1. The Civilization of the Greeks and Hellenistic Civilizations
Chapters 3 and 4
The Civilization of the Greeks
and
Hellenistic Civilizations

2. BRONZE AGE: – 1200 BC
DARK AGE – 700 BC
CLASSICAL AGE 700 – 500 BC

3. I. Early Greece: 3200 – 1100 BC Late Bronze Age Cultures
Importance of geography in Greek history
Late Bronze Age Cultures
Cycladic 3200 BC – 1100 BC
Location:
Religion:
Political/Military:
Urban / Rural:
Economic:

4. Minoan 3000-1450 B.C. Location: Culture: Religion: Political/Military:
Urban / Rural:
Knossus
Economic:
Sudden and catastrophic collapse around 1100 B.C

5. Mycenaean 1600-11 B.C. Location: Culture: Religion:
Peloponnesus
Culture:
Religion:
Political/Military:
Urban / Rural:
Economic:

6. All three cultures flourished prior to 12th century BC.
The earliest Aegean civilization was on Crete.
However, by about BC, events overtook the cultures and they collapsed. No single event . Self-destruction into Dark Ages.
II. Greek Dark Age: B.C.
Collapse of agricultural production, decline in number of farmers
Volcano
Changes in Greek World –
Migration east across the Aegean Sea

7. III. Greek City-States: 800 - 500 B.C. (Archaic period) Ethnos
Developed on mainland in Western Peloponnesus
Large territorial units but within villages and small towns
Common customs and religion united them
Governed by elite – Oligarch – rule by few
Polis
Citadel
Villages clustered around fortifications which were both protection and cult centers for specific deities
Polis is a small but autonomous political unit in which all major political, social, and religious activities are carried out in a central location
Citizenship to males only

8. Gender and Power Women played little role
Greek attitudes toward women and sexuality – rigid
Isolated in homes, played no public role
Firmly under husbands control – property
Women were to be good mothers and obedient wives – not friends or partners
Friendship existed only between members of same sex.
Women in public were usually prostitutes (who also were usually slaves)
Greek society did not condemn prostitution, infanticide, or exploitation of women and boys.

9. Myth and Reason
Myth explained everything: seasons, weather, catastrophes
Myths were reasons and reason explained myths
Lineage
Titans
Olympians Zeus was the head god.

10. Colonization and the Rise of Tyrants
Overpopulation
Trade and commerce
Colonies founded as polis
Cultural diffusion
Tyrants
A tyrant was someone who came to rule by unconstitutional ways in 7th and 6th centuries B.C.E. – coup d’etat. Not subject to laws.
Power maintained by mercenaries.

11. IV. Tale of Two Cities a) Sparta Location: Lacked: Military History:
Military society
Citizenship
Women
Children:
Government
Reforms by Lycurgus

12. b) Athens
Location:
Social:
Legal:
Economic:

13. Political: Unites surrounding area of Attica into single polis
Ruled by aristocratic clan – Alcmeonids circa 630s BC
Krylon
650 – 621BC
621 BC
594 BC
Solon

14. Pisistratus (and son Hippias) seize power in 560 B.C.
Aristocrats attempt to seize power
Cleisthenes seized power in 508 B.C.E.
Pericles B.C.

15. V. Classical Greece I. The Challenge of Persia Darius (522-486 B.C.E.)
During 2nd half of 6th century, Persian empire expanding and absorbing, including in and around Athens.
Unsuccessful revolt of Ionian cities – wildfire of democracy spread to Ionia, but ill fated, even with aid from Athens and Eretria.
Darius ( B.C.E.)
Opposition / Revolts
Battle of Marathon, 490 B.C.E.
Destroyed myth of Persian invincibility

16. Xerxes (486-465 B.C.E.) Invasion of Greece, 480-479 B.C.E.
By 480 B.C, the army he assembled had approximately 100,000 to 180,000 men and a fleet of nearly 600 ships
Greek plan – fall back to Thermopylae
Battle of Thermopylae, 480 B.C.E.
Persians reach Athens and sack and burn it.

17. By 479 –Athens emerges as leader of Greek world
Sea battles -
Battle of Salamis, 480 B.C.E.
Battle of Plataea, 479 B.C.E.
Greeks developed skills in battle – naval and hoplite movements during battles with Xerxes.
By 479 –Athens emerges as leader of Greek world

19. II. The Athenian Empire in the Age of Pericles
End of Persian wars marks beginning of classical period.
Delian League formed B.C.E.
Aegean
Pericles
Expanded democracy at home and an empire abroad
Elected to generalship 30 times
Built the Parthenon on the Acropolis

20. IV. Culture of Classical Greece
III. The Great Peloponnesian War and the Decline of the Greek States ( B.C.E.)
Athens stays behind its walls and Sparta ravages the land of Attica
Surrender of Athens, 404 B.C
IV. Culture of Classical Greece
I. History
Systematic analysis of the past
Herodotus (c B.C.E.), History of the Persian Wars
Thucydides (c B.C.E.), History of the Peloponnesian War

