Western Civilization I HIS-101

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Western Civilization IHIS-101

• Unit 3 - Archaic and Early Classical Greece
• (1150-400 BCE)

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Greek Dark Age (c. 1150-800 BCE)

• After the fall of the Mycenaean kingdoms, Greece
  went into a period known as the Greek Dark Ages
• It lasted roughly from 1150-800 BCE
• This was a period of characterized by
• Instability due to the effects of the Sea People
  not only in Greece but in the entire eastern
  Mediterranean
• Failing food supplies
• Large migrations both within Greece and out of it
• The population of Greek declined by up to 90
  during this period
• Many moved to Asia Minor and islands in the
  Aegean Sea
• Those who remained in Greece moved inland as it
  was safer to be away from the coast

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Greek Dark Age (c. 1150-800 BCE)

• The Greek religion began to reflect new attitudes
• The gods were no longer viewed in positive light
  with the same faults as humans
• They were considered to be moody and petty and
  liked to interfere in the lives of humans
• To the Greeks, the gods were to be humored and
  placated but never trusted
• By 1000 BCE, other groups from around the Near
  East began to increase their contact with the
  Greeks
• Greek pottery was in huge demand so trade was
  opened up with them

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Greek Dark Age (c. 1150-800 BCE)

• One of the first groups that the Greeks came into
  contact with was the Phoenicians
• The Greeks adopted the Phoenician alphabet and
  modified it to fit their language better
• They also adopted the Phoenician boat designs for
  merchant sea vessels
• As their economy grew so did their movement
  throughout the region
• Many traveled between the mainland, the islands,
  and Asia Minor, coming into greater contact with
  other Greeks
• There was also migration into the cities
• By 800 BCE, the Dark Age ended

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• Greece c. 750 BCE

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Archaic Greece (800-480 BCE)

• Greek civilization flourished during this period
• Life centered around the polis as the main
  institution
• The Polis (pl. poleis) is a small but autonomous
  political unit
• It centered on a city or town and its surrounding
  countryside
• All major political, social, and religious
  activities were held in one central location
• The actual origins of the polis started with
  synoecism
• This is the process of conquering and absorbing,
  and/or working together with neighboring
  communities
• Not all poleis were the same
• They varied in size and population
• Each polis also had its own patron deity
• Rivalries and animosity between poleis would
  eventually lead to the ruin of Greece

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Archaic Greece (800-480 BCE)

• Greek colonization began during the 8th and 7th
  centuries BCE
• By the 6th century Greek colonization spread from
  the Black Sea to the western Mediterranean
• What were the reasons behind Greek colonization?
• Overpopulation
• Shortage of land
• Establishment of trade routes
• Impacts
• Colonization also helped spread Greek culture
• There was also the creation of a new group of
  wealthy elites
• They acquired their wealth through trade
• They wanted political privileges proportionate to
  their wealth

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• Homer
• (c. 8th c. BCE)

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The Heroic Tradition

• In Archaic Greece, wealth as well as trade became
  important in Greek society
• A small group of aristocrats (aristoi) began to
  emerge
• They saw their wealth as proof of their
  superiority
• But wealth was not the only thing the aristocracy
  strived for
• Rise of the heroic tradition
• They needed to be heroes as well they needed
  to win battles, travel to distant lands, be
  courageous, strong, and wise
• Overall, they must be favored by the gods
• This was best illustrated in the works of Homer
  (8th century BCE)

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The Heroic Tradition

• His two main works were the Iliad and the Odyssey
• Writing in the 8th century BCE but were about
  events that occurred during the Mycenaean period
• They reflect social conditions of 8th century BCE
• Both stories illustrate courage, acts of bravery,
  and battles the foundations of the Heroic
  Tradition
• These stories may have originated as oral
  traditions
• Homers poems were treated as historical facts
• They were used as educational texts on how to be
  a proper aristocrat

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• Hoplites

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Rise of the Hoplites

• During the Dark Age, fighting occurred on
  horseback amongst aristocrat-warriors
• As the dominant military force, they were able to
  hold political and social power
• During the 7th century BCE, a new military order
  emerged hoplite warrior
• Heavily armed infantrymen
• Wore basic equipment helmets, breastplates, and
  greaves
• They carried a round shield, a short sword, and
  an 8-10 foot long thrusting spear
• To become a hoplite, all you had to do was
  provide your own armor

