Chapter 4 Part 1: The Early Greeks
I. The Geography of Greece
-mainland mountainous peninsula
-Ionian Sea to west, Aegean Sea to east, Mediterranean Sea to south
-Ancient Greeks- fishers, sailors, traders, and farmers
-rocky soil- grow wheat, barley, olives, and grapes – favorable climate
II. The Minoans
-Minoan civilization- 1st in Greece, island of Crete
-artifacts at palace at Knossos show riches – wine, oil, jewelry, and statues
-traders- travel by ship
-collapsed around 1450 B.C., disagreement on cause of destruction
III. The First Greek Kingdoms
-1st Greek kings were Mycenaean leaders (invaded Greece around 1900 B.C.); center of Mycenaean
kingdom was palace surrounded by large farms
-Mycenaeans traded with Minoans & learned culture; Mycenaean civilization most powerful on
Mediterranean prior to collapse around 1100 B.C.
-Dark Ages- 1100-150 B.C.- less trade & poverty, forget written language
-Dorians invade Greece; bring new weapons & farming technology
-alphabet from Phoenicians (a trading partner); Greek alphabet had 24 letters
IV. A Move to Colonize
-Colonization spread Greek culture
-trade grew; trade goods for money instead of goods because of minting coins
V. The Polis
-polis (city-state) like independent country; vary in size and population
-acropolis- at top of a hill, main gathering place of city-state
-agora- open area- market and place to meet and debate
-develop citizenship- citizens treated equally & have rights and responsibilities
-only free, native-born, land-owning men could be citizens
-citizens: vote, hold office, own property, and defend themselves in court
-military- ordinary citizens (not nobles); theses citizens called hoplites- fought battle on foot instead
of horse
Chapter 4 part 2: Sparta and Athens
I. Tyranny in the City-States
-Nobles, owned large farms, seized power from Greek kings
-farmers borrow money from nobles, could not pay back debt, lose land & work for nobles or slaves
-unhappy farmers demand change in power structure- rise of tyrants
-tyrants overthrew nobles during 600s B.C.
-tyrants popular- build marketplaces, temples, & walls
-Greeks create oligarchies or democracies
-oligarchy- few people hold power
-democracy- all citizens share power
-Sparta – oligarchy; Athens- democracy
II. Sparta
-Spartans conquered and enslaved their neighbors, calling them helots
-strong military of boys & men
-boys enter military at 7
-at 20 men entered regular army & lived in barracks for 10 yrs.; return home at 30; serve till 60
-girls trained in sports to become healthy mother & were freer than other Greek women
-oligarchy- 2 branches –council or elders and an assembly
-kept foreign travelers out & discouraged travel of own citizens
III. Athens
-boys attend school to learn reading, writing, and arithmetic
-girls learned household duties; wealthy girls learn reading, writing, and playing the lyre
-early government was oligarchy
-Solon reformed gov’t in 594B.C.
-tyrant Peisistratus seized power
-Cleisthenes took power in 508 B.C.- create democracy- assembly more power; new council to help
assembly carry out duties; council members chosen by lottery
Chapter 4 Part 3: Persia Attacks the Greeks
I. The Persian Empire
-warriors & nomads; Persia- today southwestern Iran
-Cyrus the Great united Persians; large empire, conquering Mesopotamia, Asia Minor, Syria, Canaan, &
Phoenician cities
-Darius (521 B.C.) reorganized gov’t- empire divided into satrapies- rulers known as satrap who answer
to king
-Immortals- full-time paid soldiers
-Zoroastrianism- religion; founded by Zoroaster, 1 god, freedom of humans, triumph of good
II. The Persian Wars
-failed rebellion by Greeks; King Darius stop from interfering in empire
-Battle of Marathon- short distance from Athens; Persians waited for Athenian; did not come; Persians
ordered back on boat; when horsemen on boat Greeks charge Persian foot soldiers & defeat them
-Xerxes king- vowed new invasion of Greece
-Athens & Sparta joined forces to defend against Xerxes; Greeks fought Persians at Thermopylae for 2 days
-Battle of Salamis- faster, smaller Greek ships defeat Persians; Persians burned Athens
-Greek army won at Platae- turning point of war with Persia
-Persian empire fell: weakened by war, rulers taxed people and spent money lavishly, sons of kings had little power so kill rulers to get power
Chapter 4 part 4: The Age of Pericles
I. The Athenian Empire
-Athens join with other city-states to form Delian League- defend members against Persians
-Athens control Delian League- moved from Delos to Athens
-direct democracy- people vote firsthand on laws and policies; small population
-representative democracy- small groups to vote on people’s behalf
-general Pericles; promoted democracy by including more people in gov’t
-Age of Pericles- creativity & learning; built temples & statues; supported artists, writers, architects, and philosophers (people who ponder questions about life)
II. Daily Life in Athens
-400 B.C. pop. 285,000- largest Greek city-state
-most have at least 1 slave
-grew grain, vegetables, fruit, olives, and grape; little farmland- import grain
-raise sheep & goats for wool, milk, & cheese
-trading center- trade pottery, jewelry, leather goods, & other products
-men worked in morning & exercised or attended assembly meetings in the evening
-women care for children and household- poor women work in fields or sell goods
-women had no political rights and could not own property
-Aspasia- well educated woman who influenced Plato and Pericles- influential in politics
III. The Peloponnesian War
-other city-states and Sparta join together against Athens
-Pericles’s funeral remind Athenians about democracy- courage to fight
-Athenian moved inside city to protect themselves
-2nd year of war- disease killed more than 1/3 of people inside Athens’ walls, including Pericles
-Sparta made a deal with Athenians and built a navy; Spartan navy defeated Athenian navy (which
brought supplies); Athens surrendered