Chapter 7

Chapter 7Ancient Greece

Section 1The Geography of Greece

Geography Shapes Ancient Greek Life Mainland of Greece extends into

Mediterranean Peninsula: body of land nearly surrounded

by water Peloponnesus

Southern tip of Greece Linked by an isthmus to the rest of Greece

Landscape & Climate Covered by mountains

Divides land into many regions No large rivers

Made transportation difficult Rugged landscape

Made it difficult for Greece to unite under single gov’t

Mild, rainy winters and hot, dry summers

Agriculture Rocky land

Small region good for farming More than ½ Greeks were farmers

Greek society Landowners were upper class & men

Could also supply himself w/ equipment needed to defend his homeland

Had higher place in society than merchants & poor Got more farmland by founding colonies in other

regions Anatolia

Resources Lacked natural resources

Had to find in other locations 2 important resources

Plentiful stone for building Coastline w/ good sites for harbors

A seafaring People Mediterranean Sea, Ionian Sea, &

Aegean Sea Highways of water Used for transportation routes

Skilled sailors & ship builders Rowing ships: war Sailing ships: trade

Seas were source of food too Fish important part of diet

Trade & Commerce Did not produce much grain Surplus of olive oil, wine, wool, & fine

pottery Bought & sold goods between city-states

& other regions Main items bought was grain, timber,

animal hides, & slaves Also traded for nuts, figs, cheese, & flax

(used to make linen)

Mycenaean Civilization Peloponnesus

Site of 1st civilizations Mycenae (most important city)

On hills surrounded by a protective wall King ruled each city of Mycenaean Greece & the

surrounding villages & farms Nobles within Mycenae lived in luxury

Mycenaeans were traders Culture: featured writing, gold jewelry, bronze weapons, &

fine pottery Civilization collapsed around 1200 B.C. because of invaders

Written records no longer kept; little known until around 750 B.C.

New Advances in Greek Culture Greeks learned from others

Phoenicians Developed a writing system that used 22 symbols

that stood for sounds Greeks picked up on alphabet between 900 &

800 B.C. Later evolved into own alphabet of 26 letters

Also learned about coins from trading w/ other peoples

Eventually developed new forms of literature & gov’t

Section 2Life in Ancient Greece

Gods involved in peoples lives The Gods of Greece

Had divine & human qualities (powerful, but also had human emotions)

Constantly competed w/ each other Zeus

Ruler of the gods He & 11 other major gods & goddesses lived on

Mount Olympus Each city had a special god or goddess to protect it

i.e. Athena was protector of Athens

Greek Gods & Myths

Myths: stories that people tell to explain beliefs about their world

Developed to explain the creation of the world & human beings

Many myths described how gods & goddess related to one another & to humans

Others portray Greek heroes & heroines

Greek Mythology

Important to honor gods Angry god could cause trouble Built statues, temples, & had special

events

Honoring the Gods

Certain days each month were hold to different gods or goddess Celebrated w/ sacrifices & public

ceremonies

Holy Festivals

Often part of religious festivals Held every four years during major

festival that honored Zeus Took place in Olympia Only men competed in contests

During Olympics a festival to honor the goddess Hera wife of Zeus took place Unmarried girls competed in foot races

The Olympics

Stories told of ancient heroes Passed down through generations & from long poems that told stories

(called epics) Epics of Homer

Iliad & the Odyssey Trojan War

Iliad Greek warrior Achilles

Mother held him by his heel & dipped him in a special river. Every place the water touched was protected from injury. He was unbeatable in battle except when struck by an arrow in his weak spot, his heel, & he died

Odyssey Describes the adventures of the Greek hero Odysseus. On his trip home

from the Trojan War, Odysseus offended Poseidon (God of the sea). In revenge Poseidon made Odysseus’ journey take 10 years. He & his men traveled through strange & dangerous lands on trip home. He used his wits & trickery to survive

Early Greek Literature

Fable: a short story, usually involving animals, & teaches a moral lesson.

