Greece Early Empires

The Greek City-States Early City-States of the Aegean Minoans settled Crete by 6000 B.C.E. Produced pottery, written script and bronze tools Development of new script (Linear B) shows rising influence of Greeks over Minoans

Mycenae

Mycenaeans dominated relationship with Crete after 1450 B.C.E. Minoan civilization fades into history…

Mycenae Truth or Legend? Agamemnon Power failed by 1200 B.C.E. for unknown reasons at start of Greek “Dark Ages” Reemergence of Greek culture in 850 B.C.E.

The Greek POLIS City-States! Size restricted by geography Overpopulation addressed by colonization Built for defense and to accommodate mountains Poorest lived at lower levels Agora (open meeting space) on higher ground Acropolis (temple) on highest ground

The Greek City-States Athens and the Development of Democracy Developed modern concept of political democracy It was a leader among city-states It left the most historical records It moved farthest from kings and oligarchies to rule by the people

Athens: Democracy Reforms led movement toward democracy [600-560 B.C.E.] All free men could participate in decisions Wealthy and poor represented in Councils Ironically, slavery helped create democracy (they provided the free time necessary) Reforms ended with class conflict and clan rivalries

Athens: Democracy Open meetings every ten days to make decisions Agenda set by Council of 500 selected by lottery from each deme (place of residence) Political identity now based on place not wealth Athens: Democracy

New reforms under Pisistratus [d. 527 B. C. E New reforms under Pisistratus [d. 527 B.C.E.] included loans to farmers, road construction, and public works Death of Pisistratus saw end of reform and invasion of Athens by Sparta (510 B.C.E.) at invitation of Athenian elite

The Greek City-States Athens now a more open society Intellect and learning highly valued Identity based on participation …but the Persians are coming!

City-States Unite! The Delian League Battle of Marathon 10,000 man Greek army defeats 48,000 man Persian army at Marathon (490 B.C.E.] Persia’s King Darius first attempt to conquer remaining Greeks Greek key was hoplite soldiers organized into tightly-knit phalanxes, symbolic of citizen unity of city-state

King Leonidis – Leader of the Spartans More War with Persia Xerxes, son of Darius, attempts to defeat Greeks Thermopylae 480 BC- you know, 300 and all that King Leonidis – Leader of the Spartans 1814 2006

Salamis – A naval victory for Greece! Greek motivation offset power of Persians who were overextending their powers Persians withdraw and by the following year, the invasion ends.

Athens: From Mini-State to Mini-Empire Victory transformed Delian League (city states that joined together to defeat the Persians) into an empire led by Athens The Golden Age of Athenian Culture Pericles [c. 495-429 B.C.E.] directed subsequent Athenian flowering of arts and thought (creates the Acropolis)

Athens (Pericles) replaced war-damaged buildings with Delian League money and created elegant structures Plan of Acropolis. The construction of the Acropolis (Greek for “high city”) beginning in c. 460 b.c.e. under the leadership of Pericles, signified the beginning of a Golden Age for Athens. The plan above indicates some of its most celebrated buildings—the Parthenon (1), the Erectheum (2), the Propylaea (3), and the Temple of Athena Nike (4).

The Golden Age of Athenian Culture Historians – birth of the study of “modern history” - Philosophers Socrates [d. 399 B.C.E.] argued for the supremacy of the state over the individual Plato [d. 348 B.C.E.] promoted the study of ideals as the way to understand truth Aristotle [d. 322 B.C.E.] studied ethics and politics and served as tutor for Alexander the Great Dramatists Key themes were justice, morality and equity

Limits of City-State Democracy Women had no right to political participation and were not seen as the equals of men Aristotle: men command, women obey Citizenship restricted to native born males …see – men have always been dumb.

Empire of Classical Greece – Chock Full ‘O Colonies! Classical Greece. The hilly terrain and sea-boundaries of Greece discouraged the growth of large settlements, and Greek philosophers also stressed the importance of local community. When population grew too great the citizens encouraged their younger cohort to establish new city-states of their own. The resulting spread of settlements established Greek influence all the way from Sicily to Anatolia. Empire of Classical Greece – Chock Full ‘O Colonies!

Uh-oh…trouble for Athens… Pericles’ imperialism alienates much of Greece Fear prompts Sparta to lead the Greek effort to break Athenian domination in first Peloponnesian War (461-451 B.C.E.) War ends in 404 BCE with Persian funded Spartan victory Athens never recovers…

What the heck is a Macedonian? Conquests of Philip II Philip was a leader in Macedonia who pursued two goals: unify Greece and liberate Greeks everywhere from Persian control Greek resistance was high based on fear of loss of political autonomy as result of unity You might say – we didn’t see “eye to eye”…

Empire of Alexander the Great Conquered the “known” world – Greece, Persia, Egypt, ect.. Followed policy of benevolent despotism (think Cyrus) Created largest empire ever known to that point Successful conquests were followed by attempts to gain control of India Empire did not last long after the end of his life [323 B.C.E.] ..that’s right. Great.

The Empire of Alexander The Empire of Alexander. In 338 the Greek city-states were defeated by Philip of Macedon. His son, Alexander, extended the imprint of Greek culture far beyond its Mediterranean homeland. In a series of whirlwind campaigns between 334 and 323 b.c.e., Alexander gained control of Syria and Egypt and then destroyed the might of Persia. He took his armies east to the Indus and north to central Asia, but died age 33 in Babylon. The Empire of Alexander. In 338 the Greek city-states were defeated by Philip of Macedon. His son, Alexander, extended the imprint of Greek culture far beyond its Mediterranean homeland. In a series of whirlwind campaigns between 334 and 323 b.c.e., Alexander gained control of Syria and Egypt and then destroyed the might of Persia. He took his armies east to the Indus and north to central Asia, but died age 33 in Babylon.

Legacy of Alexander the Great Spread Greek language, culture, and people across Asia Minor Built roads and cities such as Alexandria, Egypt unified urban culture of diverse people and vast lands