1. Mediterranean Society: The Greek Phase
Chapter 10
Mediterranean Society: The Greek Phase

2. Objectives Understand the early foundations of Greece
Minoan and Mycenaen
Understand the structure and significance of Sparta and Athens

3. Early Development of Greek Society
Minoan Society
Island of Crete
Major city: Knossos
C BCE center of maritime trade
Undeciphered syllabic alphabet (Linear A)

4. Palace complex at Knossos— what to the open stairways tell you?

5. How would you describe this style?
Bull Leaping Fresco
Octopus Vase

6. Sum up in your notes the Minoans…
Channels for running water at the Palace at Knossos.

7. Decline of Minoan Society
Series of natural disasters after 1700 BCE
Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tidal waves
Foreign invasions
Foreign domination by 1100 BCE

8. Mycenaean Society
Indo-european invaders descend through Balkans into Peloponnesus, c BCE
Influenced by Minoan culture
Major settlement: Mycenae
Military expansion throughout region

9. Note the difference in style…
Passage at Mycenae
Funeral Mask

10. Chaos in the Eastern Mediterranean
Trojan war, c BCE
Homer’s The Iliad
Sequel: The Odyssey
Political turmoil, chaos from 1100 to 800 BCE
Mycenaean civilization disappears—called the Dark Ages.

11. Emergence of the Greek City-State
850 B.C.E. Beginning of the development of the Greek alphabet.
776 B.C.E. First Olympic Games staged
Ca. 750 B.C.E. Homer writes his epics about the Trojan War.
730 Sparta conquers the SW Pelponnesia

12. So, What is a Polis? City-state
Urban center, dominating surrounding rural areas
Highly independent character
Monarchies
“Tyrannies”, not necessarily oppressive
Early Democracies

14. Sparta Highly militarized society Subjugated peoples: helots
Serfs, tied to land
Outnumbered Spartans 10:1 by 6th c. BCE—Uh Oh!
Military society developed to control threat of rebellion

15. Spartan Society Austerity the norm (hence the term Spartan)
Boys removed from families at age seven
Received military training in barracks
Active military service follows
Marriage, but no home life until age 30
Women had more rights in society because the men were off fighting wars.
Some relaxation of discipline by 4th c. CE

16. Athens
The Acropolis— the symbol of democracy and the importance of the people.
The Parthenon

17. Athens Development of early democracy
Free, adult males only
Women, slaves excluded
Yet contrast Athenian style of government with Spartan militarism

18. Athenian Society
Maritime trade brings increasing prosperity beginning 7th c. BCE
Aristocrats dominate smaller landholders
Increasing socio-economic tensions
Class conflict

19. Solon and Athenian Democracy
Aristocrat Solon mediates class conflict.
Aristocrats to keep large landholdings
But forgive debts, ban debt slavery
Removed family restrictions against participating in public life
Instituted paid civil service

20. Athens- Quick video Why was Pericles significant to Athens?
In what way was Athenian Democracy flawed? How and where was that repeated again?
What brought an end to the Golden Age of Athens?

22. Pericles Ruled 461-429 BCE High point of Athenian democracy
Aristocratic but popular
Massive public works
Encouraged cultural development

23. Part 2 Objectives
Understand how and why Greek colonies spread throughout the Mediterranean Sea
Understand the Persian Wars and its outcomes including the Delian League and Peloponnesian War.
Understand why Alexander was such a stud

24. Greek Colonization Population expansion drives colonization
Coastal Mediterranean, Black sea
Sicily (Naples: “nea polis,” new city)
Southern France (Massalia: Marseilles)
Anatolia
Southern Ukraine

25. Classical Greece and the Mediterranean basin, 800-500 B.C.E.

26. Effects of Greek Colonization
Trade throughout region
Communication of ideas
Language, culture
Political and social effects

27. Persian Wars ( BCE)
Revolt against Persian Empire 500 BCE in Ionia
Athens supports with ships
Greek rebellion crushed by Darius 493 BCE, but Persia routed in 490
Successor Xerxes burns Athens, but defeated at the naval battle of Salamis.