Many today are credited to a Greek named Aesop Most famous is “The Hare & the Tortoise”

Aesop’s Fables

Section 3The City-State and Democracy

Geography divided Greece into small regions

Basic form of gov’t became the city-state A state formed by a city and its

surrounding lands

The Rise of City-States

Greek word for city-state is polis Most were small

Limited by geographic features Athens & Sparta were the largest Most controlled from 50 to 500 square

miles of territory & had fewer than 20,000 residents Formed close communities

Greek City-States

Center of city-life was the agora (an open space where people came for business & public gatherings) Male citizens meet to discuss politics As well as festivals & athletic events Statues, temples, & other public buildings

were found in and around this area Many had a fortified hilltop or acropolis

1st used for military later as places for temples & palaces

Layout of the City

Each city-state was independent People figured out what kind worked for

them Some kept the same form of gov’t over

time while others changed from one system to another

Forms of Gov’t

Monarchy Earliest form of gov’t King or queen has supreme power & rules

Aristocracy Gov’t ruled by the upper class of society

or by nobility Descended from high born ancestors

(claimed to be mythical heroes) Corinth began as a monarchy, then an

aristocracy

Monarchs & Aristocrats

Oligarchy Rule by the few People rule because of wealth or land ownership (not

inherited social class like aristocracy) Tyrants

Someone who took power in an illegal way Became king w/o royal birth

Poor were not part of gov’t in monarchies, aristocracies, or oligarchies (they resented this & often rebelled)

Sometime a wealthy person wanted to seize power & would ask the poor for help to become the leader

Tyrant would work to help the poor or created building programs to provide jobs for them Also made laws to cancel their debts owed

Tyrants helped to overthrow oligarchies & also showed if common people united behind a leader, power could be gained

Poor started to demand more political power

Citizenship A person who is loyal to a country & who

is entitled to protection by the gov’t of that country Only adult males (other variation depending

on your city-state) Both upper & lower classes were citizens

Gradual reforms took place over time make a major change to society

Athens Builds a Limited Democracy

500 B.C. Poor farmers had huge debts & were forced to work the

lands of someone else or become slaves They became very angry

594 B.C. Solon chosen to lead Athens Created reforms to prevent a revolt

Freed enslaved people Made a law ending slavery Organized citizens into four classes based on wealth not birth

Richest: had most power All citizens could serve in assembly (lawmaking body)

Solon

500 B.C. Increased the power of Athenian citizens even more

Reorganized the assembly to take power away from the nobles

Organized citizens into 10 groups/tribes Based on place of residence instead of wealth or family ties

Set up a group of 10 commanders to lead the military Tribe elected leader to serve for 1 year

Also reformed the council that helped the assembly to govern Council of Five Hundred

Cleisthenes

Council of 500 50 men from each of the 10 tribes

Any citizen over the age of 30 qualified to be a member Chosen by lot (random) to serve for a term of 1 year

Could be reelected only once

Council of 500 could suggest laws to the assembly for debate & possible passage Laws passed by majority vote

Changes moved Athens to early form of democracy Gov’t in which the citizens make political decisions

either directly or through elected representatives Athens had a direct democracy: all citizens meet to

decide on the laws

Direct Democracy

Gov’t did not include all of the people Only free adult males were citizen &

could take part in gov’t Not women, enslaved people, or

foreigners Also included a system called ostracism

Any member of the assembly who though someone was a danger to the city-state could submit the name of the person for a vote by the assembly. If enough votes were received then that person was sent way for 10 years

Limited Democracy & Ostracism

Had to serve in the army whenever they were needed Athenian citizens were trained for warfare

Also served on juries Had to be at least 30 Had several hundred people to hear

charges against a person All citizens were equal in the courts No professional lawyers or judges

Citizens argued cases before the jury directly

Citizens’ Responsibilities