4. Minoan
Trading community on
the island of Crete
Highly advanced for
the time
Capital: Knossos
Labyrinth and
Minotaur myth
Around 1600 BC:
disappears
May be the lost
civilization of Atlantis
(destroyed by volcanic
explosion of Thera)
5. under the palace of
Knossos was a huge
intricate labyrinth
(maze)
At the center lay a
minataur (1/2 man + ½
bull)
Sacrifices were
required to satisfy the
Minataur
In reality – young
slaves forced by
priests into the maze
and then killed
Minataur would then
protect the people of
Knossos
6.
7. Mycenaean
Powerful city-state on
the Greek mainland
Writing System: Linear
A and Linear B
(still being studied and is
not really understood)
Much is still unknown
about this civilization
Iliad and the Odyssey
◦ Story of the Trojan War
◦ Written by Homer
◦ Shows the ideal Greek hero as
being one who outsmarts his
enemies
◦ Greeks see themselves
grounded in logic and
reasoning
8. Written by a blind
poet named Homer
Story of the Trojan
War between
“Greeks” and Troy
Tells story of the how
the Greek heroes use
intellect to outsmart
their enemies rather
than just fighting them
Use of the Trojan
Horse is a great
example of Greek
intellect over an
enemy
9.
10. No “Greece” in 400 BCE
Really a collection of city-states:
◦separate political units
◦united by a common culture
Largest city-states and rivals:
◦Athens and Sparta
11. On the sea –
trading center
Very wealthy
with a great navy
Individuals
matter – freedom
rules
12. Democracy – every
citizen votes on
every law
Sets the ideal structure
for democracies and
republics of the present
Problem – what if they
vote for a bad law?
Problem – no protection
from the mob
13. Capitalism – economy
based on individuals
and trade
Gives people an
incentive to make
money
Problem – capitalism
leads to inequality and
poverty for some –
wealth and success for
others
14. Ruled by a military
dictatorship / council
Society runs on absolute
obedience to the state –
even women have roles to
play
Society of absolute equality
– unique in the ancient
world
Individualism is suppressed
for the good of the state
15. Men – serve in the army
from age 7
Women – serve the state
by having babies for the
army
Disobedience and waste
is forbidden
Spartan army is the most
efficient fighting
machine in the ancient
world
16.
17. Foundation for Western Civilization
◦Greek Science and Mathematics
◦Humanism – man can observe and
figure out his own world based on
reasoning
◦Greek Philosophy – development of
logical reasoning
18. Astronomy
◦ Earth is Round – based on lunar Eclipse
◦ Earth’s circumference determined (quite accurately) using math
and observation
◦ Geocentric model of the universe
Model based on observation and reasoning
Puts the Earth at the center of the universe
Everything revolves around the Earth
Greek Medicine
◦ Hippocrates – developed ideas behind the Four Humors
Tried to observe then diagnose
Step towards modern medicine
Development of Geometry
◦ Mathematics of Space and volume
◦ Mathematical principles based on a logical reasoning
19. Idea that man
can figure out the
world around him
by observation
and logical
reasoning
20. Model based on
observation of
the sky and
logical reasoning
Puts the Earth at
the center of the
universe
Everything
revolves around
the Earth
21. Observe and diagnose
based on observation
Hippocrates– father of
medicine
Four fluids in the body
◦ Blood
◦ Phlegm
◦ Yellow bile
◦ Black bile
22. Geometery – “earth
measure”
Mathematics based on
observation and logical
reasoning
Pytharogas – classical
Greek Mathmatician
Pythagorean theorem
◦ The area of the square
built upon the hypotenuse
of a right triangle is equal
to the sum of the areas of
the squares upon the
remaining sides.
