Ancient Greece

1. Ancient Greece • Where in the world is Greece? What continent is it located on? Asia, Europe, Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica, Australia.

2. Ancient Greece is located in Europe • Where is Greece located in Europe?

3. What can you tell about the geography of Ancient Greece? Look at the Elevation Key

4. What can we conclude about the geography of Ancient Greece? • Greece has a lot of coastline. In fact it is made up of peninsulas(piece of land that is bordered by water on three sides but connected to the mainland) and more than 400 islands Island of Cyprus

5. The land in Greece is covered with rocky, hilly land and several mountain ranges that make 90 percent of the land unfarmable.

6. The mountains isolated Greeks from one another, causing different Greek communities to develop their own way of life. The rivalry between the communities led to warfare that devastated Greek societies.

7. Seas The sea also influenced the evolution of Greek society. The Aegean, Mediterranean, and Ionian Seas make up the eastern, southern, and western boarders of Greece. -Lots of coastline and harbors. -It was easy for the Greeks to spread their civilizations throughout the Mediterranean world.

8. Minoans and Mycenaeans 2800 BCE Bronze Age civilization established on Crete (The Minoancivilization- The first Greek civilization) Earthquake or Mycenaean?? The Mycenaeans were warrior people. They had monarchies and extensive commercial network.

9. Homer tells the story of the Mycenaean Greeks, led by Agamemnon, king of Mycenae, sacking the city of Troy. • Unfortunately, Mycenaeans states fought each other too much, and earthquakes caused too much damage. Oh, and we cant forget theDorians. • 1600BCE-1100BCE

12. The Dorians It is believed they originated in northern and northwestern Greece, i.e., Macedonia and Epirus. From there they apparently swept southward into central Greece and then into the southern Aegean area in successive migrations beginning about 1100 BC, at the end of the Bronze Age.

13. The invading Dorians had a relatively low cultural level, and their only major technological innovation was the iron slashing sword. The Dorians swept away the last of the declining Mycenaean and Minoan civilizations of southern Greece and plunged the region into a dark age out of which the Greek city-states began to emerge almost three centuries later.

14. The Dark Ages • During the Dark Ages of Greece the old major settlements were abandoned (with the notable exception of Athens), and the population dropped dramatically in numbers. • 300 years of bad times for the Greeks.

15. The old Mycenaean economic and social ways (hierarchy) were forgotten. They were eventually replaced with a new socio-political institutions that eventually allowed for the rise of Democracy in 5th c. BCE Athens. What is Democracy you ask??

17. NOT THIS

18. Greeks relearned how to write, but this time instead of using the Linear B script used by the Mycenaeans, they adopted the alphabet used by the Phoenicians (civilization situated on the western, coastal part of the Fertile Crescent) . A Greek version of the alphabet eventually formed the base of the alphabet used for English today.

20. The Greek City-States Greece slowly recovered during the late part of the Dark Age. Several Greek centres of trade established themselves during the ninth century BCE, and population growth in the following century fueled a growth in agriculture. Increased trade stimulated craftwork and shipbuilding. Greek communities were growing and gaining wealth.

21. Polis The Polis or city-state was the central focus of Greek life. The citizens of the Polis had defined rights and responsibilities, as well as a strong identity and loyalty that kept the city-states divided. Our word politics is derived from the Greek word polis. It was a town, city, or a village, along with its surrounding country side. Where people could meet for political, social and religious activities.

22. Acropolis The main gathering place was usually on top of a hill known as an acropolis. It served as a refuge during an attack. A religious centre on which temples and public buildings were built.

23. Agora Below the acropolis was an agora, an open area that served as a place were people could assemble and as a market.

24. City-states varied greatly in size, from a few square miles to a few hundred square miles. They also varied greatly in population. Athens had a population of more than 300,000 by the fifth century BCE. Most city-states were much smaller than Athens. Usually only a few hundred to several thousand people.

25. As the polis (city-state) developed so did their military system. By 700BCE the military system was based on hoplites, who were heavily armed soldiers. Each carried a rounded shield, a short sword, and a thrusting spear about 9 feet long.

