Rise of the Greek City-States

What are the environmental features of this region? How did this impact the development of the civilization?

Environmental Factors Sea: heavy influence on physical environment of Greece (Aegean Sea, Ionian Sea) Mountains (with narrow valleys): cover more than ¾ of Greece’s surface area and islands: more than 2000 islands (Crete being the largest) Rivers: no major rivers on Greek mainland but fertile soil Climate: winter= mild climate; summer= hot climate with rainfall from October to March = long growing season

Map of Ancient Crete

Natural Resources •Copper •Fertile soil •Gold •Good harbors •Lead •Silver

Archaeology Cretan history previously known only through myths and legends British archaeologist Sir Arthur Evans found and studied remains on Crete Called “Minoan” civilization after numerous kings named Minos

How does this demonstrate religious syncretism and cultural diffusion? Question: How does this demonstrate religious syncretism and cultural diffusion?

The Minoans British archeologist Sir Arthur Evans named the Minoans after Greek king Minos Based on similarities between Minoan artifacts and those from Egypt and Libya, Evans proposed that the Minoan migrated into the area from North Africa Other archaeologists have suggested that the Minoans may have come from other regions --Turkey, the Balkans, or the Middle East

Early Greeks: The Minoans 3200-1100 BCE Lived on island of Crete Skilled sea navigators and farmers Political, religious, and economic centered out of palaces (Knossos) Advancements in bronze tools and weapons Built sanctuaries throughout the island

Minoan Culture Artwork (drawings, murals, frescoes) at Knossos shows dangerous sports such as leaping over the backs of charging bulls as well as dancing, athletics, and festivals

Clip https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qrZ1clEp-Y What values are reflected in the story? (example: bravery) What does this myth tell you about Greek society?

Decline of the Minoans? •1750 BCE- earthquake destroys Minoan palaces •1628 BCE- volcano erupts at Thera •1400 BCE- War between Minoans and Mycenaeans led to decline of power

Mycenae Mycenae was a fortified late Bronze Age city located between two hills on the Argolid plain of the Peloponnese,Greece.

Mycenaeans c. 1700 – 600 BCE Mycenaeans took control of Crete at Knossos by 1500 BCE Controlled mainland Greece by establishing city-states with their main political centre at Mycenae (palaces were fortified by walls) Grave sites reflect their military capabilities as weapons and armour were found

Trojan War Two epic poems by Homer “Iliad” and “Odyssey” describe the Trojan War Conflict between the Mycenaeans and Trojans that lasted 1194-1184 BCE Helen escapes with Paris of Troy which erupts in a war between the two Greek powers Archaeologist- Heinrich Schliemann claims that he found Troy and the early Greek civilization of Mycenaeans

Fall of the Mycenaeans It is uncertain why Mycenaean civilization collapsed around 1100 BC. External Invasions: Dorians: a tribe from northwestern Greece, conquered the Mycenaeans and the civilization collapsed . Sea People: a group of maritime raiders responsible for the collapse of the Hittite Empire (and came close to toppling the Egyptian Dynasties) may have also raided Greece and destroyed the Mycenaean sites. Other Mediterranean peoples: Lycians, Sardinians, Tyrrhenians, or Sicilians could have brought down the Mycenaeans. Internal Conflict: Mycenaeans destroyed themselves in constant warfare. Other Theories: The large population who did not farm may have stretched the agricultural base too thin.

Greek Dark Ages After the fall of the Mycenaeans, the population of Greece shrank, and most fled into hilltop villages that could be easily defended. Writing in this period seems to have stopped and monumental construction came to a halt leaving us with little literary or archaeological evidence The Greeks developed small, petty kingdoms ruled by a king (basileus) and warrior nobles. The basic social unit of the time was the household (oikos). Each oikos had a kleros, or piece of land, which would be inherited by the male heir. The time period gave way to many important developments - advent of iron working making better tools and weapons.

Revival By the eighth century, the population of Greece began to grow quickly. City-states began to emerge throughout Greece and small colonies of Greeks began to appear in Asia Minor and southern Italy (in Asia Minor, the colonists joined other Greeks - Ionians) The eighth century also saw the emergence of a more unified Greek identity Although each city had its own patron god, by this time the standard gods of the Greek pantheon were more or less agreed upon throughout Greece. In 776 BC, the first Olympic games were held as part of a festival dedicated to Zeus where all Greek speakers could compete.

The Polis 800 BCE a new civilization, the Hellenic, became dominant in Greece 750 B.C. city-states began to form and gave rise to a new form of social/political organization: the polis. The polis was an independent, self-governing city of between 50,000 and 300,000 people. Several dozen polises (Greek “poleis”) emerged throughout the Greek countryside In each polis, politics, religion, and social life were closely intertwined.

