From Homer to Alexander the Great Ancient Greek History From Homer to Alexander the Great

800 b.c. – Out of the dark 800 b.c. marks the end of the Greek “dark ages” and the beginning of the archaic period. The archaic period in Greek history was a time of cultural growth and development.

Archaic Greece The Polis (City in Greek) During the archaic period in ancient Greece, many important city-states began developing into more powerful and influential poleis. Athens: After many years of tyranny resulting in civil unrest, Athens’ aristocracy (upper class) elected a man named Solon to reform the government which resulted in an early form of democracy. Sparta: After conquering and enslaving their neighbors, Sparta began developing into a military state.

Archaic Greece (cont.) Other Developments: Greek Alphabet 1st Olympic games (786 b.c) Expansion Literature (Homer) Homer

500 b.c. - Classical Greece The classical period in Greek history was a roughly 150 year long era which produced much of what we associate with ancient Greece today. Revolutionary philosophers and politicians lived during this time, and the two largest wars in ancient Greek history were fought.

The Persian Wars (499 - 479 b.c.) Beginning with Greek settlements along the Ionian coast revolting against the Persian empire, the Persian Wars were two attempted invasions of the Greek peninsula by Darius the Great, and Xerxes the Great of the Achaemenid Empire.

Achaemenid Empire

The 1st Invasion Attempt & Marathon Seeking revenge against Athens for helping the Ionian settlements revolt, Darius (Persian ruler at the time) sent his navy across the Aegean Sea to conquer the Greek world and burn Athens. When the Persians arrived at Marathon, they were met by a much smaller army of Greek soldiers (Mostly from Athens). Because of the Greeks hoplite armor and phalanx battle formation, they were able to defeat the Persians forcing them to retreat.

Hoplite & Phalanx The hoplite armor was invented in the city-state of Argos during the archaic period and was the first standard battle armor in ancient Greece. Soldiers would carry a large shield, mid-length spear, and short sword, along with a breast plate, a bronze helmet, and greaves. The Phalanx battle formation was developed by the Spartans during the archaic period. In a phalanx, the first row of hoplites would lock their shields together while the 2nd, 3rd, and even 4th rows would push their spears forward between their comrades.

2nd Invasion Attempt at Thermopylae Once again seeking revenge, this time for their defeat at Marathon, the Persian king Xerxes sent between 100,000 and 300,000 troops to conquer Greece. Knowing the Greeks were greatly outnumbered, the legendary Athenian general Themistocles planned to meet and stall the Persians at the Pass of Thermopylae. The Greek army of between four and seven thousand led by Spartans fought for three days but were defeated in the end. The Persians were later defeated at the battle of Salamis forcing them to flee Greece for good.

The Delian League Following the end of the Persian Wars, the Greeks were very worried that the Persians would return with an even larger army. Athens, being the largest and most powerful city- state, convinced many other smaller city-states to pay them for protection against a future Persian attack. This was one of the only times Greece was mostly unified. Athens had a massive fleet of fast and durable trireme ships which gave them great influence throughout the Aegean Sea.

The Peloponnesian War (431 – 404 b.c.) Angered by the Athenian’s near complete control of the Aegean Sea, Sparta established its own alliance with neighboring city-states called the Peloponnesian League. For nearly three decades the Athenians and Spartans battled each other until the Athenians became trapped inside their own walled city and were forced to surrender.

Macedon takes Control After the Peloponnesian War, power shifted from city-state to city-state until it finally fell to the northern territory of Macedon. Despite its powerful armies, Macedon was undergoing a period of change as its king had been recently assassinated, and his 20 year old son Alexander would soon take control.

Alexander the Great Alexander of Macedon had been trained to be a warrior and ruler from a very early age. He was personally taught by Aristotle (student of Plato) and was given command of his first army at the age of 16! In a short rule of only 13 years Alexander conquered all of Greece and much of the Persian Empire before falling sick and dying of malaria.

Alexander’s Empire