PP Notes Greece

Greece
Mycenaean
Wandering tribes mixed with indigenous people by 16th century BCE
1500BCE Mycenaean (Achaean by Homer) included Crete
1300 BCE Mycenaean culture spread to Asia Minor and Italy
The capital was Troy, located in modern day Turkey
THIS IS THE PEOPLE OF HOMER’S SONG

After the Mycenaean, the Dorians came to rule over Greece
They were not as skilled as the Mycenaean – they were farmers and peasants
Did not use writing
Thus this time was called the dark ages
The people of this 300 year period digressed
Wars
Trojan War – 12th century BCE
Persian War I – Darius went along the Aegean Sea (attempted to take Athens)
“Battle of Marathon”
Persian War II – 480 BCE Xerxes attacked Athens

The Peloponnesian War –4th century BCE (lasted 30 years)
Macedon Conquest – 349 BCE
Alexanders’ Empire –
334- 333 BCE Persia (Asia Minor, the Middle East, Mesopotamia, Egypt and Iran)
327 BCE After gaining Pakistan, had to stop
Greece is divided


Greece Emerges
The Phoenician alphabet is borrowed and changed
Literacy expands commerce, culture and education
Oral traditions written
Democracy develops in Athens
Emphasis on excellence becomes a cultural trait
Monetary system

Cyrus the Great held the Persian Empire out of Mesopotamia
Were a constant threat to the Greeks
Strong in iron technology

Zoroaster (virgin birth) and final judgment -monotheistic
Regional autonomy and vast highway systems
Monetary system (dual metals)


Greece and the Polis
Polis - city/state with local officials
Polis included the city as well as surrounding lands
Nobles and free farmers openly discussed issues in “councils”

A wider gap developed between the rich and poor
Military participation became mandatory
Loyalty shifted from the individual to the state
Religious participation was as much a part of political life as was “politics”

Greek Politics
Religion

Each city had a patron god or goddess – human in nature
Temples were built to honor gods and make sacrifices
Oracles and priests resided at the temples
Religious participation was important in Greek life
Drama developed from religious ceremony and festival

Science, Philosophy and the Arts

Cities had the same forms of pottery, architecture, sculpting metal work and worship (Delphi) –brightly colored
Schools of learning were started (Socrates, Plato and Aristotle) and concepts of mathematics, astronomy, geometry, logic, rhetoric, etc.


City-states participated in the Olympics together
Designated time of peace
Offerings made to Zeus
Youth and beauty became important
Sexual liberties in youth were popular

The beginnings of Drama and theater
Epic forms of literature and poetry were vital
Open political forums were an expectation on the citizen
The sons of nobles were educated in Philosophy
Economics and Trade

Due to poor agricultural conditions, trade was a critical component of life
They became an expert of “import/export” trading
This led to the presence of a large and wealthy merchant class (which could lobby)

The stronger Greece became, the more slaves it accumulated which slowed manufacturing technology
Aristocratic dominance in politics/society
Trade and economics were tied to the advanced seamanship of the Greeks


The Hellenistic Period 800 – 400 BCE

Under Philip II, Macedon took advantage of the Sparta/Athens issue
His son, Alexander the Great, defeated the Persians (about 333 BCE)
Dominated Egypt, India but was halted by military mutiny


Founded cities, centers of scholarship, and encouraged intermarriage
In this period, Hellenistic culture spread across the known world, ensuring the survival of Greek thought and theory.
“Hellenization” – “Making Greek”

Alexandria – City established in Egypt holding the greatest modern library, intellectual center
Doric, Ionic, Corinthian – Hellenic architecture
Died young and thus could not merge Greece with the East (“Multinational Empire”)
Aristotle 384-322 BCE