Ancient Greece: City-States, Culture & Society

Ancient Greece: Geography and its Influence

The modern countries which formed part of Hellas are: Macedonia, Albania, Greece, and Turkey.

The seas that surround Greek territory are the Mediterranean, Ionian, and Aegean.

The natural environment significantly influenced Greek history. Most of the land was dry and rocky, resulting in limited agriculture. The Greeks obtained much of their food from the Mediterranean Sea. They became expert sailors and crossed the sea for trade.

Why Ancient Greece Wasn't a Unified Country

Ancient Greece did not become a single country because of its physical relief:

• Mountains divided mainland Greece into small valleys.
• Islands were separated from each other by the sea.
• Each valley or island functioned like a small, independent country.

Important Poleis (City-States)

Other important poleis included Corinth, Thebes, and Argos.

Most poleis were near the coast due to Mediterranean trade and the establishment of colonies.

Most of the Greek-speaking world lived in flat areas, as these were more suitable for settlement.

Greek Colonization: Two Stages

• First stage colonies: Mytilene, Phocaea, Ephesus, Miletus, and Rhodes.
• Second stage: Phasis, Sinope, Callatis, Tyras, Istros, Theodosia.

Key Terms and Concepts

• Aristocracy: A rich, privileged minority ruled in an aristocracy. Sparta was the most famous example of aristocratic government.
• Polis: A city-state, or polis, was a region with its own government, laws, and army.
• Colony: Between the 8th and 6th centuries BC, Greeks established colonies (settlements in other regions).

Greek Overseas Expansion

There were two stages in Greek overseas expansion:

• Between 750 BC and 650 BC, the Greeks settled in the west on the islands and coast of the Ionian Sea; Libya in northern Africa; Sicily; southern Italy; southern France; and on the east coast of the Iberian Peninsula.
• Between 650 BC and 550 BC, colonies were founded in the east around the Black Sea.

Political Participation in Ancient Greece

Only citizens (Athenian men) participated in political life. Women, slaves, and metics (foreign residents) were not citizens.

Government Structures: Athens vs. Sparta

• a) Democracy in Athens, oligarchy in Sparta.
• b) The most important official positions were magistrates, archons, strategoi, and kings.
• c) The names of the councils were: in Athens, the Boule (500 citizens), and in Sparta, the Gerousia (prestigious older citizens).
• d) They did not have similar powers. In Athens, the Ekklesia (all citizens) met to vote on laws, decide foreign policy, and elect magistrates. In Sparta, the Apella consisted of all free men over 30 years old. It only had limited powers, primarily choosing the ephors and members of the Gerousia.

The Acropolis of Athens

The Acropolis of Athens is an ancient citadel located on a rocky hill above the city of Athens. It contains the remains of several ancient buildings of great architectural and historical significance. The most famous temples are the Parthenon, Erechtheum, and Temple of Athena Nike.

The Persian Wars

The Persian Wars were a series of conflicts between the Greeks and the Persians.

The Peloponnesian War

The economic, political, and cultural domination of Athens threatened other poleis, such as Sparta. The two sides fought against each other in the Peloponnesian War, which broke out in 431 BC.

Alexander the Great's Empire

The modern countries that belonged to Alexander the Great's empire were Cyprus, Israel, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Turkey, Iraq, Syria, India, Greece, Libya, Iran, Egypt, Jordan, Palestine, and Armenia.

Alexandria

Alexander conquered many cities and renamed them Alexandria, after himself.

Social Structure in Ancient Greece

• Citizens: Were a minority of the population. Only adult men were citizens. They participated in politics, had full rights, and paid taxes.
• Non-citizens:
  • Metics (foreigners): Paid taxes and fought in the army but were not allowed to own land. They worked in trade and crafts.
  • Slaves: Were not free. They were prisoners of war or their children. They worked in agriculture and domestic service.
  • Women: Were either free or slaves. They had no political rights and did not attend public shows. They were under the authority of a man (father or husband).