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In the eyes of empire builders men are not men but instruments.
Napoleon Bonaparte
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~ Merriam-Webster Dictionary
Empire “a major political unit having a territory of great extent or a number of territories or peoples under a single sovereign authority; especially : one having an emperor as chief of state “ ~ Merriam-Webster Dictionary
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The Persian Empire Homeland lay on the Iranian plateau Famous monarchs
-Cyrus (reigned BCE) -Darius (reigned BCE) Persian conquests reached from Egypt to India A single state of some 35 million people Cultural diversity Centered on an elaborate cult of kingship
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Effective administrative system
Persian governors (satraps) were placed in each of the empire’s twenty-three provinces Lower-level officials drawn from local authorities System of imperial spies Respect for non-Persian cultural traditions -Cyrus allowed Jews who had been exiled in Babylon to return to their homeland and rebuild their temple in Jerusalem in 539 BCE Model for future regimes with its administrators, tax collectors, record keepers, and translators
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System of standardized coinage
Predictable taxes levied on each province Newly dug canal linking the Nile with the Red Sea A “royal road”, some 1,700 miles long -Facilitating communication and commerce
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The Greeks Small competing city-states due to mountainous terrain (seas allowed for trade) Like Persians, an Indo-European people Classical Greece emerged around 750 BCE and flourished for about 400 years Athens, Sparta, Corinth, Thebes, etc. Calling themselves Hellenes Fiercely independent city-states -Speaking the same language -Frequently in conflict
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Expansive people, but expansion took the form of settlement in distant places
-Greek traders in search of iron -Impoverished farmers in search of land Most distinctive feature – popular participation in political life In Athens, direct democracy eventually developed -All citizens could directly participate in the affairs of government -However, women, slaves, and foreigners were not citizens The city-state facilitated greater participation as opposed to centralized state of empire
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Solon, a reforming leader, in 594 BCE pushed Athens in a more democratic direction
-Debt slavery was abolished -Public office was opened to a wider group of men -All citizens were allowed to take part in the Assembly Cleisthenes and Pericles, later reformers, extended the rights of citizens even further By 450 BCE, all holders of public office were chosen by lot and were paid -Even the poorest could serve
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In Athens, all free men born in Athens were eventually granted citizenship
Nonetheless, dictators known as tyrants had periodically emerged And of course, in Sparta, extreme forms of military discipline and its large population of helots or slaves led to most political authority being placed in its Council of Elders -twenty-eight men over the age of sixty -served for life and provided political leadership
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Greco-Persian Wars Conflict grew out of patterns of expansions Number of Greek settlements on the Anatolian seacoast, known to Greeks as Ionia -By 499 BCE, some Ionian Greeks revolted against Persian domination and found support from Athens Outraged Persians launched major military expeditions, twice in ten years (490 and 480 BCE) to punish Greeks Against all odds, Greeks held them off, defeating the Persians on both land and sea
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The wars were a source of enormous pride for the Greeks
-triumphed in momentous Battle of Marathon in 490 BCE Greeks viewed victory as triumph of their freedoms -Persia represented despotism (East/West divide) Greeks also radicalized Athenian democracy -poorer Greeks in a position for full citizenship Fifty years or so afterwards – the Golden Age of Greek culture -built the Parthenon -Greek theater (Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides) -Socrates, the quintessential philosopher
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Decline of Greeks Athens led a coalition of Greek city-states But leadership led to imperialism As Athenians tried to solidify dominant position, resentment ensued Bitter civil war ( BCE) -Sparta taking the lead in defending the independence of the city-states -known as Peloponnesian War Athens was defeated Paving the way for Macedonian conquest of cities
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Alexander the Great Alexander’s father, Philip II, conquered Greeks in 338 BCE At death of father, Alexander, continued conquests Ten-year expedition ( BCE) -Conquered Egypt and Anatolia -Conquered Persian Empire -Conquered Afghanistan -Arrived in Indian subcontinent (Soldiers insisted on returning home) Alexander died on the returning journey
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Spread of Greek culture (Hellenism)
-Particularly in many cities that Alexander and later Hellenistic rulers established -Greek monuments, theaters, and markets -Greek learning flourished (library in Alexandria of some 700,000 volumes) -Indian ruler, Ashoka, published some of his decrees in Greek -Buddha was depicted in human form due to Greek influence Cultural influence disappeared as Hellenistic kingdoms weakened Replaced in western part with Roman Empire that became a vehicle for the spread of Greek ideas
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A Theme of World History
Interaction between humans and the environment Demography and disease Migration Patterns of settlement Technology How did the interaction between humans and the environment impact the development of Greek culture?
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also known as the Achaemenid
Another Theme of World History State-building, expansion, and conflict Political structures and forms of governance Empires Nations and nationalism Revolts and revolutions Regional, transregional, and global structures and organizations Compare the political structure of the Persian Empire to that of Greece. The Persian Empire was also known as the Achaemenid Empire.
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Discuss the reasons for political and social fragmentation in classical Greece.
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Questions: How did Persian and Greek civilizations differ in their political organization and values? Why did semidemocratic governments emerge in some of the Greek city-states? What were the consequences for both sides of the encounter between the Persians and the Greeks? What changes did Alexander's conquests bring in their wake?
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Compare the class and gender systems of the Persian Empire and Athens.
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