Ancient Greece: How Did The Greeks Shape Our Culture?

Ancient Greece 1900–133 B.C.
Section 1 Early Civilizations in Greece

Section 2 The Greek City-States
Section 3 Classical Greece
Section 4 The Culture of Classical Greece
Section 5 Alexander and the Hellenistic Era
MAKING CONNECTIONS
How did the Greeks shape
our culture?
When you go to a theater, laugh at a comedy, or cry at a tragedy,
you are using words and ideas from ancient Greece. Theaters, like the
one in Taormina, Italy, shown here, were carved out of hillsides and
had such good acoustics that audiences of up to 14,000 could hear
the actors and chorus. In this chapter you will learn how the Greeks
continue to influence our culture today.
• What impact did the Mediterranean climate have on
Greek buildings?
• How do our stadiums and theaters resemble Greek theaters?
c. 1900 B.C. 776 B.C.

Peak of Minoan First Olympic
civilization Games held
THE WORLD
1900 B.C. 1500 B.C. 1000 B.C.
c. 1500 B.C.
King Agamemnon
ruled Mycenae
104
Archivo Iconografico, S.A./CORBIS, Peter Barritt/Alamy Images
WH
O? AT?
WH
Organizing Review the
499 – 479 B.C. 323 B.C. text for information about Alex
a
the nder
The tic
is
Persian Wars the Hellenistic Era and Grea Hellen
Death of then create a Shutter
t Era
Alexander Fold to organize facts
the Great about the era and
Alexander the Great.
133 B.C.
500 B.C. 431– 404 B.C.

Height of Spartans fought Athenians
Classical Greece in the Peloponnesian War (ISTORY /.,).%
Chapter Overview—Visit glencoe.com to preview Chapter 4.
Peter Barritt/Alamy Images, (t) Art Archive/Eton College/Dagli Orti, (b) Museum of Fine Arts, Houston/Bridgeman Art Library
Early Civilizations in Greece
During the third millennium B.C., the island of Crete was
GUIDE TO READING home to the most advanced civilization in Europe. Although
The BIG Idea Minoan Crete was not Greek; it did have some influence on the
Physical Geography The earliest Greek first Greek state. The story of ancient Greek civilization begins
civilizations that appeared in the second millennium
when a group of Greek-speaking Indo-European people moved
B.C. were influenced by their physical environment.
into Greece around 1900 B.C. The Mycenaens provided the
Content Vocabulary inspiration for Homer’s epics and paved the way for the
• epic poem (p. 111) • arete (p. 111)
political and cultural developments of Greece in the first
millennium B.C.
Academic Vocabulary
• participate (p. 106) • debated (p. 109)
People, Places, and Events

The Impact of Geography
• Aegean Sea (p. 107) • Minoans (p. 108)
The mountains that divided Greece led to cultural and political divi-
• Black Sea (p. 107) • Mycenaeans (p. 109)
sions between Greeks. However, the seas linked Greece to the rest of the world.
• Bronze Age (p. 108) • Homer (p. 109)
• Crete (p. 108) • Ionia (p. 110) HISTORY & YOU How does the physical geography of your town influence life in
your community? What physical features affect your everyday life? Read about the
effects of geography on development of Greek civilization.
Reading Strategy
Compare and Contrast As you read,
create a diagram like the one below to help you
Geography played an important role in the development of
study the Minoan and Mycenaean civilizations.
Greek civilization. Compared with the landmasses of Mesopota-
mia and Egypt, Greece occupies a small area. It consists of a
mountainous peninsula and numerous islands that encompass
Minoan Mycenaean about 50,000 square miles (about 129,500 square km) of terri-
Civilization Civilization
tory—about the size of the state of Louisiana. The mountains and
the sea played especially significant roles in the development of
Greek history.
Mountains
Two peninsulas make up much of the Greek landmass. The
Isthmus of Corinth connects the Peloponnese peninsula to the
mainland. About 80 percent of Greece is mountainous. Olympus
is the highest peak in the Pindus Mountains, which divide the
mainland. Much of Greece consists of small plains and river val-
leys surrounded by high mountain ranges from 8,000 to 10,000
feet (2,438 to 3,048 m) high. These mountains isolated Greeks from
one another, causing different Greek communities to develop their
own ways of life.
Over a period of time, these communities became fiercely inde-
pendent. It is probable that the small size of these independent
communities encouraged people to participate in political affairs.
On the other hand, the rivalry between the communities led to
warfare that devastated Greek society.
106
THE IMPACT OF GEOGRAPHY
40°N
EUROPE
Mount Troy
Olympus
25°E 30°E
Ae
Greek settled area
ge
20°E
an
GREECE ASIA MINOR
Ionian
Se
Sea
a
Athens
Mycenae
N
Miletus
W E
S
0 50 100 kilometers
Thera
0 50 100 miles Rhodes
Me Lambert Azimuthal Equal-Area projection
dite
rran
ean Knossos
35°N
Sea Crete
The physical geography of Greece had a

major impact on the development of Greek
civilization.
1. Human-Environment Interaction How
has Greece’s geography affected settle-
ment patterns?
2. Regions Using the map, discuss what
might account for differences in the
cultures of Mycenae and Troy.
Seas west, south, and east of the Greek main-

The sea also influenced the evolution of land. Surrounded by water, it was no acci-
Greek society. The Aegean, Mediterranean, dent that the Greeks became seafarers.
and Ionian Seas make up the eastern, They sailed out into the Aegean Sea, the
southern, and western borders of Greece. Mediterranean Sea, and the Black Sea,
Its location on a peninsula gives Greece a making contact with the outside world.
long seacoast dotted by bays and inlets Later they established several colonies
that provided many harbors. Although that spread Greek civilization throughout
Greece is small, it has an 8,500 mile (13,700 the Mediterranean world.
km) coastline. In fact, no part of the Greek
mainland is more than 60 miles (100 km) ✓Reading Check Explaining What role did the
from a body of water. The ancient Greeks mountains and the sea play in the development of
also lived on a number of islands to the Greek history?
CHAPTER 4 Ancient Greece 107

Andre Jenny/Alamy Images
Minoans and Mycenaeans Minoan Civilization
Arthur Evans, the English archaeologist
The Mycenaeans created the first who first discovered the civilization, named
Greek civilization. it after Minos, the legendary king of Crete,
HISTORY & YOU What do buildings say about soci- because some of its structures were similar
ety? Read about the Minoan and Mycenaean cultures. to the labyrinth that King Minos was said
to have built. At the beginning of the twen-
tieth century, Evans discovered an enor-
By 2800 b.c., a Bronze Age civilization mous palace complex on Crete at Knossos
had been established on the island of Crete. (NAH•suhs). The remains of this complex
Called the Minoan civilization, it flourished revealed a rich culture, with Knossos as the
from 2700 to 1450 b.c. The Minoans were center of a far-ranging sea empire based on
not Greek, but they did influence the peo- trade. The ships of the Minoans took them
ples of the Greek mainland. to Egypt as well as southern Greece.
The Palace at Knossos
At the Palace at Knossos, Arthur

Porticoes—open, columned Evans discovered evidence of Linear B,
walkways—connected various the oldest surviving writing in the Greek
sections of the palace, which dialect known as Mycenaean. Evans
had up to four stories. wrote about Europe’s earliest literate
civilization.
Brightly colored murals
“The clay archives found in the
decorated the walls.
Palace of Knossos and elsewhere have
proved that the prehistoric Cretan had
already, a thousand years before the
appearance of the first written record of
Classical Greece, passed through every
stage in the evolution of a highly devel-
oped system of script.
There is evidence of a simple picto-
graphic stage, and a conventionalized
hieroglyphic system growing out of it. . . .”
—Arthur J. Evans
The ruins of the palace extend over 700,000 square

feet (65,000 sq. m). Housing 5,000 people, the
complex served as residence, warehouse, and
religious center.
1. Describing What purposes did the Palace at
Knossos serve?
Located on a hilltop above the port, the
2. Making Inferences What does Evans believe
palace featured a grand staircase. his discovery of Linear B at Knossos proves?
Roger Wood/CORBIS
There, they traded finely crafted pottery the walls of these complexes, the civilian
and gold and silver jewelry from Crete for populations lived scattered outside the
other goods. Trade also helped the Mino- walls. Among the noticeable features of
ans improve the goods they produced: they these Mycenaean centers were the tombs
drew inspiration from techniques and where members of the royal families were
designs from objects from other lands. buried. Known as tholos tombs, they were
Although the Minoans built palaces on built into hillsides. An entryway led into a
several sites in Crete, the palace at Knossos circular tomb chamber constructed of cut
was the royal seat of the kings. This elabo- stone blocks in a domed shape that resem-
rate building included numerous private bled a beehive.
living rooms for the royal family and work- The Mycenaeans were, above all, a war-
shops for making decorated vases, ivory rior people who prided themselves on
figurines, and jewelry. Even bathrooms, their heroic deeds in battle. Mycenaean
with elaborate drains, formed part of the wall murals often show war and hunting
complex. Rooms were decorated with scenes, the natural occupations of a war-
brightly colored paintings showing sport- rior aristocracy.
ing events and nature scenes. Storerooms Archaeological evidence also indicates
held gigantic jars of oil, wine, and grain that the Mycenaean monarchies developed
that were paid as taxes to the king. an extensive commercial network. Myce-
The centers of Minoan civilization on naean pottery has been found throughout
Crete suffered a sudden and catastrophic the Mediterranean area, in Syria and Egypt
collapse around 1450 b.c. Some historians to the east and Sicily and southern Italy to
believe that a tidal wave triggered by a the west. However, some historians believe
powerful volcanic eruption on the island that the Mycenaeans, led by Mycenae itself,
of Thera (THIHR•uh) was responsible for also spread outward militarily, conquering
the devastation. Most historians, however, Crete and making it part of the Mycenaean
believe that the destruction was the result world. Some of the Aegean islands also fell
of invasion by mainland Greeks known as subject to Mycenaean control.
the Mycenaeans (my•suh•NEE•uhnz). The most famous of all their supposed
military adventures is recounted in the
poetry of Homer. According to Homer,
Mycenae: The First Greek State Mycenaean Greeks, led by Agamemnon,
The term Mycenaean comes from Myce- king of Mycenae, sacked (plundered) the
nae (my•SEE•nee), a fortified site on the city of Troy on the northwestern coast of
Greek mainland that was first discovered Asia Minor around 1250 b.c.
by the German archaeologist Heinrich Did this event really occur? Ever since
Schliemann. Mycenae was one center in a the excavations of Schliemann, begun in
Mycenaean Greek civilization that flour- 1870, scholars have debated this question.
ished between 1600 b.c. and 1100 b.c. (See discussion of archaeological methods
The Mycenaean Greeks were part of the featured in Chapter 1.) Many believe that
Indo-European family of peoples who Homer’s account of the attack on Troy does
spread into Europe and Asia. One of these have a basis in fact.
groups entered Greece around 1900 b.c. By the late thirteenth century b.c., Myce-
and gradually gained control of the Greek naean Greece was showing signs of seri-
mainland. Mycenaean civilization, which ous trouble. Mycenaean states fought one
reached its high point between 1400 b.c. another, and major earthquakes caused
and 1200 b.c., was made up of powerful widespread damage. In the twelfth cen-
monarchies. Each resided in a fortified pal- tury b.c., new waves of Greek-speaking
ace center. Like Mycenae, these centers invaders moved into Greece from the
were built on hills and surrounded by north. By 1100 b.c., Mycenaean civilization
gigantic stone walls. The monarchies in had collapsed.
these various centers of power probably
formed a loose alliance of independent ✓Reading Check Explaining How was the
states. While the royal families lived within Mycenaean government organized?

