Greece
Greece - Mar 28, 2024
For the large majority of ancient greece this is the territory of greece
Early Period
The Minoans (2000-1450 BCE)
Developed on crete before Greek mainland was breached
Sculpture, metalwork, printing, discovered there
Evidence of trade with egyptians
Palace at Knossos
Destroyed by volcanic eruption
Mycenaeans (1600 - 1100) BCE
Entered Greece from the north and east
The trojan war begins around 1250 BCE
Due to ongoing warfare
Economic/political collapse
Population decreased
Temples destroyed, writings lost
Settlements abandoned people become nomadic
Timeline
Early Classical Period (800-480) BCE
Emergence of the city state
Mountains and sea cut off settlements from one another, making several central government difficult
Independant, self sufficient communities emerge
The first olympic games held in 776 BCE
Trade redevelops in mediterranean
The Persian Wars
Battle of Marathon (490 BCE)
Athenians defeat the persians
Battle of Thermopylae (480 BCE)
Xerxes of persia defeat a spartan led alliance of greek city states
Battle of salamis (480 BCE)
Atehnians fight the force of Xerxes of persia to a stalemate and retreat
AN evacuated athens is destroyed by persians forces
Battle of Plataea (479 BCE)
Alliance of greek city states under spartan leadership defeats persia
Classical Period (480-338 BCE)
Cultural/Artistic Growth
The defense of greece enabled golden age of art and cultural under athenian leader Pericles
Atenian playwrights: aeschylus, sophocles, euripides, and aristophanes
Athenian philosophers: Socrates, plato, aristotle
Commerce
Athenas become a prosperous commercial city
Greek traders exchange good and ideas with egyptians persians and societies in the mediterranean region
Greece 2 - Apr 2, 2024
Timeline
Classical Period (480 - 388 BCE)
Athens v Sparta
Delian League - Athens leads an alliance of city- states to defend against the Persians and collect tribute
Peloponnesian League - Sparta leads an alliance to counter the power of the Delian League
After the persians attacked, the Greeks prepared heavily to defend against the Persians, the idea of terrorism, but the Perisans never attacked. Causing the greek military to get stronger but also causing a cold war, due to the mistrust between the people
The Peloponnesian Wars (431 - 404)
30 years of Athenian/Spartan conflict ending in Spartan victory
Plague in Athens (430 BCE)
Enter the Macedonians
Spartans battled other city-states until eventually losing two major conflicts with Thebes
King Phillip II of Macedonia takes over Greece
King Phillip conquered all of the states, and unifies Greek, comes in from the north and uses the broken state of Greek cities to conquer and unify. From that comes from Alexander the Great
Hellenistic Period (338 - 27 BCE)
Alexander The Great
Becomes king upon father's death
With a united Greek Army, conquered Egypt, India and Afghanistan
Defeated the Persian Empire, stopped at India due to fatigue
Accumulated largest empire ever
Died at age 32, without an heir, all territory divided among generals
Greatest nepo baby of all time, inherited all of his fathers invasion
Because of him, Greek knowledge gets installed everywhere he goes. Therefore, his impact was extremely profound because everyone knew about him.
Greek Influence (338 - 27 BCE)
Alexander exports Greek arts and learning everywhere he goes
DECLINE
Ongoing invasions by tribes chipped at the empire
Some dying leaders willed their land to their Rome, other territories became Independent
Greece was conquered by Rome in 31 BCE
Greece 3 - Apr 3, 2024
Politics and Govt in Ancient Greece
Rise of the City State
Polis
“Community of people”
Basic political unit of ancient greece by 750 BCE
Made up of a city and nearby villages
Citizens of polis were adult males who were born there and served during wartime
Women , children, foreigners, slaves had no say in political decisions
Rise of Acropolis
Elevated public square that had temples, altars or public monuments whee citizen gathered
Greek Government
Monarchy or Oligarchy
Monarchy - ruled by one
Oligarchy - ruled by an elite noble, land owning families
As trade expanded, a new class of wealthy merchants and artisans emerged in some cities. When these groups became dissatisfied with aristocratic rule, they sometimes took power. This was known as a Oligarchy, or a government ruled by a few powerful people
They eventually turned to democracy, where people elected by majority rule and the state ruled by it citizens
There is upward mobility in greece and rome, if you are a merchant you can accumulate wealth and go up in nobility.
