destroyed.

• Sparta now attacks Athens with 3 armies. Athens surrenders, and  is forced to disband the Delian League, destroy the protective walls from their city leading to the sea, and burn their remaining ships are burned. Sparta forces an oligarchy called the 30 Tyrants to rule Athens.

TURNING POINTS

1.Death of Pericles

2. Failed Sicilian Expedition

3. Defection of Alkibiades

4. Persian alliance with Sparta 

5. Defeat at Arginusae

6. Defeat at Aegospotomi

RESULTS:

1. Greece returns to a multi-polar system.

2. Democracy survives in Athens!!

3. Sparta declines because its social structure is not fit for the outside world.

4. Real winner is PERSIA!! Gain many Greek cities in the east.

GREECE AFTER PELOPONNESIAN WAR: SPARTAN DECLINE:

Greek cities generally do not support the Spartan power.  The city of Thebes breaks free from Spartan rule and frees other Greek cities, ending Sparta’s run of power.

BATTLE OF LUEKTRA:

Thebes under the general Epameinondas, defeat the Spartans in battle.

The mystique of the Spartan warrior was broken. The Thebans use their famous Sacred Band. After this battle many of Sparta’s allies abandon her. Thebes seizes hegemonic control of Greece until the arrival of Macedonians in 338.