UNIT 10: ANCIENT GREECE

The Greeks: Crucible of civilisation. First of aseries of 5 narrated by Liam Neeson (9:30)

IN THIS UNIT, YOU WILL… Learn about the history of Greek civilisation Learn about the main social, economic and cultural characteristics of Ancient Greece Identify the main features of Greek art Learn about the Greek contribution to western civilisation Discuss the origin of democracy

Greek civilisation appeared in the Balkan Peninsula, on islands in the Mediterranean and in Asia Minor, now Turkey. Its ancient name was Hellas, and its

people were called Hellenes.

ANCIENT GREECE WAS INFLUENCED BY ITS NATURAL ENVIRONMENT

Valleys were separated by

mountain chains

There were many islands far from the continent

Independent states emerged in each valley and on each

island

SUMMARIZING, CLIMATE, SEA, VALLEYS AND ISLANDS INFLUENCED ANCIENT GREECE DEVELOPMENT

THE GREEKS WERE MARITIME PEOPLE AND TRADED WITH OTHER PEOPLE ACROSS THE

MEDITERRANEAN

THE CLIMATE WAS DRY. PEOPLE LIVED FROM AGRICULTURE,

ANIMAL GRAZING AND FISHING

ANCIENT GREECE TIMELINE

THERE WERE SEVERAL

IMPORTANT PRE-HELLENIC CIVILISATIONS

THE GREEK CITY STATES WERE STABLISHED.

GREECE BEGAN TO EXPAND

ACROSS THE MEDITERRANEAN

IT WAS A PERIOD OF GREAT CULTURAL

ACHIEVEMENT. ATHENS AND SPARTA

WERE DOMINANT CITY STATES

ALEXANDER THE GREAT CONQUERED

THE PERSIAN EMPIRE. AFTER HIS DEATH,

THERE WERE SEVERAL HELLENISTIC KINGDOMS

FINALLY IT BECAME PART OF ROMAN EMPIRE

MYCENAEAN CIVILISTAION

CRETAN CIVILISATION

DARK AGES

ARCHAIC PERIOD

HELLENISTIC PERIOD

CLAS

SICA

L PE

RIOD

THE GREEKS ALL HAD THE SAME CIVILISATION, ALTHOUGH THEY LIVED IN INDEPENDENT CITIES. THEY SHARED THE SAME…

CULTURE RELIGIOUS BELIEFS LANGUAGE ART

Pre-Hellenic civilisations

MINOANSBETWEEN 3000 AND 1500 BC THE MINOANS WERE A

PROSPEROUS MARITIME AND TRADING CIVILISATION ON THE ISLAND OF CRETE. THEY LEARNED HOW TO MAKE AND USE BRONZE. THEY RULED MANY ISLANDS IN THE

AEGEAN SEA

BETWEEN 1600 AND 1200 BC THE MYCENAEANS CONTROLLED MOST OF MAINLAND GREECE. MYCENAEANS

SOCIETY WAS LED BY A WARRIOR ARISTOCRACY. ACCORDING TO GREEK LEGENDS, THESE WARRIORS

FOUGHT THE TROJAN WAR

Pre-Hellenic civilisations MYCENAEANS

Pre-Hellenic civilisations DORIANS

AFTER BC THE DORIANS, WHO KNEW HOW TO MAKE AND USE IRON, ENTERED MAINLAND GREECE FROM THE

NORTH. MANY GREEKS WENT TO LIVE ON THE COAST OF ASIA MINOR, NOW TURKEY, WHERE THEY FOUNDED

CITIES

THE PERIOD FROM 1200 BC UNTIL ABOUT 750 BC WAS CALLED THE DARK AGE. PEOPLE LIVED IN SMALL,

ISOLATED COMMUNITIES, AND LEFT FEW IMPORTANT ARCHA

Pre-Hellenic civilisations DARK AGE

THE ARCHAIC AGE

The polis was formed of the main city and the farming land

and forests around it.

