Ancient Greece

Ancient Greece
Geography
 The Impact of Geography
•Locatedin southern Europe, Greece is made up of the
mainland and hundreds of small islands spread
throughout the Ioanian, Aegean, and Mediterranean
Seas.

•As a peninsula, the people of Greece took advantage of

living by the sea.

• They were fishermen

• They were traders
• They were sailors
 The Impact of Geography
•The mountains in Greece did not have fertile soil good for
growing crops, like in Mesopotamia, but the mild climate
allowed for some farming.

•Terracing was used to farm on Greece’s hilly landscapes.

•Irrigationwas essential to ancient Greek farming due to the

area’s dry climate and sporadic rainfall. Water scarcity
compelled Greeks to devise smart solutions for crop hydration.
Simple but effective irrigation systems, like canals and trenches,
were constructed to distribute water from rivers and wells to
their lands.
 The Impact of Geography
•They grew barley, wheat, olives, and grapes.

•They raised sheep

 Greek Geography and Political Unity
 Though city-states, villages and hamlets sprang
up all over Greece, geography prevented them
from uniting under one rule of law. Water was a
dividing factor, as civilization in the region
developed on many different islands, rather
than on one continent. On the islands,
mountains hindered travel, trade and
communication between populated areas.
Consequently, local governments arose, each
with its own leaders, character and method of
rule.
Technology results from necessity

 Since Greek coastal

city-states were
between the ocean and
the sea, they developed
a powerful navy for
trading and fighting.
Trireme

Artist's version of the trireme commanded by Pytheas (fl. 300 BCE), a Greek
geographer and explorer from the Greek colony Massalia (modern Marseille)
as he traveled around a large part of what is now Britain. Powered by as
many as 85 rowers on each side, the trireme was capable of a speed of seven
knots (about 8 miles [13 km]) per hour.
 Technology results from scarcity

 All cities need fresh

water. This is a
Greek aqueduct,
basically a brick
water pipe.
 The first aqueduct
was Assyrian, but
most ancient
societies had them.
Terracing saves water and soil in
mountainous environments
Greek Inventions
 The Greeks
invented dice.
The Greeks were the original
Olympiads.

Their scientists studied the best

way to perform sports
 Greek Olympics

Although the ancient Games were staged in Olympia, Greece,

from 776 BC through 393 AD, it took 1503 years for the
Olympics to return. The first modern Olympics were held in
Athens, Greece, in 1896.
ANCIENT OLYMPIC GAMES
 Ancient Olympic Games
- Running / Jumping / Discus Throw

- Wrestling

- Boxing

-Pankration

- Equestrian events
 Greek Invention
 The Greeks
invented the crane.
 Greek Architecture
 Greeks invented
arches and
columns.
 This obviously took
advanced
mathematics.
 Greek Architecture
 The Ancient Greeks had a unique style of
architecture that is still copied today in
government buildings and major monuments
throughout the world.

 Greek architecture is known for tall columns,

intricate detail, symmetry, harmony, and
balance. The Greeks built all sorts of buildings.

 The main examples of Greek architecture that

survive today are the large temples that they
built to their gods.
 Greek Columns
The Greeks built most of their temples and
government buildings in three types of
styles: Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian.

These styles were reflected in the type of

columns they used. This gave the columns
a feeling of depth and balance.
 Greek Columns
Doric - Doric columns were the most simple and the thickest
of the Greek styles. They had no decoration at the base and a
simple capital at the top. Doric columns tapered so they were
wider on the bottom than at the top.

Ionic - Ionic columns were thinner than the Doric and had a
base at the bottom. The capital at the top was decorated with
scrolls on each side.

Corinthian - The most decorative of the three orders was the

Corinthian. The capital was decorated with scrolls and the
leaves of the acanthus plant. The Corinthian order became
popular in the later era of Greece and also was heavily copied
by the Romans.
Greek Columns
Greek Architecture
 Greek Military
 This is a catapult, a
Greek invention.
 It could throw 300
pound stones at
walls and buildings
Greek Military
 This is a hoplite, a Greek
infantry soldier.

 Hoplites were middle-class

freemen who had to pay for
their own weapon and shield.

The main Greek soldier was the
foot soldier called a "hoplite."
Hoplites carried large shields
and long spears. The name
"hoplite" comes from their shield
which they called the "hoplon."
Hoplites
 Greek Military
 This is a phalanx.

 Soldiers get in a tight box. They each have a large shield and a 9
foot long spear.