MONARCHY
| ARISTOCRACY
|
OLIGARCHY
| Democracy
|
Old Money vs New Money
Colonization + Plus trade = rise of a middle class of wealthy merchants
CONFLICT from old aristocracy vs new middle class
Fued between both classes escalated and new middle class wanted more influence in govt
As middle class grew more wealthy, built up arms, and gained military power
Led to a new type of warrior called hoplite (warriors of the city state)
These merchants were getting richer and saw the treatment of their wealth across the nations, and wanted more power.
Middle Class grew more wealthy and sponsored army.
The Hoplite
Foot soldier equipped with bronze body armor, shields, helmets and spears
Soldiers would line up side by side in a formation called a Phalanx, six to ten lines deep, and maintained battle formation
Any citizen that could afford the armor would fight
The hoplites were sponsored by the middle class,
Rise of Tyrants
Tyrant - anyone who seized power outside of accepted means
Often ambitious middle class men who used their influence and military might size
My tyrants were good administers who promoted trade and carried out public works projects
Draco
Elected to deal with conflicts between aristocrats and common citizens
Codified and publicized laws
Draco's laws most often associated with extremely severe punishments
Greece 4 - Apr 4, 2024
From tyranny to democracy - Solon
Made laws to relieve the debt of the poor
Abolished practice of selling debtors into slavery
New laws
Any man can run for any office
Council of the 400 - 100 people from every Athenian tribe from every elected to prepare laws to be voted on
Cleisthenes (c.508)
Expanded Council from 400 to 500
50 men from each tribe
Each tribe ruled for 10% of the year
Introduced OSTRACISM
10 year exile for potential tyrants
6000 votes must be cast and the name most commonly mentioned was exiled
Greek Mythology
gods controlled and influenced everything and watched over people but were cruel and vengeful if angered
the gods were anthropomorphic and had human quality
greek offered gifts and sacrifices to the gods to please them and receive favors
the 12 most important gods lived on mount olympus
other deities include:
The muses-inspired artists and writers and musicians
The fates- controlled destinies
The furies- enforced family law and avenged those were killed by family
Killing your family is one of the worst things you can do
Death and the Afterlife
The messenger god, hermes, led the deceased to the river styx, the border between the world of the living and the underworld
The boatman, charon, waiting to ferry across the river and the underworld
If you touch the river styx you are double dead
A watchdog,cerberus, stood at the entrance and prevented any who entered from leaving again
Inside sat the judges of the dead who assigned each ghost it's appropriate place
burial rights were handled by women
Washing the body and anointing it with oil, then wrapping it in a shroud
Body is laid out for grieving
Belief and Practices
Individual worship(shrines altars and temples
Religious services involved temple maintenance and participation in ceremonies
Oracles - gods would speak through certain priests or priestesses at particular shrines (Oracle at delphi)
Belief in omen, curses and superstitions
Matt Turner saw the eclipse as a metaphor for Slave saving.
Festivals were held frequently to honor gods
Panathenaea - important festival in honor of athena and is depicted on frieze of Parthenon
Greek gods are anthropomorphic versions of abstract ideas (love, war, etc).
