1. Warring City-States

2. The Persian Wars A new kind of army
Phalanx – soldiers stood side by side, each holding a spear in one hand and a shield in the other – a fearsome formation

3. The Persian Wars Battle of Marathon 490 BCE
Persian fleet of 25,000 men landed NE of Athens on a plain called Marathon
Met by 10,000 Athenians arranged in phalanxes
Persians no match for them – had light armor and lacked training
Persia was defeated
Greeks lost less than 200 men
Persians lost over 6,000!!

4. Consequence of the Persian Wars
All Greek city-states felt a new sense of confidence and freedom
Athens emerged as the leader of the newly formed Delian League, an alliance of Greek city-states
Athens began to control the other city-states
Used military force, the prestige of their victory and their wealth to enter a Golden Age

5. Democracy and Greece’s Golden Age
477 to 431 BCE, Athens experienced a growth in intellectual and artistic learning
Led by Pericles, an honest and fair man; skillful politician, inspiring speaker and respected general
Led the Age of Pericles from 461 to 429 BCE

6. Age of Pericles Three goals: 1. To strengthen Athenian democracy-
Increased the number of officials who were paid salaries so now even the poorest could serve if elected
Introduced “direct democracy” where citizens ruled directly not through representatives
To hold and strengthen the empire

7. Age of Pericles 2. To hold and strengthen the empire
Pericles used the money in the Delian League’s treasury to make the Athenian navy the strongest in the Mediterranean
A strong navy kept overseas trade open and increased safety of the empire
3. To glorify Athens
Used money from the league to beautify Athens (gold, ivory, marble)
Later caused resentment

8. THE AGE OF PERICLES

9. Glorious Art and Architecture
The Parthenon
A masterpiece of architectural design and craftsmanship
A traditional style for Greek temples
Built to honor Athena, the goddess of wisdom and protector of Athens

10. Glorious Art and Architecture
Contained examples of Greek art that set standards for future generations
Sculptures showed grace, strength and perfection and serenity; portrayed ideal beauty not realism
Their values of harmony, order, balance and proportion became the standard of what is called classical art.

11. Peloponnesian War Athens versus Sparta Plague broke out in Athens
Spartans were fearful of Athenian power
Athenians wanted to reassert their power on the mainland of Greece
Plague broke out in Athens
After ten years of fighting the situation was no different than it was at the beginning of the war
Truce
Everyone was allowed to go home
Territorial status remained the same

13. Peloponnesian War Six years later…
Athens launched a massive assault against Sicily, an ally of Sparta
This campaign was so catastrophic for Athens that the city barely recovered militarily
After 27 years, Sparta defeated the Athenians
Athens had lost its empire, power and wealth

14. Philosophers Search for Truth
Means a “Lover of wisdom”
After the wars, many lost confidence in democratic gov’ts and began to question their values
Based their philosophy on:
The universe is put together in an orderly way, and subject to absolute and unchanging laws
People can understand these laws through logic and reason

15. Socrates
BCE
Believed absolute standards existed for truth and justice
Encouraged students to question themselves and their moral character
“The unexamined life is not worth living.”
Socratic Method
Devoted life to gaining self-knowledge
“There is only one good, knowledge, and one evil, ignorance.”
399 BCE – charged with corrupting the youth of Athens and neglecting the city’s gods
Condemned to death – drank hemlock, a slow-acting poison

16. Plato 427-347 BCE Socrates was his teacher Wrote The Republic
Described his vision of a perfectly governed society
It was NOT democracy – all citizens would fall naturally into three groups
His writings would dominate philosophic thought in Europe for nearly 1,500 years

17. Aristotle 384-322 BCE Studied under Plato at his Academy Lyceum
School in Athens
Developed rules of logic
Scientific Method
Tutored Alexander, son of King Philip II of Macedonia

18. School of Athens