Ancient Greece

p. 8(go to Google Earth)

Lecture/Discussion

• Material from your reading

Why Ancient Athens?

• The Western World uses many Athenian ideas about science, art, and social organization.

• We will focus on social organization:– Government (democracy, ethics)– Philosophy (fairness, beauty, ego)

Government of the Few

• city-states • Had jurisdiction over the city and

surrounding lands.• Ancient Greece was not united, it was

a collection of city states

Monarchy• a government ruled by a king/queen

Early Greek city states

• Sparta: • The fiercest of all the Greek city states

– Its society demanded that its men and women be strong and trained for war. Such a national attitude is called

• Militaristic society• Depends on war to solve its national and

international problems• Is always ready for war.

• Spartan Women– Spartan women were freer than Athenian women, because they

were expected to fight as well as the men.– Demanded that their husband and sons either come back from

war with their shields or on them…

One city-state changes

• Athens

Most Greek states had government systems similar to Sparta except Athens

They developed a government that included more people’s opinions.

• Tyrant

• Greek word for a powerful and unchallengable king

• (EC) A similar word, which today means a non-royal person who takes control of a country is…..

• dictator

Government of the Few

People’s Government

• Democracy: • Government ruled by the people.• Evolved in ancient Athens…..• First, tyrant had to share power with the land

owners – have the right to make laws and taxes

• Later, merchants gained a role in the government

• legislature: • A group of citizens, often elected, who have the

power to– make laws,

• tax,

– declare war

• Jury– A group of citizens who have the power to decide

innocence or guilt in a court

Athenian Democracy

Athenian Democracy

• Pericles: • Leader of Athens, 460-429 BCE

• His reforms included– Legislative assembly met and voted many times a month, – 6000 (all male citizens qualified) needed to make a vote legal

• Any number of required voters need to make a vote legal is called a – quorum

– pay for office-holders (rich or poor citizens could hold office), – jury service required.

• Greek philosophy is also present in our modern western societies.

• EC: The pioneer and perhaps the greatest, was

• Socrates:

• He taught that a person’s actions must lead to the “greater good” or they were immoral.

Greek Philosophers

• Plato

• Socrates’ best student

• His principle belief…..1. Reason (using evidence to prove the truth)

and not emotion to explain or decide important things for society.

Greek Philosophers

• EC: Plato’s Academy: students worked to (3)– seek ethical principles, – recognize perfect beauty,– and learn how best to organize society.

Greek Philosophers

• Plato, wrote, (EC)– The Republic,

• In it, he describes a perfect society or (EC)– Utopia:

• Plato’s perfect society consisted of three social classes (EC):

• workers, • soldiers, • philosophers.

– Philosopher-kings had to be specially trained in the ways of utopian order to rule.

Greek Philosophers

Greek Philosophers

• Aristotle: • Plato’s greatest student• Aristotle’s view of government

– run by agreed-upon rules (a constitution).– An educated “middle class” would run it…..

• He felt they were not selfish as the nobles, nor ignorant as the poor.

– Government’s job was to provide stability and justice.

– A leader’s job was to follow and operate the law for the benefit of everyone.

EC Review

• Who believed that in an ideal society the government should be controlled by a class of “philosopher kings”?

• A. Pericles• B. Solon• C. Plato• D. Aristotle• How did you find the answer?• I read and studied the text last night…..

Homework correction/notes:

Image, p. 9:

• Question:

• The development of iron weapons rather than bronze.

p. 10, Solon of Athens

• Question

• Northeast

Standards Check, p. 11

• Question

• Tyrant (king)

• Nobles (landowners) demand and get power (aristocracy)

• Later: Middle class (businessmen in peace/warriors in war) got power

• In Athens, some common men got power (Navy oarsmen)

Standards Check, p. 11:

• Question

• Confederated (united) Greeks fought courageously and skillfully to defeat the numerically superior Persians.

p. 11, The Persian Wars

• Question:

• Warrior on the right has a Greek helmet and shield.

