Ancient Greece Mr. Blais World Studies

The Polis Around 700 B.C. the polis, or city-state, became the center of Greek life. Each polis had farms, orchards, markets, and a fortified center hill called the acropolis. Each city-state had its own government, culture, and army

Sparta and Athens The two most famous city-states of ancient Greece were Sparta and Athens. Each had completely different cultures and ways of living. Sparta was famous for its military. Athens was famous for its democracy and its temple on the acropolis called the Parthenon

Greek Military Around 750 B.C. cheaper iron replaced began to replace expensive bronze which meant more and more people could afford to be soldiers Greek armies were predominantly foot soldiers called hoplites They stood in a close formation called a phalanx holding spear in one hand, shield in another, always overlapping their shield with the shield of the man next to them

The Persian Wars Around 546 B.C.E the Persians conquered Ionia, on the western coast of Anatolia This had long been settled by the Greeks and when the Ionia Greeks revolted Athens sent ships and soldiers to help them. After the Persian King Darius the Great put down the revolt he vowed to get revenge on Athens.

Marathon By 490 B.C.E. the Persians sent approximately 25,000 men to conquer Athens The Greek army of about 10,000, made up of soldiers from various city-states, met the Persians on an open plain known as Marathon The disciplined and heavily armored Greek army defeated the Persian army. Then Pheidippides (a runner) was sent 26 miles to Athens to deliver the news of victory. The Greek army also soon arrived back in Athens and when the Persians sailed into the city they saw it heavily defended and sailed home.

Thermopylae Ten years later the Xerxes, son of Darius, returned to Greece with an enormous invasion force (up to 200,000) As Xerxes marched through Greece 7,000 Greeks from various city-states blocked his way at Thermopylae, a narrow mountain pass. The Greeks held off the Persian advance for three days but when the Persians found a way around 300 Spartans (and 1,000 Thebans) made one last stand to hold the pass. Their bravery inspired Greeks everywhere.

Salamis After the defeat at Thermopylae the Athenians abandoned their city and positioned their fleet in a narrow channel near the island of Salamis When the Persians tried to block the channel the Athenian navy attacked and sunk a third of the Persian fleet. With this major defeat the Persians were forced to retreat and would never again threaten Greece.

The Delian League After the Persian Wars many Greek city-states formed a military alliance Over the next few decades the League continued to push the Persians out of surrounding Greek territories. Then by the 470s Athens had emerged as the head of the Delian League, built an empire of their own, and entered a new Golden Age.

Art, Architecture, and Theater Greek art and architecture aimed to create pieces that displayed ideal beauty, order, balance, and perfection in form. Modern theater was developed by the Ancient Greeks They wrote and performed both comedies and tragedies in some of the most sophisticated amphitheaters ever made.

Math, Science, and Philosophy Ancient Greece was home to some of histories greatest thinkers called Philosophers or ‘lovers of wisdom’. These philosophers explored social problems through rational thought and reasoning skills. Ancient Greeks also made advances in math and science such as: The scientific method Pythagorean Theorem Hippocratic Oath

The Peloponnesian War As Athens grew in wealth and power many other city-states began to view it with growing hostility, particularly Sparta. In 431 B.C.E. Sparta declared war on Athens Athens had a stronger navy and Sparta had a stronger army. Pericles avoided land battles and barricaded himself and his people behind the walls of Athens.

Ending the Peloponnesian War After a plague hit Athens the two cities sued for peace in 421 B.C.E. Peace didn’t last long and in 415 B.C.E. Athens launched a major offensive against the city of Syracuse in Sicily (A powerful ally of Sparta) The invasion was a complete disaster and Athens lost all its men and ships. Athens managed to defend their city for nine more years but they were ultimately defeated by Sparta in 404 B.C.E.

City-States Fall After the Peloponnesian War many city-states lost any sense of community they once had. The 30 years of war had bankrupted many city-states and animosity between upper and lower classes was beginning to grow. This distrust and complete disunity made Greece an easy target for ambitious conquerors.

Macedonian Conquest Macedonia was a small kingdom located just north of Greece. Many of its rulers defended from Greeks and admired their culture. King Philip II of Macedon felt it was his destiny to unify Greece and spread its culture He spent his 20 year reign slowly conquering Greece

Spreading Greek Culture Through the use of flattery, bribery, political alliances, trickery, and force Philip II controlled all of Greece by 338 B.C.E. Upon his death in 336 B.C.E. his son Alexander took over as King. He would soon march his armies east to conqueror the vast Persian Empire in 13 years, spreading Greek tradition and culture along the way.