Alexander's Empire

Peloponnesian War → weakened Greek city-states (decline in military and economic power)
King Philip II (Macedonia) wanted to take control of Greece and then moved against Persia to seize wealthy

Philip Builds Macedonian Power
The kingdom of Macedonia → north of Greece
Had rough terrain and cold climate
Macedonians lived in mountain villages
Macedonian nobles → Greeks; Greeks thought them→ uncivilized foreigners

Philip's Army
In 359 BC Philip became the king of Macedonia
Peasants → well-trained army
Phalanxes (16x16) armed with 18-foot pikes
Tactics: phalanx break through enemy lines then cavalry crush the opponents

Conquest of Greece
Demosthenes tried to unite all city-states against Philip → failed
In 338 BC Athens and Thebes joined but too late
Macedonians defeated Greeks at the battle of Chaeronea → ended Greek independence
Self-government in local affairs but firmly under the control of a succession of foreign power
Philip died on his daughter's weeding in 336 BC
His son proclaimed himself king of Macedonia → Alexander the Great

Alexander Defeats Persia
Became the king at the age of twenty
Taught by Aristotle
Enjoyed Homer's description of heroic deed (Iliad)
Started military training when he was young
Destroyed 6000 Theban rebels → frightened other city-states

Invasion of Persia
In 334 BC Alexander invaded Persia
Two forces met at the Granicus River (35,000 Macedonian soldiers and 40,000 Persian defenders)
Alexander ordered his cavalry to attack first
Then Darius III raised a huge army (50,000-75,000) to crush the invaders but failed
Alexander broke through a weak point in Persian line and the army charged straight at Darius
This victory gave Alexander control over Anatolia

Conquering the Persian Empire
Darius tried to negotiate a peace settlement (the lands west of Euphrates River)
Alexander rejected → conquer the entire Persian Empire
In 332 BC Alexander marched to a Persian territory, Egypt
Egyptians welcomed him as the liberator → crowned him pharaoh
Founded the city of Alexandria at the mouth of Nile
Two armies met at Gaugamela (250,000 Persian soldiers)
Alexander: phalanx and cavalry → his victory ended Persia's power
Occupied many wealthy cities and burned Persia's royal capital

Alexander's Other Conquests
Alexander → ruler of southwest Asia
Followed Darius to a deserted spot south of the Caspian Sea → Darius already died
Continued east → his army fought across the desert wastes and mountains of Central Asua

Alexander in India
In 326 BC reached Indus Valley → Indian army blocked the path
The morale of Alexander's army was low → agreed to turn back
In 323 BC reached Babylon → wanted to construct cities and conquer Arabia
Did not carry out → became ill and died a few days later (32 years old)

Alexander's Legacy
After he died generals fought for the control of the empire
Three leaders who won out:
1) Antigonus: Macedonian king (Greek city-states)
2) Ptolemy: Pharaoh (Egypt) → established a dynasty
3) Seleucus: most of the old Persian Empire (Seleucid kingdom)
Impact of Alexander's conquests
- he adopted Persian dress and customs
- married a Persian women
- included people from Persian and other islands in his army
New culture emerged from the blend of Greek and Eastern customs

Golden Age of Athens Continue

Greek Art
Sculpture
- about gods and highly skilled
- made of marble
- Statue of Athena and Statue of Poseidon
Pottery
- 800 BCE human body and animal appear on pottery first time
Mosaic Art
- could be on wall or on floor
Architecture
- used column
- Parthenon
Metal Art
- usually used bronze
Renaissance and Greek Art
- Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, Michelangelo, Donatello

Government
Democracy Strengthen
- lower class citizens had a chance to be officials (paid salaries)
- should be male and adult (above 18)
- laws voted directly by all Athenian citizens
- executive branch is made up of appointed or elected officials
- defendants have attorneys
Delian League
- made of approximately 150 city-states
- leadership belonged to Athens
- headquarter is Delos

Architecture
- be famous for temples
- open-theatre
Doric Column
- origined from western Greece
- simplest
- short, heavy and fluted
- have no base
- capital plain
Ionic Column
- origined from eastern Greece
- slender, fluted pillars
- large base
- two opposed scrolls
- tinniest and smallest
Corinthian Column
- have most details
- most ornate out of the three
- ornate capital decorated

