1.1 Greek Identity OCR A Level Classical Civilisation

Polis

City-state

Aristocracy

Noble families in the city have the power

Oligarchy

A small group of people rule

Tyranny

One ruler

Colonisation in Ancient Greece

Sharp rise in population in 8th century BC puts pressure on resources for food and housing so colonies helped this and would also allow trade

Examples of Greek colonies

Tanais (north Black sea) by Miletus, Cyrene (Libya) by Thera, Naucratis (Egypt), modern day Marseille

Effect of trade

Not enough free labour so slaves begin to be imported from Asia Minor and Thrace, land owning becomes less important therefore aristocratic land owners have less power, political power is more about wealth than ancestry

Rivalries

Athens and Corinth, Athens and Aegina, Argos and Sparta

Differences between Greek states

Different ancestors (E.g. Dorians and Ionians), different patron deities/hero cults

Similarities between Greek states

Same gods, same language, Olympic games, Homer's stories (intellectual), Delphi oracle

Dorians

Immigrated into Greece, Spartans

Ionians

Autochthonous (native to the area), Athenians

Olympic Games

Many Greeks took part, truce for the games

What Homer made the Greeks think

Greece is worth defending and fighting for, being Greek was to be inquisitive

Greeks outside of Greece

Greek craftsmen in the Persian empire, Babylon hiring Greek mercenaries against Assyria, Egypt hiring Greek mercenaries against Persia