Greece 5 - Apr 9, 2024
Olympic Games
Began as a religious event to worship the gods, particularly Zeus, in 1776 BCE
Lasted until 394 AD
Occured in Olympia every 4 years
Running, wrestling, boxing, horse racing, chariot racing and the pentathlon(running, wrestling, discus throw, javelin throw and long jump)
Titans, Olympians, Heroes
The Titans
Ruled the earth before the Olympians overthrew them
Cronus, the leader, was dethroned by his sons, Zeus, Hades, and Poseidon
Most of the Titans fought with Cronus against Zues and were banished to Tartarus
The Olympians
The 12 gods who ruled after the overthrow of the Titans
Named after their dwelling place
The Heros
Greeks created stories that celebrated the achievements of mortals
Greece 6 - Apr 11, 2024
Background
500 BCE - The Persian Empire, founded by Cyrus the Great, stretched from Afghanistan to the Mediterranean
Greek city states were small, independant and ill-prepared to defend themselves
Conflict started when Greeks in Ionia revolted against Persian rule
Greeks are too small to individually fight the Massive persian force, and they are not prepared to come together to fight off Persians
:)
Battle of Marathon - 490 BCE
Athen sent ships and soldiers to aid Greeks in the Ionian revolt
Persian king, Darius the Great, defeated the rebels and then vowed to destroy Athens in revenge
Persian fleet of 25,000 cross the Aegean Sea and land northeast of Athens at Marathon
10,000 Athenians arranged in phalanxes defeated the Persians
The land empire of Persia, decides to cross the sea and Athens decides to re-inforce Ionians.
Phalanx is a grid style movement that is flexible, arranged tightly in a grid
The Last Stand at Thermopylae - 480 BCE
Ten years later, Xerxes (Darius' Son) continued the war against the Greeks
Greeks chose a defensive position at a narrow mountain pass at Thermopylae and blocked the way with 7000 Greeks of various city-states and 300 Spartans.
The Greeks stopped the Persian advance until a traitor informed the Persians of a secret path
Seeing that the Greek forces were slowly getting trapped inside the pass, the Spartans held off the Persians until most of the Greek forces were able to retreat
No Spartans survived the battle
Battle of Salamis
After Thermopylae, Athens was evacuated to the island of salamis
The Athenian leader leaked a false message to Xerxes that the Greeks were divided
Xerxes sent his ships into the narrow straits to block a fake greek retreat
Xerxes was from a hilltop in horror as more than 200 ships were sunk compared to 40 Greek ships
Greece 7- Apr 12, 2024
Background
Ancient Greek art → hugely influential in Western civilization
WHY?
Males had leisure time and were encouraged to follow artistic pursuits
Males had free time and slaves
Most Greek city-states accepted external influences and ideas
Sculpting learning from egypt
The Partheon
Ordered by pericles in tribute to athena for victory over persia
Contained a 40 foot statue of athena
Paid for with the Delian league money
Most significant temple in ancient greece
1200s became a church
1400s became a mosque
1687 - damaged during conflict between Ottomans and Venetians
Architecture
Greek architecture concerned around symmetry and harmony
Columns - form + function, visually pleasing and basic building tools
Doric - Simple
Ionic - Curved capital
Corinthian - Ornate capital
The decorated area between the top of the column and the roof is called the FRIEZE
The frieze was elaborate and intricately carved and depicted detailed scenes
Pottery
Greek artists were the first to learn how to show three dimensions of a flat surface by using different shades of color to give the illusion of depth
Two major types: Black figure pottery and red figure pottery
Potters decorated vessels with abstract patterns of lines, circles, and bands of color
They draw random stuff on their pottery
Greece 8 - Apr 15, 2024
Theatre
First to use theater for entertainment
Tragedies -> Stories from the past
Comedies -> Current problems
Actors wore masks with exaggerated human expression
Stage was surrounded by a semicircular seating area fitted into hillside
Plays performed as part of religious festivals
Plays were founded by the polis
Famous play wrights
Sophocles - "Oedipus Rex"
Aeschylus - "Persians"
Euripides - "Trojan War"
Homer (800 BCE)
The Iliad
Oldest work of western literature
Story of the 10 year Trojan War b/w Greeks and Troy
Summary: Dude lieks hot girl, hot girl says Im married. Dude goes to war, big trojan horse comes to troy and destroys the city.
The Odyssey
The sequel to Iliad. Story of Greek hero Odysseus and his long journey home after the Trojan war.