• Warrior on the left wears pants and has a beard.

Thinking Critically. p. 12• 1. • Athenian citizens were directly involved with

government and were not governed through elected representatives.

• 2. • Both systems used majority rule, civic debate,

juries, courts, and rule of law

• Athenian citizens participated directly in decision making while US citizens participate indirectly.

government

• EC: Of a city or citizen, or citizenship– civic

• EC: What are your civic responsibilities, today?– Obey the law– Contribute to/help the community– Lead the community

Standards Check, p. 13

• Question:

• Athenian men participated in direct democracy– In the Assembly

• Served on juries

p. 14, Biography, Socrates,

• Question:

• He was constantly questioning others and reassessing himself

Standards Check, p. 15:

• Question• Socrates• Defended democracy

– Even when it was used to judge him a traitor.

• Plato• Distrusted it

– Could be abused by corrupt and ignorant leaders• Blamed democratic process for prosecuting and executing Socrates.

• Aristotle– Feared it could lead to mob rule (what if the ignorant and poor were

allowed to vote?)

– Respected stability and fairness it could bring.

Common Core Mini-Project

• Philosophers

Map Skills, p. 16• 2.

• The places he conquered adopted some aspects of Greek culture.

• 3.

• No.– If one had the money necessary to afford the military and

government required to run it.

– Violent measures would be needed to keep people under control.

• Yes.– It would be very difficult to keep such a large empire united.

Especially during a time when transportation and communication were difficult.

• A new Greek philosophy emerged during the Hellenistic period.

• EC: It taught that practitioners could only have true, personal peace, if they gave up wanting things, envying others, and trying to be better than others: – Stoicism

• It is similar to an Indian philosophy, that started a few hundred years earlier….– Buddhism

Greek Culture Changes

Standards Check, p. 17

• Question:

• Alexander‘s expansion spread Greek culture to Egypt and the Persian Empire

• Greeks settled in foreign lands, marrying into, learning those cultures– Hellenistic culture developed.

Alexander of Macedon defeating Persian Emperor, Darius III, at the Battle of Issus, c. 333 BCE

Text, p. 18, The Republic, by Plato

• 1.• He thinks tyranny is the worst form of government.

– People (the state) are poor, miserably degraded and enslaved.– No state “has more lamentation and sorrow and groaning and

pain.”

• 2.• A dialogue is a clever or interesting way to explain an

argument to some.• To others, a straightforward essay would clearer.

Thinking critically, p. 19

• 1– Are not capable:

• Aristotle warns that humans have the “element of the wild beast” that makes them incapable of ruling fairly (just rule).

– Are capable:• If officials act as guardians and ministers of the law, they are

capable of ruling fairly.

• 2– Might have approved of Plato’s philosopher kings

• They were expected to rule justly and by the law.

– Might not have approved of Plato’s philosopher kings• Expecting people to rule fairly and by the law is too idealistic and

impractical.

The Ancient Greeks before and after Alexander of Macedon

• Pure Greek culture was EC called…..– Hellenic

• Alexander of Macedon (the Great) conquered the Greeks and then other peoples in the world.

• He mixed Greek Culture with the EC cultures of (4)– Persia, – Central Asia, – Middle East,– North Africa.

• The new culture that arose and would affect the Western world EC is called– Hellenistic

Review: What can you conclude?

• Which is a concept from classical Athens that is central to Western socio/political thought today?

A.Individuals should fight against nature and society to achieve greatness.

B.Individual achievement, dignity, and worth are of great importance

C.Individual recognition impedes societal progress.D.Individuals play an insignificant role in shaping

ideas, society, and the state.

Brief Response

• Compare Points of View The table compares the city-states of Sparta and Athens as they existed around the mid-400s B.C. How would a Spartan describe the ideal citizen? How would an Athenian describe the ideal citizen? What differences in the status of women do you observe?

• chart