Why City-States? The country's mountainous terrain, many isolated valleys, and numerous offshore islands encouraged the formation of many local centers of power, rather than one all-powerful capital. Another key factor influencing the formation of city-states rather than kingdoms was the Mediterranean. Such a calm and easily navigable sea provided the Greeks with an opportunity to found new colonies in times of crisis and overpopulation. A final reason behind the development of city-states was the Greek aristocracy, who acted to prevent any permanent monarchies from forming.

Types of Government Two types of government were used in the Greek Polises. The Dorians generally had an oligarchic form of government. The Greek word oligarchy means rule by the few. The Ionians developed the first democratic form of government. Democracy means rule by the people.

Ionian vs. Dorian Generally speaking, the Dorians depended upon agriculture, while the Ionians were seafarers and merchants. The two primary poleis were Sparta and Athens. Sparta was Dorian, oligarchic, and had an agriculturally-based economy. Athens was Ionian, democratic, and depended on seafaring and trade.

Thucydides on Athens "Our constitution does not copy the laws of neighboring states; we are rather a model for others than imitators ourselves. Its administration favors the many instead of the few; this is why it is called a democracy. If we look at the laws, they afford equal justice to all in settling private differences. As for prestige, advancement in public life goes to men with reputations for ability: class considerations are not allowed to interfere with merit, nor again does poverty bar the way. If a man is able to serve the state, he is not hindered by obscure origins or poverty. The freedom we enjoy in our government extends also to our private life. There . . . we do not feel called upon to be angry with our neighbor for doing what he likes, or even to indulge in those injurious looks which cannot fail to be offensive, although they inflict no actual harm. But all this ease in our private relations does not make us lawless as citizens. . . . We obey the magistrates and the laws, particularly those for the protection of the injured, whether they are actually on the statute book, or belong to that code which, although unwritten, yet cannot be broken without acknowledged disgrace.

Plutarch on Spartans "They learned reading and writing for basic needs, but all the rest of their education was to make them well-disciplined and steadfast in hardship and victorious in battle. For this reason, as boys grew older, the Spartans intensified their training, cutting their hair short and making them used to walking barefoot and for the most part playing naked. When the boys reached the age of twelve, they no longer had tunics to wear, but got one cloak a year. Their bodies were tough and unused to baths and lotions. They enjoyed such luxury only a few special days a year. They slept, in packs, on beds which they got together on their own, made from the tops of the rushes to be found by the river Eurotas. These they broke off with their bare hands, not using knives."

Outcomes The Greek sense of uniqueness was increased. Athens emerged as the most powerful city-state in Greece. Athens takes credit leading the victory - Persians defeated by the Athenian navy near Salamis Two major alliances formed within the region Athens & Delian League vs Sparta & the Peloponnesian League Why could these alliances cause problems throughout the region?

Athens vs. Sparta Athenian Values individuality beauty freedom Spartan Values strength duty discipline

Athens: Law Reforms Draco (621 B.C.): Athenian lawgiver whose harsh legal code punished both trivial and serious crimes in Athens with death (draconian laws) Solon (594 B.C.): Athenian statesman who ended aristocratic control of the government and introduced a new and more humane law code (banned debt slavery). Pisistratus (546 B.C.): Athenian tyrant who beautified the city and improved the economy by introducing loans and encouraging farmers to grow 'cash crops', like olives. Cleisthenes (508 B.C.): Athenian statesman regarded as the founder of Athenian democracy, serving as chief archon (highest magistrate) of Athens (525–524). Cleisthenes successfully allied himself with the popular Assembly against the nobles (508) and imposed democratic reform.

Sparta: City of Warriors They were more focused on war and building up strength to fight An early slave revolt causes the Spartans to create strict laws that demanded public allegiance to the state. Although they did have artistic culture, much of their energy was spent fine tuning their military skills. Sparta develops a system where either the city-state was controlled by a king or by an oligarchy. Citizens are not encouraged to speak freely, the few who rule were usually powerful military leaders.

Plutarch on Spartans “The women did not bathe the babies with water, but with wine, making it a sort of test of their strength. For they say that the epileptic and sickly ones lose control and go into convulsions, but the healthy ones are rather toughened like steel and strengthened in their physique. The nurses displayed care and skill: they did not use swaddling-bands, making the babies free in their limbs and bodies. They also made them sensible and not fussy about their food, not afraid of the dark or frightened of being left alone, not inclined to unpleasant awkwardness or whining. So even some foreigners acquired Spartan nurses for their children.”