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Rise of the Hoplites

• New battle formation phalanx
• Stand shoulder to shoulder in tight formation,
  eight ranks deep
• They would carry their large shields to protect
  the man next to him and a large spear
• As long as they did not break their formation or
  were outflanked they were nearly unbeatable
• Origins of hoplite warfare
• Unknown but may have learned it from the
  Assyrians
• It was quickly became a standard military tactic
• The aristocratic cavalry was now outdated
• As a result, the aristocracy was no longer the
  dominant military power
• Hoplites began demanding political power

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• The Greek Symposium

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Archaic Greek Society

• Society was based not only on wealth but status
• King was at the top
• Warrior-aristocracy dominated the poleis in both
  wealth and political power
• Everybody else was at the bottom
• Roles of men and women reflected the heroic
  tradition
• Men were to be the heroes
• Women helped their men live up to their roles
• The aristocrats developed a very distinct culture
  and lifestyle
• Holding office in the polis
• The symposium
• Pederasty

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• The erastes (lover) fondling the genitals of the
  eromenos (beloved)

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Rise of Greek Tyranny

• Not all aristocrats enjoyed power
• Small oligarchies controlled the politics in the
  cities
• Others were left feeling alienated
• Some aristocrats turned to hoplites as allies
• Both groups felt excluded from politics
• With military backing, these aristocrats could
  now take power through force
• Rise of Tyranny (7th century BCE)
• Old oligarchies were overthrown via coup d'état
• Those who took control became known tyrants
• Lydian term tyrannos - someone who seized power
  illegally
• They gave the hoplites legal and economic rights
  and even in some cases political rights

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Rise of Greek Tyranny

• The term tyrant did not originally have a
  negative connotation
• Because they had taken power illegally, they had
  to justify their rule
• Their heirs were corrupt and tended to be cruel
  and unjust rulers
• By the end of the 6th century, tyranny was
  largely eliminated in Greece
• It did have a number of long lasting effects
• Ended the rule of aristocratic oligarchies
• Opened the door for greater participation in
  government
• Led to the rise of democracy in some poleis and
  extended oligarchies in others

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• The Greek World

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The Archaic Poleis

• During the Archaic period, the various Greek
  poleis developed in unique and very different
  ways
• The diversity is seen in three different Greek
  poleis Athens, Sparta, and Miletus
• None of these should be seen as typical because
  of the level of diversity
• These are the three most documented poleis and
  historians know little about many of the others
• By 500 BCE, they all developed into powerful yet
  unique entities

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• Vessel from Archaic Period Athens

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Archaic Athens

• Governed by aristocratic oligarchy
• Two main bodies
• Archons Magistrates
• Areopagus Council High Court
• 7th century BCE problems
• Rise of debt-slavery
• Increasing violence among rival aristocratic
  groups
• First coup detat attempt was in 632 BCE
• Cylon tried to seize control over Athens
• The Athenians revolted against him
• Cylon managed to flee the city but his followers
  were executed

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Archaic Athens

• The aristocracy need to stabilize the rivalries
  between themselves
• They thought clarifying the old laws and put them
  in writing would help
• In 621 BCE, Draco was selected to write the laws
• Draconian punishments
• Used harsh punishments by the state to stop
  rivalries
• Failed to do so
• Calls were made for a neutral figure to run the
  government
• This was to prevent an attempted coup d'état
  and/or civil war

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Archaic Athens

• In 594 BCE, the aristocracy selected Solon to be
  sole archon of Athens for one year
• He brought about sweeping economic reforms
• Cancelled all land debts
• Outlawed debt slavery and bought the freedom for
  those already put into slavery
• Encouraged the cultivation of cash-crops (e.g.,
  grapes and olives)
• He made sweeping political reforms
• Divided up the citizen population into four
  classes
• Every male citizen, except those in the poorest
  class, could now hold political office
• Even the poorest class were eligible to vote

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Archaic Athens

• He put more control into the hands of the people
• The Ecclesia now had the right to elect archons
• The Heliaia was created where all four classes
  could sit in as jurors and heard
• However, he did not fix the main problems
• He did not redistribute the land
• The aristocracy viewed his reforms as being too
  radical
• The poorer classes believed that Solon had not
  done enough
• For the next forty years, internal conflicts
  worsened

