1. Classical Greece Essential Questions:
1. What were the differences in points of view for the Greco-Persian Wars and the Peloponnesian War?
2. What were the political Governments used by the Greeks? What were the positives and negatives of Athenian Democracy?

2. Day 1

3. Questions Notes Title: Key Dates Question:
Trojan war B.C., a war between the Mycenaean Greeks and Trojans of legend and history.
800 B.C. Homer composes or writes the Iliad and Odyssey
Battle of Marathon 490 B.C., Between Athens and Persia, Athens wins the battle, starting the Greco-Persian War.
Peloponnesian War I B.C. Two wars fought between Athens and Sparta, Sparta wins the war and becomes the most powerful city-state.
338 B.C. Greeks defeated by Macedonians, Greece will be controlled by outside powers from this point on.

4. Questions Notes Title: Geography Question:
Greece is a land mass that is dominated by its access to the sea and the mountainous terrain.
Greece is located in Eastern Europe near Modern Turkey and where Europe connects to Asia.
Greece was known during the classical period for sea travel, trading, wine, olive oil, pottery and metal work.
Greek Cities were built next to moderately sized rivers or access points to the ocean.
Greece was unique in the fact that instead of a single nation forming, Greek nations formed around cities and the countryside they controlled.

5. Questions Notes Title: Homer Question:
Homer either composed or wrote the Odyssey and Iliad approximately around 800 B.C.
The events of the Trojan War occurred approximately B.C.
Schliemann a wealthy business owner in the late 1800s proved the existence of Troy and the Trojan war in the late 1800s.
What Homer actually describes are the stories in the context of war in the early Iron Age.
Warfare in Homer’s time was fought between individuals and chariots were used as transportation, leaders were called Basileuses instead of Kings.

6. Day 2

7. Questions Notes Title: Philosophy Question:
Those who speculated on the world and how it worked, were known as Sophists.
Sophists were the first of Philosophers, and the greatest were, Socrates, Plato and Aristotle.
Socrates, never wrote any of his ideas down, but were recorded by his greatest student Plato.
Socrates was killed in Athens on charges of inciting the youth.
Plato was known for his ideas on government and that of the Republic.

8. Questions Notes Title: Mythology Question:
The Greeks were polytheistic, and belief in the gods varied between city-state and time period.
For example, the Spartans were deeply religious and the Athenians were not.
The 3 major gods in Greek Mythology are Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades.
All three fought against their father Cronus and his brothers the titans for control.
Zeus gained control of the Skies, Poseidon the oceans, and Hades the underworld.
The Greek gods were highly humanistic in nature, and would have feuds, frequently commit adultery and attempt to murder average Greeks.

9. Questions Notes Title: Warfare Question:
Greek warfare was typically conducted between Greek city-states with nonprofessional armies.
Spartans were the exception.
Greeks would not train for battle and armies were composed of men who could afford Hoplite Armor.
Armies would pack 8 men deep and make lines that extended from ½ a mile to 2 miles.
Armies would smash into each other and then both sides would push at each other, the side that was pushed back or whose lines fell apart would run.
Most of the killing would done as soldiers fled from the field.

10. Questions Notes Title: Society Question:
Greek society was based around the city capitals of many different nations/Polis’, these cities were either Democracies or Oligarchies.
All Greeks were nationalists and deeply proud of their citizenship to their local Polis.
Women, much like the rest of Ancient Civilizations had little to no rights, the exception being Sparta.
The arts in Greece were highly valued and the artistry of their pottery, architecture, and plays are still mimicked or considered to be masterpieces.
Greeks place high value on the trading or production of products in what was known as the Agora or market.

11. Day 3

12. Questions Notes Title: Government Question:
Greece was unique in comparison to other civilizations as they never unified into a single country.
The Greeks were very proud of their City Nations and developed the idea of Citizenship as a result.
Citizens of a Greek Polis (City) had rights, responsiblities, and privileges that outsiders or slaves did not.
In Athens, Democracy, or rule of the many, was created as the form of government.
In Sparta, Oligarchy, or rule of the few, was created as the form of government.

