Early Greece

Early Greece

Minoans• Minoans (2000-1400 BC)

– Island of Crete: Knossos– Sir Arthur Evans (1898-1935) ~ Excavations

• Knossos 706,000 sq feet

• 5,000 inhabitants

• Social, political, economic, religious center.

• Plumbing/No Defensive Walls

Mycenaeans• Myceneans (2000-1200 BC)

– Mainland Greece– Defeat Minoans: 1400s (Era of dominance: 1400-

1200 BC) - Warrior Kings (20 ft. thick walls)– Defeated by the Dorians 1200 BC– Trojan War: 1100 BC

• Homer: Iliad & Odyssey– Epic Poet or Historian?

Dorians• Dorians – Dark Ages (1150-750 BC)

– Little is known in archaeological records.– NO trade– NO written communication– Little Technology

• Formation of City-States– Polis – A city-state of ancient Greece.– Acropolis – A walled, high area surrounding a polis.– Agora – An open area that served as a meeting place

and market.

The Classical Age of Greece

Golden Age of Athens, Persian Wars, and the Peloponnesian War

ATHENIAN DEMOCRACY• Solon – Revised laws. Outlawed debt slavery and

tried to reduce poverty by encouraging trade.• Cleisthenes – Divided Athens into 10 tribes that

became the basis for elections. (Credited for creating Democracy)

• Democracy?…Really?– Women, children, immigrants, slaves could NOT

particpate.– 10% of population participated.

• Athens used a Direct Democracy where people voted directly on issues.– Why not used in United States?

Persian Wars• First Persian Invasion– Marathon (Phalanx)

• Athens beats Persia (Darius).

• Second Persian Invasion– Thermopylae

• Small Greek force held back large Persian force for 3 days. (Xerxes)

– Salamis (Naval Battle)• Persia lost and were stuck

in Greece.

• Greece Wins Persian Wars!

Golden Age of Athens

• Athens & Delian League– Alliance of Greek city-states

that was controlled by Athens.– Parthenon was built from $

from Delian League.

• Pericles– Skilled politician who

encouraged the spreading of democracy.

– Commissioned the building of the Parthenon.

ACROPOLIS

PARTHENON

TEMPLE OF

ATHENA NIKE

ERECTHEION

Age of AlexanderPhilip II, & the Rise and Fall of

Alexander the Great, Hellenism

Philip II of Philip II of MacedoniaMacedonia• Macedonians thought of

themselves as Greeks, but Greeks saw them as inferior.

• Philip II– Phalanx

• 16 x 16 (18 ft. pikes)

– Calvalry

• Demosthenes– Gave warning to the

Greeks, but to no avail.

• Philip defeats Greece at Chaeronea and then wants to take on Persia.– But he is assassinated.

What makes a great leader?

• You are to get into groups of 3-4 students.

• Come up with 5 traits and list them in order of importance.– 1 Being the most important.

• You must come to an agreement as a group.

• You have 10 minutes to make your list.

Alexander Defeats Alexander Defeats PersiaPersia• Philip’s son Alexander proclaims himself king of Macedonia.

• Becomes known as Alexander the Great (13 years – many accomplishments).

• Alexander vs. Persian King Darius III– Peace offer by Darius.– Ambitious Alexander declines.– Darius & his army flees after defeat.

• Alexander turns to Egypt (Persian territory).– Welcomed as a liberator & crowned

pharaoh.

Alexander Defeats Persia & Alexander Defeats Persia & MoreMore

• Alexander turns to Mesopotamia to confront Darius.– Battle at Gaugamela. Darius again panicked and fled.– Opened up Persia’s wealthiest provinces to Alexander.

• Distributed wealth among his troops.

• Alexander continues into Persia’s Asian provinces to confront Darius.– Darius was already dead. Assassinated by one of his

own.• Indus River Valley – Won a fierce battle (200 elephants).

Alexander & His LegacyAlexander & His Legacy• Alexander’s Army marched 11,000 miles and

fought for 11 years.

Alexander was to return home to organize and unify his empire. (Roads, New Cities, Harbors).

Alexander’s Alexander’s LegacyLegacy

• Generals Fight for Control– Antigonus (King of Macedonia)– Ptolemy (Pharaoh of Egypt)– Seleucus (Persian Empire)

• Hellenistic Culture – Blending of cultures. – Egyptian– Persian– Greek– Indian

Pergamum:Pergamum:A Hellenistic A Hellenistic

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