Parthenon
- traditional style (used for 200 years to create temples)
- in honor of Athena
- built by Pericles
Nike of Samothrace
- also called Winged Victory of Samothrace
- located in Louvre, Paris
- in honor of sea battle
Acropolis
- built on hill overlooking Athens
- fortness

Golden Age of Athens

Pericles (477-441 BC)

- growth in intellectual artistic learning

- golden age of Athens

461-429 BC (the age of Pericles)

Three goals

- strengthen Athenian democracy

- hold and strengthen the empire

- glorify Athens

Stronger democracy

- increased the number of paid officials

Direct democracy

- a form of government in which citizens rule directly and not through representatives

- it is an important legacy during the age of Pericles

- Athens is one of the first city-states of its time

Delian League

- used cash from league to fund navy ship and buy gold and ivory

Aspasia

- companion of Pericles (not married)

- first sign as men treating women equally

Peloponnesian War

- between Athens and Sparta

- plague

- hubris

The Delian League

history - after Persian War Athens took control

reason - make a truce and keep all city-states together

United Nations is like a Delian League today

Presentation Preparing

Today we continued finishing our google slide and presentation

Theatre

1. Theatre buildings were called a theatron. The theaters were large, open-air structures constructed on the slopes of hills. They consisted of three main elements: the orchestra, the skene, and the audience.
2. Orchestra - A large circular or rectangular area at the center part of the theatre, where the play, dance, religious rites, acting used to take place.
3. Skene - A large rectangular building situated behind the orchestra, used as a backstage.

History

1. The Greek theatre history began with festivals honoring their gods.
2. Dionysus, the god of the grape harvest, winemaking and wine, was honored with a festival called by "City Dionysia".
3. In Athens, during this festival, men used to perform songs  in the Theatre of Dionysus to welcome the god.

The Theatre of Dionysus

1. The Greeks invented drama and built the first theatre of the world in Athens. This theatre was the Theatre of Dionysus. It is a major open-air theatre and one of the earliest preserved in Athens.
2. The Theatre of Dionysus could seat 17,000 spectators.

Drama

1. Athens was the main center for these theatrical traditions. Athenians spread these festivals to its numerous allies in order to promote a common identity.
2. At the early Greek festivals, the actors, directors, and dramatists were all the same person. After some time, only three actors were allowed to perform in each play. Later few non-speaking roles were allowed to perform on-stage.
3. Due to limited number of actors allowed on-stage, the chorus evolved into a very active part of Greek theatre. Music was often played during the chorus' delivery of its lines.

Costumes and Masks

1. The actors were so far away from the audience that without the aid of exaggerated costumes and masks, they would be difficult to see.
2. The masks were made of linen or cork, so none have survived. Tragic masks carried mournful or pained expressions, while comic masks were smiling or leering.
3. The shape of the mask amplified the actor's voice, making his words easier for the audience to hear.

Power Point

We made a google slide about the theatre in the Golden Age of Greece in class on Friday

The Theatre of DionysusThe Greeks invented drama and built the first theatre of the world in Athens, which was called the Theatre of Dionysus. It was used for festivals in honor of the god Dionysus, and it could seat 17,000 spectators.

Drama

Actors used colorful costumes, masks, and sets to dramatize stories
The plays were about leadership, justice, and the duties owed to the gods
They often included a chorus that danced, sang, and recited poetry

Tragedy and Comedy
Tragedy - a serious drama about common themes such as love, hate, war or betrayal
usually has an main character (tragic hero) with extraordinary abilities and the tragic flaw (excessive pride) caused his downfall
Comedy - contained scenes filled with slapstick situations and crude humor, made fun of politics and respected people and ideas of the time

Dramatists
Aeschylus (tragedy)
- wrote more than 80 plays
- most famous work is the trilogy Oresteia (idea of justice)
Sophocles (tragedy)
- wrote more than 100 plays, including tragedies Oedipus the King and Antigone
Euripides (tragedy)

- author of the play Medea (often featured strong women)
Aristophanes (comedy)
- wrote the first great comedies including The Birds and Lysistrata

Democracy and Greece's Golden Age

Golden Age of Athens (447-431 B.C.): experienced a growth in intellectual and artistic learning

Pericles' Plan for Athens
Pericles dominated Athens from 461 to 429 B.C. (the Age of Pericles)
Three goals:
1) to strengthen Athenian democracy
2) to hold and strengthen the empire
3) to glorify Athens