Literature and Drama
Sophocles
Oedipus Rex
Tragic story of Oedipus, whose father is told that he will die at his sons hand and has him killed
Fate vs Freewill
Aristophanes
Lysistrata
Greek women refuse to have sexual relations with their husbands in orde rto force the end of a destructive war
Gender Roles
Men
If they were not training in the military or discussing/involved in politics, the went to the theater
Responsible for family and house
Most worked as businessmen or farmers
Women (Except in Sparta)
Domestic work -> Spinning, weaving, etc.
Not involved in public life or in politics
Did not sleep in the same room as men
Could not enter the marketplace or streets of the city.
Greek Houses
Homes in the city were usually larger and had more rooms than house in rural areas
Rooms were usually arranged around a open courtyard
An altar stood in the courtyard and sometimes there was also a well or fountain
Men and women had separate living quarters
Greece 9 - Apr 16, 2024
Education
Boys went to school usually at the age of 7. Girls stayed home and learned skills from their mothers
Some girls from wealthy families learned to read and write from private tutors
School was optional and for a fee
Boys forms poor families stayed home and helped on the farm
Boys studied reading, writing, arithmetic, music and sports
Memorizing and reciting poetry
Athletics was seen as preparation for the military
They are able to create so much because of leisure time
Slavery
Female Slaves
Cooked, cleaned, went to the markets & acted as nurses.
Males Slaves
Watched the door when the man of the house was out
Tutored the young male children (pedagogue)b
Pedagogue was known as the job of the tutoring or teaching
Worked in fields, factories, shops, mines, and on ships
Became slaves in many ways
Capture in battle, the children of slaves, abandoned infants, sold into slavery by poor families, kidnapped
Over a third of the greek population at the time was slaves
Clothing
Tunics/cloaks, made of linen/wool
Made by the mother/ daughters and female slaves
Clothes were often decorated to represent the city-state
Women → peplos
men → chiton
Greece 10- Apr 16, 2024
Science & Technology in Ancient Greece
Mathematics
Reached advanced levels during the Hellenistic Age.
Pythagoras
Pythagorean Theorem - A2+ B2=C2
Euclid
Famous for geometry
List of natural elements
Archimedes
Numerous achievements in math and engineering
Considered the greatest mathematician of the ancient world
Eratosthenes
Calculated circumference of the earth
Astronomy
Significant advances in astronomy and measurement of time
Knew that earth was round and that the moon traveled
Were able to calculate the the length of the solar year was 365 days and that the moon took approximately 29 days to travel around the year
Medicine
Asclepius - the god of healing
Shrines were built away from the city
Superstition + medicine
Cures would come while sleeping
500 BC - more scientific approach and medicine
Herbs drugs and ointments
Studying symptoms more carefully
Believed that diet and exercise and patents comfort were all important
Doctors did not require license but were instead judged on their success and failures
Hippocrates
Wrote 70 books on medicine
4 Humors - Blood, black bile, phlegm, yellow bile
Known for his scientific methods and medical ethics and set a high standard for professional conduct of doctors = Hippocratic Oath
Greece 11- Apr 17, 2024
Greek Philosophy, The Legacy of Ideas
Socrates 470-399
Believed in the duty of everyone to care for their soul and be as good as possible
Socratic Method
Start with a statement, find exceptions to it and refine the original statement
Arrested for "corrupting the youth of Athens"
Forced to commit suicide
No written records of his work
Never wrote anything down and then Plato used Socrates as a character in his writing, he doesnt exist as a primary source, meaning that he could be mythologized and exaggerated.
Plato
Created the Academy in Athen
Wrote extensively, with Socrates as a character
The Republic
Plato's description of a just government for Athens
Dialogue between Socrates and Platos brother
The most just city is ruled by a philosopher king who is selfless and does what is best for the city
Plato mentioned atlantis when mentioning what type of qualities to rule over a great city like Atlantis, said to make leaders and find them at a young age, and test them at a young age, and test them throughout their life and make sure that they are fit to be a Philosopher King, and to make sure that they dont have temptation and are pure.
The king needs to have what is necessary to do their job, have anice house has the riches, so that they dont fall into temptation trying to get it
The Realm of Ideas
Reality is misleading and corrupted
Ideas are the only truth in the world
Struggle - discovering the truth of the world while balancing what you know to be true with what the physical world is showing you to be true.
