Honors World History Unit II notes Part A

Geography of Greece
• Mainland and about 2,000 islands

The Sea
• Big role in dev. of Greek Civ.
• Proximity, lack of resources encouraged sea travel/trade

The Land
• ·Mountainous, slow travel, divide land into regions
• small populations (lack of arable land)

Climate
• Moderate
• Creates “outdoorsmen” identity
Origins of Mycenaean Civilization
• ·Indo-Europeans who settled on mainland (2000 B.C.E.)
• Main City: Mycenae
• Led by warrior-kings (1600–1100 B.C.E.)

• Contact with Minoans
• ·After 1500 B.C., Myc. adopt Minoan sea trade & culture

• The Trojan War
• Fought by Myc. against city of Troy (1200s B.C.E)
• (Once thought to be fictional, archaeological evidence has been found)
• Dorians Replace Mycenaeans
• ·Mycenaean civilization collapses around 1200 B.C.

• Dorians—possibly relatives of Bronze Age Greeks—move into Greece
– Less advanced than Mycenaeans
– Dorians leave no written records (Dark Age of Greece)
• Oral tradition grows, especially epics of
• Homer—a blind storyteller
– Epic—a narrative poem about heroic deeds
– Iliad, about Trojan War, shows Greek heroic ideal
• Develop myths—traditional stories about gods
– Use myths to under mysteries of life
– Gods have human qualities (love, hate, jealousy, etc…)
– Zeus, ruler of Gods, lives on Mount Olympus with his wife, Hera
• ·Zeus’s daughter Athena: goddess of wisdom & guardian of cities
• The City-State
• By 750 B.C. the Greek city-state, or polis, is the formal government
– Polis - city & surrounding villages (50-500 sq. mi)
– Population – usu. less than 10,000
– Citizens gather in the marketplace & acropolis
• a fortified hilltop
• City-states have different forms of government
– Monarchy—rule by a king
– Aristocracy—rule by nobility
– Oligarchy—rule by small group of powerful merchants and artisans
– Tyranny - nobles and wealthy citizens w support of commoners
• They seize control and rule in the interests of ordinary people ATHENS
• 621 B.C., democracy—rule by the people—develops in Athens
– Draco develops legal code based on equality of citizens
– Solon abolishes debt slavery
– Cleisthenes has citizens make laws
• Only native-born, property-owning males are citizens
• Schooling only for sons of wealthy families
• Girls learn from mothers
Sparta
• Dominates Messenians (become helots)
– Helots—peasants forced to farm the land
• Harsh rule
• Strong state
Sparta’s Government and Society
• Three social classes:
• citizens, free noncitizens, helots—slaves
• Values:
• duty, strength, individuality, discipline over freedom
• Most powerful army in Greece
• Males
• move into barracks at age 7
• train until 30
• serve until 60
• Girls receive some military training (tough ladies)
• Girls also taught to value service to Sparta
• New Kind of Army
• Cheaper iron replaces bronze
• arms and armor cheaper
• Army includes soldiers from all classes
• Phalanx—formation of soldiers with spears, shields (induced fear)
• Battle at Marathon
• Between Greece and Persian Empire
• Persian army attacks Athens, is defeated at Marathon
– Pheidippides Brings News (runner) of Greek victory

• Thermopylae and Salamis (Greek “Victories”)
• 480 B.C., Persians invade Greece
• Many Greeks stay neutral or side with Persians
• Greeks hold Thermopylae for three days

• Salamis
• Athenians defeat Persians at sea,
• Victories force Persian retreat
• ·City-states form Delian League and continue to fight Persians (Sparta doesn’t join)
Consequences of Persian Wars
• New self-confidence due to victory
• Athens leads Delian League
– Athens uses force against opponents
– League essentially part of Athenian empire
• Rise of Athenian creativity
Democracy & the Greek Golden Age
• Pericles - skillful politician, well respected

• Stronger Democracy
• Pericles hires more public officials; creates direct democracy
– citizens rule directly, not through representatives
• Golden Age
• ·Pericles hires artisans to beautify Athens

• Architecture and Sculpture
• Parthenon—a large temple to honor goddess Athena
• Sculptors create graceful, strong, perfectly formed figures
• Classical art—values harmony, order, balance, proportion, beauty

• Tragedy and Comedy
• ·Greeks invent drama as an art form
– Two forms of drama: tragedy and comedy

• History
• ·Historians Herodotus and Thucydides
Peloponnesian Wars
• 431 B.C. city-states Sparta and Athens at war—
• Plague strikes Athens in 430 B.C.E.
– kills many—including Pericles
• Sparta (WINNER) & Athens truce (421 B.C.E)

• 415 B.C. Athens renews war
• Defeated AGAIN
– Athens and allies surrender to Sparta in 404 B.C.