Chapter 5 Ancient Greece p. 102
Section 1 early people of the Aegean
Minoan Civilization
1750 BC to 1500 BC
Sea traders, Egypt and Mesopotamia
Named after Minos – a legendary king of Crete by British archeologists
Studying their remains in the 1800s
Lived mainly on the island of Crete
Highly advanced and technologically advanced society info gathered from travels
No evidence of writing or recordkeeping has been found that we understand
Palace at Knossos is main evidence
Huge – plumbing – use of trees in construction may have caused ecological issues
Ornate – frescoes, shrines, paintings
Many sea related works of art, men and women mingling freely in social situations
Bull-leaping, bull images
Snake goddesses, fine pottery
End? Approx. 1400 BC –
Island of Santorini to the north erupts
Evidence of invasions from the Mycenaens.
Mycenae – first Greek speaking people that we have records of
1400 to 1200 BC
Sea traders – Italy, Sicily, Egypt and Mesopotamia. Carried home info and technology to their own people – had a system of writing that is later developed into
written Greek probably acquired from their travels (Phoenicians)
Lived in separate city-states on the Peloponnesus
Heavily fortified cities – evidence of huge treasuries. Some gold still
Found in burials – probably remnants of earlier fortunes
Trading Rivals with Troy in Asia Minor – used to be believed to be legend but archeologists found evidence of large scale warfare that matched the time period and the general area where the war was believed to take place…..Troy and Mycenae went to war for a prolonged period probably over economic issues…..but the blind poet Homer’s tale is a little different:
Illiad – kidnap of Helen queen of Sparta, by Paris a prince of Troy. The Mycenaians saddle up and go after her and fight for 10 years – the Greeks finally seize the city and burn it to the ground.
Odyssey – the companion piece – Odysseus trying to get home from the war has a lot of adventures in his trip. Cyclops, sirens, sea monsters…before he gets home to his wife Penelope
Homer, the blind poet who compiled these tales wandered telling them (tradition)These were told as oral traditions for many generations before they were written down and preserved
After this conflict the Mycenaeans go into a decline—attacked by Dorians from the North (more Greek speakers – can’t get along) they fade away – cities are abandoned, less trading occurs. From 1100 bc to 800 bc Greek civilization takes a backward slide and many of the skills, including that of writing are forgotten. The Greeks live in scattered villages and have little contact with the outside world.
But we aren’t done with them yet…..
Section 2 p. 105
Geography of Greece – Mountanous, isolated valleys, scattered islands
Small city-states cut off from each other by mountains or water
Fiercely independent with lots of conflict between them
The sea is vital to the Greeks.
coastline has safe harbor for ships
become sailors, traders
produced wine, olive oil and mined marble from their hillsides
traded these for grain, metals other necessities
took the Phoenician alphabet, adapted it for their own use
Overpopulation pushes Greeks out of the valleys
limited fertile land at home
colonies overseas – around the Med
spread their culture wherever they go
Governing the City-States
New version of the city-states called the polis – two physical levels
the acropolis – a high place above the city where the temples for the gods were located and below the plain where the walled city – theaters, open air markets, the houses and public buildings.
Populations were generally small, and people had a sense of responsibility about their city-state. The marketplace – Agora – became the place where free men would meet and debate ideas and the issues of the day. Festivals for the local deities were community events.
Between 750 BC and 500 BC
first the rulers of the polis were kings
then a shift to noble landowners
they underwrite defense of the city and pay for weapons and soldiers and at first fought to defend the king, then decided to fight for themselves. – aristocracy
trade creates a class of wealthy merchants, farmers and artisans – they challenge the landed aristocracy for political control – oligarchy – power in the hands of a small powerful elite usually from the business class.
Warfare – bronze weapons are replaced by iron – cheaper, more people could afford them and participate
phalanx
ordinary people are invested. sense of equality in battle.
Sparta – Dorians from the north
conquered people became state owned slaves called helots are were forced to work the land for their conquerers
more helots than Spartans – need for strict control
two kings and a council of elders to advise them
Citizens were male native-born over the age of 30
five ephors, elected by citizens, held the real power, ran day to day affairs
Everything for the military state
Babies were examined at birth, if not robust enough left to die
age seven boys moved into military barracks and began training – coarse diet, hard physical training, rigid discipline – encouraged to steal food, but severely beaten if caught.
at 20 men could marry but lived in the barracks til 30, and continued to eat there until 40. at 30 men could join the assembly
Women had a rigorous upbringing also
produce health boys for the army
exercise and stay strong, competed in athletic events with men
controlled by fathers and husbands BUT could inherit property were expected to know how to manage things when men were gone.
Sparta isolated itself from the other Greek states, and viewed them as inferior and soft.
Their citizens were forbidden to travel, they had very little use for trade, wealth art or ideas.
“Spartans are willing to die for their city because they have no reason to live”
Athens: Limited Democracy
in Attica, north of Peloponnesus
government evolved from monarchy to democracy
around 700 bc noble landowners take power — judge cases run assembly
Demands for change –
Aristocracy made for a wealthy Athens
People become dissatisfied, want more say in government
Farmers, artisans, soldiers, foreign born people get rich, want power
slow move toward a form of democratic government
Code of Solon – 594 bc Solon appointed leader or archon –
freehand to enact needed reforms
outlawed debt slavery and freed debt slaves
opened high offices to more citizens
granted citizenship to some foreigners
gave the Athenian assemble more say in important decisions
economic reforms – export market for wind and olive oil means farmers have larger markets for their goods
Solon’s reforms meant more fair and just laws for Athens
citizenship is still limited to wealthy landowners
tyrants – gained power by force, gained support of the merchants and poor by reforms that helped these groups
Later reforms
Pisistratus – loans for farmers, land taken from nobles given to farmers
building projects employed the poor
gave poor a larger political voice, undermine aristocracy
Cleisthenes 507 BC the Council of 500 – chosen by lot from eligible citizens – first legislature – prepared laws from assembly and ran day to day affairs of the city. Laws were debated before passage, and all male citizens over the age of 30 sat in the assembly.
Democracy right? well….
Only males were citizens
tens of thousands of slaves not represented
women, not represented
led secluded lives – stayed at home, spun, woved, cooked
children or slaves ran outside errands
were not educated formally
boys attended school if family could afford it
read, write, speech, music, poetry
military training, athletic contests for good health
Unity – Not always the best of friends but shared an identity
Common culture – religious beliefs
Natural laws – Aristotle, Plato
Non-greeks = barbaroi, don’t speak Greek