World History- Ancient Greece
Greeks were once Paleolithic and Neolithic too- started farming around 3200 BCE
Mycenaeans
● 1st well organized society in Greece (about 100 years after
Hammurabi’s code)
● spoke an Indo-European language
The Iliad, The Odyssey both were written about the Mycenaeans ^^
Minoans
● Society located South of the Mycenaeans
● very similar to the Mycenaeans (the Mycenaeans would pull a lot
of their culture form the Minoans)
● Centralized Kingdom » under one rule
● Linked to Mycenaeans via trade, politics, culture, intermarriage
● Based in trade » thrives in trading + economics
● Writing developed for record keeping
● Their records suggest government involvement in trade
● Would eventually be conquered by the Mycenaeans
«Mycenaean Society would collapse around 1200 BCE»
Greek Dark Ages: goes from large kingdom to more tribal set up » would be
decentralized for the next 500 Years
Greek City States- (similar but different from
the ones of Mesopotamia)
, ● The original tribes will grow to be independent City States called
The Polis
○ Nature of the Polis:
■ there was a focus on community- everyone has an
important role
■ Self Identity is very tied to your Polis- you are your
Polis
■ Acropolis- the center of the Polis with many religious
buildings
● There is no political unity but saw themselves as under that culture
with outsiders being Barbarians
● Different Poleis had different systems of Government including:
○ Monarchy
○ Oligarchy
○ Aristocracy
○ Democracy (Athens)
■ Even with these few generalized government
systems every Polis government is different
Greeks thought of Democracy as an ineffective way of government » thought it was
only suited for smaller city-states
Geographic Influence on Greece:
● farming took much longer for the Greeks to discover and develop
because of Greece’s rocky mountain terrain
● created poor farming
○ this leads to the creation of a maritime culture leading to
trade being essential » they become excellent merchants
● poor communication
● difficult rivers to navigate
● City States become Isolated
, ● Limited Farming
○ this created very bound/ close families depending on each
other for survival
● Geography causes a lack of Political Unity but excellent sailors and
merchants
Greek Colonization - they spread out largely over the Mediterranean (wherever they
could sail to)
● did so for the sake of trade»
● did so for exilement
»Trade»
They did not have great agriculture but what they did grow was highly in
demand:
● Olives> oil
● Grapes> wine
● Because of trade- social status is not based on landownership leading to a
small but powerful middle class that will start growing larger
The Greeks would learn from other Cultures also…
● The Phoenicians
○ Known for their alphabet based on phonics
■ The Greeks would adopt this alphabet of phonics
which would be revolutionary for the culture- much
easier to learn»
»Social Effects of the Alphabet»
● There were no “Scribes” because now anyone can learn to read
now- not everyone did know but now it was much easier to
● Literacy and numbers becomes essential for trade across the sea
, ● The Middle Class would start to perpetuate their status through
education- allows their children to keep that class or move up
○ This leads to an educated society
Middle class will play a huge role in democracy- middle class will demand a political
seat and be denied by the wealthy » conflict leads to democracy» Athens
»Athens»
● Athens did not start out as a democracy- originally an aristocracy
● Athens is unique because it had a smaller (but growing) middle
class that would feel the pressure of the cities trying to get land.
