C H A P T E R 5 S E C T I O N 2

WARRING CITY STATES

KEY TERMS

• Polis• Acropolis• Monarchy• Aristocracy• Oligarchy

• Tyrant• Democracy• Helot• Phalanx• Persian Wars

RULE AND ORDER IN GREEK CITY-STATES

• Polis- fundamental political unit in Greece• City and surrounding

countryside• 50-500 miles of territory• Fewer than 10,000

residents

• Acropolis-fortified hilltop• Agora-marketplace

GREEK POLITICAL STRUCTURES

• Monarchy-single person ruler (king)• Aristocracy-ruled by a

small group of noble land owning families• Rich families• Wealthy merchant and

artisans• Served in kings military

• Oligarchy-ruled by a few powerful people

TYRANTS SEIZE POWER

• Clashes occurred between rulers and common people• Powerful individuals

would seize control• Tyrants-unlike today

not considered cruel or harsh• Looked at as leaders

with the people’s interest

ATHENS BUILDS LIMITED DEMOCRACY

• Representative government was born in the city-states• Athens moved too

democracy• Democracy-is the

rule of the people• Citizens participate

directly in political decision making

BUILDING DEMOCRACY

• Draco 621 BC• Based legal code on

all Athenians were equal under the law• Had capitol

punishment• Debt slavery-debtors

worked as slaves to pay off debts

BUILDING DEMOCRACY

• Solon 594 BC• Stated no citizen should

own another citizen• Organized Athenians into

four social classes• Only top three could hold

political office• All citizens could

participate in Athenian Assembly

• Legal concept-any citizen could bring charges against wrongdoers

BUILDING DEMOCRACY

• Cleisthenes 500 • Broke up power of

nobility• Citizens organized by

where you live and not wealth

• Allowed citizens to submit laws for debate

• Created Council of 500• Chosen at random• Counseled assembly

and proposed laws

BUILDING DEMOCRACY

• Citizens participated in a limited democracy• Citizenship restricted

to a small number• Free male adult

property owners• Women and slaves

excluded from citizenship and had few rights

ATHENIAN EDUCATION

• Sons of wealthy families• Sent to school at age 7• Studied reading,

grammar, poetry, history, mathematics and music• Received training in

logic and debate• Train and develop the

body

ATHENIAN EDUCATION

• Older boys went to military school• Girls educated at

home by their mother• Childe rearing• Weaving cloth• Preparing mills • Taking care of the

household• Little to do outside of

the home

SPARTA BUILDS A MILITARY STATE

• Located in southern Greece (Peloponnesus)• Cut of from the rest

of Greece• Built a military

state

SPARTA DOMINATES MESSINA

• 725 BC Sparta conquers Messina• Helots- Messians

forced to stay on land they worked • Spartans demanded

half of their crop• 650 BC Helots revolted• Spartans

outnumbered eight to one

SPARTA’S GOVERNMENT AND SOCIETY

• Several branches• Council of Elders-

made up of 30 older citizens

• Proposed laws for assembly to vote on

• Five elected officials carried out the laws

• These men prosecuted cases and controlled education

SPARTA’S GOVERNMENT AND SOCIETY

• Sparta had two kings• Social order had

several groups• Citizens-descendants

of original inhabitants• Ruling families who

owned land• Non-citizens –were

free, worked in commerce of industry

• Helots at the bottom

SPARTA DAILY LIFE

• 600-371 BC most powerful army in Greece• Individual

expression was discouraged• Did not value arts

and literature• Valued- strength,

discipline, and duty

SPARTAN DAILY LIFE

• Served in the army till 60• Began training at age 7• Moved into army

barracks till age 30• Wearing only light tunics

and no shoes• Slept without blankets on

hard benches• Food bowl of black

porridge• Encouraged to steal food,

made them more resourceful and tough

SPARTAN DAILY LIFE

• Girls received some military training• Wrestled, played

sports• Service to Sparta

above everything• Had freedom to run

family businesses

A NEW KIND OF ARMY EMERGES

• During the Dorian Age only the rich could afford spears, chariots, shield• Iron made weapons

more affordable• Hoplites- foot

soldiers • Phalanx-stood side

by side holding a spear and a shield

BATTLE OF MARATHON

• Began in Ionia on the coast of Anatolia• Ionian Greeks

revolted against Persia • Athens sent troops• Persian King Darius

won wanted revenge against Athens

BATTLE OF MARATHON

• Persians sent 25,000 troops• Greeks had 10,000• Arranged in a

phalanxes• Persians charged the

Greeks

• Persians lost 6,000 men, Greeks lost 200

PHEIDIPPIDES BRING NEWS

• Athens was defenseless• Young runner-brought

news of Persian defeat• 26 mile run from

Marathon• Said “Rejoice, we

conquer” and died• Athenian army came

back and Persia retreated

THERMOPYLAE AND SALAMIS

• 480 BC Xerxes assembled an enormous force to crush the Greeks• Greeks were

divided• No resistance from

Greeks

THERMOPYLAE AND SALAMIS

• Narrow mountain pass• 7,000 Greeks and 300

Spartans• Blocked Xerxes troops

for three days• Traitor told of secret

path• Spartans held back

the Persians, while other Greeks retreated

THERMOPYLAE AND SALAMIS

• Greeks evacuated Athens set to fight at sea

• Salamis-narrow channel • Xerxes set fire to Athens • Persian ships were

bigger• Xerxes watched 1/3 of

his fleet was sunk• 479 Plataea Greeks win,

Persians on defensive

THERMOPYLAE AND SALAMIS

• Delian league- formed by several Greek states• Delos- island in

Aegean Sea• Greeks drove

Persians from their territory

CONSEQUENCES OF PERSIAN WARS

• Felt new sense of confidence• 470’s Athens

emerged as leader• League had grown to

200 city-states• Headquarters moved

to Athens• Used force against

challenges of authority