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• Solon
• (594-593 BCE)

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Archaic Athens

• In 546 BCE, Peisistratus succeeded in seizing
  power through a coup detat
• He had to justify his illegal takeover
• Public works projects that included the
  beautification of Athens
• He opened up the Black Sea to Athenian traders
  and merchants
• Strengthened the demos using Solons reforms
• Aristotle wrote that his government appeared
  more like constitutional government than a
  tyranny
• He remained in power until his death in 527 BCE

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Archaic Athens

• Hippias (527-510 BCE)
• Was Peisistratus son and supposedly co-ruled
  with his brother Hipparchus
• First half of his reign was good
• He was a patron of the arts and he instituted
  many building projects
• It all changed in 514 BCE
• Hipparchus was murdered by Harmodius and
  Aristogeiton (Tyrannicides)
• Hippias then became a cruel and unjust ruler
• Athens sought the aid of Sparta to overthrow
  Hippias
• Hippias fled to Persia

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• Harmodius and Aristogeiton
• The Tyrannicides

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Archaic Athens

• The aristocrats hoped to control Athens with an
  oligarchy
• However, the people of Athens like having
  political rights
• In 508 BCE, the Athenian people revolted and put
  Cleisthenes in as archon
• Championed the cause of the demos
• His main goal was to limit aristocratic power
• He reorganized the government based on location
  (deme) instead of family or clan ties
• Reformed voting practices
• Reorganized the population into ten tribes
• Introduced ostracism to banish political rivals
  for ten years
• Based on ostraka, a type of potsherd

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• Examples of ostraka

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Archaic Sparta

• Sparta was located at the southern end of the
  Peloponnesus peninsula
• It originally consisted of four villages that
  merged into one polis
• Its government consisted of
• Two kings
• A strong council (gerousia)
• An assembly (apella)
• It grew in size by conquering neighboring poleis
• By 750 BCE, conquered Laconia
• By 720 BCE, conquered Messenia
• Population was enslaved (helots)

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Archaic Sparta

• The Spartan military state had its origins in the
  7th century BCE
• In 650 BCE, the helots in Messenia revolted and
  almost won
• Because of this, the Spartans created a military
  state to protect itself
• Sparta became literally a perpetual military camp
• Examination of child at birth
• At age 7, boys would be moved to the state-run
  barracks
• At 20, were required to join the army for regular
  military duty
• From 20 to 30, they were required to marry but
  they continued to live in the barracks
• At 30, the men were considered mature
• They remained in military service until they were
  60

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Archaic Sparta

• Women were not exempt from duty
• Girls would remain at home and receive training
  in letters until they were married
• Women were encouraged to exercise and stay in
  shape in order to have healthy babies
• They were expected to be brave and run the
  household while their husbands and sons went off
  to war
• Three social classes
• Spartitates Full Spartan citizens and ruling
  class
• Perioeci Free but did not have citizen rights
• Helots These were the people who were forced to
  work the land

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Archaic Sparta

• Spartan political structure
• Two kings Military and religious leaders
• Gerousia - Council of 28 men over the age of 60
  who were responsible for most of the policy
  making
• Apella - Assembly of all the Spartan male
  citizens over the age of 30 who voted on
  proposals from the gerousia
• Other important bodies
• Ephors - Highest-ranking Spartan magistrates
• Krypteia A secret police force that lived among
  the helots and were ordered to kill anyone deemed
  dangerous

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Archaic Sparta

• Close-minded society
• Were forbidden from participating in outside
  trade
• Discouraged foreigners from visiting Sparta
• Discourage Spartans from traveling
• Were not allowed to come into contact with an
  persons or material that was dangerous
• Greater control of the Peloponnesus
• In 6th century BCE, the Spartans organized the
  Peloponnesian League
• It was a loose alliance of poleis on the
  peninsula
• It was also created to prevent the helots from
  getting outside aid for their revolts

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• Miletus

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Archaic Miletus

• Miletus was the largest commercial, military, and
  cultural power in Ionia
• Blend of Greek and Near Eastern cultures
• Heroes of Greek epics possibly based on Near
  Eastern models
• Milesian politics
• It joined the Ionian League in 800 BCE
• Its government was an aristocratic oligarchy
• In 687 BCE, Miletus fell under the control of
  tyrants
• It began to expand its territory with the
  creation of colonies
• Ionia was conquered by Lydia c. 560 BCE
• Then in 546 BCE, Ionia became a Persian satrapy
  when Croesus was defeated by the Cyrus and
  Persians