Greeks in the Dark Age Ionian Greece), in modern-day Turkey.
Two other major groups of Greeks set-
Greek civilization was slow to recover tled in established parts of Greece. The
from the several centuries of instability that followed Aeolian Greeks of northern and central
the fall of the Mycenaeans. Greece colonized the large island of Lesbos
HISTORY & YOU How is a society’s view of its his- and the territory near the mainland. The
tory important to its success? Read about how Dorians established themselves in south-
Homer’s version of Greek history affected the Greeks. western Greece, especially in the Pelopon-
nese, as well as on some of the southern
Aegean islands, including Crete.
After the collapse of Mycenaean civiliza- In addition to agriculture, there was a
tion, Greece entered a difficult period in revival of some trade and economic activ-
which the population declined and food ity during the Dark Age. Iron replaced
production dropped. Historians call the bronze in weaponry, making weapons
period from approximately 1100 b.c. to 750 affordable for more people. Iron farming
b.c. the Dark Age, because few records of tools helped reverse the decline in food
what happened exist. Not until 850 b.c. did production.
farming revive. At the same time, the basis At some point in the eighth century b.c.,
for a new Greece was forming. the Greeks adopted the Phoenician alpha-
bet to give themselves a new system of
Changes of the Dark Age writing. By reducing all words to a combi-
During the Dark Age, many Greeks left nation of 24 letters (both consonants and
the mainland and sailed across the Aegean vowels) the Greeks made learning to read
Sea to various islands. Many went to the and write simpler. The work of Homer,
western shores of Asia Minor, a strip of ter- one of the great poets of all time, appeared
ritory that came to be called Ionia (or near the end of the Dark Age.
Art in the Dark Age
In the seventh century B.C.,

art began to take on a more
Eastern appearance as the
Greeks made contact with
civilizations in Asia. The
griffin’s head design on
pottery was found in
Greece as well as This statue shows a traveling musician
throughout Southwest Asia. and storyteller, or bard like Homer.
Some art from the Dark Age has survived, giving a hint of life
during that period.
1. Making Inferences Study these art objects. What conclu-
sion might you draw about life during the Dark Age?
From 1100-700 B.C., geometric patterns were typical
2. Drawing Conclusions What practical purpose do you of Greek pottery. This amphora, or two-handled jar,
think the object with the griffin’s head served? decorated graves near the Dipylon gate in Athens.
(l) The British Museum/Imagestate, (c) Erich Lessing/Art Resource, NY, (r) Visual Arts Library (London)/Alamy Images
Homer: Poet of the Dark Age
The Iliad and the Odyssey were the first great epic poems of
early Greece. An epic poem is a long poem that tells the
deeds of a great hero. The Iliad and the Odyssey were based
on stories that had been passed from generation to genera- Vocabulary
tion. Both poems are hundreds of pages long, but not 1. Explain the significance of: participate,
because they tried to preserve an entire account of history Aegean Sea, Black Sea, Bronze Age, Crete,
as earlier oral poets did. Instead, Homer focuses his imagina- Minoans, Mycenaeans, Homer, debated,
tion on the dramatic events of a few days of the Trojan War. Ionia, epic poem, arete.
Homer used stories of the Trojan War to compose the
Iliad and the Odyssey. The war is caused by Paris, a prince Main Ideas
of Troy. By kidnapping Helen, the wife of the king of the 2. Explain how the geography of Greece
Greek state of Sparta, Paris outrages all the Greeks. Under affected Greek development.
the leadership of the Spartan king’s brother, King Agamem- 3. List the troubles affecting Mycenaean
non, the Greeks attack Troy. Greece before its collapse.
Ten years later, the Greeks devise a plan to take the city.
4. Summarize the changes that occurred in
They trick the Trojans by building a huge hollow wooden
Greece during the Dark Ages. Record your
horse. The best Mycenaean soldiers hide inside the horse, answer in a chart like the one below.
while the rest board their ships and pretend to sail away.
The joyful Trojans, thinking themselves victorious, bring
the gift horse into the city. That night, the Greeks creep out
of the horse, slaughter the Trojan men, enslave the women Dark Ages
and children, and burn the city to the ground. The Iliad is
not so much the story of the war itself, however, as it is the
tale of the Greek hero Achilles (uh•KIH•leez) and how
the anger of Achilles led to disaster. Critical Thinking
5. BIG Idea Analyzing How did the
The Odyssey recounts the journeys of one of the Greek
Minoan and Mycenaean civilizations
heroes, Odysseus, after the fall of Troy, and his ultimate
provide order and security?
return to his wife. It has long been considered Homer’s
other masterpiece. Some scholars believe that it was com- 6. Evaluating Why was the Dark Age of
posed later than the Iliad. Greece considered “dark”?
Homer proved to be of great value to later Greeks. He 7. Analyzing Visuals Examine the mural on
did not so much record history; he created it. The Greeks page 108. What conclusions can you draw
looked on the Iliad and the Odyssey as true history and as about the Minoans’ environment from the
the works of one poet, Homer. These masterpieces gave colors and the content of the mural?
the Greeks an ideal past with a cast of heroes. The epics Explain your reasoning.
came to be used as basic texts for the education of genera-
tions of Greek males. As one ancient Athenian stated, “My Writing About History
father was anxious to see me develop into a good man . . . 8. Expository Writing What archaeological
and as a means to this end he compelled me to memorize evidence might support scholars’ differing
all of Homer.” views of the collapse of the Minoan and
The values Homer taught were courage and honor. A Mycenaean cultures? Explain your opinions
in a well-reasoned essay.
hero strives for excellence, which the Greeks called arete
(ahr•ah•TEE). Arete is won in a struggle or contest.
Through his willingness to fight, the hero protects his fam-
ily and friends, preserves his own honor and that of his
family, and earns his reputation. Homer gave to later gen-
erations of Greek males a model of heroism and honor. For
example, in an exciting description of men marching to
war, the Iliad taught students to be proud of their Greek
heritage and the actions of their heroic ancestors. (ISTORY /.,).%
For help with the concepts in this section of Glencoe World
✓Reading Check Summarizing Why is Homer thought to have History, go to glencoe.com and click Study Central.
created Greek history?
111
The Greek City-States
Greece slowly recovered during the late part of the Dark Age.
GUIDE TO READING Several Greek centers of trade established themselves during
The BIG Idea the ninth century B.C., and population growth in the following
Ideas, Beliefs, and century fueled a growth in agriculture. Increased trade
Values Differences between Athenian and stimulated craftwork and shipbuilding. Greek communities
Spartan values led to different forms of
government. were growing and gaining wealth.
Content Vocabulary
• polis (p. 112) • tyrant (p. 114) Polis: The Center of Greek Life
• acropolis (p. 112) • democracy (p. 114)
• agora (p. 112) • oligarchy (p. 114) The polis or city-state was the central focus of Greek life. The citi-
• hoplite (p. 113) • helot (p. 115) zens of a polis had defined rights and responsibilities, as well as a strong identity
and loyalty that kept the city-states divided.
• phalanx (p. 113) • ephor (p. 116)
HISTORY & YOU How is your community organized? Read about the organiza-
Academic Vocabulary tion of the Greek polis.
• assemble (p. 112) • implies (p. 114)
People and Places By 750 b.c., the city-state—or what the Greeks called a polis—
• Hellespont (p. 114) • Athens (p. 117) became the central focus of Greek life. Our word politics is derived
• Bosporus (p. 114) • Solon (p. 117) from the Greek word polis. In a physical sense, the polis was a
• Byzantium (p. 114) • Cleisthenes (p. 117) town, a city, or even a village, along with its surrounding country-
• Sparta (p. 115) side. The town, city, or village served as the center of the polis
where people could meet for political, social, and religious
Reading Strategy activities.
Categorizing Information As you
read, create a chart like the one below to help you
study. Identify the advantages and disadvantages of
Organization of the City-State
each of the three types of government used in
The main gathering place in the polis was usually a hill. At the
Greek city-states. top of the hill was a fortified area called an acropolis. The acropo-
lis served as a place of refuge during an attack and sometimes
Advantage Disadvantage came to be a religious center on which temples and public build-
Tyranny
ings were built. Below the acropolis was an agora, an open area
Democracy
that served as a place where people could assemble and as a
Oligarchy
market.
City-states varied greatly in size, from a few square miles to
a few hundred square miles. They also varied in population.
Athens had a population of more than 300,000 by the fifth century
b.c., but most city-states were much smaller, consisting of only a
few hundred to several thousand people.
Community of the City-State

The polis was, above all, a community of people who shared a
common identity and common goals. As a community, the polis
consisted of citizens with political rights (adult males), citizens
with no political rights (women and children), and noncitizens
112
Temples and public buildings were located
Polis: The Center of Greek Life
within the acropolis. The Parthenon, a temple
dedicated to the goddess Athena, is part of
the ancient Athenian Acropolis.
The Greek polis, or city-state, was
built near a rocky hill that could be
easily fortified and defended.
The acropolis, or fortified area,

provided a place of refuge for
people in times of war.
Ancient Athens was a powerful Greek

city-state, and is considered to be the
birthplace of Western civilization.
The agora, an open area in the polis, was used as a gathering
1. Describing Describe the location of place for people and as a marketplace. The Athenian agora is
the agora in relation to the Acropolis. located north of the Acropolis and is largely in ruins.
2. Drawing Conclusions Why were
temples and public buildings located
within the Acropolis?
(including agricultural laborers, slaves, also dominated the political life of their
and resident aliens). city-states.
Citizens had rights, but these rights were By 700 b.c., however, the military system
coupled with responsibilities. The Greek was based on hoplites, who were heavily
philosopher Aristotle argued that a citizen armed infantry soldiers, or foot soldiers.
did not belong just to himself or herself: Each carried a round shield, a short sword,
“We must rather regard every citizen as and a thrusting spear about 9 feet (2.7 m)
belonging to the state.” However, the loy- long. Hoplites went into battle as a unit,
alty that citizens had to their city-states marching shoulder to shoulder in a rectan-
had a negative side. City-states distrusted gular formation known as a phalanx. This
one another, and the division of Greece close formation created a wall of shields to
into fiercely patriotic, independent units protect the hoplites. As long as they kept
helped to bring about its ruin. their order, it was difficult for enemies to
As the polis developed, so too did a new harm them.
military system. In earlier times, nobles on
horseback fought wars in Greece. These ✓Reading Check Defining Describe the
aristocrats, who were large landowners, characteristics of a Greek city-state.

Alinari Archives/The Image Works
Greek Expansion would not willingly give up their political
power to the newly rich merchants.
The search for farmland and the
growth of trade resulted in colonization and the Tyranny in the City-States
spread of Greek culture and political ideas.
The creation of this new group of rich
HISTORY & YOU How does your community men fostered the rise of tyrants in the sev-
choose its leaders? Read about how new leaders enth and sixth centuries b.c. Tyrants were
came to power in Greek city-states. not necessarily oppressive or wicked, as
our word tyrant implies. Greek tyrants
Between 750 b.c. and 550 b.c., large num- were rulers who seized power by force
bers of Greeks left their homeland to settle from the aristocrats. They were unique in
in distant lands. A desire for good farm- Greek history, and in fact, the Greeks did
land and the growth of trade were impor- not have a word for them: the Greek term
tant factors in the people’s decisions to tyrannos was developed from another lan-
settle in new places. Each Greek colony guage, probably one from Asia Minor.
became a new polis, independent of the Support for the tyrants came from the
polis that had founded it. newly rich who had made their money in
trade and industry. These people were
hungry for the social prestige and political
Greek Colonies influence that aristocrats had denied them.
Across the Mediterranean, new Greek Poor peasants who were in debt to land-
colonies were established along the coast- holding aristocrats also supported the
lines of southern Italy, southern France, tyrants. Both the newly rich and the peas-
eastern Spain, and northern Africa west of ants were tired of aristocratic domination
Egypt. At the same time, to the north the of their city-states.
Greeks set up colonies in Thrace, where The tyrants gained power and kept it by
they sought good farmland to grow grains. using hired soldiers. Once in power, the
The Greeks also settled along the shores of tyrants tried to help the poor and launched
the Black Sea, setting up cities on the public works projects. They built new
Hellespont and the Bosporus straits. The marketplaces, temples, and walls. These
most notable of these cities was Byzantium efforts glorified the city but, more impor-
(buh•ZAN•shuhm), the site of what later tantly, increased the tyrants’ popularity.
became Constantinople and is now İstan- Despite their achievements, however, the
bul. In establishing these colonies, the tyrants eventually came to be seen as
Greeks spread their culture and political oppressive. The tyrants had fallen out of
ideas throughout the Mediterranean. favor by the end of the sixth century b.c.
Securing control of the straits and water- Greeks believed in the rule of law, and tyr-
ways between the Mediterranean and anny was an insult to that ideal.
Black Seas also gave the Greeks great eco- Although tyranny did not last, it played
nomic advantages. Colonization in these an important role in Greek history. The
prime port locations led to increased trade rule of the tyrants ended the rule of the
and industry. The Greeks on the mainland aristocrats in many city-states. The end of
exported pottery, wine, and olive oil. In tyranny then allowed many new people to
return, they received grains and metals participate in government. In some Greek
from the west and fish, timber, wheat, city-states, this led to the development of
metals, and slaves from the Black Sea democracy, which is government by the
region. people or rule of the many. Other city-
The expansion of trade and industry cre- states remained committed to government
ated a new group of wealthy individuals by an oligarchy, rule by the few.
in many of the Greek city-states. These
men wanted political power, but found it ✓Reading Check Evaluating What role did
difficult to gain because of the power of tyrants play in the development of Greek forms of
the ruling aristocrats. The landowners government?
114 SECTION 2 The Greek City-States

