CLAS 203 Lecture 2: CLAS 203 - Classes 2 - 7th of September
Lecture 2: Historical Overview: The Greek World
2600 BCE – 30 BCE
No need to memorize the date of every single event.
1. Early Greece, the Dark Ages and the Archaic Period, ca. 1200-490 BCE
2. The Classical Period ca. 490-388 BCE
3. The Hellenistic Period ca. 338-30 BCE
☐ What we currently know is based on modern scholars appreciation of Greek Art.
)n the popular imagination, Romans win and lose empires, fight fur-clad barbarians, and bring
on the dancing girls; Greeks discuss the nature of the Good or flirt with underage boys.
Nisbet, G. Ancient Greece in Film and Popular Culture (2006, p. 18)
This class is called the Greek world because in Ancient Greece, they settled far away all
around the Mediterranean world, far away from what is today Greece.
Greece is not really a place suited for agriculture (mountainous, not rich in natural
deposits, few open plains...) each parcel available for land for cultivation had to be
defended from neighbors: we observe fierce competition for access to agricultural
lands in Ancient Greece.
One of the first known civilizations of the Greek world is the one that thrived on the
Island of Crete. A British archeologist discovered this civilization. He discovered what
he named the Minoan civilization c. 2600-1400 BCE.
He named the civilization from King Minos that he encountered in mythological stories
because the island reminded him of the labyrinth where the Minautor was
imprisoned.
Organized around urban centers/a palace, serving as administrative centers. Each
urban center attached to a palace was independent and operated as an independent
political unit.
We do NOT know a lot about the Minoan civilization because they wrote but we
cannot yet really tell what it means. Women had a lot more freedom that later in
Greek history. They are portrayed with open-top dresses.
This civilization did a lot of maritime trade over long distances and possessed biggest
fleet for a long time (sea power). Development of their writing system was favored by
their commercial ventures (accounting purposes). Writing was eventually adopted
for artistic purposes.
Many Minoan frescos include a sport called Bull-Leaping by modern scholars. Peace-
loving, nature-loving civilization?
Mycenaean Civilization ca. 1600-1100 BCE.
Around 1400 BC, many Minoan centers were destroyed. Downfall of the Minoan
civilization was brought about by foreign invasions. Tablets of another script that the
one used by Minoan were found in Crete around that time period (did it belong to
invaders?)
These invaders are called Myceanean by modern scholars due to ancient urban center of
Mycenae in mainland Greece. Unlike in Crete, they seem to be much more war-like
(archeologists found lots of weapons, fortifications…
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Dark Ages ca. -800 BCE.
Around 1200 BCE, wave of invasions and among those hit by invasions are the
Myceneaen (also empire of Egypt…. They start the Dark Ages (in these ages, writing
disappears in Greece; due to famine, invasions etc… the knowledge disappears at
least from moderns).
Many urban centers are abandoned, destroyed and population shrinks in mainland
Greece. Invaders are unlikely the only cause of the fall of the Myceanean population
(internal strike, famine, natural disasters...). Maybe they inflicted the coup de grâce to
a declining system.
Who are these invaders? Could they be the Sea Peoples that the Egyptians fought? It can
be a hypothesis that they maybe attacked Greece as well.
The Archaic Period ca. 800-490 BCE.
The end of Dark Ages signifies the beginning of the Archaic Period.
Demographic increase happens along with technological advances.
New civilization called the Polis/όλις (plural poleis/όλεις) independent city-state
Urban center and surrounding country-side were part of the Polis. Most of them
emerged after a process of regional unification. Often done because it offered greater
protection from neighbours (as we said, there is great competition over agricultural
land in Greece).
The Polis were often ruled by an oligarchy (few people).
Often over the course of the 7th century, political strong men appeared in many of these
Polis; they supplanted the rules of these oligarchies. The result is what the Greeks
would later call tyranny.
A Greek tyrant is different that what we understand of tyrant now: a tyrant is a
political strong man that assumes sole leadership of Polis but often with support of
common people. Will play the role of supporter of common people against the
privileges of oligarchies that ruled before.
