Ancient Greece “Birth of Democracy”. Geography Balkan Peninsula of Greece surrounded by Aegean, Mediterranean and Ionian Sea Scattered arable land to.

Ancient Greece“Birth of Democracy”

GeographyBalkan Peninsula of Greece surrounded by Aegean, Mediterranean and Ionian Sea

Scattered arable land to farm divided by mountains

Small City states formed in these isolated areas

Early GovernmentsEmperor or King = Monarchy (early system)

Changed to more people with power or Aristocracy. This is an elite ruling class

or a small group that holds power, Oligarchy

Athens will develop a democratic government

SpartaDorians conquered Laconia, enslaving them Dorians < Laconians Rulers < Slaves

Sparta's brutal system of control would keep them on top

Life = From age 7 they began training

Lived in Barracks, coarse diet, hard exercise, Rigid Discipline

Encouraged to steal food, but if caught, would be beaten

"So seriously did Spartan children go about their stealing, that a boy, having stolen a young fox and hid it under his cloak, let it tear out his guts with its teeth and claws and died right there, rather than let it be seen."

Sparta cont.At 20 they would marry, but still live in the barracks till they were 30

at 30 they would become a member of the assembly and move in with their family

Women would train to produce a healthy son

women were able to own property and ran the home when men were off at war.

Sparta“Spartans are willing to die for their city, because they have no reason to live.”

AthensMany non-nobles wanted rights. As the amount of people who needed more rights grew, they moved towards a government of democracy

Outlawed debt slavery

granted citizenship to foreigners

gave more say to general assembly or government of the people

Athenian SocietyCitizenship was very restricted, 10,000s of slaves worked to keep society going and educated and wealthy advancing

women were seen as less then males and managed households

Boys who could afford to go to school, learned to read, write, music, poetry, rhetoric, citizenship, and military tactics.

Persian Wars500 BC, Persians demanded allegiance to Persia

Greeks refuse and Persia attacks

Marathon to Athens 26.2 miles

Xerxes, King of Persia, attacks @ Thermopoylae (300 Movie)

Persia attacked with boats, but was tricked and defeated by a smaller, faster force of Greeks

The victory would establish “alliance” or Delian League of Greek city-states