1. Mediterranean Society: The Greek Phase
Chapter 10
Mediterranean Society: The Greek Phase
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Classical Greece, B.C.E.
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3. Early Development of Greek Society
Minoan society
Island of Crete
Major city: Knossos
Ca B.C.E., center of maritime trade
Scholars unable to decipher Linear A script
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4. Decline of Minoan Society
Series of natural disasters after 1700 B.C.E.
Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tidal waves
Foreign invasions
Crete falls under foreign domination
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Mycenaean Society
Indo-European invaders descend through Balkans into Peloponnesus, ca B.C.E.
Influenced by Minoan culture
Major settlement: Mycenae
Military expansion throughout region
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6. Chaos in the Eastern Mediterranean
Trojan war, ca B.C.E.
Homer’s Iliad
Sequel: Odyssey
Political turmoil, chaos from 1100 to 800 B.C.E.
Mycenaean civilization disappears
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The Polis
City-state
Urban center, dominating surrounding rural areas
Highly independent character
Monarchies
“Tyrannies,” not necessarily oppressive
Early democracies
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Sparta
Highly militarized society
Subjugated peoples: helots
Serfs, tied to land
Outnumbered Spartans 10:1 by sixth century B.C.E.
Military society developed to control threat of rebellion
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Spartan Society
Austerity the norm
Boys removed from families at age seven
Received military training in barracks
Active military service follows
Marriage, but no home life until age 30
Some relaxation of discipline by fourth century C.E.
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Athens
Development of early democracy
Free adult males only
Women, slaves excluded
Yet contrast Athenian style of government with Spartan militarism
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Athenian Society
Maritime trade brings increasing prosperity beginning seventh century B.C.E.
Aristocrats dominate smaller landholders
Increasing socio-economic tensions
Class conflict
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12. Solon and Athenian Democracy
Aristocrat Solon mediates crisis
Aristocrats to keep large landholdings
But forgive debts, ban debt slavery
Removed family restrictions against participating in public life
Instituted paid civil service
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Pericles
Ruled B.C.E.
High point of Athenian democracy
Aristocratic but popular
Massive public works
Encouraged cultural development
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Greek Colonization
Population expansion drives colonization
Coastal Mediterranean, Black Sea
Sicily (Naples: “Neapolis,” new city)
Southern France (Massalia: Marseilles)
Anatolia
Southern Ukraine
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15. Classical Greece and the Mediterranean Basin, 800-500 B.C.E.
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16. Effects of Greek Colonization
Trade throughout region
Communication of ideas
Language, culture
Political and social effects
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Persian Wars ( B.C.E.)
Revolt against Persian empire, 500 B.C.E., in Ionia
Athens supports with ships
Yet Greek rebellion crushed by Darius 493 B.C.E.; Athenians rout Persian army in 490 B.C.E.
Successor Xerxes burns Athens, but driven out as well
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The Delian League
Poleis create Delian League to forestall more Persian attacks
Led by Athens
Massive payments to Athens fuels Periclean expansion
Resented by other poleis
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The Peloponnesian War
Civil war in Greece, B.C.E.
Poleis allied with either Athens or Sparta
Athens forced to surrender
But conflict continued between Sparta and other poleis
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Kingdom of Macedon
Frontier region to north of Peloponnesus
King Philip II (r B.C.E.) builds massive military
350 B.C.E., encroaches on Greek poleis to the south; controls region by 338 B.C.E.
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Alexander of Macedon
“Alexander the Great,” son of Philip II
Rapid expansion throughout Mediterranean basin
Invasion of Persia successful
Turned back in India when exhausted troops mutinied
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22. Alexander’s Empire, ca. 323 B.C.E.
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23. 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
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The Antigonid Empire
Smallest of Hellenistic empires
Local dissent
Issue of land distribution
Heavy colonizing activity
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The Ptolemaic Empire
Wealthiest of the Hellenistic empires
Established state monopolies
Textiles
Salt
Beer
Capital: Alexandria
Important port city
Major museum, library
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The Seleucid Empire
Massive colonization of Greeks
Export of Greek culture, values as far east as India
Bactria
Ashoka legislates in Greek and Aramaic
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27. 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
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28. Panhellenic Festivals
Useful for integrating far-flung colonies
Olympic Games begin 776 B.C.E.
Sense of collective identity
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Patriarchal Society
Women as goddesses, wives, prostitutes
Limited exposure in public sphere
Sparta partial exception
Sappho
Role of infanticide in Greek society and culture
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Slavery
Scythians (Ukraine)
Nubians (Africa)
Chattel
Sometimes used in business
Opportunity to buy freedom
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The Greek Language
Borrowed Phoenician alphabet
Added vowels
Complex language
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32. Science and Mathematics
Use of observable evidence, rational thought
Thales predicts eclipse, 28 May 585 B.C.E.
Democritus, atoms
Pythagoras, systematic approach to mathematics
Hippocrates, human anatomy and physiology
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Socrates ( B.C.E.)
The Socratic method
Student: Plato
Public gadfly, condemned on charges of immorality
Forced to drink hemlock
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Plato ( B.C.E.)
Systematized Socratic thought
Republic
Philosopher kings
Theory of Forms or Ideas
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Aristotle ( B.C.E.)
Student of Plato
Broke with theory of Forms or Ideas
Emphasis on empirical findings, reason
Massive impact on western thought
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Greek Theology
Polytheism
Zeus principal god
Religious cults
Eleusinian mysteries
The Bacchae
Rituals eventually domesticated
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Tragic Drama
Evolution from public presentations of cultic rituals
Major playwrights (fifth century B.C.E.)
Aeschylus
Sophocles
Euripides
Comedy: Aristophanes
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38. Hellenistic Philosophies
Epicureans
Pleasure, distinct from Hedonists
Skeptics
Doubted possibility of certainty in anything
Stoics
Duty, virtue
Emphasis on inner peace
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