1. Chapter 4
The Early Greeks
The Geography of Greece
 Mainland Greece is a peninsula – a body of land surrounded by
water on three sides
 To the west is the Ionian Sea, to the east is the Aegean Sea, and to
the south is the Mediterranean Sea
 Most ancient Greeks made a living by the seas as fishers, sailors
and traders

2. Chapter 4
The Early Greeks
The Geography of Greece
 Mainland Greece is also very mountainous and rocky, limiting the
ability to farm
 However, some areas were farmed, growing wheat, barley, olives,
and grapes
 Many Greek communities grew up independent due to the
separation caused by the mountains and seas

3. Chapter 4
The Early Greeks
The Minoans
 The Minoan civilization arose on Crete, an island that lies
to the southeast of mainland Greece
 Although, the Minoans were not Greeks, Crete would
later become part of Greece
 In 1900, and English archaeologist, Arthur Evans,
discovered the ruins of a grand palace, the center of the
Minoan civilization

4. Chapter 4
The Early Greeks
The Minoans
 The grand palace was in the city of Knossos
 It had many rooms including private quarters for the
royal family, bathrooms, storehouses, and workshops
 The Minoans made their wealth from trade and by
2000 B.C. controlled the eastern Mediterranean Sea
 The Minoan civilization suddenly collapsed c. 1450 B.C.
 Possible theories: earthquake/tsunami, invaded by
Mycenaeans, volcanic eruption of Thera

5. Chapter 4
The Early Greeks
The Mycenaeans
 The Mycenaeans were originally from central Asia
 They invaded Greece around 1900 B.C., conquering the
people and becoming the first Greek kings
 Each Mycenaean kingdom had a fortified palace at its
center where the ruler lived
 Mycenaean palaces were also the center of much
artisan work, government oversight, and storehouses

6. Chapter 4
The Early Greeks
The Mycenaeans
 The Mycenaeans soon began to trade with the
Minoans, copying much of the Minoan lifestyles and
religion
 Around 1400 B.C., the Mycenaeans replaced the
Minoans as the major power on the Mediterranean Sea
 The Mycenaeans were also very successful in battles
(i.e. Trojan War)
 By 1100 B.C., much of the Mycenaean civilization had

7. Chapter 4
The Early Greeks
The Mycenaeans
 The years between 1100 B.C. and 750 B.C. became
known as the Dark Age
 Farmers grew food only for their families
 Education ceased
 Many Greeks left the mainland, expanding the reach
of Greek culture
 The Dorians moved in and settled on the Peloponnesus
peninsula
 Advanced weapons and farm technology

8. Chapter 4
The Early Greeks
The Mycenaeans
 Gradually people began to farm and educate again
 Adopted the idea of an alphabet from the Phoenicians
 As the Greek population grew, cities began sending
people outside Greece to start colonies
 Colony – a settlement in a new territory that keeps close
ties to its homeland
 Colonization led to the growth of trade and industry

9. Chapter 4
The Early Greeks
The Polis
 At the end of the Dark Age, many nobles had overthrown
the Greek kings and created city-states, known as a polis
 Acropolis – a fortified area at the top of a hill used as a
gathering place in the polis
 Sometimes a religious center
 Agora – an open area below the acropolis that served as
both a market and a meeting/debating place

10. Chapter 4
The Early Greeks
Citizenship
 The Greeks were the first people to develop the idea
of citizenship
 Each Greek city-state was run by its citizens
 Citizens – members of a political community who treat
each other as equals and who have rights and
responsibilities
 Free native-born men who owned land
 Women, children might qualify, but without rights

11. Chapter 4
The Early Greeks
Citizenship
 Rights – elect officials, pass laws, hold office, own property
 In return, citizens must serve in government and fight as
citizen soldiers

12. Chapter 4
The Early Greeks
Sparta and Athens
 The rule by the nobles began to decline by 650 B.C.
 Small farmers demanded changes in the power
structure and merchants and artisans wanted to be a
part of government
 Both groups were very wealthy, but were not citizens
because they did not own land
 The growing frustration led to the rise of tyrants

13. Chapter 4
The Early Greeks
Sparta and Athens
 Tyrant – someone who takes power by force and rules
with total authority
 Tyrants overthrew the nobles during the 600’s B.C. with
the backing of the common people
 Tyrants became popular with the people by building new
marketplaces, temples, and walls
 However, most Greeks wanted rule by law with all citizens
participating in government

14. Chapter 4
The Early Greeks
Sparta and Athens
 By 500 B.C., most city-states had become either oligarchies
or democracies
 Oligarchy – a form of government in which only a few
people hold power
 Democracy – a form of government in which all citizens
share in running the government
 Sparta (oligarchy) and Athens (democracy) became two of
the most powerful governments of early Greece

15. Chapter 4
The Early Greeks
Sparta and Athens
 Sparta was founded by the Dorians who conquered and
enslaved their neighbors to be workers
 These captive workers were called helots
 Fearing the helots might someday rebel, the government
firmly controlled the people and trained the men for war
 Spartan soldiers were trained until age 30, but remained in
the army until age 60
 Spartan girls were trained in sports – running & wrestling

16. Chapter 4
The Early Greeks
Sparta and Athens
 The Spartan government included two kings which headed
a council of elders who presented laws to an assembly
 The assembly voted on the laws and chose 5 ephors
 Ephor – a person who enforced the laws and managed
tax collection
 By focusing on military training, the Spartans fell behind in
trade, technology and science, but played a key role in
defending Greece