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Archaic Miletus

• Miletus biggest contribution was the development
  of pre-Socratic philosophy
• Milesian School of Thought
• They were mostly interested in physics
• They wanted to remove myth from their
  understanding of nature, the kosmos
• Anaximenes - (c.585 BCE c.525 BCE)
• Air was the source of all things found in nature
• As air becomes more dense, it transforms into
  fire, then wind, then water, the earth, then
  stones
• Thales (c.624 BCEc.546 BCE)
• He saw water was the primary principleit was
  the basis for everything

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Archaic Miletus

• Anaximander (c.610-c.547 BCE)
• He believed that the world came from an invisible
  substance called the apeiron (Boundless) which
  was the origin of everything (the first
  principle)
• From there, it was separated into different
  qualities, the primary opposites hot and cold,
  moist and dry
• Created a struggle between religion and
  philosophy
• School of thought ended with the Persian conquest
• Many moved to other Greek colonies
• The discussions were later picked up by the
  Athenians

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• Thales of Miletus
• (c.624545 BCE)

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End of the Archaic Age (c.500 BCE)

• Athens
• An economic power as the principle exporter of
  wine, olive oils, and pottery in Greece
• Developed a new form of government that was more
  democratic and participatory
• Sparta
• A powerful, highly-organized military state
• Loss of freedom for both the helots and the
  Spartans
• Miletus
• A powerful economic and political state
• Blending of Greek and non-Greek cultures
• Development of the first schools of philosophy

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• Greek hoplite fighting Persian warrior
• (c. 5th century BCE)

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Ionian Revolt (499-494 BCE)

• Persian Wars mark the end of the Archaic Period
• Ionian Revolt (499-494 BCE)
• Ionia did not like being a Persian satrapy
• Started by Aristagoras, tyrant of Miletus
• He rallied the support of the people against
  Persian rule
• Calls were made to the other Greeks states for
  help
• Sparta refused to help
• Athens sent 20 ships to help the Ionians
• They helped capture and sack Sardis, the capital
  of Lydia
• After that, the Athenians left the Ionians on
  their own
• The Ionians were able to hold their own until 494
  BCE
• Persian fleet defeated the Ionians at the Battle
  of Lade

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• Greco-Persian Wars (492-449 BCE)

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Greco-Persian Wars (492-449 BCE)

• Darius already wanted to attack Greek mainland
• Athens participation in Ionian Revolt gave him
  the excuse
• In 492 BCE, Darius sent the fleet to attack
  Athens directly
• That fleet was lost in a storm and that plan was
  abandoned
• In 490 BCE, he sent ground forces to attack
• The Persian forces met the Athenians on the plain
  of Marathon
• Battle of Marathon (490 BCE)
• Athenians were outnumbered 11,000 to the Persian
  25,000
• Sparta showed up late for the battle
• Mobile and ranged Persian army versus hoplite,
  infantry Greeks
• Greeks attacked while Persian horses being
  watered
• Persians lost over 6,000 while the Athenians only
  lost 192

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Greco-Persian Wars (492-449 BCE)

• Pheidippides died after running 25 miles to
  Athens to give the city news of victory
• Marathon was the only major defeat during Darius
  reign
• He had planned a third attempt at Greece
• Attention was diverted to uprisings in Egypt
• He died before he was able to mount another
  attack
• Building of the Athenian navy
• Themistocles knew Persia was coming back
• Pushed to build a better, faster navy
• By 480 BCE, had a fleet of 200 triremes and new
  port facilities
• Athens now had a navy to go alongside their
  hoplite forces

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• Model of a Greek trireme

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• Xerxes
• (486-465 BCE)

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Greco-Persian Wars (492-449 BCE)

• Xerxes (486-465 BCE)
• He was the son of Darius
• He wanted to attack Greece as well
• In 483 BCE, he began preparations for a massive
  invasion
• The actual invasion began in 480 BCE
• He had amassed 200,000 troops and 700 naval ships
• Plenty of supplies either on ships or along the
  roads to feed his armies
• He also had two pontoon bridges built across the
  Hellespont for his troops to cross from Persia
  into Greece
• Many Greek states immediately surrendered to
  Xerxes

