Greece Part 2

Greece Unit 2

Vocabulary

• Phalanx- a wall of shields created by foot soldiers marching shoulder to shoulder in a rectangular formation

• Polis- the early Greek city-state consisting of a city or town and its surrounding countryside.

• Acropolis- In early Greek city-states, a fortified gathering place at the top of a hill that was sometimes the site of temples and public buildings

• Assemble- to gather, to meet together

Center of Greek Life 

• Between 750 B.C. and 550 B.C., the city state or what the Greeks called a polis began to develop throughout mainland Greece as well as colonies in surrounding regions.

  • Southern Italy

  • Eastern Spain

  • Northern Africa

  • As far east as modern-day Turkey

City States

• All citizens (men) had rights, but these rights were coupled with responsibilities 

• Aristotle: “We must rather regard every citizen belonging to the state.”

• This lead to City-states distrusting one another, and division of Greece into fiercely patriotic, independent units which helped to bring about its ruin 

Socrates

Plato

Aristotle

(A)lexander the Great

Taught one another descending

Tyranny in the City States

• Creation of a new group of wealthy men in the polis’ fostered in the rise of tyrants. (not always as evil and wicked as our modern use of the word implies)

• Other newly wealthy and deeply poor would support the new tyrant because they opposed the current aristocrats (old money)

• Tyrants would keep rule by hiring soldiers to reinforce their control

  • But they would also build public works to build their popularity 

  • Markets

  • Temples 

  • City walls

• Eventually Greeks saw a single ruler as an insult to their ideals and moved towards Democracy and oligarchy

The Rise and Fall of Tyrants

Tyrants were backed by newly rich and by poor peasants in debt to aristocrats →Tyrants seized power using soldiers →Tyrants gained popularity through lavish public works →Tyrants came to be seen as oppressive → Tyranny end in Greek City States

Persian War

• Ionian rebelled against Persia

• Persia attacked Athens in revenge

• Persians are defeated at Marathon invasion

• City States (polis) prepare for invasion

• Persians invade and win at Thermopylae

• Greeks claim final victory at Platea

Sparta Way of Life

• Military state established to control population of conquered helots

• Society based on military discipline and barracks life

• Oligarchic government headed by two kings who served as war leaders

• Restriction on visits by foreigners and on travel by Spartans

• Culture defined by readiness for war.

Extensive Trade Route/System

Imports

• Grains

• Metals Fish

• Timber 

• Wheat 

• Slaves

Exports 

• Olive Oil

• Pottery 

• Metal Works

Byzantium

• Byzantium was a crucial colony Greece because of its link with the Black Sea

• This created a port trade city to the eastern world

The beginning of the Peloponnesian War

• 460 B.C. - 446 B.C.

• 30 years of peace (only lasted 15 years)

• 431 B.C. - 404 B.C.

• Athens Vs. Sparta

• Athens is the Cultural and economic center of Greece

• Sparta is the military center of Greece 

What led to the War?

• Differences and rivalries led to the war between Athens and Sparta

• Athenian Empire was vast and controlled much of the coasts

• Not solely Athens and Sparta

  • Delian League (Athens) and Peloponnesian League (Sparta) 

Strengths

• Sparta: Strong Army, military-based society supporting military

• Athens: Protective City wall, Strong Navy

Weakness 

• Sparta: Weak Navy

• Athens: Weak Army, Need supplies

Strategies

Athenian:

• Rely Mainly on strength in the navy.

• Relu on allies from the Delian League

• Stay behind their city walls. Avoid land battles

• Receive supplies from colonies via their navy 

• Attack the rising power of Sicily

Spartan: 

• Rely mainly on strength of the army

• Rely on allies from the Peloponnesian League

• Surround Athens

• Draw Athens into open land battles

• Help Athenian colonies to revolt 

Alexander the Great

• Born 356 B.C.

• King of Macedonia 336 - 323 B.C.

• One of the greatest military leaders

• Studied under Aristotle 

• Died 323 B.C.

Conquering of Greece

• Alexander the Great’s Father invaded Greece in 338 B.C.

• Philip II of Macedonia defeated an alliance of Greek City-states and united them under Macedonian rule

• Alexander would become ruler in 336 B.C. after his father’s death. 

The Macedonian Empire

• After being in power a short time Alexander invaded and came to control the Persian Empire 331 B.C. 

• Never lost a battle

• This conquering connected Greece with the rest of the civilized world. (Middle East (Persia), India) 

Spread of Greek Culture

• Alexander spreads the influence of Greece:

  • Langage

  • Architecture

  • Literature

  • Art

  • Religious Diversity

Alexander the Great’s Death

• Drank wine and grew ill

• Remaining ill for around 2 weeks before passing in 323 B.C. 

Legacy of Alexander the Great

• Political

  • Extension of Greek and Macedonian rule

  • Creation of Hellenistic Kingdoms

• Economic 

  • Circulation of Persian gold and silver

  • Standardization of currency 

• Cultural 

  • Spread of Greek art and thought

  • Creation of hybrid Hellenistic culture