26. As long as they kept their order it was difficult for enemies to harm them. Hoplites went into battle as a unit, marching shoulder to shoulder in a rectangular formation known as a phalanx. This close formation created a wall of shields to protect the hoplites.

29. Sparta Like other Greek city-states Sparta needed more land because of its population growth and need for more agriculture. Instead of starting new colonies the Spartans conquered neighboring communities, making the conquered work for them. These people became known as helots.

30. To ensure control over the helots, the Spartans made a conscious decision to create a military state. Between 800 BCE and 600 BCE the lives of the Spartans were rigidly organized and tightly controlled. The word “Spartan” means “highly self-disciplined”

31. Males spent their childhood learning military discipline. Enrolled in the military at age 20 Allowed to marry but lived in military barracks until age 30. At the age of 30 Spartan males were allowed to vote. They could live at home but were in the army until the age of 60

32. Spartan women had a higher degree of freedom than other woman in Greece because their husbands lived elsewhere. Spartan women were expected to stay fit to bear and raise healthy children.

33. The Spartan government was an oligarchy (all power is put in the hands of a few) headed by two kings, who led the army on their campaigns. The art of war was the Spartan ideal. They turned their backs on the outside world. Spartan citizens were discouraged from studying philosophy, literature, or the arts.

34. Athens

36. How was Athens different than Sparta? 1. Athens’ population was of Ionian descent while Sparta traces its ancestry to the Dorian invaders.2. Athens used democratic rule while Sparta had an oligarchy.3. Athenians were noted architects and builders while Spartans were famous soldiers.4. Athens traded for wealth while Sparta took it by force.

37. 5. Athens fostered creativity and intellectual work among its residents while Sparta expected all men in their ranks to become soldiers.6. Athens developed new techniques to improve food production and built a great navy while Sparta focused solely on agriculture and land warfare.

39. Classical Greece Classical Greece is the name given to the period of Greek history from around 500 BCE – till about 338 BCE. This period was not only marked not only by a brilliant culture but also by a disastrous war among the Greeks, the Peloponnesian War. However, before the Peloponnesian War……………..

40. As Greeks were spreading throughout the Mediterranean, they came in contact with the Persian Empire from the east, who were ruled by Darius I (This is before Xerxes).

41. In 490BCE The Persians, upset after a previous revolt from the Greek Ionian states, landed on the plain of Marathon (only 42km from Athens).

42. The Persians were outnumbered and defeated. Rumor has it that an Athenian ran from Marathon to Athens to declare the victory before he dropped dead. Today’s marathon races are based on his heroic story. A Marathon

43. Xerxes After Darius’ death Xerxes came into power and vowed revenge by invading Greece. In spite of their differences, Athenians, Spartans, and other Greeks were united by a common goal of defeating the Persian invaders. The Greeks tried to delay the Persians at the pass of Thermopylae. A Greek force of about 7000 held off the Persian army for 2 days. 300 Spartan soldiers were especially brave.

45. Unfortunately, a traitor told the Persians how to use a mountain path to outflank the Greek force, leading to a Spartan defeat. A few months later, early 479BCE, the Greeks formed the largest Greek army up to that time and eventually beat the Persians northwest of Athens.

46. Peloponnesian War The Peloponnesian War, 431 to 404 BC, was an ancient Greek war fought by Athens and its empire against the Peloponnesian League led by Sparta. Sparta eventually defeated Athens by building blockade around the walls of the city. The people of Athens could not leave to get supplies or food from the countryside. Faced with starvation, Athens surrendered to Sparta in 404BC.

47. Due to the Peloponnesian War, much of Greece was in a weakened state. In continuing their petty wars, the Greeks ignored the growing power of Macedonia to their north.

48. Alexander the Great

49. Why “the Great”? In ten years, Alexander of Macedonia created the largest empire in the world up to that time Alexander spread Greek culture, ensuring cultural diffusion and the survival of the qualities of classical Greece

50. Alexander’s Empire