● Upper class will push middle class down trying to gain as much
wealth through trade
○ Middle Class land owners having to sell themselves to
slavery to pay off debts
● Central Figure: Draco
○ An elite that felt the worry of the angered middle class»
leads to the Draconian Legal Code
■ Excessively difficult and cruel punishments
■ Favored the elites but everyone was under the law
■ does not solve the crisis of those sliding into slavery
■ somewhat diminishes the class differences
■ now because of the code and debt people were
frequently sent away (exiled)
● Central Figure: Solon (comparatively opposite to Draco)
○ Solon was an elite that felt sympathy for the middle class-
reformer
○ He publicly recited poems that prompted some sympathy
for the poor by the elites
○ Solon would go on to:
■ free those enslaved
■ abolish slavery stemming from debt
Greeks were once Paleolithic and Neolithic too- started farming around 3200 BCE
Mycenaeans
● 1st well organized society in Greece (about 100 years after
Hammurabi’s code)
● spoke an Indo-European language
The Iliad, The Odyssey both were written about the Mycenaeans ^^
Minoans
● Society located South of the Mycenaeans
● very similar to the Mycenaeans (the Mycenaeans would pull a lot
of their culture form the Minoans)
● Centralized Kingdom » under one rule
● Linked to Mycenaeans via trade, politics, culture, intermarriage
● Based in trade » thrives in trading + economics
● Writing developed for record keeping
● Their records suggest government involvement in trade
● Would eventually be conquered by the Mycenaeans
«Mycenaean Society would collapse around 1200 BCE»
Greek Dark Ages: goes from large kingdom to more tribal set up » would be
decentralized for the next 500 Years
Greek City States- (similar but different from
the ones of Mesopotamia)
, ● The original tribes will grow to be independent City States called
The Polis
○ Nature of the Polis:
■ there was a focus on community- everyone has an
important role
■ Self Identity is very tied to your Polis- you are your
Polis
■ Acropolis- the center of the Polis with many religious
buildings
● There is no political unity but saw themselves as under that culture
with outsiders being Barbarians
● Different Poleis had different systems of Government including:
○ Monarchy
○ Oligarchy
○ Aristocracy
○ Democracy (Athens)
■ Even with these few generalized government
systems every Polis government is different
Greeks thought of Democracy as an ineffective way of government » thought it was
only suited for smaller city-states
Geographic Influence on Greece:
● farming took much longer for the Greeks to discover and develop
because of Greece’s rocky mountain terrain
● created poor farming
○ this leads to the creation of a maritime culture leading to
trade being essential » they become excellent merchants
● poor communication
● difficult rivers to navigate
● City States become Isolated
, ● Limited Farming
○ this created very bound/ close families depending on each
other for survival
● Geography causes a lack of Political Unity but excellent sailors and
merchants
Greek Colonization - they spread out largely over the Mediterranean (wherever they
could sail to)
● did so for the sake of trade»
● did so for exilement
»Trade»
They did not have great agriculture but what they did grow was highly in
demand:
● Olives> oil
● Grapes> wine
● Because of trade- social status is not based on landownership leading to a
small but powerful middle class that will start growing larger
The Greeks would learn from other Cultures also…
● The Phoenicians
○ Known for their alphabet based on phonics
■ The Greeks would adopt this alphabet of phonics
which would be revolutionary for the culture- much
easier to learn»
»Social Effects of the Alphabet»
● There were no “Scribes” because now anyone can learn to read
now- not everyone did know but now it was much easier to
● Literacy and numbers becomes essential for trade across the sea
, ● The Middle Class would start to perpetuate their status through
education- allows their children to keep that class or move up
○ This leads to an educated society
Middle class will play a huge role in democracy- middle class will demand a political
seat and be denied by the wealthy » conflict leads to democracy» Athens
»Athens»
● Athens did not start out as a democracy- originally an aristocracy
● Athens is unique because it had a smaller (but growing) middle
class that would feel the pressure of the cities trying to get land.
● Upper class will push middle class down trying to gain as much
wealth through trade
○ Middle Class land owners having to sell themselves to
slavery to pay off debts
● Central Figure: Draco
○ An elite that felt the worry of the angered middle class»
leads to the Draconian Legal Code
■ Excessively difficult and cruel punishments
■ Favored the elites but everyone was under the law
■ does not solve the crisis of those sliding into slavery
■ somewhat diminishes the class differences
■ now because of the code and debt people were
frequently sent away (exiled)
● Central Figure: Solon (comparatively opposite to Draco)
○ Solon was an elite that felt sympathy for the middle class-
reformer
○ He publicly recited poems that prompted some sympathy
for the poor by the elites
○ Solon would go on to:
■ free those enslaved
■ abolish slavery stemming from debt