DEVELOPED BETWEEN THE 8TH AND THE 6TH

CENTURY

• The AGORA, or main square, where political activity and

trading took place.• The ACROPOLIS, on high land above the city , where

temples were located

THEY ALSO HAD IN COMMON:

THE POLIS

But all the poleis shared the same culture, religion and

language.

It had its own government army, laws and currency.

THE AGORA Discuss in groups about the activities

thta took place in the agora

THE ACROPOLISExplore the

Acropolis from the Brithis Mueum

Archaic city states were ruled by an oligarchy, which meant

“government by the few”.

EARLY GOVERNMENT

There was frequent social disorder during the 7th and 6th

centuries BC, and this led to political change. TYRANTS, like Peisistratos, took power. There were other important leaders,

like Solon the lawmaker.

The aristoi (or “best”) formed a privileged elite, or

ARISTOCRACY. The aristoi were landowners and military leaders.

THE ARCHAIC AGE

The tyrants

THE ARCHAIC AGE

Greek expansion led to the creation of

COLONIES across the Mediterranean and the Black Sea. there were many cities or colonies such as Syracuse, in

Sicily, and Emporion on the Iberian Peninsula

DEVELOPED BETWEEN THE 8TH AND THE 6TH

CENTURY

• economic activity increased greatly in both city states and their colonies.•Greek culture spread into new regions. •Some social groups became wealthier. There were social changes, and democracy emerged in the poleis

CONSEQUENCES

THE GREEK COLONISATIO

N

•Land was scarce, and it was held unequally•Population growth made it necessary to find new places for the extra people•Colonies created new trading possibilities

CAUSES OF GREEK COLONISATION

GREEK COLONISATION

THE CLASSICAL PERIOD

They were at the beginning of the fifth century BC when the Persians tried to gain control of the Greek

poleis of Asia Minor and continental Greece.

The army of the Athenian polis was essential in defeating the

Persians at the battles of Marathon (490) and Salamina (480). Athens became the most

powerful polis.

THE GRECO-PERSIAN WARS (MEDIAN

WARS)

The classical period was the gratest period for the Greek poleis. Sparta and Athens were the most

importantThere were also a number of conflicts. The most significant were:

They were the conflicts between Greek poleis. The dominant

position of Athens threatened other poleis and led to wars

between them. Sparta was against Athens control of the Delian

League and after years of war Sparta dominated over the rest of

the poleis.

THE PELOPONESIAN

WARS (431-404 BC)

While the poleis were fighting each other, King Philip II of

Macedon organised a great armyDelian League

was created

Peloponnesian War and Thucydides (12:00)

Pericles and the Delian League(9:00)

DEMOCRACY

IN THIS SYSTEM, ADULT MALE CITIZENS PARTICIPATED IN

GOVERNMENT. BUT WOMEN, METICS

(FOREIGNERS), SLAVES AND FREED SLAVES

WERE NOT CONSIDERED CITIZENS

THAT MEANS “RULE BY THE PEOPLE”

ATHENS BECAME A DEMOCRACY

THE EKKLESIA WAS THE

ASSEMBLY OF ALL THE CITIZENS.

THEY MET TO VOTE LAWS AND ELECT

MAGISTRATES

INSTITUTIONS OF ATHENIAN DEMOCRACY

EKKLESIA

MAGISTRATES

BOULE

HELIAIA

THEY WERE IN CHARGE O

THE LAW COURTS AND RELIGIOUS

CEREMONIES THERE WERE

ARCHONS AND

STRATEGOI

THIS IS THE COUNCIL

FORMED BY CITIZENS

CHOSEN BY BALLOT.

THEY MADE SURE THAT LAWS WERE FOLLOWED

IT WAS THE SUPREME

COURT. THEY WERE

CHOSEN BY BALLOT

EVERY YEAR

Athenian Democracy - Solon and Cleisthenes (12:00)

SPARTA: OLIGARCHY

It was an OLIGARCHYIn Spartan society,

citizens were trained to fight as warriors from an

early age

Sparta was Athens great

rival.

