Classical Greece: 2,000 BC – 300 BC In ancient times, Greece was NOT a united country It was a collection of separate lands The Indo-European group that moved to India were the Aryans The Indo-European tribe that settled in the Greek main lands were the Mycenaeans Settled around 2,000 B.C.

The Mycenaens dominated Greece from about 1600 – 1000 B.C. Were extremely wealthy due to the trade routes they set up through out the Mediterranean Sea –Interacted with many cultures

Some time in 1500 B.C., the Mycenaens came into contact with the Minoan civilization. The Minoans influenced the Mycenaens in many ways. –Language –Writing –Art *The combination of these two Greek civilizations formed the foundation of Greek culture*

During the 1200’s, the Mycenaeans fought a ten year war against Troy. –Troy was an independent trading city located in Anatolia According to legend, the Mycenaeans besieged Troy in order to save Queen Helen – It is said that she was kidnapped by a Trojan Prince.

For many years, historians believed that the Trojan War was fictional Archaeologists in Turkey proved that the stories of this war were based on real cities. Further excavations proved that events of the war actually took place. –Do not know the actual reason why the war happened

Not long after their victory in the Trojan War, the Mycenaean civilization collapsed Raiders and Vandals attacked and burned down many of the Mycenaean cities. A new civilization of Greeks moved into the war torn country side. –The Dorians

The Dorians were far less advanced than the Mycenaeans. When the Mycenaean empire collapsed, so did the trading economy  Effected all Greek civilizations There was almost no record keeping during the Dorian Age (1150 – 750 B.C.) –This means that there is little information about the time period.

Due to the lack of writing, the Greeks learned about their history through spoken word. –Storytelling According to tradition, the greatest storyteller of the time was a blind man named Homer Not this Homer 

Homer is believed to have been alive and popular between 700 – 750 B.C. Homer composed epics –Narrative poems that praised heroic deeds The story of the Trojan War was the focus of Homer’s greatest epics –The Iliad

The heroes of the Iliad were warriors –Achilles vs. Hector of Troy Homer always talked about arete in his epics  arete means virtue, value, and excellence –Greeks could display arete on the battlefield or in athletic contests Olympics

The Greeks developed a rich set of myths and traditional stories about their gods. The works of Homer and another epic, Theogony by Hesiod are the sources of much Greek mythology. The Greeks used myths to explain the unexplainable –Nature  changing of seasons and weather –Human passions

The Greeks gave their gods human feelings. –Love, hate, and jealousy They lived forever  Immortal Most of the Gods had purposes and responsibilities Lived on Mount Olympus Examples: Apollo- medicine, music, truth Aphrodite- love, beauty, lust Ares- war Athena- reason, strategy, wisdom Hades- underworld, wealth Hermes- thievery, mischief Zeus- King of Gods, God of thunder

During the Dorian age, Greek civilizations experienced a decline. Two things changed life in Greece –1. Dorians and Mycenaeans alike began to identify less with the culture of their ancestors More with the area in which they lived –2. The methods of governing areas changed.

By 750 B.C., the polis was the fundamental political unit. A polis was made up of a city and its surrounding countryside –Included many villages Most poleis were fewer than 10,000 citizens Usually held city meetings on the hilltop acropolis  meeting place

Greek city states had many different forms of government. Monarchy: A single person runs the government; usually a king or queen Aristocracy: Wealthy landowning families. Oligarchy: A government ruled by a few powerful people

In many of the Greek city-states, repeated clashes occurred between rulers and the common people. Powerful and wealthy nobles sometimes seized control of the government by appealing to common people for support. These rulers were called tyrants. –Looked upon as leaders who would work for the interests of the ordinary people –Often set up programs for the people  jobs and housing

Democracy begins In 621 B.C., a nobleman named Draco developed a legal code based on the idea that all people living in Athens were equal. Draco’s code was harsh against criminals Enforced debt slavery. –People worked off debts as serving as temporary slaves.

In 594 B.C., a man named Solon came into power and outlawed slavery in Athens Solon organized all Athenian citizens into four social classes according to wealth. All citizens, regardless of class, could participate in political decisions and meetings. Also, he started a law that any citizen could bring charges against wrongdoers.

Around 500 B.C., the Athenian leader Cleisthenes introduced further reforms to laws in Athens. Broke up the power of the nobility by organizing citizens into ten groups based on where they lived instead of wealth. He increased the power of the assembly by allowing all citizens to submit laws for debate. Created a council of Five Hundred men –This council proposed laws and reviewed decisions

Cleisthenes’ changes to the Athenian government allowed citizens to participate in a limited democracy. There was a catch to the democracy! Remember the 500 people chose to be in the council? –Excluded slaves and women  only property owners