Often confiscated the lands of the wealthy to give them to the poor: did this because
they knew that their power rested from the poor.
Also constructed public buildings temples, harbors, fortifications… thereby gaining
legitimacy by providing work to common people.
They did not last more than 2-3 generations, the aristocracy often organizing a
coup to gain back their aristocratic rule & privileges.
Hoplite Phalanx, hoplon (weapon/big shield).
Common citizens often not prepared to loose rights acquired with the tyrant so the
aristocrats could not simply resume the way they were ruling before the tyrant.
Over the course of the 7th, the way the Greece fought changed. This is tightly tied to
political development. Warfare was previously the privilege of the few, the rich. Rich
aristocrats only had the money to buy horses; weapons… commons solely watched
or used stones.
Aristocrats were the only ones fighting for the Polis that thus allowed them to rule
and take political decisions.
New way of fighting developed along with new weapons: Hoplite Phalanx.
➔ Weaponry becomes more accessible, less expensive than horses, chariots…
Bigger percentage of the citizen population could fight for the Polis (around 30%).
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Hoplite class can be thought of as an equivalent of the middle-class. Hoplite class starts
to have political revendication.
Cannot speak of a democracy but more difficult for nobles to claim they were the
only ones competent to rule. Aristocrats had to make compromises, could not
monopolize power as they did before.
Chigi Vase ca. 640
Defend their independence fiercely.
Chigi Vase is the first real depiction of Hoplite fighting with variously decorated
shields, according to citizens financial means.
Have identified over 1000 Polis, some as large as Athens.
Greek Colonization in the Mediterranean ca. 730-550 BCE
Population in Greece is increasing with renewed prosperity: more population does not
mean there is enough room for everyone. Certain cities with too many people,
mouth to feed. Certain people were forced to flee, these people sometimes founded
Polis of their one.
In other cases, Greeks willingly went somewhere else (often for commercial purpose).
The growth of the size of the Greek world leads to increased trade and thus increased
contact with other people, among them the Phoenicians.
Phoenicians
Based in Modern day Lebanon.
Great sea traders
Development of the Greek Alphabet, ca. 8th Century. Greeks adopted the version of the
Phoenician alphabet and created vowels in it. It is now much easier to learn it in a
shorter amount of time.
Lead to a certain democratization of the skill of writing.
Nevertheless, this led to developments in literature.
➔ This all led to the idea that more citizens should be involved in politics.
Athens is an exception in all the Polis
590, Solon in Athens (Solon c. 600-558 BCE) undertakes political reforms. He does not
establish democracy but it is one step closer to the principle that the entire citizen
body should rule Athens.
The decisive step continuation is done by Cleisthenes (Cleisthenes c. 570-507 BCE). He
engages in wide reforms that make Athens the first democracy in the Western world.
He divides the region into political territorial units; represented in the new council he
founded the Boule.
La Boule is an Assembly in which all male citizens could participate (women
excluded from politics as were the slaves and all foreigners).
-Ekklesia (Assembly)
-Boule (Council)
-Strategos (Generals, plural –oi)
This was very much an exception in the Ancient World. To be an Athenian citizen, you
needed to have both your parents Athenian citizens.
The Classical Period 490-338 BCE
It starts after the Persian Wars that occur between 499-449 BCE.
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Document Summary
No need to memorize the date of every single event: early greece, the dark ages and the archaic period, ca. Nisbet, g. ancient greece in film and popular culture (2006, p. 18) This class is called the greek world because in ancient greece, they settled far away all around the mediterranean world, far away from what is today greece. One of the first known civilizations of the greek world is the one that thrived on the. He discovered what he named the minoan civilization c. 2600-1400 bce. He named the civilization from king minos that he encountered in mythological stories because the island reminded him of the labyrinth where the minautor was imprisoned. Organized around urban centers/a palace, serving as administrative centers. Each urban center attached to a palace was independent and operated as an independent political unit. We do not know a lot about the minoan civilization because they wrote but we cannot yet really tell what it means.
