HEROES, EPICS AND CITY STATES

Ancient Greece

Geography – Mountains & Seas

Ancient Greece was divided by mountainsAncient Greece was united by the Aegean Sea

Mycenae

The first Greeks centered their culture on the city of Mycenae Mycenaean culture was dominated by a warrior elite

equipped with bronze weapons Mycenaean culture valued personal heroism These cultural ideas were taught to young Greek men

through the Epic poetry of Homer

The Dark Age

Mycenaean culture declined during the Dark Age Learning, trade, food production and population declined

The dark Age ended when…The Greeks developed iron technology

This allowed for better tools and more foodMore food led to growing population and colonization

• Colonization led to increased trade and the adoption of an alphabet (alpha – beta) based on the sophisticated Phoenician alphabet

Colonies were created in many places• Southern Italy and Sicily• The Black Sea coast• Southern France• The North African Coast

Iron and Political Participation

The advent of Iron technology led directly to Iron Weapons and the rise of broader political participation Hoplites demanded power in exchange for their

military service This political participation was always centered on a

single polis – never on Greece as a whole Greece developed several types of government,

including Monarchies, Aristocracies, Democracies, and Oligarchies

The Polis

The Polis was the center of Greek life Individual identity was attached to particular poleis The beating heart of the Polis was the Agora and the

Acropolis The Agora was a marketplace were products were

bought and sold and ideas were exchanged The Acropolis was a fortress and the home of political

assemblies Citizens enjoyed certain privileges and also were

required to fulfill certain responsibilities The most important responsibility was to serve in the

army as a Hoplite

Sparta

Sparta developed a unique expression of Greek culture Sparta dominated the Peloponnese Sparta was small but conquered Messenia

Messenians were enslaved and called helots Messenians outnumbered Spartans 8 to 1

Spartans were taken by the state at age 7, became soldiers at age 18, lived in the barracks until 30 and remained part of the army until age 60

Athens

Athens also was unique Athens was the largest Polis in Greece The government was controlled by the Aristocracy –

the rich Eventually a tyrant called Cleisthenes seized power

and changed the government of Athens Cleisthenes allied himself with the common people, and

received in exchange their supportHe threw out the aristocrats and created a a new government

Cleisthenes is considered the father of Athenian democracy