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• Battle at Thermopylae

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Greco-Persian Wars (492-449 BCE)

• Creation of the defensive Hellenic League
• Sparta headed the military and Athens the Navy
• Battle at Thermopylae (480 BCE)
• King Leonidas of Sparta met the Persian forces at
  the pass at Thermopylae
• He had only a small force of roughly 9,000 men
• Held the pass for three days, killing
  approximately 10,000 Persians a day
• The Persians found a mountain path to outflank
  the Greeks
• Leonidas sent most of his troops away to safety
• He stayed behind with 300 Spartans and 1,100
  Boeotians to delay the Persians
• He succeeded for several days but his entire
  force was killed

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Greco-Persian Wars (492-449 BCE)

• Persians went on to burn down Athens
• The Greeks were able to regroup on Salamis
• Easier to defend with the Greek navy
• Greeks were outnumbered but used the narrow
  Straits to their advantage
• They were able to destroy around 200 Persian
  ships
• Xerxes returned to Persia after this loss
• He left most of the army behind to finish the war
• Battle of Plataea (479 BCE)
• Greeks had the largest Greek army seen to date
• The Spartans decimated the Persians
• What was left of the Persian forces retreated to
  Asia Minor

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• The Delian League

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Delian League

• With the defeat of Persia, Athens is the main
  Greek power
• Sparta withdrew from its role in Greek affairs
• Many wanted an offensive attack to free Ionia
  from Persian control
• Delian League (478-404 BCE)
• Technically led by Athens
• It was a democratic league with each polis
  holding one vote
• The main function of the League was to battle the
  Persians
• It held close to 300 ships, most of which were
  Athenian
• If a polis could not provide ships, it provided
  money instead

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Delian League

• By 469 BCE, all of the Greek states in the Aegean
  region were freed
• Many wanted the dissolution of the League
• First Naxos attempted to leave in 470 BCE and
  then Thasos in 465 BCE
• Athens attacked both poleis and decimated them
• Walled fortifications were destroyed
• Their navies captured
• Their lands confiscated
• Residents were all forced to pay tribute to the
  Athenians
• Athens took on the policy of no succession
• The League became the Athenian empire
• It was also an instrument of Athenian imperialism

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• Pericles
• (461-429 BCE)

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Athenian Golden Age

• Athenian economic golden age
• Money from Delian League was used to finance
  building projects
• This led to numerous construction jobs
• Not everybody was happy as lower classes wanted a
  greater role in the government
• Strategos A military position (general)
• Were responsible for drafting and overseeing
  troops and acting as military judges
• After 490 BCE, ten were elected each year
• Voting was done by popular elections rather than
  lots
• Popular political path during 5th century BCE
• Themistocles was the first example of a strategos
  using it for political power

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Athenian Golden Age

• Prior to 462 BCE, the conservatives held power
  under strategos Cimon
• Cimon led the Delian League against the Persians
• He also suppressed the other poleis who had tried
  to succeed from the League
• Pericles (c.495-429 BCE)
• Young, liberal aristocrat
• Wanted to see more changes taking place in the
  government
• Wanted to end the aristocratic power of the
  Aeropagus Council
• Also wanted to severe ties with Sparta to expand
  Athenian power

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Athenian Golden Age

• Pericles was elected strategos in 462 and 461 BCE
• In 461 BCE, convinced the Ecclesia to take away
  the remaining powers of the Areopagus
• That year, he also was able to secure the
  ostracism of Cimon
• He then pushed through more democratic reforms
• He paid the poor to attend the Ecclesia
• Ecclesia could now propose or amend legislation
• Citizenship required both parents to be citizens
• He was heavily involved in public building
  projects
• Acropolis started in 447 BCE
• Parthenon to replace the old Temple of Athena
  that was destroyed in 480 BCE

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• The Acropolis in Athens

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• Great Peloponnesian War (431-404 BCE)

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Great Peloponnesian War

• Most of what we know comes from Thucydides
  History of the Peloponnesian War (424 BCE)
• He had been an Athenian general and politician at
  the beginning of the war
• Rather accurate account of the war
• Long range cause of war the fear the Spartans
  held towards Athens and its empire
• Others believe the cause of the war was that
  Athens had created a tyrannical empire
• It began when Athens got involved in the affairs
  of the Peloponnesus in 433 BCE
• Athens helped Corcyra hold off attack by Corinth
• Corinth was a member of the Peloponnesian League