13. Questions Notes Title: Sparta and Athens Question:
Sparta was ruled by an Oligarchy, or was ruled by the elite few who were eligible for military service.
Spartan citizenship developed among an elite group of individuals, who were all capable of military service. Women had more rights than any other Greek city-state, they were allowed to walk around alone and speak their minds openly.
In the Athenian system, Democracy, any one who attended an assembly meeting was allowed to participate in Government.
Athenian citizens were anyone who could participate in the military, this meant either as a hoplite or as a rower in the Athenian Fleet.
Athens later used a Pure Democracy system, where participation in government was mandatory, and elected officials were chosen at random.

14. Questions Notes Title: The Olympics Question:
The Olympics were held every 4 years in a open field in Olympia below the mount Olympus.
The First Olympics was held in 776 B.C.
The first Olympics only had one event and that was a 600 yard Dash.
Later the Olympics went on to include a variety of running events, Chariot Racing, Wrestling, Boxing, Pankration, Pentathlon and a variety of other horse- riding events.
Athletes competed as individuals, (Not for nations) for glory, recognition and prizes.

15. Questions Notes Title: Iron Age Question:
About 50 years after the Trojan War, the Mycenaean Greeks were invaded and destroyed by the “Sea People” who destroyed the Hittites and Mesopotamians as well.
What occurred after in Greece is known as a Dark Age, Literature and Culture overall ceased to be produced.
Greeks started living in cities again in the 900s B.C., and Iron began being used for weapons and armor.
The technology shift, allowed for more people to buy armor and fight in armies.
With more people being able to fight, more people gained rights and privileges, these people became known as citizens.

16. Day 4

17. Questions Notes Title: Greco-Persian War Question:
The Greco-Persian Wars were a conflict between the Greek City-States and the Persian Empire.
The war was caused by Athens sending aid to Ionian Greeks in their revolt against the Persians.
The Persians and the Athenians fought a battle at Marathon, in 480 B.C., the Athenians won despite being outnumbered.
The next Persian King, Xerxes, sent a massive invasion force to conquer the Greeks.
Initially the Persians were winning the war, but key losses at the Battles of Salamis and Platea led to the Greek army winning the War.

18. Questions Notes Title: Peloponnesian War Question:
The Peloponnesian war was fought between Athens and Sparta as both City-States fought for dominance over Greece after the Greco-Persian Wars.
Both sides created their own alliance systems based off of their government systems, Both sides fought to a stalemate in over 20 years of war.
Oligarchies vs Democracies from B.C.
Sparta had the better army with 50,000 Hoplites with its allied army, Athens had the better navy with 300 Triremes.
At the end of the Second Peloponnesian War, in the Battle of Aegospotomi, the Spartans were able to trick the Athenians into beaching their ships then capture them.

19. Questions Notes Title: Downfall Question:
After the battle, Athens was without a fleet, they lost their empire and, Sparta later invaded Athens then sacked the city.
Spartans won the war and became the most powerful City-State, but had a much smaller warrior class as a result.
The City-State of Thebes challenged Sparta for control over Greece at the battle of Luectra in 371 B.C.
Thebes won the battle by creating their own elite force known as the Sacred Band.
No Greek City-State was able to conquer/control all of Greece, a decade later Greece was invaded by Macedonia and would be controlled by outside forces from that point on.

20. Questions Notes Title: Contributions Question:
Athens created Democracy, which is is a major influence on the Democratic/Republic systems of the modern world.
Greece created several plays that are still considered key pieces of literature.
Greece invented the Ancient Olympics which has been recreated for the modern world.
Philosophers like Plato and Socrates, still influence modern thought and are studied frequently.
Sciences and Mathematics discovered by the Greeks have become vital pieces of information to the modern academic world.