23. Philosophy – The search for Wisdom
Philosopher – one who seeks wisdom
Wisdom
◦ Different from facts and knowledge
◦ Uses facts and knowledge to understand how to question
◦ Really just the search for knowledge
◦ Best described in Plato’s Analogy of the Cave
24. Socrates at his Death
Born in Athens -- 469 BC
Originally a stonecutter
Told by the Oracle at Delphi at the Temple
of Apollo that he was the wisest man in
Athens and spent the remainder of his life
trying to prove her wrong – he never did
Went around Athens asking questions and
trying to find “wise” people
Teacher (called “Master”)– people left
everything to follow him (similar to Jesus)
Greatest student – Plato
Question Everything – the answers
themselves don’t matter, as long as one
understands the need to question
Sentenced to death by Athenian court for
corrupting the youth in 399 BC
25. Plato (from the painting
“School of Athens”
Socrates’ greatest student
Recorded the life and wisdom of
Socrates
Wrote a series of dialogues – like
reading conversations between
Socrates and the citizens of Athens
Question Everything (from
Socrates), but if one asked the right
questions, one would eventually
come up with the correct answers
(True Forms)
Most famous book – The Republic
26. Plato’s greatest book – done in a series of chapters
(called books by Plato)
True form of government – The Republic (people vote
for reps – reps vote on the laws for the people)
True form of reps – “philosopher kings”
How does one become a philosopher? Develop wisdom
How does one develop wisdom? Understand the “cave”
and get out of it.
27.
28.
29.
30. Aristotle
Student of Plato
Mathematician, philosopher and
scientist
Developed the idea behind logical
reasoning
True forms are only true if they
can be defended by logic
Answers to questions then, can
be different and yet both answers
can be right, depending on one’s
perspective
Only had one student: Alexander
the Great – he would take the
ideas of Ancient Greece and
spread them around the known
world
31.
32.
33. United Greece vs. Persian Empire
Started with Greek Revolts in Asia Minor
The Greeks turned to Athens for help
Persia responded by trying to invade Greece
490 BCE – Battle of Marathon
◦ Greek Army defeats Persians
◦ Greek soldier runs from the battlefield to Athens
(26.2 miles) – screams “nike!” (victory) and then
collapses and dies
34.
35. Xerxes – Persian “God-king” – amassed a huge army and navy
to punish the Greek City states
Reports vary, but the Persian army was at least 200,000 strong
(ancient reports say 2 million)
Xerxes decided to invade from the north and to sweep through
Greece
Battle of Thermopyle (Aug 480 BCE)
◦ Leonidas of Sparta led 300 of his guards to the “hot gates” and cut off the
Persians
◦ Persians sent wave after wave against the Spartans
◦ Persian victory, but the valiant loss inspires and rallies the rest of Greek
city states
Battle of Plataea (Jun 479 BCE)
◦ United Greek force (led by the Spartans and the Athenians) defeated a
much larger Persian army
◦ Persian army remnants retreated back to Asia Minor
36.
37.
38. Athens vs. Sparta
Athens – great navy
Sparta – great army
War started when Athens
imposed trade restrictions
on Sparta’s allies
Sparta retalitated and went
to war against Athens
Sparta eventually laid seige
to Athens and forced the
city to surrender
War weakened all of
Greece & left it weak
39.
40. Son of Macedonian king
Phillip II
Educated by Aristotle –
taught to revere Greek
ideas of humanism,
philosophy, science and
medicine
Becomes king at age 21
when his father is killed
during the Macedonian
invasion of Greece
41. Subdued Greece by
force, but then
incorporated Greek
fighters into his army
Invaded Asia Minor to
go after Persia in 334
BCE
Persian Empire (from
Egypt to Indian
subcontinent) quickly fell
to Alexander by 329
BCE
42.
43. Although Alexander
wanted to go after India,
his soldiers were tired and
wanted to go home
Problem – many of the
governors appointed by
Alexander to control
territories in his new
empire were corrupt
Alexander died under
mysterious circumstances
in 323 BCE in Babylon (he
may have been poisoned)
44. Greek culture adn
philosophy spread
across the known world
(important for later units)
Establishment of many
different “Alexandria”
cities
Inspiration for military
leaders for the next 2300
years
45. After the general was
gone, the Empire was
divided by his
subordinate officers
Most important to
western history:
Ptolemaic Empire –
Egypt (kings take the
title of pharoahs)
46. Greek Culture, Science, Humanism and
Philosophy becomes mixed with other
cultures. This hybrid culture will be known as
“Hellensitic” as opposed to “Hellenic” culture
(pure Greek)
Greek world begins to decline just as we see
the rise of an even greater Mediterreanan
super power.....................Rome