Chapter 6: The Rise of the Greek City-States

1. Chapter 6: The Rise of the Greek City-States

2. 1. Historical Overview • Brainstorming: Who were the Mycenaeans (1900-1100 BCE)

3. 1. Historical Overview 1100-800 BCE Dark Ages • Dorian invasions put an end to Mycenaean domination • Writing (Linear B) disappears • Iron age starts in Greece

4. 1. Historical Overview

5. 1. Historical Overview 800-479 BCE Archaic Period • Mycenaean and Minoan inheritance shows in Greek culture. • New values: formation of the Greek polis • 479 BCE Final defeat of the Persian invaders

6. 2. Geography

7. 2. Geography of Egypt and Mesopotamia • Large rivers unifying the territory • River acting as an artery for communications • Flat lands: easier to build roads • Concentration of population along the river • Unified politically

8. 2. Geography of Greece • Mountainous region/ Multitude of islands

9. 2. Geography of Greece

10. 2. Geography of Greece • Scattered population • Isolated city-states (poleis) with different political structures • Sea as the main means for communication and trade • Sense of community and political federation created by the Persian wars

11. 3. Political organization The polis: • An urban and political entity. • Acropolis • Agora • Walls • Surrounding land

12. 3. Political organization Archia: Gk: rule, government Kratia: Gk: power, government Monos: Gk: One Oligos: Gk: Few Aristos: Gk: the best Demos: Gk: people • Monarchy • Oligarchy • Tyranny • Democracy

13. 3-Political organization • Monarchy: Mycenaean (Agamemnon) • Oligarchy: rule of the aristocracy (landowners) • Tyranny: reformers (Peisistratus) • Democracy: Athens (Kleisthenes)

14. 4. Period of colonization • Causes of emigration: • Growth of the population • Scarcity of resources • Lack of political opportunity • Greek colonies: Magna Graecia (Southern Italy and Sicily), Southern France, Spain… • Consequences: enrichment of middle classes (businessmen) and push for democratization (against traditional landowners).

15. 4. Period of colonization

16. 4. Period of colonization

17. 4. Colonies in Southern Italy Magna Graecia Greek colonies • Naples (Nea-polis) • Syracuse • Palermo • Messina

18. 4. Colonies in Southern Italy Distinguished visitors • Pythagoras (Croton) • Plato (Syracuse) • Herodotus (Thurium)

19. 5. Sparta vs. Athens Sparta • Dorian settlement • Oligarchy • Militaristic society • Stringent immigration laws • Women participated somehow in the public sphere Athens • Aeolic settlement • Restricted democracy • Cultural achievements • Women and foreigners do not participate in civic life

20. 6. Persian Wars • Created a sense of community between the Greeks. • Battles: 490BCE Marathon 480 BCE Thermopylae 480 BCE Salamis Persian Kings: Darius (522-486 BCE) Xerxes (486-465 BCE) Persian archer (Persepolis)

21. 6. Persian Wars: Persepolis

22. 7. Religion • Olympian deities: • Polytheistic, anthropomorphic Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, Athena, Apollo, Artemis… • Chthonic deities: • Fertility and agricultural gods. • Demeter (Eleusis) and Dionysius (Dionysia) • Mystery cults

23. 7. Religion

24. 7. Religion

25. True/ False • Greek population was divided by the geography of their land (islands, mountains) but united culturally and politically. • The Greeks colonized the south of Spain (Iberia) establishing prosperous cities there such as Syracuse, Palermo, and Messina. • The Phoenicians were a group of Greek colonizers who founded cities in the Southern Mediterranean (Carthage).

26. True/ False • The Persians’ cultural and technical advances as well as their political organization were very inferior to those of the Greeks. • All the inhabitants (legal residents) of Athens were allowed to participate in the political life of the city. • Herodotus was a Greek poet who wrote about the Persian wars.

27. Phoenician and Greek expansion

28. The Persian Empire

29. 7. Religion: Panhellenic games • Olympia • Athletic competition • In honor of Zeus • Held every four years • Cycle: • Olympic Games (Olympia) • Pythian Games (Delphi) • Nemean Games (Nemea) • Isthmian Games (Corinth) • Contests: • Stadion (200 yard race) • Pentathlon (javelin, discus, long jump, sprinting, wrestling) • Boxing

30. 7. Panhellenic games: Olympia

31. 7. Panhellenic games: Olympia

32. 7. Panhellenic games: Olympia

33. 7. Panhellenic games: Olympia Temple of Zeus and sacred precinct Stadion

34. 8. Panhellenic sanctuaries: Delphi • Artistic and athletic competition (Pythian Games) • Origin: Apollo killed the snake (Python) that guarded the sanctuary. • Etymology: omphalos, navel of the earth (umbilical). • Oracle: Pythia

35. 8. Panhellenic sanctuaries: Delphi

36. 9. Literature Epic poetry • Oral tradition. • Sang by a bard • Homer (800 BCE) • Iliad: Trojan war (1250 BCE), the wrath of Achilles • Odyssey: the return of Odysseus

37. 9. Literature Lyric poetry • Sang with a lyre • Expression of personal feelings • Sappho, Alcaeus: love, symposium, life and death. • Pindar: odes to victors in the athletic contests, everlasting fame. Historiography • First attempt to record events objectively: Herodotus

38. 10. Architecture

39. 9. Architecture • Temples in Doric style • Colonnade winding all the way around an inner cella. Poseidonia. Temple of Hera II, 460 BCE

40. 10. Sculpture A BC D

41. 10. Sculpture 2525 BCE 600 BCE 530 BCE 480 BCE

42. 10. Sculpture Kouroi (Kouros) • Nude male figures • Influence of Egyptian art (rigid pose, frontality) • Apollos or memorial statues • Evolution toward more naturalistic • Study of the human body

43. 10. Sculpture

44. 10. Sculpture

45. 10. Sculpture Korai (Kore) • Statues of females (dressed) • Polychromic • Votive statues • Dressed with a peplos and later with chiton (study of the folds)