The Rise of the Greeks
1000 – 500 B.C.E.
Geography and Resources
• Part of Mediterranean ecological zone
– Great area for migration, transfer of crops and
technology, trade
• Greek culture area is Greek mainland and
islands and the western edge of Anatolia.
• No water resources for irrigation
– Could not support large population
• Few metal resources, little timber
• Many harbors
Map of Ancient Greece
Minoan Crete (pre-Greece)
• Ca. 2900 B.C.E. to 1450 B.C.E.
– Contemporary with ancient Egypt
• Centered around Crete (Knossos)
• Highly sophisticated
• Pre Indo-European
– Literate with Linear A
(not translated yet),
and Linear B
Minoan Crete
• Known for extensive over-seas commercial trade
– Minoan goods found throughout Mediterranean (Mycenae)
• Surplus agriculture
– Wine, figs, olive oil
• Industry
– Ship building
– Metal working (tin trade)
needed for bronze
– Skilled at pottery
Minoan Crete
• Elaborate cities (Knossos)
– No walls (peaceful people?)
– Origin of Greek Minotaur myth
• Labyrinth, minotaur, killed by Theseus
• Complex religion
• Sophisticated Art
– Wall paintings, pottery
• Sports and Leisure
– Bull jumping, acrobatics
• High status for women
Minoan Crete
• Heavily Influenced
Development of Greeks
– Language (Linear B)
– Agricultural Goods
– Place Names
– Overseas Trade/Movement
• What Caused Collapse?
– Environmental disaster at
Thera
• Eruption caused ash that
destroyed crops
• Tsunami destroyed entire
villages as well as their
trading fleets.
• Civilization collapsed, later
conquered by Mycenaeans
Mycenaeans
• Bronze Age Greeks (Indo-European
Migration) 2000 B.C.E. to 1100 B.C.E.
• Characteristics
– Small, warrior states – relied on war,
trade, and piracy (weakened Minoans)
– Literate (Linear B) from trade with
Minoans
– Heroic Age (Homer) – the Age of Myth
– Development of Greek polytheistic
religion
– Beginning of a common ‘Greek’ culture
• Collapse caused by Dorian ‘Invasion’
(Sea Peoples)?
– Resulted in loss of literacy, and political
sophistication
Emergence of the Polis
• “Dark Age” after Mycenaean period from 1150 –
800 B.C.E.
– Ended when contact and trade with Mediterranean
lands reestablished (largely due to Phoenecians).
• Phoenicians supplied Greeks with alphabetic
writing system.
• Archaic period begins (800 – 480 B.C.E.)
– Explosive population growth due to use of plow
– Shift to agricultural economy, import food and
materials
– Development of urbanization, specialization, and polis
War
• Frequent wars between
city-states
• Used hoplites in warfare
– Close formation of
heavily armored
infantrymen to break
enemy’s line of defense
• Soldiers were farmer-
citizens who served for
short periods of time when
needed
Colonization
• Greeks sent excess population to colonies in the
Mediterranean and Black Sea (source of slaves
– Slavic peoples).
– Not enough resources to support them in Greek
mainland
• Brought Greeks in contact with other peoples
with new ideas
• Sharpened sense of Greek identity
• Spurred invention of coins in Lydia during the
early sixth century B.C.E.
Athens and Sparta
• Most powerful city-states in Greece
• Both are exceptions to the norm of Greek polises
• Both dominate the Greek world
Sparta
• No colonization – conquered neighbors
• Power based on agricultural production which
required slaves.
– More agric. = more food = more people = need
for more food = need more slaves = need more
military = need food (cycle of Sparta)
– Lived in constant fear of slave uprising
• Lycurgus reformed Spartan society in
response to upheaval and helot (citizen)
revolts
– Created a perpetual military state
• Boys enlisted in army at age 7. Lived in barracks
not at home. Women took care of finances and
household
– Women had much more powerful role in
Spartan society than Athenian
– All citizens equal, but subordinate to the state
– Private property was unimportant (origin of term
‘spartan decoration’). No famous architecture
or art produced.
Athens
• Evolution from Monarchy to democracy
• Aristocracy with elected rulers
– Fighting between noble families was causing
problems for Athens. Individuals constantly tried to
grab power as tyrants (not modern def.)
• Cylon and Draco codified laws (origin of term
draconian)
• Solon and Cleisthenes instituted dramatic
democratic reforms – all citizens not just nobles
could participate
Persian Wars 490-479 B.C.E
• Ionia (west. Turkey) revolts against Persia
– Aided by Athens (connected via trade/culture)
• Darius invades Greece @ Marathon
– Defeated by Athens, retreat via ships
• Second invasion by Xerxes
– Legend of the 300 at Thermopylae
– Persia conquered and burned Athens
– Sparta organized Hellenic League to defeat Persians.
– Athens organized Delian League to go on offensive and drove
Persians out of eastern Mediterranean (except Cyprus).
• Victory was a defining moment for western culture
Athenian Golden Age
• Dominant role of Athens
– Imperial power because of Delian League
• Used fear of future Persian invasion to keep League together
– Power based on Athenian navy
• Athens fights/expands, allies pay for it
• Created trireme – 170 oar boat
– Lower-class men were rowers
– Because the rowers were so important, they demanded full rights of
citizenship
• Age of Pericles
– Used profits of Athenian
power to rebuild Athens
• Golden age of art,
architecture, theater,
philosophy, etc.
