Mycenaean civilization begins to collapse Fighting within city-states Earthquakes devastated the area Waves of northern Greek speaking invaders take over Collapse of Mycenaean Civilization

Dark ages begin BCE Food production slows, population decreases People sailed across the Aegean Sea to Asia minor Established Ionia on the western banks of Asia Minor (modern day Turkey)

Aeolian Greeks in Northern and Central Greece on mainland and island of Lesbos Dorian Greeks in SW Greece in the Peloponnesus and Crete Adopt Phoenician alphabet – 24 letters. Makes reading and writing easier

Homer: wrote Iliad and the Odyssey – 2 long, epic poems (vocab) Based on stories of the Trojan War Epics were seen as factual history that men would aspire to develop by Dark Ages end: Establishment of Athens and Sparta

Ionian Greeks in western Asia Minor fall subject to the Persian Empire Ionian cities lead revolt assisted by Athenian Navy Persian leader Darius seeks revenge

Persians land near Athens Outnumbered Athens defeats Persians Pheidippedes races 26 miles from to Athens from Marathon to bring the News of the defeat Xerxes (new Persian leader) vows revenge

Xerxes led 180,000 troops and thousands of warships and vessels to battle Pass of Thermopylae they encounter 7,000 Greek warriors – led with a special group of Spartans – the 300 Athenians abandon the city, Greek fleets manage to outmaneuver Persians, Persians defeated by Greek army

Leader of Greek world Delian League formed and designated to defend against future Persian attacks Fight against the Persians to liberate Greek city- states Age of Pericles ( BCE): flourishing democracy and Athenian power

Athens became too powerful for Sparta’s and other Greek city-states’ comfort level: disputes Athenians stayed behind protective walls to avoid fighting Spartans Plague breaks out in Athens, killing more than 1/3 of pop, including Pericles

Athenians fought and held on Naval fleet defeated at Aegospotami Athens surrendered, walls torn down, war ends Sparta, Athens, Thebes argue for control while Macedonia grows into a new powerhouse

Phillip II comes to power to unite Greece under Macedonia (loved Greek culture) Greeks unite to revolt, crushed by Macedonians Took control, left Greek city-states with no freedoms, wanted Greeks to form a league and fight with him against Persians, but he was assisnated

Phillip II’s son, Alexander (20), comes to power Alexander become Alexander the Great Freed Ionians from Persians, took control of Greece, Syria, Palestine, and Egypt (built Alexandria as Greek Egyptian capital) Conquered Persian Empire