HUM 001A Lecture 8: 8. Greek History
Document Summary
There was widespread collapse all across the mediterranean. Clash of iron & bronze ages (iron ages to war/weapons) Old theory: doric invasions from the north. New theory: beginning of iron age destroys old political & economic systems, trade, etc. Technology causes a regression of civilization that lasts centuries. No trade, so no olive oil-based economy yet. Mostly small villages, no city-states (all city-states burned down) Rule by a basileus (chieftain ) & a military assembly. Panhellenism, a few religious places that hold sacred. Polis: a defined geographic area comprised of a city and the surrounding area. Aristotle"s definition: self-sufficient political unit capable of supporting advanced civilization. In the polis, rulers ruled with words and not constant violence. Ruled by aristocrats, the oldest families owning the best resources. Dispatched expeditions to colonize surrounding areas (all around mediterranean) Scattered city-states because of the mediterranean ocean, no real unified greek empire. Disunification is why the greeks experimented with different political and cultural systems.