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Great Peloponnesian War

• Sparta issues ultimatum to Athens in 432 BCE
• Either back down with Corinth or it would be war
• Athens refused to back down as it was admitting
  that Sparta was the dominant power in Greece
• Neither side had a clear advantage
• Athens had good navy but poor army
• Sparta had good army but no navy
• Athenian Plan
• Stay inside the walled city of Athens
• The Long Walls gave a path to the port at Piraeus
• The navy would then raid the coast of Peloponnesus

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Great Peloponnesian War

• Spartan Plan
• Invade Attica and lay siege to Athens
• Cut off the city from its supplies in the
  countryside
• Could only lay siege for a few weeks at a time
• Spartans laid siege but could not break through
  the walls
• Athenian Plague (430-428 BCE)
• Over 1/3 of its population was killed, including
  Pericles
• Even the Spartans temporarily retreated in fear
  of the plague
• Spartans could not take advantaged of weakened
  Athenian state
• Peace of Nicias was signed in 421 BCE
• All lands would return to their pre-war status

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Great Peloponnesian War

• Peace lasted for six years
• In 420 BCE, Alcibiades was elected strategos
• New plan against Sparta
• Athens invades Sicily, cutting off the Spartan
  supplies from Syracuse
• In 415 BCE, Alcibiades was removed as strategos
• Fled to Sparta and informed them of Athens plan
• Told them to turn to Persia for help
• In 413 BCE, Athenian forces unable to take
  Syracuse
• All of the Athenian forces were either killed or
  sold into slavery

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Great Peloponnesian War

• Athens domestic problems
• Many politicians fled in fear of repercussions
  from losses
• City voted out democracy and created an oligarchy
  of 400 men
• Army refused to accept it
• New government-in-exile created under Alcibades
• Athenian navy went on to defeat the Spartans in a
  number of key battles from 410-406 BCE
• Sparta turned to Persia for help
• Persia provided money and expertise to build a
  navy
• Starting in 407 BCE, Spartan navy starts winning
• Under the command of Lysander

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Great Peloponnesian War

• In 405 BCE, Lysander destroyed the Athenian fleet
  at Aegospotami
• Spartans then lay siege to Athens
• Athens could no longer defend itself
• Athens surrendered in 404 BCE
• The Long Walls around Athens were destroyed
• What was left of the navy was disbanded
• Thirty Tyrants
• New oligarchic government set up by Sparta
• Executed roughly 1,500 people and over a thousand
  more exiled
• In 403 BCE, the Athenians revolted
• A new democratic government was set up

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• Pythagoras
• (c.580-c.500 BCE)

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Early Classical Philosophy

• The Milesian School of Thought was picked up by
  early Classical Greek philosophers
• They were more cynical and pessimistic
• What is the truth?
• Pythagoras of Samos (c.580-c.500 BCE)
• Founded the Pythagorean Brotherhood that focused
  on logical thinking
• Ignored the desires of the flesh
• Were pacifists and vegetarians
• Devoted to an ethical lifestyle, mathematics, and
  musical theory

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Early Classical Philosophy

• Sophism
• Derived from sophia meaning wisdom
• Experts in the science of oratory (rhetoric)
• Used rhetoric as a skill to persuade others
• Done for political motivations or just to argue
  their point of view
• Protagoras (c.485-c.410 BCE)
• Relativism - Man is the measure of all things
  of things which are, that they are, and of things
  which are not, that they are not
• Making the worst case better through use of
  rhetoric
• Was an agnostic and believed that there is no
  proof that the gods in fact did exist

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Early Classical Philosophy

• Later, sophists used their skill to argue unjust
  cases
• Anyone with enough skill could argue for
  anything, no matter how negative or brutal the
  thing was
• Socrates (469 - 399 BCE)
• Wanted to find what was good, just, and virtuous
• The unexamined life is not worth living
• Unlike the sophists, he did believe in some
  certainties including absolute goodness
• Used the Socratic Method to find out how much
  knowledge his students had and what their beliefs
  were
• Wrote nothing down
• Found guilty of corrupting the youth and
  executed

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• Socrates
• (469-399 BCE)