Two Rival City-States work for the Spartans. These captured
people were known as helots, a name
Sparta and Athens developed different derived from a Greek word for “capture.”
systems of government. To ensure control over the conquered hel-
ots, the Spartans made a conscious deci-
HISTORY & YOU How can strict rules affect peo-
ple? Read about the Spartans’ strict rules.
sion to create a military state.
Between 800 b.c. and 600 b.c., the lives of
Spartans were rigidly organized and tightly
The differences in the Greek city-states controlled —thus, our word spartan, mean-
can be understood by examining the two ing “highly self-disciplined.” Males spent
most famous and powerful city-states, their childhood learning military disci-
Sparta and Athens. pline. Then they enrolled in the army for
regular military service at age 20. Although
Sparta allowed to marry, they continued to live in
Like other Greek city-states, Sparta the military barracks until age 30. All meals
needed more land. Instead of starting new were eaten in public dining halls with fel-
colonies, as some states did, the Spartans low soldiers. Meals were simple: the
conquered the neighboring Laconians. famous Spartan black broth consisted of a
Later, beginning around 730 b.c., the piece of pork boiled in animal blood, salt,
Spartans undertook the conquest of neigh- and vinegar. A visitor who ate some of the
boring Messenia despite its larger size and black broth once remarked that he now
population. understood why Spartans were not afraid
After their conquest, the Messenians and to die. At 30, Spartan males were allowed
Laconians became serfs and were made to to vote in the assembly (to be discussed
GREEK COLONIES AND TRADE, 750–550 B.C.
N
10°W 0° 10°E Trade route
W Greece
EUROPE
E Greek colonies
40°
N S Po R.
e R
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Eb Massilia D a nu b ck
r Bla
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Ad
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ATLANTIC
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ITALY tic
ia
Corsica THRACE
OCEAN S ea Byzantium Tigris
Neapolis ASIA R.
Sardinia MINOR
Medite E uph r ate
Athens IONIA s
rra R.
ne Sicily Sparta
Carthage
a
Knossos
n
Syracuse Cyprus Tyre

Se Crete
a
Cyrene 30°N
1. Movement Analyze the relationship

between Greek trading routes and
Greek colonies. Arabian
N
Peninsula
0 300 600 kilometers ile
2. Location Find a map of the contem- AFRICA
Re
d
porary world. Name all the modern

R.
0 300 600 miles

Se
40°E
Lambert Azimuthal Equal-Area projection
a
countries where Greece had colonies.

20°E 30°E
later) and live at home, but they stayed in handed her son his shield, told him to
the army until the age of 60. come back carrying his shield or being
While their husbands lived in the bar- carried on it. In other words, he was not to
racks, Spartan women lived at home. drop his shield in retreat, but to be victori-
Because of this separation, Spartan women ous or to die bravely.
had greater freedom of movement and The Spartan government was an oligar-
greater power in the household than was chy headed by two kings, who led the Spar-
common elsewhere in Greece. Spartan tan army on its campaigns. A group of five
women were expected to remain fit to bear men, known as the ephors (EH•fuhrs),
and raise healthy children. were elected each year and were responsible
Many Spartan women upheld the strict for the education of youth and the conduct
Spartan values, expecting their husbands of all citizens. A council of elders, composed
and sons to be brave in war. The story is of the two kings and 28 citizens over the age
told of a Spartan mother who, as she of 60, decided on the issues that would be
Everyday Art in Athens
The Greeks made pottery for every

possible use. The best Greek pottery
came from Athens because the clay
found there was easy to bake in a kiln.
At first, the pottery was decorated with
geometric shapes. Later scenes from everyday life,
stories of the gods, wars, and Olympic events deco- The kylix was a type of two-handled
rated the pottery. Before 500 B.C., the pottery was drinking cup. Potters decorated the
red with figures that appeared black after they were inside and outside of the kylix.
baked. After 500 B.C., craftsmen discovered how to
create red figures on a black background.
The krater was a

wide-mouthed
mixing bowl used
to mix water with
wine—the most
popular beverage
with meals. A
special krater on
a stand was part
of the wedding
ceremony. This
red-figured krater
depicts the winner
of a music contest.
The amphora, a jar

to store wine, oil,
and grain, came in
all sizes. Winners
of athletic contests 1. Making Inferences Based on the infor-
in Athens won an mation provided, which pot was most
amphora filled with likely produced after 500 B.C.? Explain.
olive oil. This black-
figured amphora 2. Drawing Conclusions What conclusions
shows people can you draw about Greek life from the
gathering olives. scenes depicted on the pottery?
(t) Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens/SuperStock, (bl) Bridgeman Art Library/Getty Images, (br) Hulton Archive/Getty Images
presented to an assembly made up of male citizens. This
assembly did not debate; it only voted on the issues.
To make their new military state secure, the Spartans
turned their backs on the outside world. Foreigners, who
might have brought in new ideas, were discouraged from
visiting. Except for military reasons, Spartans were not Vocabulary
1. Explain the significance of: polis, acropolis,
allowed to travel abroad, where they might encounter
agora, assemble, hoplite, phalanx,
ideas dangerous to the stability of the state. Likewise, Hellespont, Bosporus, Byzantium, implies,
Spartan citizens were discouraged from studying philoso- tyrant, democracy, oligarchy, Sparta, helot,
phy, literature, or the arts. The art of war was the Spartan ephor, Athens, Solon, Cleisthenes.
ideal. All other arts were frowned upon.
Main Ideas
Athens 2. Summarize how the city-states’ military
system had changed by 700 B.C.
By 700 b.c., Athens had become a unified polis on the
peninsula of Attica. Early Athens was ruled by a king. By 3. Sequence the causes and effects of Greek
the seventh century b.c., however, Athens had become an colonization, trade, and industry. Create a
cause-and-effect sequence chart like the
oligarchy under the control of its aristocrats. These aristo-
one below to record your answer.
crats owned the best land and controlled political life. The
assembly of all the citizens had few powers.
Near the end of the seventh century b.c., Athens faced
political turmoil because of serious economic problems. 4. Explain the different political systems in
Many Athenian farmers were sold into slavery when they Athens and Sparta.
were unable to repay their debts to their aristocratic neigh-
bors. Over and over, there were cries to cancel the debts Critical Thinking
and give land to the poor. Civil war seemed likely. 5. Big Idea Making Generalizations
The ruling Athenian aristocrats reacted to this crisis in Discuss the ideas, beliefs, and values that
594 b.c. by giving full power to Solon, a reform-minded are implied in forms of government that
aristocrat. Solon canceled all land debts and freed people the Spartans and Athenians adopted.
who had fallen into slavery for debts. He refused, how- 6. Comparing and Contrasting In what
ever, to take land from the rich and give it to the poor. way(s) is Athenian democracy similar to
Despite Solon’s reforms aristocrats were still powerful and American democracy? In what way(s) is it
poor peasants could not obtain land. Internal strife finally different?
led to the very thing Solon had hoped to avoid—tyranny. 7. Analyzing Visuals Examine the
Peisistratus (pih•SIHS•truh•tuhs), an aristocrat, seized photograph of the Acropolis on page 113 of
power in 560 b.c. He then aided Athenian trade as a way your text. Why do you think the Athenians
of pleasing the merchants. He also gave aristocrats’ land to decided to place their important buildings
the peasants in order to gain the favor of the poor. on top of a hill?
The Athenians rebelled against Peisistratus’s son, who
had succeeded him, and ended the tyranny in 510 b.c. Writing About History
Two years later, with the backing of the Athenian people, 8. Descriptive Writing Imagine that you are a
Cleisthenes (KLYS•thuh•neez), another reformer, gained 25-year-old male living in Sparta in 700 B.C.
Create a diary in which you record your
the upper hand.
activities for one week. Write one diary
Cleisthenes created a council of 500 that supervised for- page for each day.
eign affairs, oversaw the treasury, and proposed laws. The
Athenian assembly, composed of male citizens, was given
final authority to pass laws after free and open debate.
Because the assembly now had the central political role,
the reforms of Cleisthenes created the foundations for
Athenian democracy.
(ISTORY /.,).%
✓Reading Check Contrasting How was a Spartan man’s life History, go to glencoe.com and click Study Central.
different from an Athenian man’s?
117
Classical Greece
Classical Greece is the name give to the period of Greek
GUIDE TO READING history from around 500 B.C. to the conquest of Greece by the
The BIG Idea Macedonian king Philip II in 338 B.C. This period was marked
Competition Between Countries not only by a brilliant culture but also by a disastrous war
Athens’s growing power led to conflict with Sparta.
among the Greeks, the Peloponnesian War.
Content Vocabulary
• Age of Pericles (p. 121)
• direct democracy (p. 121)
The Challenge of Persia
• ostracism (p. 121)
The Greek states of Athens and Sparta formed alliances to defeat
the Persian invaders.
Academic Vocabulary
• classical (p. 121) • strategy (p. 123) HISTORY & YOU What are some stories of American soldiers’ bravery and strug-
gle in combat? Read about the Greek forces in battle.
People and Places
• Asia Minor (p. 118) • Delos (p. 121)
• Darius (p. 118) • Pericles (p.121) As the Greeks spread throughout the Mediterranean, they came
• Xerxes (p. 118) • Thebes (p. 123) in contact with the Persian Empire to the east. The Ionian Greek
• Delian League (p. 121) • Macedonia (p. 123) cities in western Asia Minor had fallen to the Persian Empire by
the mid-sixth century b.c. In 499 b.c., an unsuccessful revolt by the
Reading Strategy Ionian cities—assisted by the Athenian navy—led the Persian ruler
Organizing Information As you read, Darius to seek revenge. It is said that Darius ordered one of his slaves
create a concept map like the one below to help to say to him at every meal, “Sire, remember the Athenians.”
you study. Identify the elements that contributed to In 490 b.c., the Persians landed on the plain of Marathon, only
the classical age of Greece. 26 miles (42 km) from Athens. There, an outnumbered Athenian
army attacked and defeated the Persians decisively. The Persians
Classical Age of Greece
returned to Asia. According to legend, news of Persia’s defeat was
brought by an Athenian runner named Pheidippides, who raced
from Marathon to Athens. With his last breath, he announced,
“Victory, we win,” before dropping dead. Today’s marathon race
is based on this heroic story. Although the Battle of Marathon was
a minor defeat to the Persians, to the Athenians it proved that the
Persians could be beaten and gave them new confidence in their
city-state.
After Darius died in 486 b.c., Xerxes (ZUHRK•seez) became
the new Persian monarch. Xerxes vowed revenge and planned to
invade Greece. In preparation for the attack, some of the Greek
states formed a defensive league under the Spartans. The Athe-
nians, however, followed a new military policy insisted on by
Themistocles, one of the Athenian leaders, and built a navy. By
the time the Persians invaded in 480 b.c., the Athenians had a fleet
of about 200 vessels.
Xerxes led a massive invasion force into Greece. His forces
included about 180,000 troops and thousands of warships and
supply vessels. In spite of their differences, Athenians, Spartans,
and other Greeks were united by a common goal of defeating the
118
PERSIAN WARS, 499–479 B.C.
N
25°E 30°E
Black Sea
EUROPE W E
S
Byzantium
Sea of
20°E Marmara
40°N
480 B.C. 7,000 Greeks, led by the

Spartans, hold off 180,000 Persians
for two days before falling. ASIA
490 B.C. Athenian army wins MINOR
decisive victory over Persian army.
Ionian
Thermopylae
Sea
Marathon Sardis
Plataea
479 B.C. Greeks defeat remaining
Persian forces, ending the war. Aegean
Salamis
Sea
Athens Miletus
480 B.C. Greek fleet defeats Persian navy.
Sparta
Mediterranean Sea
480 B.C. Persians sack and burn Athens. Rhodes
Greek city-states
Rebellious Ionian city-states
Crete Neutral states
35°N
Persian Empire
Persian vassal state
1. Movement How did the strategy of Darius’ route: Persian fleet, 490 B.C.
the first Persian campaign differ from 0 50 100 kilometers Xerxes’ route: Persian army, 480 B.C.
the second Persian campaign? 0 50 100 miles Xerxes’ route: Persian fleet, 480 B.C.
2. Location What do the locations of Lambert Azimuthal Equal-Area projection Persian battle victory
the major battles have in common? Greek battle victory
Why do you think this is?
Persian invaders. The Greeks tried to delay The Athenians, now threatened by the
the Persians at the pass of Thermopylae, arrival of Persian forces, abandoned their
along the main road into central Greece. A city. Near the island of Salamis, the Greek
Greek force of about 7,000 held off the Per- fleet, though outnumbered, managed to
sian army for two days. The 300 Spartans in defeat the Persians. A few months later,
the Greek army were especially brave. early in 479 b.c., the Greeks formed the
When told that Persian arrows would largest Greek army up to that time and
darken the sky in battle, one Spartan defeated the Persian army at Plataea
responded, “That is good news. We will (pluh•TEE•uh), northwest of Athens.
fight in the shade!” Unfortunately, a traitor
told the Persians how to use a mountain ✓Reading Check Identifying What did victory
path to outflank the Greek force. over the Persians cost the Greeks?