28. The Delian League
Poleis create Delian League to forestall more Persian attacks
Led by Athens
Massive payments to Athens fuels Periclean expansion
Silver found and mined near Athens increasing their wealth.
Resented by other poleis

29. The Peloponnesian War Civil war in Greece, 431-404 BCE
Poleis allied with either Athens or Sparta
Athens forced to surrender
But conflict continued between Sparta and other poleis

30. Kingdom of Macedon Frontier region to north of Peloponnesus
King Philip II (r BCE) builds massive military
350 BCE encroaches on Greek poleis to the south, controls region by 338 BCE

31. Alexander of Macedon “the Great,” son of Philip II
Rapid expansion throughout Mediterranean basin
Invasion of Persia successful
Turned back in India when exhausted troops mutinied

32. Alex’s Conquest
Why do you think Alexander the Great is so well remember throughout history?
What’s so remarkable about his conquests?

33. Alexander's empire, ca. 323 B.C.E.

34. The Hellenistic Empires
After Alexander’s death, competition for empire
Divided by generals
Antigonus: Greece and Macedon
Ptolemy: Egypt
Seleucus: Persian Achaemenid Empire
Economic integration, Intellectual cross-fertilization

35. The Antigonid Empire Smallest of Hellenistic Empires Local dissent
Issue of land distribution
Heavy colonizing activity

36. The Ptolemaic Empire Wealthiest of the Hellenistic empires
Established state monopolies
Textiles
Salt
Beer
Capital: Alexandria
Important port city
Major museum, library

37. The Seleucid Empire Massive colonization of Greeks
Remember India?
Greek style early Buddha
Massive colonization of Greeks
Export of Greek culture, values as far east as India
Bactria
Ashoka legislates in Greek and Aramaic

38. Part 3 Objectives
Understand the cultural contributions made by Greece during the Hellenistic /Hellenic era and their impact on civilization
Including the significant contributions in the arts, philosophy, theater, and theology

39. Trade and Integration of the Mediterranean Basin
Greece: little grain, but rich in olives and grapes
Colonies further trade
Commerce rather than agriculture as basis of much of economy

40. Panhellenic Festivals
Useful for integrating far-flung colonies
Olympic Games begin 776 BCE
Sense of collective identity

41. Patriarchal Society
Women were either viewed as goddesses, wives, or prostitutes
Limited exposure in public sphere
Sparta partial exception
Sappho—woman poet
Role of infanticide in Greek society and culture.
Children were thrown away (literally) if they were rejected by the husband for whatever reason.

42. Slavery Chattel--property Sometimes used in business
Scythians (Ukraine)
Nubians (Africa)
Sometimes used in business
Opportunity to buy freedom

43. The Greek Language Borrowed Phoenician alphabet Added vowels
Complex language
“middle” voice
Allowed for communication of abstract ideas
Philosophy

44. Socrates (470-399 BCE) The Socratic Method--questioning Student: Plato
“Social butterfly”, condemned on charges of immorality
Forced to drink hemlock

45. Plato (430-347 BCE) Systematized Socratic thought The Republic
Parable of the Cave
Theory of Forms/Ideas

46. Aristotle (389-322 BCE) Student of Plato
Broke with Theory of Forms/Ideas
Emphasis on empirical findings, reason
Massive impact on western thought
Theater—Comedy/Tragedy
Alexander the Great was his student

47. Greek Theology Polytheism Zeus principal god Religious cults:
Eleusinian mysteries
The Bacchae
Rituals were eventually domesticated

48. Tragic Drama Evolution from public presentations of cultic rituals
Major playwrights (5th c. BCE)
Aeschylus
Sophocles
Euripides
Comedy: Aristophanes

49. Hellenistic Philosophies
Epicureans
Pleasure, distinct from Hedonists
Skeptics
Doubted possibility of certainty in anything
Stoics
Duty, virtue
Emphasis on inner peace