1. Mediterranean Societies: The Greek Phase
Chapter 10

2. Pre-Classical Greece: Minoans
( BCE): Crete
Palaces (esp. at Knossos)
Linear A (undeciphered script)
commerce (ships, colonies)
Exports: wine, olive oil, wool
Imports: grains, textiles, manufactured goods
After 1700 BCE: decline due to natural disasters
By 1100, under foreign domination

3. Pre-Classical Greece: Mycenaeans
( BCE): Peloponnesus
Trade with Minoans
Adopted Linear A, then created Linear B
Stone fortresses and palaces with agricultural communities around them
Overpowered Minoans (est’d craft workshops in palaces and colonies throughout E. Med)

4. Pre-Classical Greece: Mycenaeans
1200 BCE: Trojan War in Anatolia
BCE: chaos in E. Med = invasions, civil disturbances -> unstable gov’ts and unproductive agriculture
Decline in palaces, population, abandoned settlements, writing disappeared

5. Classical Greece
The polis (=city-state): no centralized empire; centers of Greek society
Various forms: monarchies, collective rule, military tyrants
Most important = Athens and Sparta

6. Classical Greece: Sparta
Peloponnesus: 9th and 8th centuries BCE – economy and population grew, took control of area
Neighboring groups (helots) used as serfs
Egalitarian, austere lifestyle (“spartan”), distinctions based on achievement
Focus on military values and order(physical fitness)

7. Classical Greece: Athens
Economic and population growth -> need for order -> democratic principles
Citizenship to all free adult males
As trade increased, aristocratic landowners benefited (controlled land and gov’t)
Many small landowners had to sell due to debt (some became slaves)
By 6th century BCE: majority were poor and very unhappy

8. Classical Greece: Athens
Solon’s solution: aristocrats kept land, cancelled debts, forbade (and freed) debt slaves
Allowed commoners to serve in gov’t (if they could afford it) and later, paid salaries
Pericles: most popular leader of his time
Supported construction to create jobs
Led Athens to sophistication (science, philosophy, poetry, art, architecture, etc.)

9. Greece and the Larger World
700s BCE: resource strain on peninsula -> colonies along Med. and Black Sea coasts
By 6th century BCE: more lived in colonies than in Greece
Not controlled by central gov’t or the polis
=> increasing communication, interaction, and exchange -> spread Greek language and culture and complexity

10. Conflicts with Persia and Its Results
BCE: Persian Wars
Anatolian Greeks rebelled, were aided by Greece
Darius retaliated by attacking Greece (Athenians won at Marathon)
Xerxes tried to avenge the loss -> captured and burned Athens (but, Greek fleet defeated Persians at Salamis)
Skirmishes continued

11. Results of Persian Wars
Delian League: group of city-states with Athens providing military and others $
Athens used $ for itself -> resentment
Tension -> Peloponnesian War ( BCE) – Athens, et al. vs. Sparta, et al.
Athens surrendered, but tensions continued, weakening the Greek poleis

12. The Macedonians
North of Greece: agriculture/pastoral semi-nomads; monarchy, but with semi-autonomous clans
Philip II of Macedon (r BCE): built powerful military, consolidated Macedon, annexed N. Greece poleis
Assassinated in 336 BCE

13. The Macedonians Alexander took over and continued Philip’s plan
Excellent military strategist and leader: conquered all of E. Med., Persia, NW India
Troops refused to go further, returned to Mesopotamia to celebrate and he died (323 BCE)
Early statecraft: cities, wanted to marry officers to Persian women, relied on est’d institutions
What would have been next?

14. The Hellenistic Empires
Empire divided among his generals: Greece and Macedon (Antingonus), Egypt (Ptolemy), and Persia (Seleucus)
Hellenism: expansion of Greek influence beyond Greece (Hellas)
Integrated economies and culture

15. The Antigonid Empire Tension between rulers and cities
recognized rule in exchange for tax relief and local autonomy)
Land issues, social issues -> many left to become Seleucid colonists

16. The Ptolemaic Empire Wealthiest
Did not interfere with political, economic organization
Est’d monopolies on lucrative industries (textiles, salt, and beer)
Alexandria: capital, cosmopolitan (melting pot, museum and library), cultural capital of Hellenistic world

17. The Seleucid Empire
Colonial cities: garrison cities/admin. centers -> commercial centers
Bactria withdrew and became kingdom (250 BCE), heavy Greek influence (but old traditions continued)

18. Greek Economy
Early: depended on trade for food and other resources (land didn’t grow grain, but grapes and olives)
More trade -> more colonization -> more Greek influence
Commercialization of trade:
-partnerships between shipowner,
merchants, and money lenders
spread risk
Later: caravan trade and maritime trade

19. Family and Society Patriarchal: fathers made all decisions
Upperclass women had more rights (e.g., Sappho)
Could own small businesses, be priestesses
Women had more rights in Sparta
Slavery: for labor mobilization
Included different groups and different jobs
= chattel slavery

20. The Cultural Life of Classical Greece
Greeks also learned from cultures they came into contact with (Egyptians, Mesopotamians, Phoenicians)
Philosophy:
Socrates ( BCE):
questions,
ethics and morality,
purposes and goals of life,
found guilty of immorality and corruption -> drank poison

21. Cultural Life of Classical Greece
Philosophy (cont.)
Plato ( BCE)
Dialogues, The Republic
Socrates’ influence, later theory of forms or ideas (this world is a reflection of a more perfect world)
Philosophers should be kings because they understand
Intellectual aristocracy

22. Cultural Life of Classical Greece
Philosophy (cont.)
Aristotle ( BCE)
Use senses to gain information and reason to sort it out
Rules of logic
Also studied other subjects: bio, physics, astronomy, psych, politics, ethics, lit.
All 3 influenced development of European and Islamic thought - provided intellectual framework

23. Popular Religion Indo-European ancestors – worshipped natural elements
Over time -> became gods and goddesses (with myths) with different responsibilities
Religious cults provided sense of community (rituals, feasting, sacrifices)
Eventually -> theater festivals (tragedies and comedies)

24. Hellenistic Philosophy
Epicureans: pleasure as way to quiet salvation
Skeptics: no certain knowledge -> no position on issues
Stoics: all as universal family (lead virtuous lives and help others)

25. Hellenistic Religion
Religions of salvation became popular: eternal bliss for observing rites and living in accordance with doctrine
Spread along trade routes
savior whose death and resurrection led to eternal salvation for followers
single, universal god