Constructing Classical Greece: From City-States to Alex the Great.

Constructing Classical Greece:

From City-States to Alex the Great

The First Greeks• Minoans pass along their culture to

the Mycenaeans: 1. The value of seaborne trade2. A writing system3. Artistic designs4. Religious practices

• Mycenaean Kings dominate Greece from 1600 B.C. to 1100 B.C.

• What is the importance of these two early Greek civilizations?

The Geography of Greece

Peninsula: Land surrounded by water on 3 sidesMakes sea travel necessary for trade

Mountains: Cover 75% of GreeceNaturally divide land into city-states

Climate:Temperatures range from 48°F to 80°F Encourages an active, outdoor lifestyle

Rule in Greek City-States

• Monarchy: Rule by a king or queen• Aristocracy: Rule by a small group

of rich people• Oligarchy: Rule by a few powerful

people• Tyrants: Leaders who work for the

ordinary citizen – different than today!

• Democracy: Leader chosen by majority vote

Athens•Develops as a Democracy -

citizens participate in the decision-making for the city-state

•Promotes learning: reading, grammar, poetry, history, mathematics, music, public speaking and athletics

•Values: Intelligence, individuality, freedom and beauty

Sparta

• Governed as a military state

• Requires military training for boys starting at age 7 and ending at age 30

• Values: Duty, strength, discipline, not the individual

What were the Persian Wars?

A land dispute that triggered war between Greece and the Persian

Empire

Persian Empire

Battle of Marathon

•Persians and Athenians (Greeks) meet at Marathon

•The Athenians use the phalanx to destroy Persian forces

•200 Athenians die•6000 Persians die•Athenian soldier, Pheidippides, is

sent running to Athens to share the news

Battle of Thermopylae

•7000 Greeks wait to fight the Persian army at a mountain pass called Thermopylae http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7RQm37K-clg

•Greek forces retreat leaving 300 Spartan soldiers to fight the Persians…to the death

•As a result, Athenian soldiers prepare to fight the Persians in the next battle

Battle of Salamis

•Athenians leave their city to fight at sea

•Set-up their fleet (boats) in a narrow channel next to the island of Salamis

•Persian ships are too big to move quickly in the narrow channel

•Athenians destroy one-third of the Persian fleet

•The loss causes Persians to remain on the defensive

Battle of Salamis

Delian League

•An alliance (partnership) between Greek city-states to work together to defeat the Persians

•The alliance forces Persians out of Greece and all surrounding territories

•After the Persian wars, Athens gains power and becomes the leader of the Delian League

Pericles Rules Athens

Pericles’ 3 Goals:1. Strengthen Democracy2. Strengthen the Empire3. Glorify Athens through

art and architecture• This leads to the start of

Greece’s Golden Age

The Parthenon

Soldier Field

Chicago,

Illinois

Athenians Get Greedy

• Strong democracy in Athens leads to nationalism (people want to fight for their home because it’s the BEST!)

• Athens begins to gain strength by conquering other city-states and taking control of others’ ports to prevent trade

• Athenians want their city-state to become a military, economic and cultural power

Delian League

Sparta Steps In

• The city-state of Sparta believes it is their duty to stop Athens from gaining too much power so they go to war

• The Peloponnesian War: The war between Athens and Sparta for control of the Greek peninsula

Results of the Peloponnesian War

1. Sparta WINS!2. Causes the people of Athens to

lose trust in Democracy3. Philosophers challenge people

to think about their actions4. Famous Greek Philosophers:

Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle

Socrates• Created the “Socratic Method” that

challenged people to think about their actions

“The unexamined life is not worth living”

Plato

• Student of Socrates• Founded the Academy – an Athenian

school that lasted for 900 years• Wrote The Republic describing a

perfect society in which people naturally fall into three categories: farmers and artisans, warriors and the ruling class

Aristotle•Student of Plato•Developed a method of arguing that follows the rules of logic

•Applied method to psychology, physics and biology

•Studies form the basis of today’s scientific method

•Tutored the young prince of Macedonia, Alexander

Who is Alexander and Why is He

Great?

The Greatness Begins

• King Philip II of Macedonia (country just north of Greece) defeats Greece

• Philip wants to defeat the Persians next but dies before he gets the chance

• Philip’s son, Alexander, takes power and conquers Persia - in memory of his dad

• This frees Egypt from Persian control• Establishes the city of Alexandria at the

mouth of the Nile River in Egypt

Alexander Moves East

• Goal: To conquer the entire Asian continent

• Gets as far as India• Defeats the Indians, but his troops

want to go home • Alexander agrees and decides to

return home to unify his empire and then conquer the continent

• Dies a few days later: June 10, 323 B.C.

Alexander’s Legacy

His victories brought together Eastern (Asian) and Greek

cultures to form Hellenistic Culture