History 1 History of World Civilizations Part 1 Chapter 6: The Greek Experience

Recap Last time we examined the early history of China, from its early Neolithic settlements, through the Shang and Zhou dynasties, and into the Warring States Period. Today we will turn our attention to the Greece in the Halladic, Hellenic and Hellenistic periods, encountering a culture that many historians consider to be the root of today’s “Western Civilizations.”

Big Questions of the Day In many ways, state formation in Greece led to vastly different societies than those found in the Near East, India and China. What was different about Greek society, and what were the results of these differences for the continent of Europe? One of the main themes of this class is the contact between different civilizations. What happened when the Hellenic world under Alexander the Great came in contact with civilizations in the Near East and India? How did the different cultures influence one another?

Growth of Sparta Peloponnesus helots Lycurgus Spartan Hoplite

Persian invasions 5th century BCE

Delian League and the Peloponnesian War Terms: Delian League Peloponnesian War Delian League 478-431 BCE

Kingdom of Macedonia Bust of Alexander of Macedon from centuries after his death.

Conquests of Alexander the Great

Aftermath of Alexander’s Death Alexander’s empire replaced by monarchies led by his generals. Ptolemy – head of the Ptolemies who created an empire in Egypt Antigonids – held Macedonia in Europe until the rise of Rome Seleucus – his Seleucid kingdom replaced the Achaemenids (Xerzes) in Persia Trade routes continued to link this entire region together, new trade networks even reached China

Term: Hellenization Ay Khanoum A metal plate and a Corinthian column found at Ay Khanoum, near the Oxus River.

Cultural Transmission “In this small statue from Egypt, the goddess Isis is shown suckling her son, Horus. Worship of Isis spread throughout the Hellenistic world; her followers believed that Isis offered them life after death, just as she had brought Horus’s father, Osiris, back to life.” Source: McKay p. 135 Isis and Horus

Next Up: “The Roman World” Next time, we turn our attention to the last phase of the so-called “classical era” in Western Europe by looking at the creation of the Roman state, from its origins as a kingdom, though the development of a republic, to its reconstitution as an emperor in the first century BCE. Significant ideas will include the cultural transmission of Greek ideas of philosophy and governance as well as the forging of new commercial links across Eurasia.