 The hoplites fought in a battle formation called the "phalanx." In

the phalanx, soldiers would stand side by side overlapping their
shields to make a wall of protection. Then they would march
forward using their spears to attack their opponents. There were
generally several rows of soldiers. The soldiers in the back rows
would brace the soldiers in front of them and also keep them
moving forward.
The Phalanx
Flamethrower
 The Army of Sparta
The most famous and fiercest warriors of Ancient Greece
were the Spartans.

The Spartans were a warrior society. Every man trained

to be a soldier from the time he was a boy.

Each soldier went through a rigorous boot camp training.

Spartan men were expected to train as soldiers and fight
until they were sixty years old.

The Spartans were widely considered to have the

strongest army and the best soldiers of any city-state in
Ancient Greece. All Spartan men trained to become
warriors from the day they were born.
 The Army of Sparta
What was it like to grow up as a boy in Sparta?

Spartan boys were trained to be soldiers from their youth. They

were raised by their mothers until the age of seven and then
they would enter a military school called the Agoge. At the
Agoge the boys were trained how to fight, but also learned how
to read and write.

The Agoge was a tough school. The boys lived in barracks and
were often beaten to make them tough. They were given little to
eat in order to get used to what life would be like when they
went to war. The boys were encouraged to fight one another.
When the boys turned 20 they entered into the Spartan army.
 Flamethrower
Napalm was an invention of 20th-century warfare, but the deadly
incendiary substance had an ancient and mysterious ancestor –
Greek fire.

Developed in the Byzantine empire of the seventh century, Greek

fire was a devastating weapon capable of being fired through
tubes like a flamethrower, or hurled grenade-style in pots. It
stuck to and burned everything, and could not be doused by
water, making it especially useful in naval battles.
Greek religion was polytheistic.
 Greek Mythology
The Greeks had numerous gods and many stories and
myths that surrounded them. Greek mythology consists
of all the stories and tales about the Greek gods,
goddesses, and heroes. It is also the religion of Ancient
Greece as the Greeks built temples and offered sacrifices
to their major gods.
 Greek Heroes
Greek Heroes

A Greek hero was a brave and strong man that was favored by the
gods. He performed brave exploits and adventures. Sometimes the
hero, even though mortal, was somehow related to the gods.

Hercules - A son of Zeus and the greatest hero in Greek Mythology,

Hercules had many labors he had to perform. He was very strong and
fought many monsters in his adventures.

Achilles - The greatest hero of the Trojan war, Achilles was

invulnerable except for his heel. He is the central character in Homer's
Iliad.

Odysseus - The hero of Homer's epic poem, the Odyssey, Odysseus

was brave and strong, but mostly got by on his wits and intelligence.
 Ancient Greece Philosophers

Greek philosophers were "seekers and lovers of

wisdom". They studied and analyzed the world around
them using logic and reason. Although we often think of
philosophy as religion or "the meaning of life", the Greek
philosophers were also scientists. Many studied
mathematics and physics as well. Often the philosophers
were teachers of wealthy children. Some of the more
famous ones opened their own schools or academies.
 Major Greek Philosophers
Socrates

Socrates was the first major Greek philosopher. He came

up with the Socratic Method. This was a way of studying
issues and problems through a question and answer
technique. Socrates introduced political philosophy and got
the Greeks to start thinking hard about morals, good and
evil, and how their society should work. Socrates didn't
write a lot down, but we know what he thought from the
recordings of his student, Plato.
 Major Greek Philosophers
Plato

Plato wrote much of his philosophy in conversations called

dialogues. The dialogues feature Socrates as one of the
speakers. Plato's most famous work is called the Republic.
In this work Socrates discusses the meaning of justice and
how cities and governments should be ruled. He describes
his ideal society in the conversations. This work is still
studied today and has had an impact on both philosophy
and political theory throughout history.
 Major Greek Philosophers
Plato

Plato wrote much of his philosophy in conversations called

dialogues. The dialogues feature Socrates as one of the
speakers. Plato's most famous work is called the Republic. In this
work Socrates discusses the meaning of justice and how cities
and governments should be ruled. He describes his ideal society
in the conversations. This work is still studied today and has had
an impact on both philosophy and political theory throughout
history.

