Chapter 7 Review Mr. Klein

Early Greece Greek communities were separated by rugged mountains and steep valleys making communities fiercely independent. First civilization was the Minoans on the island of Crete. Minoans weren’t Greek but traded around the Mediterranean Minoans collapsed around 1450 B.C. no one knows why, but some think they were conquered by the Mycenaeans.

Mycenaeans and Hellenes Mycenaeans moved into Greece from Central Asia Mycenaeans built ships and worked with bronze. Conquered the Minoans and were proud of their military successes in the Trojan war. Mycenaean culture collapsed around 1100 B.C. Dorians invaded Greek mainland from North and took over most of mainland Greece. Starting a 300 year dark age. Dorians introduced the iron weapons and most of the people that were in Greece fled overseas. These people returned later and set up trading communities and called themselves Hellenes.

Greek Polis By the end of the dark age nobles had over thrown kings to rule the city state. Each Greek city or Polis was like an independent country. Polis had an acropolis for defense and an agora for a marketplace. Male citizens had right to vote, hold public office, own property, and defend themselves in court. Free landowning men born in the Polis were citizens because their property made up the Polis. Soldiers were hoplites and fought using the phalanx. Most city-states developed into either oligarchies or democracies

Sparta Sparta is located on the Peloponnesus and descended from the Dorians. Economy based on agriculture and enslaved people of neighboring area. Slaves are called helots. Military society that stressed discipline, simplicity and strength through self-denial. Boys left homes at seven to begin training for military. Entered army at 20 and served until they were 60. Sparta was an oligarchy. Had two kings but assembly and council of elders had the power. Discouraged free thinking and new ideas and resisted change. All that mattered was military strength and victory.

Athens and Democracy Athens are descended from Myceneans. Athenian men were educated in arithmetic, geometry, drawing, music and public speaking. Also trained in sports to develop the body and mind. Athenian farmers owed nobles money to avoid an uprising nobles agreed to changes. Solon was a merchant chosen to make reforms ending debts and opening assembly and law courts to all male citizens. Peisistratus was a tyrant that took over in 560 B.C. that made more reforms – divided large estates to farmers with no land. Gave citizenship to Athenians who didn’t own land. Next Cleisthenes made the assembly the major governing body. All male citizens participate in assembly. Created council of 500 citizens. Every citizen could be a council member based on lottery. Those excluded from government are women, foreigners and slaves.

Persian Empire Persians were warriors and cattle herders from Central Asia. Cyrus the Great built a strong army and created an empire. Cyrus held empire together by treating conquered people fairly allowing them to keep their languages, religions and laws. After Cyrus rulers continued to expand the empire linking it together with roads. Darius I divided empire into Satrapies ruled by a Satrap who would collect taxes, judge legal cases, manage police and recruit soldiers. Persia also maintained a full time, paid, professional army. Persians practiced Zoroastrianism which worshipped one supreme god. Belief that people chose to be good or evil but good would triumph over evil in the end.

Persian Wars In 499 B.C. Athens aids Greeks revolting against Persia in Anatolia. King Darius wanted to punish the Greeks for interfering. Darius sent 600 ships to invade Greece, they landed at Marathon. Athenians defeated the Persians at Marathon even though they were outnumbered 20,000 to 10,000. Persia vowed revenge and Xerxes led a huge force to invade Greece. King Leonidas and a force led by 300 Spartans held them at Thermopylae for a week. Persians moved past and burnt Athens. Themistocles and the Athenian navy won a great victory at the battle of Salamis. Using smaller and faster ships to sink the bigger and slower Persian fleet. A combined Greek army then defeated Persia at the battle of Plataea.

Pericles Under Pericles Athens became the economic and cultural center of Greece and enjoyed its “Golden Age” Athenians used a direct democracy where all citizens could participate which worked because of Athens small number of citizens. Pericles was Athens most important general and his wise rule guided Athens for over 30 years. He appointed people based on their abilities so more ordinary Athenians became involved in government. Under his rule Athens became a center of learning and the arts. He also rebuilt the city after the Persian wars building temples, monuments around the city and would later call Athens “the school of Greece.”

Athenian Life Athens population was 285,000 but only 43,000 were male citizens that had political rights. Men worked as farmers, artisans, and merchants. Women focused on the home and families. Athens did not view women as the equal to men so they couldn’t participate in politics or own property. Slavery was common in Athens. Slaves were usually people that were captured in battle. Slaves in mines had short, hard lives, craftspeople had it easier and could sometimes buy their freedom. Many Athenians were farmers but there wasn’t enough land to feed all Athenians and trade with their large fleet was the lifeblood of the city.

Peloponnesian War Athens began treating allies like subjects which angered many and led them to ally themselves with Sparta. Sparta was alarmed at the economic and political power of Athens and they were the two strongest city states that were opposites in government and culture. Allies pressured Sparta to attack Athens and war began in 431 B.C. Athens remained behind walls because Sparta’s army was stronger and they relied on their navy but plague killed one third of their population including Pericles. For 25 years neither side could win until Persia supplies Sparta with gold to build a fleet of ships. Athens was weakened by an ill-advised invasion of Sicily. Spartan navy won a decisive battle and blockaded Athens. With Athens starving they had to surrender making Sparta the power in Greece.

After the Peloponnesian War Sparta ruled its new empire in much the same way that Athens did. Harsh treatment angered Sparta’s allies. For 30 years Sparta was the power of Greece until Thebes under the general Epaminondas won the battle at Leuctra using new tactics. Afterwards Epaminondas led his army into the Peloponnesus to free the helots and built them cities with fortifications to live in. Sparta’s power was broken and would never be the same again. Thebes and other Greek polis were weakened and Macedon would soon take advantage.