PERICLES EXPANDS
ATHENIAN DEMOCRACY
Pericles was a prominent political leader in
Athens from 461 B.C. to 429 B.C. During this
time, he expanded Athenian democracy to
enable all citizens to play a role in government.
In his famous speech, the Funeral Oration,
given to honor those who perished in Athens’s
war with Sparta, Pericles describes the Greek
ideal of democracy:
“Our constitution does not copy the
laws of neighboring states; we are rather
a pattern to others than imitators
ourselves. Its administration favors the
many instead of the few; this is why it is
called a democracy. If we look to the laws,
they afford equal justice to all in their
private differences; if no social standing,
advancement in public life falls to
reputation for capacity, class considerations
not being allowed to interfere with merit;
nor again does poverty bar the way. . . .
The freedom which we enjoy in our
government extends also to our ordinary
life. . . . [W]e do not feel called upon to be
angry with our neighbor for doing what
he likes. . . . But all this ease in our private
relations does not make us lawless as
citizens. Against this fear is our chief
safeguard, teaching us to obey the
magistrates and the laws. . . . Pericles, here giving his famous
—Pericles, as quoted in History of the Funeral Oration, encouraged all
Peloponnesian War, Book 2, Thucydides citizens to participate in the
government of Athens.
Comparing Democratic Systems

ATHENIAN DEMOCRACY MODERN U.S. DEMOCRACY
• U.S. population =
• Athenian population =
300,000,000
250,000
Scale • Number of adult citizens
• Number of adult males The Greeks laid the political foundations
eligible to vote =
eligible to vote = 43,000 of Western civilization through their
203,000,000
democratic ideals.
Representative—officials are
Direct—all men voted on all 1. Analyzing According to Pericles, how
Participation elected to speak for the
issues of government does one advance in public life?
people
2. Comparing How do participation and
Only adult male citizens of All adult male and female eligibility in Athenian democracy differ
Eligibility Athens were eligible to citizens of the United States from participation and eligibility in
participate. are eligible to vote. modern U.S. democracy?
120 SECTION 3 Classical Greece

Time Life Pictures/Getty Images
The Athenian Empire A large body of city officials ran the
government on a daily basis. Ten officials,
During the Age of Pericles, Athens or generals, directed policy. The generals
became the center of Greek culture. could be reelected, so individual leaders
could play an important political role.
HISTORY & YOU What are your rights in society?
Read about life in Greece during the Age of Pericles.
Athenians devised the practice of
ostracism to protect against ambitious pol-
iticians. On a pottery fragment (ostrakon),
After the defeat of the Persians, Athens members of the assembly could write the
took over the leadership of the entire Greek name of a person they considered harmful.
world. In 478 b.c., the Athenians formed a A person named by at least 6,000 members
defensive alliance against the Persians was banned from the city for 10 years.
known as the Delian League. Its main Under Pericles, Athens became the cen-
headquarters was on the island of Delos. ter of Greek culture. Since the Persian
However, its chief officials, including the Wars had destroyed much of the city,
treasurers and commanders of the fleet, Pericles began a massive rebuilding pro-
were Athenian. Under Athenian leader- gram with new temples and statues that
ship, the Delian League pursued the attack signified the greatness of Athens. Art,
against the Persian Empire, eventually lib- architecture, and philosophy flourished.
erating virtually all of the Greek states in Pericles proudly called Athens the “school
the Aegean from Persian control. In of Greece.”
454 b.c., the Athenians moved the treasury
of the league from the island of Delos to
Athens on the mainland. By controlling
Daily Life in Classical Athens
the Delian League, Athens had created By the fifth century b.c., Athens had the
an empire. largest population of the Greek city-states.
Under Pericles, a dominant figure in Before the plague in 430 b.c., there were
Athenian politics between 461 and 429 b.c., about 150,000 citizens living in Athens.
Athens expanded its empire abroad while About 43,000 of them were adult males
democracy flourished at home. This period with political power. Most residents of
of classical Athenian and Greek history, Athens were not citizens. Foreigners living
which historians have called the Age of in Athens, who numbered about 35,000,
Pericles, saw the height of Athenian power received the protection of the laws. They
and brilliance. were also subject to some of the responsi-
bilities of citizens—military service and
the funding of festivals. Slaves numbered
The Age of Pericles around 100,000.
By creating a direct democracy, Pericles Slavery was common in the ancient
expanded the involvement of Athenians in world. Most people in Athens—except the
their democracy. In such a system, every very poor—owned at least one slave. The
male citizen participates directly in gov- very wealthy might own large numbers.
ernment decision making through mass Those who did usually employed them in
meetings. In Athens, every male citizen industry. Most often, slaves worked in the
participated in the governing assembly fields or in the home as cooks and maids.
and voted on all major issues. Some slaves were owned by the state and
Every ten days the assembly met on a worked on public construction projects.
hillside east of the Acropolis. The assem-
bly passed all laws, elected public officials,
and made decisions concerning war and Economy and Society
foreign policy. Anyone attending the The Athenian economy was largely based
assembly could speak, but usually only on farming and trade. Athenians grew grains,
respected leaders did so. Pericles made it vegetables, and fruit for local use. Grapes
possible for poor citizens to take part in and olive trees were cultivated for wine and
public affairs by paying officeholders. olive oil, which were used locally and also

PELOPONNESIAN WAR, 431–404 B.C.
20°E 25°E
THRACE
422 B.C. Sea of Marmara
M A C EDON IA 410 B.C. 30°E
Hellesont Aegospotami
40°N 429 B.C. 405 B.C.
PERSIAN
411 B.C. EMPIRE
0 50 100 kilometers
Aegean 0 50 100 miles

Ionian Sea 406 B.C. Lambert Azimuthal
Equal-Area projection
Sea
424 B.C. IONIA Sardis
Thebes
N 407 B.C. Bronze helmet and breastplate
Corinth
Athens from the time of the
W
418 B.C.
E
Miletus Peloponnesian War
S Peloponnesus Delos
425 B.C. Sparta
Sparta and allies Mediterranean Sea Rhodes 1. Place Analyze the pattern of alliances.
Athens and allies
What geographical factors affected the
ways in which the states were allied?
Neutral states Crete
Spartan victory 35°N
2. Regions From a geographic standpoint,
Athenian victory
which side, Sparta or Athens, had an
advantage in the war? Explain your answer.
exported. Athenians raised sheep and goats An Athenian woman was expected to be a
for wool, milk, and dairy products. good wife. Her chief obligation was to bear
Because of the number of people and children, especially male children who
the lack of fertile land, Athens had to would preserve the family line. She was also
import from 50 to 80 percent of its grain, a expected to take care of her family and her
basic item in the Athenian diet. This meant house. She either did the housework herself
that trade was highly important to the or supervised the slaves who did the work.
Athenian economy. The building of a port Women were strictly controlled. Women
at nearby Piraeus (py•REE•uhs) helped could not own property other than personal
Athens become the leading trade center in items. They always had a male guardian: if
the fifth-century b.c. Greek world. unmarried, a father; if married, a husband;
The family was an important institution if widowed, a son or male relative. Because
in ancient Athens. It was composed of a they married at 14 or 15, girls learned their
husband, wife, and children, although responsibilities early. Their mothers taught
Athenians also regarded other dependent them how to run a home, including how to
relatives and even slaves as parts of their spin and weave cloth. Although many
families. The family’s primary function was learned to read and to play musical instru-
to produce new citizens by having children. ments, girls were not provided with any
Women who were citizens could take part formal education. Women did not work
in most religious festivals but otherwise outside the home unless they were poor.
were excluded from public life. They were Then they could only work at unskilled
expected to remain at home, out of sight in jobs, not skilled trades.
special quarters, unless attending funerals
or festivals. If they left the house, women ✓Reading Check Examining What was the
had to have a companion. family’s most important role?
122 SECTION 3 Classical Greece

Erich Lessing/Art Resource, NY
The Great Peloponnesian War
The creation of an Athenian empire led to tensions with
Sparta and, eventually, war.
HISTORY & YOU How can differences between societies lead to con- Vocabulary
flict? Read to learn about the war between Sparta and Athens. 1. Explain the significance of: Asia Minor,
Darius, Xerxes, Delian League, Delos,
Pericles, classical, Age of Pericles, direct
After the defeat of the Persians, the Greek world came to democracy, ostracism, Thebes, Macedonia,
strategy.
be divided into two major camps: the Athenian Empire
and Sparta and its supporters. Athens and Sparta had built
two very different kinds of societies, and neither state was Main Ideas
able to tolerate the other’s system. Sparta and its allies 2. Specify the cause of the Persian attacks
feared the growing Athenian Empire, and a series of dis- on Athens.
putes finally led to the outbreak of the Great Pelopon- 3. Organize information about Athens’s
nesian War in 431 b.c. population to create a circle graph showing
At the beginning of the war, both sides believed they the ratio of citizens, foreigners, and slaves
had winning strategies. The Athenians planned to remain in classical Athens.
behind the city’s protective walls and receive supplies
from their colonies and navy. The Spartans and their allies
surrounded Athens, hoping that the Athenians would
Foreigners Slaves
send out their army to fight beyond the walls. Pericles
knew, however, that the Spartan forces could beat the
Athenians in open battles. The Athenians had a better Citizens
navy, but the Spartans had a stronger army. Pericles also
believed that Athens was secure behind its walls, so the
Athenians stayed put. 4. Identify which states struggled for power
In the first winter of the war, the Athenians held a public after the Great Peloponnesian War.
funeral to honor those who had died in combat. Pericles
spoke about the greatness of Athens and the strength of its Critical Thinking
political system. (Read more on page 120.) 5. BIG Idea Analyzing How might
In the second year of the war, a plague broke out in the the Athenians’ leadership of the Delian
overly crowded city of Athens. The plague killed more League have contributed to the Great
than a third of the people. Pericles himself died the follow- Peloponnesian War?
ing year (429 b.c.). Despite these severe losses, the Athen- 6. Analyzing Visuals Examine the image of
ians fought on in a struggle that lasted for about another Pericles giving the Funeral Oration during
25 years. the Peloponnesian War on page 120.
A crushing blow to the Athenians came in 405 b.c., when Describe the crowd’s reaction to their
their fleet was destroyed at Aegospotami (ee•guh• leader’s speech.
SPAH•tuh•mee) on the Hellespont. Within the next year,
Athens surrendered. Its walls were torn down, the navy Writing About History
disbanded, and the Athenian Empire destroyed. The great 7. Descriptive Writing Write three short
war was finally over. journal entries about a particular day or
The Great Peloponnesian War weakened the major event. Write one entry from the perspective
of an Athenian male citizen, one as a
Greek states and ruined any possibility of cooperation
female citizen, and one as a slave,
among them. During the next 66 years, Sparta, Athens,
contrasting their daily lives.
and Thebes (a new Greek power) struggled to dominate
Greek affairs. In continuing their petty wars, the Greeks
ignored the growing power of Macedonia to their north.
This oversight would cost them their freedom. (ISTORY /.,).%
✓Reading Check Explaining How did the Great Peloponnesian History, go to glencoe.com and click Study Central.
War weaken the Greek states?
123
The Culture of Classical Greece
Classical Greece, especially Athens under Pericles’ rule,
GUIDE TO READING witnessed a period of remarkable intellectual and cultural
The BIG Idea growth that became the main source of Western culture.
Ideas, Beliefs, and Values Ideas Aristotle, Socrates, and Plato established the foundations of
from the classical age of Greece helped to shape
Western philosophy.
Western civilization.
Content Vocabulary
• ritual (p. 124) • philosophy (p. 128)
Greek Religion
• oracle (p. 124) • Socratic method Greek religion was fundamental to Greek society and is remem-
• tragedy (p. 126) (p. 129)
bered today for the Olympic Games and Greek drama, which were part of religious
festivals.
Academic Vocabulary HISTORY & YOU What is the role of religion in your society’s government? Read
• ethics (p. 129) • method (p. 129)
about religious practices in Greece.
People and Places

