Greece and Iran, 1000-30 B.C.E.

Ancient Iran, 1000–500 B.C.E.

• Geography and Resources• Mountainous edges; salty interior deserts; sloping plateaus • limited natural (water/food) resources = limited population; plentiful but underexploited

mineral resources

• The Rise of the Persian Empire• Cyrus (r BCE) – Anatolia (Lydia) & Mesopotamia• Cambyses (r 530-522 BCE) – Egypt, Nubia, & Libya• Darius (r 522-486 BCE) – Indus Valley & Europe (Thrace)

• Imperial Organization• 20 provinces/20 “satraps”• Royal roads and garrisons• Opulent Royal Court• Susa & Persepolis

• Ideology and Religion• Propaganda contrasts with that of Assyrians; emphasizes cooperation and abundance• Zoroastrianism

The Rise of the Greeks, 1000–500 B.C.E.

• Geography and Resources• Homogeneous climate but varied terrain: limited arable land in south, greater

agricultural production in north• Little timber & few metal deposits; abundance of stone & clay• Coastline includes many natural harbors; overland travel difficult

• The Emergence of the Polis• “Archaic” period following “Dark Age” (ca. 1150-800 BCE) included:

• Greek alphabet & increased population densities• Emergence of the independent polis, which featured an acropolis and agora• Hoplite defense forces; citizen militias• Safety valve “colonies”

• Hellenes vs. Barbaroi• Coinage• Land-based aristocracies replace kings; rise of tyrants• Anthropomorphic deities with power over nature

• State-sponsored festivals involving sacrifice

• New Intellectual Currents• Poetry emphasizing individuality• Flowering of Natural Philosophy• Prose-based Logography

• Herodotus as the “father of history”

• Athens and Sparta• Spartan military state; isolationist and centered in Peloponnese• Athenian society’s evolving “democracy”; located in Attica

The Struggle of Persia and Greece, 546–323 B.C.E.

• Early Encounters• Ionic Rebellion (499 -494 BCE) • Spartan-led Hellenistic League (480- 479 BCE)• Athenian-led Delian League (ca 477-457 BCE)

• The Height of Athenian Power• Imperialist naval power (Trireme) based in Pireaus• Greek philosophy: Socrates, Plato (The Academy), & Aristotle (The

Lyceum)• Transition from oral to literary culture

• Inequality in Classical Greece• Democratic participation extended to free adult males of pure Athenian ancestry • Exploitation of Slaves • Position of women varied greatly across Greece but males had absolute authority over

households

• Failure of the City-State and Triumph of the Macedonians– Peloponnesian War (431-404 BCE)– Phillip II of Macedonia (r 359-336 BCE)– Alexander the Great (356-323 BCE)

The Hellenistic Synthesis, 323–30 B.C.E.

•The Hellenistic Kingdoms• Seleucid = Western Asia• Ptolemies = Egypt and Palestine

• Alexandria• Antigonids = Macedonia