1. Ancient Greece
2nd ESO Maira Gil Camarón Time and place
Time: 8th – 1st centuries BC
Place: the territory known as HELLAS which occupies: South of Balkan Peninsula Western coast of Asia Minor Islands on the Aegean and Ionian Seas
If you fly over Greece today, you will see a mountainous land framed by sparkling blue water. To the west is the Ionian Sea, to the south is the Mediterranean Sea , and to the east is the Aegean Sea. Hundreds of islands lie offshore, stretching across to Asia like stepping-stones. Mainland Greece is a peninsula.
What w physical characteristics attract your attention the most in this map?
How do you think these characteristics influenced the development of Greece? Decisive characteristics of Hellas’ location:
Being near to the sea à it enabled them to develop a maritime commerce through the Mediterranean (with Egyptians, Mesopotamians...) and a maritime expansion
Many mountains and islands à difficulties to unify the territory. That’s why Greeks were organized in POLEIS (independent city-states) Many ancient Greeks made a living from the sea. They became fishers, sailors, and traders. Others settled in farming communities. Greece’s mountains and rocky soil were not ideal for growing crops. However, the climate was mild, and in some places people could grow wheat, barley, olives, and grapes.
They also raised sheep and goats. Ancient Greeks felt deep ties to the land, but the mountains and seas divided them from one another. As a result, early Greek communities grew up fiercely independent. What united the Greeks of Hellas?
Common origins: Minoan and Mycenaean civilisation
Same language and culture Greeks spoke Greek and used a syllabic alphabet. Literature: poems of Homer provided the Greeks with common history: The Iliad tells of the war between the Greeks and Trojans The Odyssey tells of the adventures of Odysseus (king of Ithaca) on his journey home from the Trojan War
Same gods and rituals Greeks were polytheistic and their gods were represented in human form (anthropomorphic) and guided and ordered people’s lives. The gods lived on Mount Olympus and had powers and were immortal Demigod (or hero): born from an union between a mortal and a god Myths and legends consist of the fabulous adventures of its gods and heroes To honour their gods, people celebrated religious, cultural and sporting festivals
Similar ways of life Peasants cultivated wheat, grapes and olives and raised sheep, goats and pigs Artisans/merchants lived in cities
ACTIVITIES
When did Ancient Greek civilization develop?
What is the name given to the territory where it developed? Through which areas did it extended? What current countries can you find in this territory?
Explain how the physical characteristics of Hellas influenced its development You are going to build a proportional timeline of Prehellenic and Ancient Greece: Draw a 40-squares line in your notebook The first date in your timeline is 2000 BC and the last one is 1 AD Divide the line in 4-square segments. There should be 10 segments in total, with a difference of 200 years between each segment: 2000BC / 1800BC / 1600BC ... Once the structure of the timeline is built, you have to mark on it the most important dates and periods... Pre-Hellenic Greece
Cretan (or Minoan) civilisation
Mycenaean civilisation
Dark Ages Cretan or Minoan Culture
2000 – 1600 BC à Cretans or Minoans were the first great Greek civilisation. They didn’t live on mainland Greece but on the nearby island of Crete, between 2200 BC and 1450 BC. They were skilled sailors. They had a large fleet of ships and sailed all around the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Minoan merchants sold pottery, grain, wine and olive oil, and brought back gold, silver, jewels, ivory and linen. They were successful traders and became very rich. Palace of Knossos, Crete Mycenaean Culture
1600 – 1200 BC à 1600 BC the Achaeans invaded Greece. Thy settled in the Peloponnesian Peninsula, and their most important city was Mycenae. That’s why this culture was also known as Mycenaean culture. They were fine builders and traders, but they were also great soldiers. (Bronze Age) Dark Ages
1200 – 800 à In 1200 the Dorians, who used iron weapons (Iron Age), invaded Greece and defeated the Mycenaeans. Due to this invasion, many Mycenaeans moved to the western coasts of Asia Minor. Probably the famous mythological Trojan War was related to this invasion.
With the Dorians, a period of cultural recession began: the DARK AGES
In the 8th century BC Greece began to recover of this crisis ACTIVITIES
Give the name and chronology of the three periods of Prehellenic Greece
To which civilisation did the city of Knossos and the legend of the Minotaur relate to?
Why did the Cretan civilisation enter into a crisis that made it very easy to conquer around 1600 BC? Who put an end to their civilisation?
During which period did the famous Trojan War take place? Ancient Greece
Archaic period
Classical period
Hellenistic period The Archaic Period 800-500 BC
Greek city-states: Like the Mesopotamian city-states, those in Greece were made up of a town or city and the surrounding countryside. Each Greek city-state, known as a POLIS, was like a tiny independent country. The most important ones were Athens and Sparta. They had their own government, laws, currency and army and they were independent
The main gathering place in the polis was usually a hill. A fortified area , called an ACROPOLIS, stood at the top of the hill. It provided a safe refuge in case of attacks. Sometimes the acropolis also served as a religious centre. Temples and altars were built there to honour the many Greek gods and goddesses. Below the acropolis, the AGORA was an open area. This space had two functions: it was both a market and a place where people could meet and debate issues. Just beyond the agora lay the farmland that belonged to the city-states.