Less than a minute video about the Spartian society

SPARTIANS

PERIOIKOI

HELOTS

FREE MEN WITH POLITICAL RIGHTS

CRAFTSMEN OR TRADERS WITHOUT POLITICAL RIGHTS

THEY WERE LIKE SLAVES BUT COULDN

´T BE SOLD

INSTITUTIONS OF SPARTIAN OLIGARCHY

TWO KINGS

GEROUSIA

EPHORS

ASSEMBLY

THEY HELD

MILITARY AND

RELIGIOUS ACTIVITY

OR MAGISTRATES

WHO MAINTAINED THE ORDER

FORMED BY WITH

VERY LIMITED POWERS

IT WAS A COUNCIL

FORMED BY CITIZENS

OVER SIXTY. RESPONSIB

LE FOR JUSTICE

ECONOMY THE MOST IMPORTANT ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES

AGRICULTURE

LIVESTOCK

CRAFT

TRADE

IT WAS THE MAIN

ECONOMIC ACTIVITY. IT

WAS BASED ON THE

CULTIVATION OF WHEAT,

OLIVES AND VINES IN THE

VALLEYS.

CRAFT WORK WAS DONE IN

SMALL WORKSHOPS. THEY MADE TEXTILES, POTTERY,

WEAPONS AND FARM TOOLS

IT BECAME IPORTANT,

ESPECIALLY AROUND THE

MEDITERRANEAN. THEY

TRADED EACH OTHER ACROSS

THE AEGEAN AND ALSO WITH

EGYPT AND ITALY

IT WAS IMPORTANT IN

THE MOUNTAINS. THEY KEPT

SHEEP, GOATS, PIGS AND HORSES

Life in ancient Greece was quite different for men and women. Whilst men were expected to take an active part in the public life of their city, women were expected to lead a private life as wives and mothers. Their lives were centred on the home.

Life in ancient Greece was quite different for men and women. Whilst men were expected to take an active part in the public life of their city, women were expected to lead a private life as wives and mothers. Their lives were centred

on the home.

Slavery was a central feature of life in Greece. Families of reasonable wealth would have slaves to carry out the

household chores, to go shopping at the market and even to help bring up children.

However, daily life in Sparta was rather different from most other city-states. Here women led more active lives, as this would improve their physical strength and their ability to have healthy babies. Sparta also had slaves but these belonged to the city as a whole, rather than to individual families.

A lot of our information on

daily life comes from

pottery

DAILY LIFE

PLAY THE “Greek House” BM

GREEK CULTURE HAD A GREAT INFLUENCE BOTH IN ANCIENT TIMES AND LATER PERIODS. IT IS OFTEN CONSIDERED THE

FOUNDATION OF THE WESTERN CIVILISATION

GREEK CULTURE

HOMER, AESCHYLUS,SOPHOCLES, EURIPIDES

SOCRATES, PLATO AND ARISTOLES

PHILOSOPHYGreeks were the first to use the reason to examine the nature of human beings and the world around them

SCIENCEThey

developed Mathematics, Physics and

Medice

HIPPOCRATES, PYTHAGORAS, ARCHIMEDES

ERATOSTHENESHERODOTUSTHUCYDIDES

GEOGRAPY AND HISTORY

They calculated the circumference

of the Earth.They were the first in writing History.

LITERATUREEpic poems like the Iliad and the Odyssey (700 BC)

Theatre devoloped from

religious ceremonies: tragedies and

comedies

RELIGIONTEMPLES ORACLES

OLYMPIC GAMES

GODS AND HEROES

POLYTHEISTS

WHAT WERE THEY?

GREEK ART

THE GREEKS TRIED TO ACHIEVE PROPORTION AND HARMONY IN THEIR ART. THEY CONSTRUCTED BUILDINGS AND STATUES ON A HUMAN SCALE

POWER POINT OF GREEK ART

THE HELLENISTIC PERIOD ALEXANDER THE GREAT POWER

POINT