The Mycenaeans and Ancient Greece

Mycenaeans

• The Mycenaeans came from Indo-Europeans migrating to Greece around 200 BCE.
• They resided on a steep ridge and were protected by a 20 ft thick wall.
• Warrior kings ruled the Mycenaeans.
• Contact with the Minoans shifted their focus toward sea trade.
• The Mycenaeans adopted the Minoan writing system.
• Their social structure was feudalistic, featuring a king, military leaders, religious leaders, and other officials.
• Many aspects of Greek society, including art, religion, politics, and literature, began in Mycenae.
• The Mycenaean society collapsed after the Trojan War.
• The Dorians then took over and the writing system was lost for 400 years.
• Homer was a blind poet who composed epic narrative poems about Greek mythology and history, including the Trojan War.

Greece

• The Polis was a city-state and a fundamental political unit.
• It was made up of a large city and its surrounding countryside, including small villages.
• City-states had different forms of government.
• Monarchy involves rule by a single king.
• Aristocracy involves rule by a small group of noble landowning families.
• Oligarchy involves rule by a small group of wealthy merchants, land owners, or artisans.
• Democracy involves rule by the people.

Fun Athenian Rulers

• Draco created a harsh legal code that treated all Athenians equally.
• The word "draconian" comes from Draco.
• Solon organized Athens into four classes, with the top three eligible for political office.
• Solon outlawed slavery.
• Cleisthenes divided Athens into 10 groups based on residence rather than wealth.
• Cleisthenes allowed all citizens to propose laws.

Athens

• Only boys received formal education and military training.
• Girls were educated at home by other women.
• Women did not participate in Athenian public life.
• Athenian citizens were free adult male property owners born in Athens.
• Women, enslaved people, and men not born in Athens were not considered citizens.
• Athens is known for its democracy, cultural achievements, and influence on Western civilization.
• Athens led the Delian League in the Peloponnesian War against Sparta and the Peloponnesian League.
• Athens was a hub for philosophical thought, with figures like Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle shaping intellectual traditions.

Sparta

• Sparta was a militaristic society.
• They always had a security code in place.
• There was no art or literature.
• There was increased freedom for women.

Persian War

• There was a shift from bronze to iron weapons.
• Phalanx formations were used (originating from Sparta).
• The Persians were driven out of Greece.
• The Delian League was a Greek city-states alliance to prevent Persians from taking over again.

Golden Age of Athens

• Athens used direct democracy, where each person votes and majority rules.
• This was instead of representative democracy.
• Philosophers were lovers of wisdom.
• Socrates, Aristotle, and Plato were philosophers.
• The Parthenon was built on the Acropolis.
• Artists were hired to beautify Athens.
• Drama, including tragedy and comedy, were common.

Alexander the Great

• His dad was Philip II, the King of Macedonia.
• He built a strong military using phalanx formations.
• He invaded Greece and started building an empire.
• He was very well educated and taught by Aristotle.
• He became king at 20.
• He conquered Egypt first, then Persia, then India.
• He assimilated into Persian culture by dressing like Persians, marrying a Persian woman, and including Persians in his army.

Hellenistic Culture

• Alexandria was a city with astronomy and a lighthouse.
• Alexandria also had a library holding half a million papyrus scrolls.
• It was a port city and an important trade center.
• Math including geometry and physics, was studied
• Two main philosophy schools of thought.
• Epicureanism states the greatest good and highest pleasure come from virtuous conduct, which resolves problems together eliminating pain.
• Stoicism promotes living in harmony with natural laws, focusing on what can be controlled.

Early Rome

• Rome sits in the middle of the Italian boot.
• It was built on the Tiber River near the Mediterranean Sea.
• The city was surrounded by seven hills and a wall.
• The entire Italian peninsula was fairly flat farmland.
• Early kings of Rome were of Etruscan origin.
• They brought a writing system and architectural style.
• The last of these kings was a harsh tyrant which led to the birth of the republic.

Roman Republic

• The republic was a form of government in which citizens vote for leaders.
• Only freedom-born males had voting rights in Rome.
• The patricians were wealthy landowners who inherited political power.
• Plebeians were farmers, merchants, and artisans and formed the majority of the population.
• Slaves were conquered people who did both specialized work and farm work, and no one was born a slave.
• The Twelve Tables were a written law code to protect all citizens.
• Previously, all laws were unwritten.
• The government had three branches.
• The executive branch had two consuls serving one-year terms, enforcing laws, and commanding the military.
• The legislative branch consisted of a Senate of 300 members serving for life, making laws.
• The judicial branch had six judges serving one-year terms, elected by the senate, interpreting laws.
• This inspired the design of the U.S. government.
• A dictator was appointed during times of crisis with absolute power for six months.
• All land-owning citizens served in the military.
• Roman soldiers were organized in legions consisting of 5,000 armed foot soldiers (infantry) and a cavalry.
• Rome's increasing wealth and expanding geographic boundaries brought problems.
• The wealth gap caused the lower class to be unhappy with the wealth gap.
• The military was becoming disorderly.
• A third of Rome's population consisted of enslaved peoples captured in war, causing competition for middle-class Romans.

Julias Caesar

• Julius Caesar was a military leader.
• He formed a triumvirate with two other officials to keep the republic alive.
• After conquering Gaul (France), he was named dictator for life.
• He was popular and powerful, which led to senators stabbing him to death.
• He conquered half of Europe, parts of North Africa, and the Middle East.
• His nephew Augustus declared himself emperor after Caesar's death and a period of civil war which began the Pax Romana.

Pax Romana/Roman Empire

• The Pax Romana was a 200-year period of peace and prosperity.
• Augustus stabilized the borders and undertook public building projects.
• He created civil service with plebeians and former slaves who ran the empire's administration.
• He established a common currency (silver coin = denarius)
• 90% of people farmed and survived off local produce.
• Rome had a vast trade network for non-local food and luxury items.
• Roman roads extended through parts of Europe.
• Rome traded with China and India.
• There was a large naval preserve.

Rise of Christianity

• Christianity is a monotheistic religion worshipping the same God as Judaism and Islam.
• Jesus was believed to be the Son of God and a prophet or messiah figure.
• Jesus was born to the virgin Mary in land occupied by the Roman Empire.
• Jesus was crucified by the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate.
• His apostles spread the story of his life and founded a religion.
• Christianity's spread was helped by the Pax Romana and the Jewish diaspora.
• Rome slowly forced Jews out of its empire; therefore, Christianity appealed to Emperor Constantine.
• Constantine then split the empire into two halves and moved the capital to Constantinople.

The Fall of the Roman Empire

• The division of the empire was too big to control.
• ⅓ of the population were slaves.
• The military was not loyal.
• Famine and inflation occurred.
• The Roman Empire ultimately fell due to invasions by Northern Groups.
• The western half of the empire entirely fell, but the eastern half survived to become the Byzantine Empire.
• If the military is not loyal, the split of Rome would cause there to be two emperors, and the military would split in half.