Wealth of Athens
• Used power to:
– Carry out profitable trade
– Extract tribute from
subject states
• Wealth of Athens
allowed it to construct
massive public works
projects, put on grand
festivals and support arts
and sciences.
Acropolis at Athens
Parthenon
Athens
New Intellectual Currents
• Developed concepts of:
– Individualism – individual vs. collective
– Humanism – explain how the world works
using reason and inquiry, not religion
• Philosophers question traditional Greek
religion.
– Try to explain rationally why world was
created, what it is made of, why it changes.
Philosophers
• Socrates
– One of the most influential philosophers of this time.
– Focused on ethics and precise meaning of words.
– Created Socratic Method of question and answer.
– Charged with corrupting the youth and not believing in the gods of the
city. Sentenced to death.
• Plato
– Explored justice, excellence, and wisdom.
– Taught that the world as we see it is a pale reflection of a higher, ideal
reality.
– Transitioned from oral to written culture.
– Founded a school called “The Academy”
• Aristotle
– Student of Plato
– Work on Science, logic, and ethics profoundly effected future
generations and European scholarship through the Renaissance
– Teacher of Alexander the Great
The Death of Socrates
Plato’s Academy
Athenian Democracy
• Very limited in its scope
• Only free adult males could participate
– 10-15% of total population
• Women, slaves, foreigners did not have rights of
citizens
Drama and History
• Tragedy and Comedy
– Greeks invent drama as an art form; includes chorus, dance, poetry
– Two forms of drama: tragedy and comedy
• Tragedy – tells story of heroes’ downfall; themes of love, hate, and war
• Comedy – makes fun of politics and respected people; a lot of slapstick
humor
– Greek dramatists include
Aeschylus, Euripides,
Aristophanes, and Sophicles
• Historians Herodotus and
Thucydides record and study
past events (they’re why
you’re in this class).
Athenian Slaves
• Mostly foreign
• 1/3 of the population
• Regarded as property
• Average family owned 1 or more slaves
• Treated like domestic servants
• Provided males with time for political
activity
Women in Ancient Greece
• In Sparta – women free and outspoken
• In Athens – women confined and oppressed
• Athenian marriages – young women to older men
• Duties of wife – produce
and raise children, weave
cloth, cook, and clean
Pelopponesian War
• Imperial Athens upset other city-states
• 431 B.C.E. – Athenian and Spartan alliances go
to war.
• Sparta, with Persian navy, defeats Athenians in
404 B.C.E.
• Athens defeated after plague strikes the city.
Pericles dies.
Sparta
• Sparta became very arrogant.
• This inspired opposition from other city-
states.
• Internal conflict allowed Persia to regain
their lost territory in Anatolia.
• Decline of Greece opened door for
Macedonians.
Macedonia
• Northern Greek Kingdom
• King Philip developed it into a great military
power
• Strengthened army by:
– Giving soldiers longer spears
– Using cavalry and infantry forces
– Developing new siege equipment like catapults
• Used strength to conquer Greece
– Loved Greek culture
– Hired Aristotle to tutor his son, Alexander
King Philip of Macedonia
Macedonian Catapult
Alexander the Great
• Invaded Persia in 336
B.C.E. and won
• Goal was to conquer
the known world
• Built his own empire
as far as Pakistan
• Used Persian, Greek,
and Macedonian
officials in his empire
Alexander the Great
Alexander’s Empire
Hellenistic Synthesis:
Syncretism
Syncretism in Alexander’s
Empire: Hellenization
• Alexander married a Persian woman and
encouraged his companions to do the same
• Spread Greek culture: architecture (several
cities called Alexandria), artistic styles, clothing,
etc
• Greek language blended with local ones: formed
Koine
• Greeks traveled/settled throughout empire
• Meanwhile, Greek city-states were stagnant
• Center of learning at Alexandria in Egypt
Death of Alexander the Great
• When Alexander died,
his empire broke into
3 kingdoms, each
ruled by a
Macedonian dynasty.
• This period is the
Hellenistic Age (323-
30 B.C.E.)
Seleucid Kingdom
• Core area of Mesopotamia, Syria, part of
Anatolia, Iran, and Indus Valley.
• Iran and Indus Valley territory lost in
second century B.C.E.
• Seleucids established new Greek-style
cities
• Maintained Persian style of administrative
system
Ptolemies
• Ruled Egypt and sometimes Palestine
• Took over Egyptian administrative and taxation
systems
• Made Alexandria their capital and encouraged
Greek immigration
• Lifestyle and language of most Egyptian
population did not change, but they resented
Greek rule
• Egyptian uprisings became common in early
second century B.C.E.
Antigonids
• Ruled Macedonia and parts of Greece
• Spartans and other city-state confederations
resisted Macedonian rule
• Athenians remained neutral in fight for rule
Alexandria
• Greatest city of the Hellenistic age.
• Population of 500,000
• Featured the Mausoleum of Alexander, Library,
and Museum.
– Hellenistic Science researched at Alexandria
• Euclid – geometry
• Archimedes – physics and engineering
• Eratosthenes – circumference of Earth
• Ptolemy – geocentric model of universe
• City was a political center, great center of
learning, and major trading city.
Alexandria
Hellenistic Art
• Spread throughout Alexander’s empire
• Increased focus on realism
• Mosaics
• Depiction of difficult themes, e.g. dignified death
of Gauls (Celts)