Strong Democracy
Increased the number of public officials who were paid salaries → poor people could serve
Direct democracy: a form of government in which citizens rule directly and not through representatives (power is in the hands not of a minority but of the whole people)
In Athens, male citizens who served in the assembly established all the important government policies that affected the polis

Athenian Empire
Athens took over leadership of the Delian League and dominated all the city-states in it
Used the money from league to make the navy strong → strengthen the safety
Other city-states formed their own alliances to resist Athens (Sparta)

Glorifying Athens
Used money from league to beautify Athens:
- buy gold, ivory and marble
- pay the artists, architects, and workers

Glorious Art and Architecture
Goal was to glorify Athens through sculptures and buildings
center → the Parthenon

Architecture and Sculpture
Parthenon (temple) → not unique in style, built to honor Athena
Pericles entrusted much work to sculptor Phidias who created a 30 feet tall statue of Athena with many precious materials in the center of temple
Classical art: shows serenity on face and the grace of idealized human body in motion (ideal beauty), uses harmony, order, balance, and proportion

Drama and History
The Greeks invented drama and built the first theaters in the West
Theatrical productions in Athens were expression of civic pride and tribute to the gods
Wealthy citizens bore the cost of producing the plays

Tragedy and Comedy
Tragedy - a serious drama about common themes such as love, hate, war or betrayal
usually has an main character (tragic hero) with extraordinary abilities and the tragic flaw (excessive pride) caused his downfall
Dramatists:
Aeschylus 
- wrote more than 80 plays
- most famous work is the trilogy Oresteia (idea of justice)
Sophocles
- wrote more than 100 plays, including tragedies Oedipus the King and Antigone
Euripides
- author of the play Medea (often featured strong women)
Comedy - contained scenes filled with slapstick situations and crude humor, made fun of politics and respected people and ideas of the time
Dramatists:
Aristophanes
- wrote the first great comedies including The Birds and Lysistrata

History
No written records from the Dorian period
Herodotus - his book on the Persian Wars is considered the first work of history
Thucydides (Athenian) - the greatest historian of the classical age
believed that certain types of events and political situations recur over time → study history can help understand the present

Test Review 2

Key rivers and great civilization

Mesopotamia / Tigris and Euphrates Rivers

Egypt / Nile River

India / Indus River

China / Huang He River

Greece's geography

A mountainous peninsula (cover 3/4)

- developed small, independent communities (city-states)

difficult to unite because of the terrain

- had limited/poor natural resources → trade (olives)

- surrounded by water → had many skilled sailors and shipbuilders

Identify the following

- Aegean Sea

- Ionian Sea

- Adriatic Sea

- Peloponnesus

- Athens

- Sparta

- Crete

- Asia Minor

- Macedonia

Mycenaean

Dominated Greece from 1600-1100 BCE and controlled trade in the region

1400 BCE-  Mycenaeans invaded Crete and absorbed Minoan culture (writing system, language, art, politics, literature, religion)

Homer

A blind storyteller who composed the story of Trojan War

The Iliad - probably one of the last conquests of the Mycenaeans (the Trojan War)

The Odyssey (12,110 lines) - Odysseus attempts to return home after the Trojan War, being thwarted by the angry god of the sea, Poseidon

Government terms

- polis: fundamental political unit, made up of a city and the surrounding countryside

- monarchy: rule by a single person (a king, in Greece)

- aristocracy: rule by a small group of noble, very rich, landowning families

- oligarchy: wealthy groups, dissatisfied with aristocratic rule, who seized power (often with military help)

- tyrant: powerful individual who seized control by appealing to the common people for support

Aristocracy

Aristocrats attended symposiums, meetings where the elite men would enjoy wine and poetry, performances by dancers and acrobats, and the company of hetaeras (courtesans) while discussing politics

Leaders

Draco:

- all citizens are equal under the law

- death is the punishment

- debt slavery

draconian - very severe or cruel

Solon:

- outlaw debt slavery

- all citizens can speak at the assembly

- all citizens can press charges against wrongdoers

Cleisthenes:

- all citizens can submit laws for debate at the assembly

- created Council of Five Hundred

Citizen: free adult male property owners born in Athens. No women, slaves, or foreigners

Fighting

The most powerful infantry: Sparta (boys were trained for way at seven)

The most powerful navy: Athens (trireme)

Phalanx (Athens)

- close-rank, dense grouping of warriors

- armed with long spears and interlocking shields

- soldiers would advance slowly toward the enemy, until they broke through their ranks