17. Chapter 4
The Early Greeks
Sparta and Athens
 The Athenian lifestyle and government was much different
than that of the Spartans
 Athenians focused on providing boys a good
education, “the 3 R’s,” sports, and music
 At age 18, boys finished school and became citizens
 Most Athenian girls were taught at home by their mothers

18. Chapter 4
The Early Greeks
Sparta and Athens
 During the 600’s B.C., Athens was an oligarchy ruled by
landowning nobles
 During the early 500’s B.C., the government was in much
turmoil due to rebellion by the farmers
 After much reform by a noble, Solon; a tyrant, Peisistratus;
and Cleisthenes, the most important leader, the Athenian
government became a democracy

19. Chapter 4
The Early Greeks
The Persian Empire
 The people of Persia lived in what is today southwestern
Iran
 Cyrus the Great (559 B.C. to 530 B.C.) united the Persians
into a powerful kingdom, larger than any in the world
 In 539 B.C., Cyrus’ armies captured Babylon, northern
Mesopotamia, Asia Minor, Syria, Canaan, and the
Phoenician cities

20. Chapter 4
The Early Greeks
The Persian Empire
 Persian leaders who followed Cyrus conquered Egypt,
western India, and Thrace
 King Darius (521 B.C.) reorganized the government,
dividing the empire into 20 states called satrapies
 The king’s power depended upon the strength of his army
 The Persian government paid people to be full-time
soldiers, unlike the Greek city-states (citizen soldiers)

21. Chapter 4
The Early Greeks
The Persian Wars
 The Greeks often clashed with the Persians while setting
up colonies in the Mediterranean region
 The Greeks and the Persians fought in several key battles
 Battle of Marathon – the Athenians successfully
defeated the Persians as they attempted to attack
Athens
 King Xerxes, Darius’ son, vowed revenge against the
Athenians

22. Chapter 4
The Early Greeks
The Persian Wars
 An Athenian general, Themistocles, determined the
best strategy to defeat the Persians would be to attack
their ships and cut off supplies to the Persian army
 Battle of Thermopylae – most Greek soldiers survived
but Sparta’s King Leonidas and several hundred others
fought to the death, losing this battle
 Strait of Salamis – naval battle the Greeks won
decidedly with smaller, faster, and easier to steer ships

23. Chapter 4
The Early Greeks
The Persian Wars
 Battle of Plataea (479 B.C.) – the Greek army crushed
the Persian army at Plataea, northwest of Athens
 This battle convinced the Persians to retreat to
Asia Minor
The Fall of the Persian Empire
 A weakened army, high taxes which led to rebellions, and
fighting within the royal family made Persia vulnerable to
attack
 Conquered by Alexander the Great in 334 B.C.

24. Chapter 4
The Early Greeks
The Age of Pericles
Population of Athens, 400s B.C.
100,000
Citizens
150,000
Foreigners
Slaves
35,000

25. Chapter 4
The Early Greeks
The Age of Pericles
 Persians remained a threat to Greece
 Delian League – group of city-states, including Athens, but
not Sparta who united in 478 B.C. to defend themselves
against the Persians
 Also worked to drive Persia out of Greek territories
 Most of the troops, commanders and chief officials
were from Athens
 Soon grew into more than a partnership, but an empire

26. Chapter 4
The Early Greeks
The Age of Pericles
 Democracy in Athens
 Their system of government was a direct democracy
 People gather at mass meetings to decide
government matters and every citizen can vote on
laws and policies
 Representative democracy (U.S.) – citizens choose a
smaller group of representatives to make laws and
governmental decisions on their behalf

27. Chapter 4
The Early Greeks
The Age of Pericles
 Usually fewer than 6,000 men attended the assembly
meetings, which were held every 10 days
 The assembly passed all laws, elected officials, and made
decisions on war and foreign affairs
 Ten officials known as generals carried out the assembly’s
laws and policies

28. Chapter 4
The Early Greeks
The Age of Pericles
 Pericles – one of the leading figures in Athenian politics
 Guided Athens for more than 30 years
 Helped Athens dominate/control the Delian league
 Strived to make Athens more democratic
 The Age of Pericles was a period of cultural
prosperity – tremendous creativity and learning
 Started a major rebuilding program

29. Chapter 4
The Early Greeks
The Peloponnesian War (431 – 404 B.C.)
 War between Sparta and Athens for control of Greece
 Sparta and Athens did not understand or trust each
other and clashed over political ideology and perceived
aggression
 Both city-states thought they could easily win the war
 Pericles knew the Spartans could defeat the Athenians
in open land battles

30. Chapter 4
The Early Greeks
The Peloponnesian War (431 – 404 B.C.)
 During the second year of the war, a plague spread
throughout Athens, killing one-third of the people
 The Spartans made a deal with the Persian Empire
 They exchanged Greek territory in Asia Minor for
enough money to build a navy
 Sparta’s new navy destroyed the Athenian fleet
 One year later, after losing more land battles, Athens
surrendered

31. Chapter 4
The Early Greeks
The Peloponnesian War (431 – 404 B.C.)
 Effects of the war
 Weakened all of the major Greek city-states
 Many people died, farms were destroyed, people
lost jobs
 Made it impossible for the Greeks to unite and work
together again
 30 years later, war broke out again, further
weakening the kingdom