Title: Section 2: Greek Government and Society
1Section 2 Greek Government and Society
- The Story Continues Between 1000 B.C.
- and 700 B.C., the Greeks based their
- governments on the old system of tribes
- and chiefs. These tribal systems gradually
- developed into small kingdoms that were
- often at war with one another. By 700 B.C.,
- however, many city-states had overthrown
- their kings. New forms of government
- began to evolve.
2I. Greek Culture in the Homeric Age
- During this period, few Greeks could write and
most communication was oral
3I. Greek Culture in the Homeric Age
- Traveling poets sang or recited folk songs,
ballads, and epics
Euripides (c. 480 BC406 BC) was one of the three
great tragedians of classical Athens, along with
Aeschylus and Sophocles. According to ancient
sources, he wrote over 90 plays
4A. The Iliad and the Odyssey
- During the 700s B.C., oral poetry was gathered
into two great epics, the Iliad and the Odyssey
5A. The Iliad and the Odyssey
- Tradition says they were written by the blind
poet Homer
6A. The Iliad and the Odyssey
- The Iliad tells the legend of the Trojan War in
which a Trojan prince falls in love with the wife
of a Mycenaean king and takes her to Troy
Paris- the second son of Priam, King of Troy, and
cause of the Trojan War
Helen, the face that launched a thousand ships
7A. The Iliad and the Odyssey
- The Mycenaeans besiege Troy for 10 years without
success and finally build a giant wooden horse as
a gift to the Trojans
8A. The Iliad and the Odyssey
- The Trojans brought the horse inside the city and
that night soldiers hidden inside the horse leapt
out and conquered Troy
9A. The Iliad and the Odyssey
- The Odyssey describes the adventures of Odysseus
and his 10 year journey home from the Trojan War
Odysseus and the Sirens
10B. Greek Religious Beliefs
- To explain their world, the Greeks created
mythstraditional stories about gods, goddesses,
and heroes
11B. Greek Religious Beliefs
- Greek gods had human qualities and personalities
and lived on Mount Olympus in northern Greece
12B. Greek Religious Beliefs
- Ancient Greeks looked to religion for three
things to explain acts of nature, to explain
emotions, and to benefit their lives
13B. Greek Religious Beliefs
- The Greeks traveled to special places called
oracles, where the gods spoke through priests and
priestesses
Oracle at Delphi
14B. Greek Religious Beliefs
- Greek religion was not concerned with sin or the
afterlife but rather with pleasing the gods
15B. Greek Religious Beliefs
- One way to please the gods was to show strength
and bravery, such as when men competed in the
Olympic Games
The Olympian games were so important that many
Greeks dated their historical periods from the
first games, which were held in 776 BC.
16II. Greek Government From Kings to Democracy
- City-states began as small kingdoms ruled by
warrior chieftains, who relied on wealthy
landowners known as aristocrats
17II. From Kings to Democracy
- Wealthy landowners overthrew their kings and
created city-states called aristocracies
18II. From Kings to Democracy
- Aristocrats controlled the military, the economy,
politics, courts, the law, and religion
Kouros of Tenea (575-550 BC. Since archaic times
long hair was a mark of the aristocrats
19II. From Kings to Democracy
- By the 600s BC, soldiers called a hoplites became
essential for defense
20II. From Kings to Democracy
- Hoplites, the poor, and other citizens became
unhappy with aristocracies and supported new
leaders called tyrants
The age of the Greek Tyrants was known for the
progress made in Hellenic civilization. The
tyrant title means that political power had been
unfairly taken, rather than that it was abused
21II. From Kings to Democracy
- Some city-states, such as Athens, developed forms
of democracy
Direct participation was the key to Athenian
democracy. Every male citizen was entitled to
attend and had the right to debate, offer
amendments, and vote on proposals. All male
citizens were allowed to participate any thing
that required a government decision
22II. From Kings to Democracy
- Other city-states, such as Sparta, restored rule
by kings or nobles, but limited their power