21. II. Drama Created by the Greeks
Tragedians
Tragedy
Comedy
III. The Arts: The Classical Ideal
Architecture
Sculpture

22. VI. The Greek Love of Wisdom
Philosophy meant “love of wisdom”
Sophists
Socrates ( B.C.) (Sophist)
Plato ( B.C.) (Student of Socrates)
The Republic
The Academy
Aristotle ( B.C.) (Student of Plato)
Politics

23. VII.Greek Religion Infused into their daily lives, every aspect
Ritual more important than belief.
No body of doctrine or focus on morality
Sacrifices and Festivals (Olympics 776BC, 4 yrs)
Mount Olympus
Homer’s work on the gods provided a foundation and structure that inculcated the aristocratic values of courage and honor.

24. VIII. Daily Life in Classical Athens
180,000 citizens, 43,000 of which were adult males who exercised political power, 35,000 foreigners.
Family the central institution
Women
Males - Paterfamilias
Slavery

25. IX. Rise of Macedonia and the Alexander
Philip II ( B.C.E.)
Greeks crushed in 338 B.C.E. at the Battle of Chaeronea
The freedom of the Greek cities had already come to an end during the Third Sacred War ( ).

26. X. Alexander the Great Born: Educated: Military:
Alexander crowned - 336
Attacks the Persian Empire

27. Death June 11, 323. Battle of Hydaspes River, 326 B.C.
Soldiers refuse to go on
Death June 11, 323.
Philip Arridaeus.
Perdiccas
– War between generals, revolts.

28. The Legacy of Alexander
Hellenistic Age (“to imitate Greeks”)
Empire divided
Greek autonomy
Wealth used for cities and infrastructure
Greco-Macedonian domination of cities and culture throughout the ME and into Asia.
Policies remained similar if not same, while faces changed.
Monarchy
Culture
Art, architecture, language, literature
Cities

29. New military technology (brought from Sicily) spear
(2) Wide use of bribery on friendly parties in Greek poleis
(3) The League Against the Persians revived by King Philip (338/7) as a way of 'uniting' the Greeks under himself (as 'hegemon': commander-in-chief) to fight the Persians (at least that's what he said). Forced Greek unity in violation of eleutheria ('liberty').
(4) Crusade of Hellenes against Asia (Philip and Alexander): expands the idea of what is Greek and brings Greeks into contact and gives them dominion over many other (older) civilizations
(5) Colonies of military veterans: urbanization
(6) New religious cults and attitudes change the basic ideas of the Greek polis religion, as well as the meaning of life and death, reward and punishment (dualism of Mesopotamian Zoroastrianism)
7) Alexander's policy of intermarrying himself and his chieftains with members of the Iranian aristocracies of the Persian empire (e.g. Alexander himself and Roxane from Bactria/Afghanistan)
(8) Alexander's policy of founding new cities (32 ALEXANDRIAS): Greek language, Greek architecture, Greek gymnasium culture, Greek political institutions, but very mixed and mostly non-Greek citizens. The definition of 'Hellene/Greek' is no longer racial, ethnic, national-family, or even cultural in a natural develomental sense. 'Hellene' is a cultural term thereafter, but anybody can be a Hellene by adapting.
(9) Appearance in Greek cities of new artifacts, ideas, habits from other civilizations: new interpretations of reality (Aristotle)

30. XI. The Hellenistic Kingdoms
New dynasties created
Macedonia under the Antigonid dynasty
Syria and the east under the Seleucids
Attalid kingdom of Pergamum in western Asia Minor
Egypt under the Ptolemies
Hellenizing an urban phenomenon
Economic:
Agriculture (80% devoted to farming)
Money Economy – Alexander had put gold and silver into circulation which created new trading blocks and new coinage
Wealth in hands of few
Forests stripped of wood
Trade Routes increased, more physical mobility
Industry spread eastward into Asia and Egypt
Textile centers in Pergamum
Glass and silver crafts in Syria

31. Religion:
Still had gods BUT decline in vitality of the myths and faith
Open to others – eastern world
Mystery religions impacted Greeks
Women:
Opportunities increased – upper class women
Managed slaves
Sold property
Contracted loans
More independent

32. XII. Culture in the Hellenistic World
Literature, Art, Sciences, philosophy
Pergamum and Alexandria
Library at Alexandria – largest in ancient times (1/2 million scrolls)
Golden Age of Science
Archimedes ( B.C)
Philosophy
Headquartered at Athens.
Epicurian:
Epicurus ( B.C.)
Stoic:
Zeno ( B.C.)

33. XIII. Conclusion and Summary
New cities arose
New religions arose
New ideas about space, literature and our place in universe
Greek culture spread