• Olympus (p. 124) • Thucydides (p. 127) Religion affected every aspect of Greek life. Greeks considered
• Delphi (p. 124) • Pythagoras (p. 128) religion necessary to the well-being of the state. Temples dedicated
• Aeschylus (p. 126) • Sophists (p. 129) to gods and goddesses were the major buildings in Greek cities.
• Sophocles (p. 126) • Socrates (p. 129) Homer described the gods worshiped in the Greek religion.
• Euripides (p. 126) • Plato (p. 129) Twelve chief gods and goddesses were thought to live on Olympus,
• Herodotus (p. 127) • Aristotle (p. 130) the highest mountain in Greece. Among the twelve were Zeus, the
chief god and father of the gods; Athena, goddess of wisdom and
Reading Strategy crafts; Apollo, god of the sun and poetry; Artemis, the sister of
Summarizing Information As you Apollo, who was goddess of the moon and of the hunt; Ares, god
read, create a chart like the one below to help you of war; Aphrodite, goddess of love; and Poseidon, brother of Zeus
study. Identify the major Greek contributions to and god of the seas and earthquakes.
Western civilization. Greek religion did not have a body of doctrine, nor did it focus
on morality. The spirits of most people, regardless of what they
had done in life, went to a gloomy underworld ruled by the god
Major Greek Hades. Because the Greeks wanted the gods to look favorably
Contributions upon their activities, rituals became important. Rituals are cere-
monies or rites. Greek religious rituals involved prayers often
combined with gifts to the gods based on the principle “I give so
that you [the gods] will give [in return].”
Festivals also developed as a way to honor the gods and god-
desses. Certain festivals were held at special locations, such as
those dedicated to the worship of Zeus at Olympia or to Apollo at
Delphi. Numerous events, including athletic games, took place in
honor of the gods at the Greek festivals. The first such games were
held at the Olympic festival in 776 b.c.
The Greeks also had a great desire to learn the will of the gods.
To do so, they made use of the oracle, a sacred shrine where a god
or goddess revealed the future through a priest or priestess. The
most famous was the oracle of Apollo at Delphi, located on the side
of Mount Parnassus overlooking the Gulf of Corinth. At Delphi, a
124
Greek Religion
The deities of ancient Greece were

part of everyday life. Every village and
town was dedicated to a god or god-
dess. The Greeks said prayers, made
offerings, and took part in religious fes-
tivals to honor these deities. The best-
known gods were part of a “family” of
gods, headed by Zeus.
The Parthenon has Doric columns—

the oldest style of Greek columns.
Pericles commissioned the Parthenon as
a temple to Athena. Inside was a 38 foot
(12 m) statue called the Athena Parthenos.
Olympian Gods
GOD/GODDESS ROLE
Zeus King of gods
Hera Wife of Zeus; goddess of marriage
Poseidon God of sea, earthquakes, and horses
Hestia Goddess of home and family
Hades God of the underworld
1. Identifying Who ordered the con- Athena Goddess of wisdom and crafts
struction of the Parthenon?
Aphrodite Goddess of love and beauty
2. Analyzing information What do
stories about gods and goddesses Ares God of war
tell us about Greek life? Apollo God of music and the arts
priestess, thought to be inspired by Apollo, if Croesus attacked the Persians, he would

listened to questions. Her responses were destroy a mighty empire. Overjoyed to
then interpreted by priests and given in hear these words, Croesus made war on
verse form to the persons asking the ques- the Persians but was crushed by his enemy.
tions. Representatives of states and individ- A mighty empire—that of Croesus—was
uals traveled to Delphi to consult the oracle destroyed!
of Apollo. Although Greek religion is no longer
The responses provided by the priests practiced, it was the source of most Greek
and priestesses were often puzzling and drama and art. Not only did the Romans
could be interpreted in more than one way. adopt the Greek gods, but many stories
For example, Croesus (KREE•suhs), king and references about Greek gods appear in
of Lydia and known for his incredible European and American literature.
wealth, sent messengers to the oracle at
Delphi asking “whether he shall go to war ✓Reading Check Describing In what ways did
with the Persians.” The oracle replied that the Greeks honor their gods and goddesses?

Bridgeman Art Library
Classical Greek Arts Greek sculpture also developed a classical
style. Lifelike statues of the male nude, the
and Literature favorite subject of Greek sculptors, showed
relaxed attitudes. Their faces were self-
Greece produced groundbreaking art assured, their bodies smooth and muscled.
and literature that is still considered relevant. Classical Greek sculptors did not seek to
HISTORY & YOU What forms of art and literature achieve realism, however, but rather a stan-
are popular in your society? Read about Greek art dard of ideal beauty. Polyclitus (pah•lih•
and literature. KLY•tuhs), a fifth-century sculptor, wrote
down systematic rules for proportions that
he illustrated in a work known as the Dory-
The arts of the Western world have been phoros. His theory maintained that the use
largely dominated by the standards set by of ideal proportions, based on mathemati-
the Greeks of the classical period. Classical cal ratios found in nature, could produce
Greek art was concerned with expressing an ideal human form.
eternal ideals. The subject matter of this art
was the human being, presented as an
object of great beauty. The classic style, Drama
with its ideals of reason, moderation, bal- Drama as we know it in Western culture
ance, and harmony in all things, was meant was created by the Greeks. Plays were pre-
to civilize the emotions. sented in outdoor theaters as part of reli-
gious festivals. The first Greek dramas
were tragedies, which were presented in a
Architecture and Sculpture trilogy—a set of three plays—built around
In architecture, the most important form a common theme. The only complete tril-
was the temple, dedicated to a god or ogy we possess today, called the Oresteia,
goddess. At the center of Greek temples was composed by Aeschylus. This set of
were walled rooms that housed both the three plays relates the fate of Agamemnon,
statues of deities and treasuries in which a hero in the Trojan War, and his family
gifts to the gods and goddesses were safe- after his return from the war. In the plays,
guarded. These central rooms were sur- evil acts are shown to breed evil acts and
rounded by a screen of columns that made suffering. In the end, however, reason tri-
Greek temples open structures rather than umphs over the forces of evil.
closed ones. The columns were originally Sophocles was another great Athenian
made of wood. In the fifth century b.c., playwright. His most famous play was
marble began to be used. Oedipus Rex. In this play, the oracle of
Some of the finest examples of Greek Apollo accurately foretells that Oedipus
classical architecture were built in Athens will kill his own father and marry his
in the fifth century b.c. The most famous mother. Despite all attempts to prevent
building on the Acropolis, the Parthenon is this, Oedipus does commit these tragic
regarded as the greatest example of the acts.
classical Greek temple. It was built between A third outstanding Athenian dramatist,
447 b.c. and 432 b.c. Dedicated to Athena, Euripides, tried to create more realistic
the patron goddess of Athens, the Parthe- characters. His plots became more com-
non was an expression of Athenians’ pride plex and showed a greater interest in real-
in their city-state. Indeed, it was dedicated life situations. Euripides was controversial.
not only to Athena but also to the glory of He questioned traditional values. He por-
Athens and the Athenians. The Parthenon trayed war as brutal and barbaric and
shows the principles of classical architec- expressed deep compassion for the women
ture: the search for calmness, clarity, and and children who suffered as a result of it.
freedom from unnecessary detail. The Greek tragedies dealt with universal
Parthenon today is a revered ruin. It was themes still relevant today. They examined
damaged by an explosion in 1687 and has such problems as the nature of good and
been partially restored. evil, the rights of the individual, the nature
126 SECTION 4 The Culture of Classical Greece

of divine forces, and the nature of human (hih•RAH•duh•tuhs) wrote History of the
beings. In the world of the Greek tragedies, Persian Wars, often seen as the first real his-
striving to do the best thing may not always tory in Western civilization. Its central
lead to success, but the attempt is a worthy theme is the conflict between the Greeks
endeavor. Greek pride in accomplishment and the Persians, which Herodotus viewed
and independence was real. as a struggle between Greek freedom and
As the chorus chanted in Sophocles’ Persian despotism. Herodotus traveled
Antigone, “Is there anything more wonder- widely and questioned many people as a
ful on earth, our marvelous planet, than means of obtaining his information. He
the miracle of man?” was a master storyteller.
Greek comedy developed later than trag- Many historians today consider
edy. Comedies were used to criticize politi- Thucydides (thoo•SIH•duh•deez) the
cians and intellectuals and were meant to greatest historian of the ancient world.
both entertain and provoke a reaction. The Thucydides was an Athenian general
plays of Aristophanes are good examples, who fought in the Great Peloponnesian
using puns and satire. War and later wrote its history. Unlike
Herodotus, Thucydides saw war and
The Writing of History politics as the activities of human
In the Western world, the Greeks were beings, not gods. He examined the
the first people to present history as a sys- Peloponnesian War clearly and fairly,
tematic analysis of past events. Herodotus placing much emphasis on accuracy.
The Oresteia
In his most famous work, the trilogy called the Oresteia,

Aeschylus reveals the problems that arise when people disturb
the natural order. In Agamemnon, the title character returns to
his kingdom from the Trojan War. Because he sacrificed a daugh-
ter to the gods to ensure his own safety, his wife Clytemnestra
murders him. The theme of revenge is carried out in the other
two plays in the trilogy. First performed in 458 B.C., the trilogy
also reflects the values of Athenian democracy, as well as the
Greeks’ belief in their gods.
In this excerpt from Agamemnon, Clytemnestra has just

murdered her husband and responds to the town elders’
accusations:
“Aye, now, for me, thou hast thy words of fate;

Exile from Argos and the people’s hate
For ever! Against him no word was cried,
When, [caring] not, as ‘twere a beast that died,
With flocks abounding o’er his wide domain,
He slew his child, my love, my flower of pain, . . .
Great God, as magic for the winds of Thrace!
Why was not he man-hunted from his place,
To purge the blood that stained him? . . .
1. Paraphrasing What is Clytemnestra’s When the deed is mine, oh, then thou art a judge indeed!
explanation for murdering her husband? But threat thy fill. I am ready, and I stand
2. Considering Why would a discussion of Content; if thy hand beateth down my hand,
justice be relevant during the period of Thou rulest. If aught else be God’s decree,
history in which the Oresteia was written? Thy lesson shall be learned, though late it be.”
Araldo de Luca/CORBIS
As Thucydides stated in his history:
Greek Philosophy
PRIMARY SOURCE Three great Greek philosophers—
“And with regard to my factual reporting of the Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle—established the foun-
events of the war I have made it a principle not to dations of Western philosophy.
write down the first story that came my way, and HISTORY & YOU How do people in your society try
not even to be guided by my own general to answer questions about the nature of the uni-
impressions; either I was present myself at the verse? Read about philosophy in Greece.
events which I have described or else I heard of
them from eye-witnesses whose reports I have
checked with as much thoroughness as
possible.” Philosophy refers to an organized sys-
—Thucydides, The Peloponnesian War tem of thought. The term comes from a
Greek word that means “love of wisdom.”
Thucydides was not a modern historian, Early Greek philosophers focused on the
of course. For example, he wrote set development of critical or rational thought
speeches for the leading actors in the war, about the nature of the universe.
but these words were based on a careful Many early Greek philosophers tried to
judgment of facts he tried to verify. Like explain the universe on the basis of unify-
many later historians, Thucydides believed ing principles. In the sixth century b.c., for
that the study of history was of great value example, Pythagoras, familiar to geometry
in understanding the present. students for his Pythagorean theorem,
taught that the essence of the universe
✓Reading Check Summarizing What forms of could be found in music and numbers. In
literature were developed in ancient Greece? the fifth and fourth centuries b.c., Socrates,
Socrates Plato
c. 470 B.C.–c. 399 B.C. Greek philosopher c. 428 B.C.–c. 347 B.C. Greek philosopher
Born in Athens to a sculptor and a Plato was from a noble Greek family and
midwife, Socrates received the standard had planned a career in politics. How-
elementary education of literature, music, ever, he was so horrified by the
and gymnastics. He later served as a sol- death of his teacher Socrates
dier with the Athenian army in the Pelo- that he left politics and spent
ponnesian War. Socrates believed in the many years traveling and
power of argument over writing. Unlike writing. When Plato returned
many of his contemporaries, he did not to Athens in 387 B.C., he
travel to other cities to pursue his founded an academy where
intellectual interests. He spent he taught using the Socratic
much of his adult life in public method. His academy drew
places around Athens engag- bright young students from
ing in debate with anyone Athens and other Greek city-
who would participate. states. Plato looked for truth
How was Socrates dif- beyond the appearance of
ferent from other phi- everyday objects, a philosophy
losophers of his time? reflected in his teachings.
How did Socrates’ death
impact Plato?
(l) The British Museum/Topham-HIP/The Image Works, (r) SEF/Art Resource, NY