During this period, Greeks started the COLONISATION of the coast of the Black and Mediterranean Seas
What is colonisation? Colonisation occurs when people migrate away from their original territory (metropolis) to a different territory (colony) where they establish a new settlement Causes of colonisation: Greek population increased Land was not well distributed There was not enough food for everybody
Consequences of colonisation: Greeks founded new colonies all around the Mediterranean and Black Seas Colony: a city set up abroad by the citizens of a city-state. The original city- state is called the metropolis. Some Greek colonies in the Iberian Peninsula were: Emporion, Hemeroskopeion, Mainake... Thanks to the colonies, Greek culture spread (use of iron, coins, their alphabet, their art...)
ACTIVITIES
Define Poleis / Acropolis / Agora
Answer the following questions about colonisation:
Define colonisation / metropolis / colony During which period did it happen? Which were its causes? And its consequences? Which current cities are the old cities of Hemeroskopeion and Mainake? Classical Period 500 – 338 BC
This was the greatest period for the Greek poleis: democracy was invented and brilliant philosophers, dramatists and artists appeared
However, there were also several conflicts, as the ones we are going to study... The Greco-Persian (or Median) Wars They started when the Persians attacked Greek poleis in Asia Minor, continental Greece and in the islands In 499 BC the Greeks rebelled against the Persians Greeks fought together, but the Athenian army was essential to win the war. That’s why Athens became the most powerful polis after these wars In 478 BC the Delian League was created: a military alliance between Greek poleis under the leadership of Athens to prevent Persian attacks
The Peloponnesian Wars After the Greco-Persian Wars, Athens dominated the rest of the poleis (the poleis had to pay high taxes, Athens used the Delian League’s treasure in its own interest...) Sparta rebelled against Athens, and they fought against each other for the dominion over Greece Athens was defeated, and Sparta became the most powerful polis of Hellas. However, Sparta’s oppressive dominion provoked revolts, internal struggles and division
Consequences of the Peloponnesian Wars: King Philip II of Macedon took advantage of the situation and organised a big army. Macedon was a kingdom to the north of Greece. Macedonians were considered barbarians by the Greeks By 338 BC, Philip dominated all Greece, except for Sparta ACTIVITIES
Why do we say that the Classical Period is the greatest period of Ancient Greek’s history? Greco-Persian Wars: What other name do they receive? Why did they start? Who fought? Who won? What’s the Delian League? Explain why and when it was formed, who led it and its consequences Peloponnesian Wars: Why did the start? Who fought? Who won? What were its consequences? Hellenistic Period 338-30 BC
Alexander the Great (356-323 BC), the son of Philip II of Macedon, continued his expansion
He unified Greece to confront the Persian Empire
When he defeated the Persians, he created a great empire that ranged from the Mediterranean Sea to the Indian Peninsula
The poleis became part of a great empire, ruled by one emperor
When Alexander died, his generals divided the empire into several kingdoms: the Hellenistic monarchies They were ruled by monarchs (kings) who had absolute power They spread Greek culture through the East. This process is called HELLENISM They were finally conquered by the Romans, and they became a province of the Roman Empire
ACTIVITIES
Who was Alexander the Great? Why is he famous for?
What happened to Alexander’s empire when he died?
What is Hellenism?
By 30 BC, who conquered the former territories of the Greek empire? Social and political organization: Athens and Sparta
Ancient Greece was organised in independent poleis (city- states) which had their own government, laws... So each poleis had a different social and political organization
Athens
Political organization à Democracy: type of government in which the power is held by the people, who vote to chose their laws or their representatives. It comes from the Greek words “demos” (people) and “kratos” (power): the power of the people Sparta Social organization Political organization à Oligarchy: type of government in which the power is held by a small group of privileged men called the “aristoi” which means “the best” (landowners) Economic organization
AGRICULTURE: Mediterranean triad (vines, olives and cereals)
FARMING: Goats and sheeps
TRADE: Manufactured and agricultural products
CRAFTWORK: Pottery, glass, high quality textiles Greek Culture
The Greeks created a brilliant culture that still remains nowadays. Greek culture is considered the foundation of Western Culture SCIENCE Maths à Pythagoras: theorem “squares on the legs of a right triangle add up to the square on the hypotenuse” Physics à Archimedes: “Give me a place to stand and I shall move the Earth with a lever” Medicine à Hippocrates: the first person to believe that diseases were caused naturally, not because of superstition and gods HUMANITIES History à Herodotus Philosophy à Socrates, Plato and Aristotle. They tried to explain the universe and nature from a logic point of view, using reason instead of religion Literature à Homer (“The Iliad” and the Odyssey”) Theatre: the greatest literary creation of the Greeks. It had and entertaining and educational function. There were two main genres: Tragedy à Aeschylus, Sophocles... Comedy à Aristophanes Fables à Aesop. Fables were short fictional stories in which animals, mythical creatures, plants, objects, forces of nature... Have human qualities. They lead to an interpretation of a moral lesson