Plato believed that no one should be rich or live in luxury. He also

believed that each person should do the job that they are best
suited for. He thought a philosopher-king should rule society. He
founded his own school called the Academy where he taught
students, such as Aristotle.
 Major Greek Philosophers
Aristotle

Aristotle was a student of Plato, but didn't necessarily agree with

all that Plato said. Aristotle liked to focus on more practical
areas of philosophy including science. He founded his own
school called the Lyceum. He thought that reason was the
highest good and that it was important to have self control.
Aristotle was a tutor for Alexander the Great.
Political: Athens was the first
democracy.
 Democracy: type of government where
people vote.
 Well, actually, Athens was a direct
democracy where people vote on
everything.
 The U.S. today is a representative
democracy, where we vote for people to
make decisions for us.
Direct participation was the key to Athenian democracy. In the
Assembly, every male citizen was not only entitled to attend as
often as he pleased but also had the right to debate, offer
amendments, and vote on proposals. Every man had a say in
whether to declare war or stay in peace. Basically any thing that
required a government decision, all male citizens were allowed
to participate in.
Remember! If you think the U.S. is so much better. .
.

 Some southern states did not let African

Americans vote until the 1960s (Voting
Rights Act 1965)
 Women could not vote in the U.S. until
1920 (19th Amendment)
 Eighteen year olds could not vote until
the late 1970s.
 Political terms

 All of Greece was not

a democracy.
 Most of Greece was
a monarchy a type of
government ruled by
a king or queen.
 At right is Pericles, a
good king of Athens.
Ancient Cities: 1000 B.C. to A.D. 300

 Despite their many differences, stemming from

their various histories, cultures, locations,
ancient imperial centers shared several
important structural characteristics: repository of
knowledge, power, wealth, and control in ancient
world. Euripedes “may all “first requisite to
happiness is birth in a great city” notions of
government, religion, civilization, family, and
country closely intertwined for the ancients with
the concept of the “city”
Physical Features Ancient City
 Physical features of the ancient cities – constructed
with an eye toward public life: temples for worship,
markets for commerce, theaters for entertainment,
and for a (plural of the Latin for him) for
debate/discussion. Built environment a reflection of
nature of government: highly centralized/militaristic.
Ancient Greece partially planned, main roads
converging on marketplace /temple. Every city
fortified, surrounded by walls, contain one or more
forts located in a high place (Acropolis) Like Athens
center of Rome contained plazas, markets, public
buildings such as the Forum and Coliseum;
Social patterns in Ancient Cities
 Social patterns – substantial wealth available
only to elite, gain access to benefits that
society would have to be a member, which in
most cases meant being a citizen, but access
to membership was restricted. There was
limited by gender; men had full access to
legal rights, women badly limited or no
access to citizenship and few property rights.
Second, membership limited by descent.
Social patterns ….
 Ancient civilization used patrilineal descent systems,
male children inherit father’s positions, including
property and social obligations. Precapitalist
economy no wage labor so no working class; small
artisan class produce necessary items for household
consumption. Real engine of the economy production
of public goods and services/slave labor. Slaves by
definition were excluded from participation in political
and economic system despite constituting three-
fourths of population in Athens at its peak in fifth
century BC.
Sparta
 Sparta was an
isolated city-state that
was culturally and
politically different
from Athens.
 Sparta was an
oligarchy, government
ruled by a few. They
had 2 kings.
 During the
Peloponnesian Sparta
sacked Athens.
 Sparta
 Spartan society was
obsessed with war.
 Boys were sent to
military school at a
young age.
 Boys who are born
deformed are left to
die on
mountainsides
Athens

 Athenians
were tough
but were
encouraged to
engage in
activities like
art,
philosophy,
music.
Alexander the Great
 Alexander was not
from Athens, but
Macedonia.
 Alexander was a
brilliant military
strategist.
 His favorite book
was Homer’s Iliad
Alexander conquered the Persian
empire and controlled the largest
empire the world has ever seen.
What happens when
cultures collide?
Alexander spread Hellenistic
culture throughout Asia.
 Hellenistic is a
fancy word for
Greek.
 Alexander
spread Greek
technology and
ideas
throughout his
empire
The Roman Coliseum has a
strong Hellenistic influence.
What buildings in the USA have
a Hellenistic influence?
Lincoln Memorial
 Greece Quiz
 1.What is Greece’s political contribution to the
political world (especially the United States)?
 2. How did geography influence Greece’s
economy and military technology?
 3. How did Hellenistic ideas spread throughout
Asia?
 4. Describe an example of how necessity brings
about technological change.
 5. Define monarchy
 6. Define oligarchy