Plato, and Aristotle raised basic questions Socrates used a teaching method that is
that have been debated for two thousand still known by his name. The Socratic
years. method of teaching uses a question-and-
answer format to lead pupils to see things
Sophists for themselves by using their own reason.
Socrates believed that all real knowledge is
The Sophists were a group of traveling
already present within each person. Only
teachers in ancient Greece who rejected critical examination is needed to call it
speculation such as that of Pythagoras as forth. This is the real task of philosophy,
foolish. They argued that it was simply because, as Socrates said, “The unexam-
beyond the reach of the human mind to ined life is not worth living.” This belief in
understand the universe. It was more the individual’s ability to reason was an
important for individuals to improve important contribution of the Greeks.
themselves. Socrates questioned authority, and this
The Sophists sold their services as pro- soon led him into trouble. Athens had had
fessional teachers to the young men of a tradition of free thought and inquiry, but
Greece, especially those of Athens. The defeat in the Peloponnesian War changed
Sophists stressed the importance of rheto- the Athenians. They no longer trusted
ric (the art of persuasive speaking in win- open debate. Socrates was accused and
ning debates and swaying an audience). convicted of corrupting the youth of Ath-
This skill was especially valuable in demo- ens by teaching them to question and think
cratic Athens. for themselves. An Athenian jury sen-
The Sophists’ goal was to argue effec- tenced him to die by drinking hemlock, a
tively, not to promote particular beliefs or poison.
ideas. They were known for their ability to
argue for both sides of an issue. To the
Sophists, there was no absolute right or
Plato
wrong. What was right for one individual One of Socrates’ students was Plato,
might be wrong for another. True wisdom considered by many the greatest philoso-
consisted of being able to perceive and pher of Western civilization. Unlike his
pursue one’s own good. Because of these teacher Socrates, who did not write down
ideas, many people viewed the Sophists as his thoughts, Plato wrote a great deal. He
was fascinated with the question of reality.
harmful to society and especially danger-
How do we know what is real?
ous to the values of young people.
According to Plato, a higher world of
eternal, unchanging Forms has always
Socrates existed. These ideal Forms make up reality
One of the critics of the Sophists was and only a trained mind— the goal of phi-
Socrates, a sculptor whose true love was losophy—can become aware of or under-
philosophy. Because Socrates left no writ- stand these Forms. To Plato, the objects
ings, we know about him only what we that we perceive with our senses (trees, for
have learned from the writings of his example) are simply reflections of the ideal
pupils, such as Plato. Socrates taught many Forms (treeness). They (the trees) are but
pupils, but he accepted no pay. He believed shadows. Reality is found in the Form
that the goal of education was only to (treeness) itself.
improve the individual. Plato explained his ideas about govern-
Greek philosophers before Socrates were ment in a work entitled The Republic. Based
most concerned with issues of natural sci- on his experience in Athens, Plato had
ence. However, Socrates taught his stu- come to distrust the workings of democ-
dents how to live their lives by a code of racy. To him, individuals could not achieve
ethics. He believed that people could be a good life unless they lived in a just and
happy by living moral lives, and that they rational state. Plato described how he
could also be taught how to behave would explore the nature and value of jus-
morally. tice, as follows:

PRIMARY SOURCE The second group in Plato’s ideal state
were warriors. The third group contained
“[Justice is]… sometimes spoken of as the
all the rest, people driven not by wisdom
virtue of an individual, and sometimes as the
virtue of a State… And is not a State larger than or courage but by desire. They were soci-
an individual?… I propose therefore that we ety’s producers—artisans, tradespeople,
enquire into the nature of justice and injustice, and farmers. When each of these groups
first as they appear in the State, and secondly in performed its appropriate role in society—
the individual, proceeding from the greater to the and did not try to take on the roles of oth-
lesser and comparing them.” ers—the society would function smoothly
—Plato, The Republic, Book II and be just. Contrary to Greek custom,
Plato also believed that men and women
Plato’s search for the just state led him to should have the same education and equal
construct an ideal state in which people access to all positions.
were divided into three basic groups. In The Republic, he concluded that justice
At the top was an upper class of could be achieved in the same manner by
philosopher-kings. both a state and an individual. He argued
that just as the different groups in a society
need to work together, the different parts
PRIMARY SOURCE of a person’s soul—reason, courage (or
“Unless either philosophers become kings in will), and desire—need to come together
their countries or those who are now called kings to create a just and ethical individual.
and rulers come to be sufficiently inspired with a
genuine desire for wisdom; unless, that is to say,
political power and philosophy meet together . . .
Aristotle
there can be no rest from troubles . . . for states, Plato established a school at Athens that
nor for all mankind.” was known as the Academy. His most
—Plato, The Republic, Book II famous pupil was Aristotle, who studied
During the fifth century B.C., the Sophists

developed the art of public speaking and debate
that we still use today. Sophists taught effective
speaking and rhetoric, or types of arguments to
use in debate. Speaking and debating skills proved
valuable to Athenian democracy.
Today debates are used at all levels of
government. Some schools have debate clubs,
where instructors, much like the Sophists, teach
students how to present a persuasive argument.
• By developing the art of

debate, the Sophists have
given us an important
political and educational tool.
• Learning rhetoric,

researching topics, and
1. Making Inferences How has debate speaking in public prepare
influenced U.S. politics? debaters for future careers
2. Drawing Conclusions Why might and college.
studying debate in school be important?
Frances Roberts/Alamy Images

there for 20 years. Aristotle did not accept Plato’s theory of
ideal forms. He thought that by examining individual
objects (trees), we could perceive their form (treeness). How-
ever, he did not believe that these forms existed in a sepa-
rate, higher world of reality beyond material things. Rather,
he thought of forms as a part of things themselves. (In other Vocabulary
1. Explain the significance of: Olympus, ritual,
words, we know what treeness is by examining trees.)
oracle, Delphi, tragedy, Aeschylus,
Like Plato, Aristotle believed that people’s happiness Sophocles, Euripides, Herodotus,
was tied to their behavior. He taught that happiness Thucydides, philosophy, Pythagoras,
resulted from living a life filled with virtue, and that vir- Sophists, Socrates, ethics, method,
tue was a midpoint between extreme behaviors. For exam- Socratic method, Plato, Aristotle.
ple, courage would be a midpoint between reckless
behavior and cowardice. Main Ideas
Aristotle’s many interests lay in analyzing and classify- 2. Explain why Olympus was important to the
ing things based on observation and investigation. He Greeks.
defined entire categories of study, such as logic, biology,
3. Organize the bodies of knowledge that the
and physics, and wrote about a range of subjects, includ- Greeks explored in a web diagram.
ing ethics, politics, poetry, and the sciences.
Aristotle studied natural science by making and record-
ing observations. Although these methods are now part of
the scientific method, they were groundbreaking in Aristo- Bodies of Knowledge
tle’s day. Until the seventeenth century, science in the West- Explored by the Greeks
ern world remained largely based on Aristotle’s ideas.
Aristotle often wrote about the importance of intellec-
tual life:
PRIMARY SOURCE 4. List the three basic groups of people in

Plato’s ideal state.
“The activity of the mind is not only the highest . . . but also the
most continuous: we are able to study continuously more easily than
to perform any kind of action. . . . It follows that the activity of our
Critical Thinking
5. Big Idea Making Generalizations How
intelligence constitutes the complete happiness of man. In other
have ideas from Greece helped shape
words, a life guided by intelligence is the best and most pleasant for
Western civilization?
man, inasmuch as intelligence, above all else, is man. Consequently,
this kind of life is the happiest.” 6. Summarizing How does Plato’s theory of
—Aristotle, from Western Civilization, Margaret King, 2000 ideal forms differ from Aristotle’s? Which
view makes more sense to you? Why?
Like Plato, Aristotle wanted an effective form of govern- 7. Analyzing Visuals Examine the
ment that would rationally direct human affairs. Unlike photograph of the Parthenon shown on
Plato, he did not seek an ideal state but tried to find the page 113. In what modern buildings would
best form of government by analyzing existing govern- you find examples of classical
architecture?
ments. For his Politics, Aristotle looked at the constitutions
of 158 states and found three good forms of government:
monarchy, aristocracy, and constitutional government. He Writing About History
favored constitutional government as the best form for 8. Descriptive Writing Describe and
most people. evaluate the roles of oracles, priestesses,
and priests in Greek religion and compare
Aristotle is often viewed as the most influential thinker
them to those of religious leaders today.
in the Western world. He wrote brilliantly on many sub-
jects and worked tirelessly, producing a vast number of
works. His ideas dominated the best minds of Europe for
centuries and are studied to this day.
(ISTORY /.,).%
✓Reading Check Contrasting How did Aristotle’s idea of History, go to glencoe.com and click Study Central.
government differ from Plato’s?
131
The Olympics: Festival and
Games in Ancient Greece
The Olympic Games of ancient Greece began in 776 B.C. and were held
between the city-states every four years until they were banned in A.D. 393 by
the Roman emperor Theodosius. The Greeks honored both their athletes and
Greek gods at the games. A special truce was declared throughout the land as
a matter of religious respect and as a practical step to allow people to travel to
the games safely. In their heyday, the games lasted for five days and included
standard events.
Day 1 The athletes and spectators gather to

prepare for the games. They have come from city-
states all over Greece. Officials make sacrifices and
offer prayers to the gods in opening ceremonies.
Day 2 The games begin. First are the

equestrian events: horse and chariot racing.
Later the pentathlon is held. It is a
competition of five events: discus throw,
javelin throw, jumping, running, and wrestling.
OLYMPIA
The games were held at Olympia, one of the oldest and most venerated
religious centers in the Greek world. By classical times, the Greeks had con-
structed temples and altars there in an area called the “altis,” or sacred
grove. Outside the altis stood buildings for the games themselves, includ-
ing a stadium, a gymnasium, and a hippodrome. The Olympic Games hon-
ored Zeus, but games were also held in other cities for other gods. These
were held on cycles, so individuals could participate in a festival every year.
132
Day 3 There are prayers, a feast, and
a procession to the altar of Zeus, whom
the games honor. The 40-foot statue of
the ruler of the gods was one of the
wonders of the ancient world.
Day 4 A day of intense competition. There

are a variety of foot races, wrestling and
boxing matches, and the brutal pankration, a
sort of combination of wrestling and boxing
in which almost anything is allowed.
Day 5 The closing day is another one of

celebration and ceremony. After a great feast,
the spectators and athletes begin the journey
home. Spectators have tales to tell, losers
perhaps a resolve to return, and winners the
anticipation of a hero’s welcome back home.
ANALYZING VISUALS
SUPERSTARS OF THE ANCIENT WORLD 1. Making Inferences
Why do you think religious
A victor in the games was awarded a crown of olive leaves pulled
practices were such a large
from a sacred tree and permission to have a statue of himself placed part of the ancient Greek
at Olympia. But winning athletes often received much more from Olympics?
their home city-states, grateful for the glory, fame, and heightened 2. Comparing How were
reputation the community gained by producing an Olympic winner. the ancient Greek Olympic
Like modern sports stars, these athletes were rewarded with celeb- Games similar to the
rity and a wide variety of gifts. modern Olympics?
133
Alexander and the Hellenistic Era
Under the leadership of Alexander the Great, Macedonians
GUIDE TO READING and Greeks united to invade and conquer the Persian Empire.
The BIG Idea In the conquered lands, Greeks and non-Greeks formed a new
Ideas, Beliefs and Values Greek cul- society in what is known as the Hellenistic Era.
ture spread to new lands.
Content Vocabulary
• Hellenistic Era (p. 137) • Stoicism (p. 139)
Macedonians Invade Greece
• Epicureanism (p. 139) Under Alexander the Great, Macedonians and Greeks conquered the
Persian Empire.
Academic Vocabulary HISTORY & YOU Who are some of the military leaders you know about in
• subsidizing (p. 138) • founder (p. 139) American history? Read about how Alexander the Great led his army to create
an empire.
People and Places
• Macedonia (p. 134) • Pergamum (p. 137)
• Philip II (p. 134) • Eratosthenes (p. 138) The Greeks viewed their northern neighbors, the Macedonians,
• Alexander the Great • Euclid (p. 138) as barbarians. They were a rural people of farmers and agricultural
(p. 134) • Archimedes (p. 139) laborers, organized into groups, not in city-states like the Greeks.
• Alexandria (p. 135) Although they spoke a dialect of Greek, they had not been involved
in the rivalries of Greek city-states—their leaders focused mostly
Reading Strategy on defending their northern borders. By the end of the fifth century
Compare and Contrast As you read, b.c., however, Macedonia emerged as a powerful kingdom.
create a diagram like the one below to help you
study. Compare and contrast the characteristics of
the classical and Hellenistic periods. Philip and Alexander
In 359 b.c., Philip II came to the throne. He built a powerful
Classical Age army and turned Macedonia into the chief power of the Greek
Hellenistic Era
of Greece world. Philip was soon drawn into Greek affairs. A great admirer
of Greek culture, he longed to unite all of Greece under Macedonia.
Fearing Philip, the Athenians allied with a number of other
Greek states and fought the Macedonians at the Battle of Chaero-
nea (kehr•uh•NEE•uh), near Thebes, in 338 b.c. The Macedo-
nian army crushed the Greeks.
Philip quickly gained control of all Greece, bringing an end to
the freedom of the Greek city-states. He insisted that the Greek
states form a league and then cooperate with him in a war against
Persia. Before Philip could undertake his invasion of Asia, how-
ever, he was assassinated, leaving the task to his son Alexander.
Alexander the Great was only 20 when he became king of
Macedonia. Philip had carefully prepared his son for kingship. By
taking Alexander along with him on military campaigns, Philip
taught Alexander the basics of military leadership. After his
father’s death, Alexander moved quickly to fulfill his father’s
dream—the invasion of the Persian Empire. He was motivated by
the desire for glory and empire but also by the desire to avenge
the Persian burning of Athens in 480 b.c.
134
THE EMPIRE OF ALEXANDER THE GREAT, 323 B.C.
30°E 40°E 50°E 60°E