Causes of the War - 460-404 BCE Complex alliances between city-states emerged where allies pledged loyalty with Sparta or Athens Sparta became suspicious of the Athenians' project to rebuild their Long Wall fortifications which protected their harbour of Piraeus and inhibited access to trade Trade embargos placed on the city-state Megara (allies with Sparta) in order to prevent merchants from trading with Athens

Delian League Composed of almost 200 members who paid tribute to Athens, in the form of either ships or money in return for Athenian protection against a perceived threat from Persian and perhaps also Mediterranean pirates Became an Athenian empire rather than a collection of equal allies, a process confirmed by the moving of the treasury to Athens in 454 BCE How could this potentially cause a problem throughout the region?

Peloponnesian League Alliances between Corinth, Elis, Tegea and other states (but never Argos) where each member swore to have the same enemies and allies as Sparta Membership of the League did not necessitate the paying of tribute to Sparta but rather the provision of troops under Spartan command How did this differ from the Delian League? Why didn’t the Spartans create an empire out of the Peloponnesian League?

Pericles (495-429 BCE) Prominent statesman, famous orator, and general of Athens during the Golden Age of Athens Promoted the arts, literature, and philosophy -- during the Age of Pericles, Athens was a center of education, art, culture, and democracy During the Peloponnesian Wars and the plague struck Athens in 429 BCE and Pericles was among the victims Without Pericles’ leadership, the Athenians made multiple mistakes in their military decisions leading to Spartan victory in 404 BCE

Victory for the Spartans! War was won by Sparta, ironically, in a naval battle... 410 BCE, Sparta was able to build a massive fleet of 200 using Persian money and timber Spartans inflicted total defeat on the Athenians in 405 BCE where 170 Athenian ships were captured on the beach and at least 3,000 Athenian captives were executed Make some predictions: What are some possible outcomes to this conflict?

Outcome of Conflict The Peloponnesian War ended Athenian greatness and power in the region Sparta (and another city-state called Thebes) controls most of the region but Greece is left weak as a result Philip II of Macedon was eventually able to invade and crush with relative ease the weakened Greek city-states (338 BC)

Do Now: Who said this? AND How do you feel about this statement? “Children today are tyrants. They contradict their parents, gobble their food, and tyrannize their teachers. " Who said this? AND How do you feel about this statement?

Pre-Socratic (7th - 5th century B.C.) The power of the elements rather than just the gods. Developed at the same time as Democracy Where did everything come from? How do things come into being? Why are we here? How did the study of ethics and morality undermine traditional values?

The Sophists The sophists were professional teachers and intellectuals who frequented Athens and other Greek cities in the second half of the fifth century B.C.E. In return for a fee, the sophists offered young wealthy Greek men an education in aretē (virtue or excellence), thereby attaining wealth and fame Prior to the fifth century B.C.E., aretē was mostly associated with aristocratic warrior virtues such as courage and physical strength In democratic Athens of the latter fifth century B.C.E., however, aretē was increasingly understood in terms of the ability to influence one’s fellow citizens in political gatherings through rhetorical persuasion

Socrates (470-399 BC) Greek philosopher and is considered the father of western philosophy. (Plato was his most famous student and would teach Aristotle who would then tutor Alexander the Great) Attempted to answer not how does the world work but how does one live a moral life? Plato's The Apology is an account of the speech Socrates makes at the trial in which he is charged with not recognizing the gods of the state, inventing new deities, and corrupting the youth of Athens. Why was Socrates so harshly punished?

The "Socratic Problem" • Socrates did not write philosophical texts •The knowledge of the man, his life, and his philosophy is based on writings by his students and contemporaries •Foremost among them is Plato; however, works by Xenophon, Aristotle, and Aristophanes also provide important insights

Plato (428/427 BC – 348/347 BC) Plato, with his mentor, Socrates, and his student, Aristotle, helped to lay the foundations of Western philosophy. Considered the pre-eminent Greek philosopher, known for his Dialogues Founder of the Academy in Athens, the first institution of higher learning in the western world.

Aristotle (384-322 BC) He was the first to create a comprehensive system of Western philosophy. Aristotle's views on the physical sciences profoundly shaped medieval scholarship, and their influence extended well into the Renaissance, although they were ultimately replaced by modern physics. All aspects of Aristotle's philosophy continue to be the object of active academic study today.

The Cynics They were an influential group of philosophers from the ancient school of Cynicism Their philosophy was that the purpose of life was to live a life of Virtue in agreement with Nature. This meant rejecting all conventional desires for wealth, power, health, and fame, and by living a life free from all possessions. As reasoning creatures, people could gain happiness by rigorous training and by living in a way which was natural for humans. They believed that the world belonged equally to everyone, and that suffering was caused by false judgments of what was valuable and by the worthless customs and conventions which surrounded society. •Many of these thoughts were later absorbed into Stoicism.