The ideal versins of things are the real truths, the
The Allegory of The Cave
Philosophers must descend into the cave and enlighten those still shackled and distracted by illusions
Role of the philosopher is to release people by the chains but the irony is that they dont want to leave.
Aristotle
Happyness comes from virtue
If the best thing you can do is just hard labor, then you are a slave by nature and thats all you can do, because you cant use your mind.
One of Platos students
Tutor of Alexander the Great
Not by choice, by tutoring he was doing the socratic method with Alexander the great.
Created the Lyceum Academy
Heavily influenced Christian and Muslim doctrine and thought
Greece 12- Apr 18, 2024
The Peloponnesian War (Athens v.s. Sparta for 27 years)
The Delian League
A voluntary defense alliance led by athens formed after the persian wars
City-states paid a fee to main a common naval fleet
League treasury kept on the island of Delos
Membership became mandatory as the Persian threat receded
Because of Persia a giant pot of gold was made, contributions from all parts of Greece to prepare against Persia, but the threat of Persia was long gone and Athen's pot of gold grew ginormous, and then Sparta didn't want to pay, causing a war to emerge.
Spartan Response
Pericle’s attempt to expand the leagues territory inland was seen as a threat to sparta
Sparta form the Peloponnesian League to counter Athenian aggressiveness
Corinth and Megara were wealthy city-states ad were blocked from accessing the profitable trade areas by the delian league
The Peloponnesian War (First 10 Years)
Pericles Strategy → Avoid land battles, wait for chances to strike sparta and allies at sea
Pericles brings in residents from surrounding region inside city walls
2nd year → plague killed one third of the population of Athens, including Pericles
Athens continued to fight for several years but signed a truce in 421 BCE after both sides were worn down
The Peloponnesian War (Middle 10 Year)
Alcibiades - Pericles’s nephew becomes Athenian leader
418 BCE → Athen conquers and enslaves Melos
Failed attempt to destroy the city-state of Syracuse, one of Sparta’s wealthiest allies
Both sides are running out of resources, Inflicted with plague and running out of money to fund the war.
The Peloponnesian War (Final 10 Years)
408 BCE - Persian Empire supports Sparta
405 BCE - The Battle of Aegospotami
Four day so circling each other’s fleet at sea
Spartans fleet catches Athens fleet beached their military and collecting food and entire fleet is captured
The Athenians wear destroyed, thus crippling their military and significantly weakening the city
BOP BOP BOP BOP
Consequences
Athenians spared
Tear down protective walls
Surrender majority of fleet
Acknowledge Spartans superiority in war
Eventually Athens lost its empire. Power and wealth.
Greece 13- Apr 19, 2024
Alexander the Great
Background
Macedonia
Located north of the greek city states
Not as wealthy as the southern city states
Phillip II of Macedon
Learned advanced battle techniques
Used them to unit Macedonia and defeat southern greeks at The Battle of Chaeronea in 338 BCE
Hired Aristotle as his sons tutor
Assassinated in 336 BCE by a former border guard Pausinias
King of Macedonia at age 20
Led his father’s army on a mission to conquoer the Persian Empire
Empire - Built in 10 years
Greece, Mesopotamia, Egypt, Peria
Stopped at Indus River Valley
Died in 323 BCE
In Babylon, 10 days after a feast for a dead friend
Cause of Death is unclear
Achievements
Battle of Gaugamela
October 331 BCE
Final defeat of the persian empire
Conquered Territory
Kept local government, culture, and laws
Cultural diffusion
Perisan influence permeated Alexander’s army
Greek influence spread as far as india
His death marks the end of the classical period and the start of the hellenistic period
Legacy
Empire divided into 4 after 40 years of war between his generals
The Diadochi - Were a fami
Ptolemy - Egypt & Middle East
Antigens - Macedon & Central Greece
Seleucus - Syria and Mesopotamia
Object of Admiration
His tomb in Alexandria was visited by Julius Caesar, Popmpey, Augustus and Nero