Extent of empire
Da Alexander’s routes of conquest
n u b e R.
Major battle
Aral
40 NIA
°N CEDO Sea
MA Black
Sea 80°E
70°E
Ca
Thebes Aegean Grancius
sp
Athens Sea 334 BC
ia n
Sparta Sardis
Miletus
Sea
20°E ASIA Issus
Crete 333 BC
MINOR
Me
dit Cyprus Gaugamela
err
331 BC
Tigr
ane
an
Sea
is
SYRIA
R.
30° Tyre
N PALESTINE
Alexandria PERSIA
Susa
N phBabylon
Eu
R.
rat
us
e s R. INDIA
Ind
W EGYPT Persepolis
E
Nil
eR
S (A Pers
.
ra ian
bia Gu
Re
0
n G lf
dS
400 kilometers ulf)

ea
0 400 miles Arabian Sea

Two-point equidistant projection
20°
N
KAZAKHSTAN
Modern-day
Black borders
Sea
Ca
GREECE The empire of Alexander the Great stretched

spi
UZBEKISTAN
across three continents and over 200,000
an
M
ed TURKEY TURKMENISTAN
Sea
ite miles. The inset map shows the present-day

rra
ne
an
S e a Cyprus equivalent of Alexander’s empire.
SYRIA AFGHANISTAN
LEBANON
N ISRAEL IRAN 1. Human-Environment Interaction Does it
IRAQ
W
appear that physical boundaries limited the
JORDAN INDIA
E EGYPT
PAKISTAN
extent of Alexander’s empire? Explain.
S SAUDI
ARABIA 0 400 kilometers 2. Place Compare the inset map to the large
Re
map. What modern states correspond to

dS
Persian Gulf
ea
(Arabian Gulf) 0 400 miles

Two-point equidistant projection
Alexander’s empire?
south. By the winter of 332 b.c., Alexander

Alexander’s Conquests had Syria, Palestine, and Egypt under his
Alexander was taking a chance in attack- control. He built Alexandria as the Greek
ing the Persian Empire. Although weak- capital of Egypt. It became and remains
ened, it was still a strong state in the spring today one of the most important cities in
of 334 b.c. when Alexander entered Asia both Egypt and the Mediterranean world.
Minor with an army of some 37,000 men, It was also the first of a series of cities
both Macedonians and Greeks. The cav- named after him.
alry, which would play an important role In 331 b.c., Alexander turned east and
as a striking force, numbered about 5,000. fought the decisive battle with the Persians
By the next year, Alexander had freed at Gaugamela, not far from Babylon. After
the Ionian Greek cities of western Asia this victory, Alexander took possession of
Minor from the Persians and defeated a the rest of the Persian Empire. Over the
large Persian army at Issus. He then turned next three years, Alexander moved as far

David Lees/CORBIS
as modern Pakistan. In 326 b.c., Alexander reckless, he risked his own life, an example
reached India, where the campaigning was that inspired his soldiers to follow him.
hard. When his soldiers refused to go far- Alexander sought to imitate Achilles, the
ther, he agreed to go home. He led his hero of Homer’s Iliad. He kept a copy of the
troops across the desert of today’s south- Iliad—and a dagger—under his pillow.
ern Iran. Many were dying of heat and Alexander created an enormous legacy.
thirst. At one point, some soldier found a He extended Greek and Macedonian rule
little water and offered it to him. Accord- over a vast area, which brought large quanti-
ing to an ancient Greek writer, Alexander ties of gold and silver into their economies.
poured it on the ground: “So extraordinary Alexander’s successors tried to imitate
was the effect of this action that the water him, using force and claims of divine rule
wasted by Alexander was as good as a to create military monarchies. Although
drink for every man in the army.” mainland Greeks remained committed to
Alexander returned to Babylon, planning the ideals of the city-state, the creation of
more conquests. But in 323 b.c., exhausted the monarchies became part of Alexander’s
from wounds, fever, and too much alcohol, political legacy.
he died. He was 32 years old. Alexander also left a cultural legacy. Due
to his conquests, Greek language, architec-
ture, literature, and art spread throughout
Alexander’s Legacy Southwest Asia, Central Asia, and parts of
Alexander’s extraordinary success is North Africa. The Greeks also absorbed
explained by his leadership and military aspects of Eastern culture.
skills. He was a master of strategy and tac-
tics, able to fight in all terrains and against ✓Reading Check Identifying How did Philip II
all kinds of opponents. Brave and even and Alexander change Greece?
Alexander’s Army
Darius III, in a helmet,
fleeing in his chariot
Bareheaded, twenty-year-old
Alexander the Great and his
army attacking the Persians
Soldiers wore bronze helmets and armor and

carried either a bronze or wooden shield.
This Roman mosaic is believed to be an accurate copy of

a Greek painting celebrating Alexander’s victory over King
Darius III of Persia.
1. Comparing and Contrasting How does the mosaic
portray Alexander compared to Darius III?
2. Describing How did soldiers protect themselves on
the battlefield?
The Hellenistic Era Hellenistic rulers encouraged a spread of
Greek colonists to Southwest Asia. Greeks
As a result of Alexander’s conquests, (and Macedonians) provided not only new
Hellenistic cities became centers for the spread of recruits for the army but also a pool of civil-
Greek language, art, architecture, and literature. ian administrators and workers. Architects,
HISTORY & YOU How many different cultures do engineers, dramatists, and actors were all in
you encounter in your daily life? Read about the demand in the new Greek cities. The Greek
Hellenistic world. cities of the Hellenistic Era spread Greek
culture to Southwest and Central Asia—as
far, in fact, as modern Afghanistan and
Alexander created a new age, the Helle- India.
nistic Era. The word Hellenistic comes from
a Greek word meaning “to imitate Greeks.”
It is an appropriate way to describe an age
Hellenistic Arts and Literature
that saw the expansion of the Greek lan- The Hellenistic Era was a period of con-
guage and ideas to the non-Greek world of siderable cultural accomplishment in many
Southwest Asia and beyond. areas, especially science and philosophy.
These achievements occurred throughout
the Hellenistic world. Certain centers,
Helle nistic Kingdoms however—especially the great Hellenistic
The united empire that Alexander cre- city of Alexandria—stood out. Alexandria
ated by his conquests fell apart soon after became home to poets, writers, philoso-
his death as the most important Macedo- phers, and scientists—scholars of all kinds.
nian generals engaged in a struggle for The library in Alexandria became the
power. By 300 b.c., any hope of unity was largest in ancient times, with more than
dead. Eventually, four Hellenistic king- 500,000 scrolls. The library encouraged the
doms emerged as the successors to Alex- careful study of literature and language.
ander: Macedonia, Syria in the east, the There was also a museum that welcomed
kingdom of Pergamum in western Asia scholarly research.
Minor, and Egypt. All were eventually Pergamum, the most important city in
conquered by the Romans. Asia Minor, also became a leading cultural
Alexander the Great had planned to fuse center. As a result, Pergamum also attracted
Macedonians, Greeks, and Persians in his both scholars and artists. The library at
new empire by using Persians as officials Pergamum was second only to Alexan-
and encouraging his soldiers to marry dria’s library.
native women. The Hellenistic monarchs The founding of new cities and the
who succeeded him, however, relied only rebuilding of old ones presented many
on Greeks and Macedonians to form the opportunities for Greek architects and
new ruling class. Even those from eastern sculptors. Hellenistic kings were very will-
regions who did advance to important ing to spend their money to beautify the
government posts had learned Greek, for cities within their states. The buildings
all government business was transacted in characteristic of the Greek homeland—
Greek. The Greek ruling class was deter- baths, theaters, and temples—lined the
mined to maintain its position. streets of these cities.
In his conquests, Alexander had created Both Hellenistic kings and rich citizens
a series of new cities and military settle- patronized sculptors. Thousands of statues
ments. Hellenistic kings did likewise. were erected in towns and cities all over
These new population centers varied in the Hellenistic world. Hellenistic sculptors
size from military settlements of only a maintained the technical skill of the classi-
few hundred men to cities with thousands cal period, but they moved away from the
of people. Alexandria, which Alexander idealism of earlier classicism to a more
had founded in Egypt, was the largest city emotional and realistic art. This is espe-
in the Mediterranean region by the first cially evident in the numerous statues of
century b.c. old women and little children.

Jason and the Golden Fleece
Apollonius of Rhodes told the story of Jason and the

Golden Fleece, around the third century B.C., in the epic
poem Argonautica. Jason is a hero who must complete
impossible tasks to take his place in society. In this particu-
lar task, Jason must capture the Golden Fleece, which is
guarded by a serpent in a garden, so that he can become
king. He accomplishes this with the help of Medea, as
Apollonius describes:
“And they two by the pathway came to the sacred
grove, seeking the huge oak tree on which was hung
the fleece, like to a cloud that blushes red with the
fiery beams of the rising sun. But right in front the
serpent with his keen sleepless eyes saw them coming,
and stretched out his long neck and hissed in awful
wise. . . . And as he writhed, the maiden came before
his eyes, with sweet voice calling to her aid sleep,
highest of gods, to charm the monster . . . so at that This marble piece from the Hellenistic period
time did Jason uplift the mighty fleece in his hands. . . . shows Medea charming the serpent while
And he strode on now with the fleece covering his left Jason captures the Golden Fleece.
shoulder from the height of his neck to his feet, and 1. Restating What is happening in
now again he gathered it up in his hands; for he feared Apollonius’s description?
exceedingly, lest some god or man should meet him 2. Drawing Conclusions Why was a heroic
and deprive him thereof.” tale appealing in the Hellenistic Era?
The Hellenistic Age also produced a Science and Philosophy

great quantity of literature. Writing talent The Hellenistic Age witnessed consider-
was held in high esteem, especially by Hel- able advances in the sciences. Astronomy
lenistic leaders, who spent large amounts and mathematics were two areas of
of money subsidizing writers. Unfortu- progress. One astronomer, Aristarchus
nately, very little of this literature has (ar•uh•STAHR•kuhs) of Samos, devel-
survived. oped the theory that the sun is at the center
Apollonius of Rhodes wrote the epic of the universe while the Earth rotates
poem Argonautica, which tells the story of around the sun in a circular orbit. The pre-
Jason’s search for the Golden Fleece. The- vailing view, in contrast, held that Earth
ocritus wrote short poems that expressed a was at the center of the universe. The new
love of nature and an appreciation of its theory was not widely accepted at the
beauty. Unlike Apollonius, Theocritus time.
believed that it was best not to attempt Eratosthenes (ehr•uh•TAHS•thuh•
epic poems, for which Homer had estab- neez) was another important astronomer.
lished a standard that many scholars felt He determined that Earth was round and
could not be matched. calculated Earth’s circumference at 24,675
Athens remained the center of Greek miles (39,702 km), an estimate that was
theatre. A new type of comedy developed within 185 miles (298 km) of the actual fig-
that sought only to entertain and amuse ure. The mathematician Euclid wrote the
and avoided political commentary. Elements, a textbook on plane geometry.
Menander was perhaps the most success- This work has been used up to modern
ful of these new playwrights. times.
138 SECTION 5 Alexander and the Hellenistic Era

