Important Figures
Who was Draco and what did he do?
Became Archon (chief leader chosen by oligarchy)
Established a permanent, written, but harsh law code
Different classes were also treated differently – debtors could be sold into slavery if in debt to a higher socioeconomic class.
This caused a lot of unrest in poorer, lower classes
Aristocracy solidified their power in Athens BUT they still had to follow the standardized law.
Who was Phillip of Macedon and what did he do?
Macedonia: North of Greece, rural peoples who grow stronger
Philip’s Goals:
Build strong army - COMPLETED
Unite Greek city states - COMPLETED, Greece conquered
Beat Persia - INCOMPLETE, Philip assassinated before invasion
What were the effects of the Greco-Persian War?
Persia forced out of Greece
Start of Delian League to band together to kick out other invaders
Led by Athens (biggest military of closest city-states)
What was the cause of the Peloponnesian War?
Athens provided the military
Other city states provided money, which went straight to Athens
During the rule of Pericles
Fear: Athens getting too rich, city-states not being helped otherwise
Athens seen as a murdering conqueror, not a philosophical and economic leader
Sparta develops opposing league: Peloponnesian League
Athens and Sparta hate each other and each other’s societal goals
What are the Greek mythology basics?
Greek mythology was based on a polytheistic religion that was integral to the culture, politics, and art in ancient Greece
Greek gods/goddesses lived on Mt. Olympus, took on human qualities with human desires/weaknesses and visited humans in disguise
Explained natural phenomena and life events
Greek religion reflected Greek ideals
No special rules or list of commandments existed
Temples were a place for gods to visit, not a place of worship
No real concern about life after death
Who was Solon and what did he do?
Solon became Archon in 594 BCE to try to appease the poorer classes
Canceled their debts
Outlawed slavery for debt
He made citizen classes based on income, not birth, thus allowing the poorer classes a chance in holding power
Move was important because it helped slowly break the power of hereditary aristocracy by allowing poorer classes the opportunity to become wealthy and powerful
What was Greece's influence internationally?
Asoka’s Rock Edicts in Greek
Columns in Pataliputra, India influenced by Greece
Terracotta Warriors - Greek influence?
Alexandria, Egypt: Library with 500,000 scrolls
Wonder of the Ancient World, but lost in time
What did each army look like in the war?
Persian army had more soldiers on horseback and more soldiers overall
Greek army had heavier weapons - axes and metal sword
Greek army had home advantage and common desire to fight: kick out the Persians
Who was Thucydides and what did he do?
Wrote “History of the Peloponnesian War"
Focused on facts in his stories about the war
Who was Pisistratus and what did he do?
Tyrant 560-527 BC
non-elected
His son (Hippias) was an evil ruler who was overthrown with Spartan help in 510 BC
Helped the lower classes by:
Exiling nobles, seizing their lands and giving them to the poor
Provided new jobs for the poor
What happens to the Empire after Alexander's death?
Without Alexander the strong empire falls apart:
Ptolemy: Egypt
Seleucus: Modern Middle East
Antigonus: Greece and Asia Minor
All conquered by the Romans
What were the causes of the Greco-Persian War?
The spread of the Persian Empire into Greek cities and colonies around the Mediterranean Sea
Ionian Greek peoples supported by Athens
These cities rebelled, so Darius wanted to crush the rebellion
Battle of Marathon (490 BC): Underdog Athens easily wins
Pheidippides - ran to share news of victory
Xerxes: Wants revenge
The Persian Empire wanted Athens to stay out of the Persian Empire
What were the main events that happened during the Peloponnesian War?
Athens’ strategy: all citizens remain behind city’s walls, rely on navy
Sparta’s strategy: surround Athens with their army
Issues:
Athens suffers plague that kills ⅓ of the city’s population in 429 BC
Athens’ navy destroyed by Sparta in 405 BC
Athens and Delian League loses in 404 BC
Who were the 3 Greek philosophers and what did they do/what were they known for?
Socrates:
Socratic method—ask questions, don’t give answers
Virtue is knowledge; no one does wrong willingly
Taught for free, wrote no books; focused on humans
“The unexamined life is not worth living.”
Eventually sentenced to death for corrupting the youth
Plato:
Wrote extensively (most famous book was The Republic)
Taught that philosophers should be kings, who lead over warriors and others
Opened a school called the Academy
Focused on ideals (forms)
Credited with recording Socrates’ philosophies as dialogues
Aristotle:
Opened a school called the Lyceum
Focus on nature, virtue, logic, and multiple disciplines
Taught Alexander the Great
Politics: three types of government
Government by one person (best if not abused)
Government by a few people (usually the rich)
Government by many people (preference)
Who was Pericles and what did he do?
“Golden Age” of Athens
460-429 BCE
Supported the Arts and the government paid for large scale public works, theaters, and monuments
Acropolis!
Offered government / public officials a salary
Extended the democracy to include all free males
Who was Alexander the Great and what did he do?
Alexander’s teachers:
Philip II - military matters
Aristotle: self control, moral hero (Homer), need for diplomacy
Alexander’s traits:
Leadership skills and courage
Educated and great speaker
Alexander becomes leader after Philip dies
334-326 BC: Slowly conquers all of the Persian Empire
331 BC: Battle of Gaugamela - defeated Darius III
Alexander declares himself the Persian King
Conquers Turkey, Egypt, Middle East
Alexandria, Egypt
Gets as far east as India, but returns home after soldiers refuse to go through India to China
Post conquest: Alexander dies after a banquet
What happened at the Battle of Thermopylae?
Persians attack a narrow pass of Thermopylae. Athens and Sparta are allies.
A traitor leads the Persians around the pass, behind the Greek army.
The Persians burn Athens to the ground. However, the Persian army cannot capitalize on the success.
The Sparta 300
What were the effects of the Peloponnesian War?
Sparta becomes Greek city-state leader for a time
Athens still has some power, but Athens’ Golden Age ends
Greek city-states fight each other → ignore outside enemy (Macedonians)
Who was Herodotus and what did he do?
“Father of History”
The Histories about the Greco-Persian Wars
Also considered the “First Liar” - supposedly many myths included in his literature
What was the Hellenistic Age?
The time of and after Alexander the Great
Mix of Greek, Persian, Egyptian and Indian culture
Use of Greek in government and economic language
Rise of cities and military settlements
Temples, baths, theatres, other architecture
Sculpture - more movement, realism
Rise of literature and comedy
What happened at the Battle of Plataea?
Greek city-states united into biggest army at that time
- Persians lost and retreated.
- Were unable to absorb Greeks into their culture
Name all the Greek gods and what they were known for?
Zeus: King of gods, god of thunder and lightning
Aphrodite: Goddess of love, beauty, sexuality
Apollo: God of light (the sun), music, shepherds
Ares: God of war
Artemis: God of light (the sun), music, shepherds
Athena: Goddess of defensive warfare, wisdom, handicrafts
Hermes: Messenger of the gods; god of commerce, thieves, science (sometimes medicine)
Poseidon: God of the sea and earthquakes
Hera: Goddess of marriage
Hades: God of the underworld
Dionysus: God of wine, fertility, rituals, theater