greeks and romans
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Greeks and RomansA Study of Classic Civilizations
Greek Influence– Theater– Olympic games– Architecture– Democracy
Architecture
–http://www.bc.edu/bc_org/avp/cas/fnart/arch/greek_arch.html
Marathon
• 490 B.C. - Athenian troops defeated a large Persian invasion force on the plain of Marathon, (about 25 miles from Athens)
• Athenians sent a military courier named Phidippides to bring news of the victory at Marathon.
• "Rejoice, we conquer”
• Then he died.
Olympic Games
• Held every four years at Olympia
• all free Greek men were entitled to compete.
• The first Olympic Games were held in 776 B.C. and the last in A.D. 393
• Abolished by the Christian Byzantine Emperor Theodosius I.
http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/Olympics/
Olympics
Main Sports• Boxing • Discus (part of Pentathlon) • Equestrian Events • Javelin (part of Pentathlon) • Jumping • Pankration • Pentathlon • Running • Wrestling
Theater
• Structure – Prologue– Parodos– Episodes / Stasimon– Exodos
Greek’s Geography
• Mountains make up ¾ of mainland
• Fertile plains lie between mts. and sea good for farming
• many harbors suitable for trading
Greek Geography
• Mountains – protection and isolation (much like Indus Valley)– Made attack difficult– Limited travel / communication– Never united under one government
• The Sea– Way of life– Fishermen, traders, pirates
Other Greek Professions• Actor• Athlete • Banker • Blacksmith • Craftsmen • Doctor • Farmer
• Fisherman • Marble Quarrying • Market Trader • Merchant• Mining • Teacher
Greek Civilization
• Grew from Minoan and Mycenaean civilizations.
• Both thrived in the Aegean area for 1,400 years (2500 BC to 1100 BC)
• Minoans – lived on Crete (an island)
• Mycenaean – lived on the mainland
Minoans• From the Island of
Crete• King had a labyrinth in
his palace• Sea traders
• Easy to trade to Mesopotamia and Egypt
•Fleets carried goods, and protected Crete from attack
Mycenaeans
• Originally from Southeast Asia– Rapid population growth,
migrated west.– Intermarried with locals
(Hellenes)
• Kingdoms– Centered on a hilltop (a fortress)– Stone walls – Nobles lived outside the walls
Mycenaean Culture
• Palaces were administrative buildings and places of production– artisans insides
• Tax collections– Wheat, livestock, honey
• Great record keeping– Wealth of everyone in the city– Had banks which would exchange
foreign currency
Mixing of Culture / Dark Ages
• Mycenaeans adopted Minoan culture– Metalworking, shipbuilding,
navigation– Worship Minoan’s Earth
Mother
• 1400s BC - Mycenaeans conquered Minoans– Fighting destroyed hilltop
fortresses– Start of the “Dark Ages”
Greek “Dark Ages”
• Archaeology shows a collapse of civilization in the eastern Mediterranean
• The great palaces and cities of the Myceneans were destroyed or abandoned.
• Cities from Troy to Gaza were destroyed.
Greek “Dark Ages”• The Greek language largely ceased to be
written.
• Dark age pottery has simple geometric designs and lacks the figurative decoration of Mycenean ware. (compare to the pottery on page 140)
• Greeks lived in fewer and smaller settlements, suggesting famine and depopulation
• foreign goods have not been found at archaeological sites, suggesting minimal international trade.
• Contact was also lost between foreign powers during this period, yielding little cultural progress or growth of any sort.
• http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/greeks/history/darkages.htm
Poets and Heroes
• Bards – singing poets who passed down stories from generation to generation
• Homer – blind poet, composed two of the most famous Greek Epic Poems…– The Iliad and The Odyssey
The Works of Homer
The Iliad• A prince, Paris falls in
love with and steals Helen, the wife of a Mycenaean King.
• To avenge the kidnapping the Mycenaeans attempt to take Troy.
• For 10 years they are unsuccessful until…
• The Trojan Horse
The Odyssey• The wanderings of
Odysseus, a Mycenaean King after the fall of Troy.
Greek Values
• Schools used Iliad and Odyssey to teach values– Greek pride– Love of nature– Loyalty– Strive for excellence– Importance of
marriage
Persian Wars
• A series of conflicts between several Greek city-states and the Persian Empire
• Fought from 500 BC to 448 BC
• Allied Greeks successfully defeated the invasions.
The Golden Age of Greece
• After Persian Wars Athens emerged as a powerful, confident city-state, ready for expansion
• Athens was burned in Persian Wars
• Led by Pericles, determined to rebuild the city
The Greek Mind
• Socrates– Socratic Method, ask questions instead of
giving answers…
• Plato – Developed Political Science
• Aristotle– Encouraged modest living
Pericles
• Rebuilt temples and palaces better than ever
• The Parthenon
Athenian Life under Pericles
• Aspasia – woman known for intelligence– Prosecuted for ‘impiety’ – Acquitted by Pericles
• Delian League– Pericles alligned with other city-states (except
Sparta)– Greece grew richer– Common currency– Greece policed all of Aegean area– Freed Ionia from Persian rule
• Essentially an Athenian Empire
Peloponnesian War
• Anti-Athenian Alliance (led by Sparta)
• Greece vs. Sparta
• Sparta had no navy– Struck a deal with Persians– Ionia for gold to build a fleet
• The Plague– Kills Pericles
• Should Athens continue?
The End of Greece
• Athenian allies switch sides..• Athens surrenders in 404 BC
– 27 years of battle• Greek city-states destroyed
– Lost ability to govern themselves
– Sparta tried to rule, overthrown by several city-states (Thebes)
– Thebans overthrown by other city-states…
– Greece was at its weakest…– Allowed for a Great
Macedonian Leader to take over…
Alexander the Great
• http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~atlas/europe/interactive/map23.html
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