Erich Lessing/Art Resource, NY
The most famous scientist of the Hellenistic Era was
Archimedes (ahr•kuh•MEE•deez) of Syracuse. He
worked on the geometry of spheres and cylinders and also
established the value of the mathematical constant pi. A
practical inventor, too, he may have devised the “Archime-
des’ screw,” a machine used to pump water out of mines Vocabulary
and to lift irrigation water. 1. Explain the significance of: Macedonia,
Philip II, Alexander the Great, Alexandria,
Archimedes’ achievements inspired a number of stories.
Hellenistic Era, Pergamum, subsidizing,
Supposedly, he discovered specific gravity by observing
Eratosthenes, Euclid, Archimedes, founder,
the water he displaced in his bath. He then became so Epicureanism, Stoicism.
excited by his realization that he jumped out of the water
and ran home naked, shouting, “Eureka!” (“I have found
it!”). He is said to have emphasized the importance of Main Ideas
levers by proclaiming to the king of Syracuse, “Give me a 2. Describe the defining characteristics of the
Hellenistic period.
lever and a place to stand on and I will move the earth.”
The king encouraged Archimedes to lower his sights and 3. List the three most famous scientists of
build defensive weapons instead. the Hellenistic Age and describe their
Athens remained the chief center for philosophy in the contributions.
Hellenistic Era, attracting famous thinkers from all over 4. Organize information using a cluster
who established schools there. The development of two diagram to show Alexander’s goals for his
new systems of thought, Epicureanism and Stoicism, empire.
strengthened Athens’s reputation as a philosophical center.
Alexander’s
Epicurus, the founder of Epicureanism, began a school Goals
in Athens at the end of the fourth century b.c. He believed
that human beings were free to follow their own self-
interest and make happiness their goal. The means to hap-
piness was the pursuit of pleasure, the only true good.
Epicurus did not speak of the pursuit of pleasure in a
physical sense (which is what our word epicurean has come
to mean). Instead, pleasure was freedom from emotional
turmoil and worry. To achieve this, people had to free Critical Thinking
themselves from public activity. However, they were not 5. BIG Idea Defending What was the
to give up all social life. To Epicurus, a life could only be most important effect of Macedonia’s
complete when it was centered on the ideal of friendship. conquest of Greece? Explain your answer.
Another school of thought was Stoicism. It became the
6. Evaluating Why is Alexander called “the
most popular philosophy of the Hellenistic world and
Great”? Do you think the title is justified?
later flourished in the Roman Empire as well. Stoicism Why or why not?
was the product of a teacher named Zeno. A Syrian who
came to Athens as a merchant, Zeno lost his possessions 7. Analyzing Visuals View the image on
page 136 of Alexander the Great. What
on the sea voyage. A philosopher in Athens consoled Zeno
does this tell you about the style of warfare
by teaching him that material possessions were not neces-
during his conquests?
sary in order to be happy. After learning from other phi-
losophers in Athens, Zeno began to teach in a building
known as the Painted Portico (the Stoa Poikile—hence, the Writing About History
word Stoicism). 8. Persuasive Writing Choose an Epicurean
Like Epicureans, Stoics wanted to find happiness, but or Stoic perspective and argue whether an
individual should participate in government
they thought it could be found only by living in harmony
and civic affairs.
with the will of God. Then they could bear whatever life
offered (hence, our word stoic.) Unlike Epicureans, Stoics
did not want to separate themselves from the world. Pub-
lic service was regarded as noble. The real Stoic was a
good citizen. (ISTORY /.,).%
✓Reading Check Summarizing In which fields did Hellenistic History, go to glencoe.com and click Study Central.
scholars make advancements?
139
Visual Summary
You can study anywhere, anytime by downloading quizzes
and flash cards to your PDA from glencoe.com.
Mycenaean
King Agam
emnon
EARLY GREECE AND THE POLIS
• Greek civilization emerged with the Mycenaeans, who reflected aristocratic
and warrior values; later these were celebrated in Homer’s epics.
• A difficult Dark Age dispersed Greeks in colonies around the Mediterranean.
• The polis, or city-state, became the central unit of Greek political and
social life.
• Sparta and Athens, the leading city-states, followed very different ideals;
in Athens democracy emerged.
Agamemnon led the

attack on Troy in
Homer’s Iliad.
the Parthenon
North Frieze of
Detail from the
CLASSICAL GREECE
• To defend their lands, the Greeks fought and
defeated the Persians.
• Under Pericles, Athens embraced democracy
at home, but not in the empire.
• Sparta destroyed Athenian domination, ending
the classical age.
• Greek drama probed eternal questions while
Greek philosophy pioneered rational thought.
• Greeks wrote the first analytical history, while
These water carriers are a balance and harmony guided their art and
clear example of Greek classical architecture.
principles in the arts.
Hellenistic Masterpiece
THE HELLENISTIC AGE

• Alexander the Great unified Greece, then spread its
culture as he conquered other lands.
• Hellenistic kingdoms in Egypt, Persia, and elsewhere
absorbed Greek language and culture.
Nike of Samothrace embodies

the artistic movement of
Hellenistic Greece.
140 CHAPTER 4 Ancient Greece
(t) Archivo Iconografico, S.A./CORBIS, (c) Nimatallah/Art Resource, NY, (b) Art Archive/Musée du Louvre, Paris/Dagli Orti
Assessment
STANDARDIZED TEST PRACTICE
TEST-TAKING TIP
Look for key words such as best, always, and never in questions and answer choices.
Reviewing Vocabulary Reviewing Main Ideas

Directions: Choose the word or words that best complete the Directions: Choose the best answers to the following questions.
sentence.
Section 1 (pp. 106–111)
1. Heavily armed infantrymen or foot soldiers are known as 5. How did the physical geography of Greece affect the Greeks?
.
A It helped to make their city-states fiercely independent.
A phalanx
B It encouraged them to focus on truth and beauty.
B spartans
C It was one of the factors that made them fierce, skilled
C cavalry warriors.
D hoplites D It prevented them from making contact with other
civilizations.
2. Athenians devised the practice of to protect them-
selves against overly ambitious politicians.
Section 2 (pp. 112–117)
A tyranny
6. Which of the following best describes Sparta?
B ostracism
A A city-state that valued alliances with other cultures
C democracy
B A Macedonian democracy
D warfare
C A strict society run by helots
D A military state focused on the art of war
3. In order to know the will of the gods, the Greeks consulted
a(n) .
7. How did Cleisthenes create the foundation for democracy in
A oracle
Athens?
B Delphi
A By declaring war on Sparta
C festival
B By creating an Athenian assembly
D temple
C By giving aristocrats’ land to the poor
D By discouraging the study of the arts
4. comes from the Greek word that means “love of
wisdom.”
A Literature Section 3 (pp. 118–123)
8. What brought Sparta and Athens together as allies?
B Theatre
A Their common values, beliefs, and culture
C Philosophy
B The movement of the Delian League to Athens
D Mathematics
C The threat of the Persian Empire
D The Great Peloponnesian War
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9. Who benefited from the power struggles of Athens, Sparta, Critical Thinking
and Thebes?
Directions: Choose the best answers to the following questions.
A Philip II of Macedonia
B The Delian League Use the following information to answer question 14.
C Women in all three societies Summary of Ancient Greek Civilizations
D Pericles of Athens
Minoans Mycenaeans Spartans Athenians
Location Crete Peloponnese Peloponnese Attica
Section 4 (pp. 124–131)
Values sports, heroic deeds discipline, philosophy,
10. Which of the following is true of Aristotle? nature military arts art
A He developed the Pythagorean theorem. Trade sea trading pottery trade pottery
B He designed the Parthenon, the greatest example of the empire discouraged
classical Greek temple.
C He defined the subject of logic. 14. Which of the following statements is supported by the infor-
mation in the table?
D He is considered the greatest historian of the ancient
world. A The Spartans and the Athenians had many common
interests.
11. What do Aeschylus and Sophocles have in common? B The Minoans and the Mycenaeans were allies.
A They developed mathematical proofs. C All four civilizations existed at the same time.
B They studied under Plato. D The Spartans had more in common with the Mycenaeans
than with the other civilizations.
C They wrote tragedies.
D They were gifted historians.
15. A Greek dramatist would most likely be a citizen of which
of the following?
Section 5 (pp. 134–139) A The Minoan civilization
12. How did Alexander’s father prepare him for kingship? B The Mycenaean civilization
A By having him brought up in Athens C Sparta
B By bringing him on military campaigns D Athens
C By enlisting him in the Spartan army
D By sending for Socrates to tutor him 16. How did the formation of the Delian League give proof to
the saying that strength lies in unity?
13. What was Alexander’s cultural legacy? A After the collapse of the Delian League, the Greeks were
A The gold and silver that his conquests brought to Greece conquered.
and Macedonia B When the Macedonians and Greeks worked together,
B The spread of Greek language, architecture, literature, they ended the Persian Empire.
and art C The Delian League led to the spread of Greek language
C The possession of the entire Persian Empire in modern-day Pakistan.
D His strong skills as a military leader D The Delian League provided a democratic forum for all
Greek city-states.
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If You Missed Questions . . . 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
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142 CHAPTER 4 Ancient Greece

Assessment
17. What event blinded the major Greek states to the threat Document-Based Questions
from Macedonia?
Directions: Analyze the document and answer the short answer ques-
A The Age of Pericles tions that follow the document. Base your answers on the document
B The establishment of Sparta and on your knowledge of Chapter 4.
C The Great Peloponnesian War
While Athens was at war with Sparta, Pericles spoke at a public
D The end of the Persian Empire funeral to honor those who had died in combat. He spoke of the
greatness of Athens and the strength of its political system. Read the
Analyze the map and answer the question that follows. Base your following excerpt.
answer on the map.
Greece 750–550 B.C.

“Our Constitution is called a democracy because the
Dan
ube
power is in the hands not of a minority but of the whole
R.
people. When it is a question of settling private disputes,
Po R. everyone is equal before the law. Just as our political life is
k Sea
Eb Blac free and open, so is our day-to-day life in our relations with
r
o
Corsica Tigris R.
ITALY THRACE each other. . . . Here each individual is interested not only in
R.
Euphrates R.
Sardinia ASIA MINOR his own affairs but in the affairs of the state as well.”
Sicily
—Pericles
N Cyprus
Crete
Mediterranean Sea
W E
S
EGYPT 19. According to Pericles, what is the relationship between the
individual and the state in a democracy?
Re
0 300 600 kilometers

d
Ni
Greece
le
Se
20. What is the historical significance of this speech in Pericles’

R.
Greek colonies 0 300 600 miles

Lambert Azimuthal Equal-Area projection own day and now?
18. Based on the map, which of the following is most likely

true? Extended Response
A The Greeks relied heavily on their navy. 21. Some classicists translate Sophocles’ work on Oedipus as
“Oedipus Tyrannus,” or “Oedipus the Tyrant.” Using what
B The Greeks planned to conquer all of Western Europe. you know about Greek history, explain why some people
C The Greeks had little interest in colonization. might want to talk about Oedipus as a tyrant rather than a
D Greece was the largest colony in the empire. king.
(ISTORY /.,).%
For additional test practice, use Self-Check Quizzes—
Chapter 4 at glencoe.com.
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If You Missed Questions . . . 17 18 19 20 21
STOP
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Ancient Greece: How Did The Greeks Shape Our Culture?

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Ancient Greece 1900–133 B.C.

Section 1 Early Civilizations in Greece

c. 1900 B.C. 776 B.C.

500 B.C. 431– 404 B.C.

People, Places, and Events

The physical geography of Greece had a

Seas west, south, and east of the Greek main-

CHAPTER 4 Ancient Greece 107

The Palace at Knossos

At the Palace at Knossos, Arthur

The ruins of the palace extend over 700,000 square

CHAPTER 4 Ancient Greece 109

Art in the Dark Age

In the seventh century B.C.,

Community of the City-State

The acropolis, or fortified area,

Ancient Athens was a powerful Greek

CHAPTER 4 Ancient Greece 113

114 SECTION 2 The Greek City-States

GREEK COLONIES AND TRADE, 750–550 B.C.

Syracuse Cyprus Tyre

1. Movement Analyze the relationship

porary world. Name all the modern

0 300 600 miles

countries where Greece had colonies.

Everyday Art in Athens

The Greeks made pottery for every

The krater was a

The amphora, a jar

480 B.C. 7,000 Greeks, led by the

480 B.C. Persians sack and burn Athens. Rhodes

CHAPTER 4 Ancient Greece 119

Comparing Democratic Systems

120 SECTION 3 Classical Greece

CHAPTER 4 Ancient Greece 121

Aegean 0 50 100 miles

122 SECTION 3 Classical Greece

People and Places

The deities of ancient Greece were

The Parthenon has Doric columns—

priestess, thought to be inspired by Apollo, if Croesus attacked the Persians, he would

CHAPTER 4 Ancient Greece 125

126 SECTION 4 The Culture of Classical Greece

In his most famous work, the trilogy called the Oresteia,

In this excerpt from Agamemnon, Clytemnestra has just

“Aye, now, for me, thou hast thy words of fate;

(l) The British Museum/Topham-HIP/The Image Works, (r) SEF/Art Resource, NY

CHAPTER 4 Ancient Greece 129

During the fifth century B.C., the Sophists

• By developing the art of

Frances Roberts/Alamy Images

PRIMARY SOURCE 4. List the three basic groups of people in

Day 1 The athletes and spectators gather to

Day 2 The games begin. First are the

Day 4 A day of intense competition. There

Day 5 The closing day is another one of

30°E 40°E 50°E 60°E

400 kilometers ulf)