HIST 1001 : Test 2 Ross
HIST 1001 Test 2: CHAPTER 4 – 7:
Socrates “The Philosopher”:
PLATO: The Allegory of the Cave from “The Republic”: It has a ton of significance in itself, but it tells us
about the historical context of why philosophy came the way it did. It is a philosophical image of what
education was like in the life of this day.
- Plato’s illustrates his metaphysics and epistemology in The Allegory of the Cave, which shows the
obstacles philosophers face in the search for truth, and emphasizes the obligations philosophers
are under to use their knowledge for the good of the state.
The Allegory of the Cave also known as Simile of the Cave is in dialogue form. The narrator who is seen as
Socrates asks a series of questions to his student describing the allegory:
- Men are chained in the cave and all they see are shadows cast on the wall of the cave by a fire.
These men are forced to look in one direction but all chained to the wall. These men have only
seen for their entire life the shadows that appear on the wall. The shadows are being casted by
figures being carried by people back in forth. The people chained do here the noise of the
puppeteers. The prisoners chained talk to each other; they have prizes of who can make up the
best story.
o One guy tries to figure out who is behind the puppet thing. This one prisoner succeeds he
realizes that there is more to this 2D world. He gets to leave through a long passage to the
opening of the cave where he sees real light, real images, and he sees the sun. He can’t
stand the blinding images and light. He tries to seek refuge back in the cave, but he realizes
the true reality of the 3D world is so much beautiful and enjoyable that he doesn’t want to
go back to his old life to experience.
o He eventually goes back to the cave. He finds out what truth really was, and he feels he has
a duty to bring the other prisoners. Socrates asks the Athenian how the prisoners will treat
the person who left. Not really well. The prisoners laugh and mock him when he returns to
tell them of the true reality. The prisoners believe that his sight was ruined, and they don’t
want to know of this knew world. The prisoners turned on the person who returned and
wanted to kill him.
▪ Greeks always do stuff in form of a contest.
- This image written by Plato is trying to teach us: This represents the world that you and I all
know. We believe that we live in a real world with honor, religion, books. To us these are real solid
things, and we value them. Plato is trying to tell us that these are just world of images and
reflections of the world of ideas which are the true things that we should value. Plato’s experience
of seeing his mentor executed motivated his philosophical ideas. The culture of Athens could allow
ideas to thrive, but he also saw this world as dangerous if you have the wrong side.
Socrates’ Fate: He is eventually executed by charges of impiety and corrupting the Youth of the
Athenian. Socrates accepts his death even though he had the chance to leave because that was his fate
and he should respect it.
- Thrived in the Marketplace of Ideas…. Then was killed by the democracy (399 BCE).
Athenian imperialism, wealth, and “democracy”: It is the wealth and disposable income that allowed
Athens to be the center of this intellectual activity. The democratic institution went hand-in-hand with
the debates of intellect.
Socrates’ Criticisms of Democracy: People believed that the commoners couldn’t be trusted because of
their lack of education.
- This led to the idea that Athens had endangered itself, especially during the war because they had
gotten too rash, greedy.
- He believed that it could be dangerous to put too much power in the hands of the commoners.
The Great Panathenaia Festival (every four years it was celebrated on a larger scale): Annual Religious
festival for their patron god, Athena. This was a huge festival. Each year it would provide Athena with a
new clock. It was also a political debate.
- Artistic splendor, wealth, and imperial power all on display
- Demonstrates the greatness of Athens.
Parthenon: Symbolism of Athena, the patron goddess of Athens (and of the empire)
- Temple and statue show the political significance of religious ideas
- The statue is one of the greatest artistic.
- It’s not art for art-sake, but it is political art.
CHAPTER 4: Hellenistic Civilization
Greece after the Peloponnesian War: (404 BCE end)
Legacy of Disunity: the Age of Hegemonies: The empire was replaced with a period of Sparta
Hegemony. They took away the democratic constitutions and changed them in to new-limited oligarchy
political systems. This happened in Athens before the end of the war. This led to a period of civil war.
- End of Golden Age = End of the Peloponnesian War and Socrates (time of great cultural
achievement and war and struggle)
- Sparta as the overlord (but never firmly in control): The empire was dissolved. Greek warfare
continued and Sparta’s position, as leader was never really secured. It had other cities like Corinth,
Thebes to worry about. They didn’t want to do away with Athenian power completely because
they were afraid of Sparta being the only strong power.
o Characteristic of Greeks: Never were the cities at peace with one another except for when
there was outside attempts at conquest. This only time when there was Greek unity.
Persians continue to take an interest in Greek affairs. So Why do the Persians even care? They didn’t want
them to allow them to grow unified enough to unite against them. This would keep them from having any
problems on Western border.
“King's Peace" (386 B.C.E.): This is a treaty they had all Greek city-states to sign, which had terms
that the Greek cities would not try to create anymore empires within the Greek. Persia's King
becomes the Enforcer:
o Respecting the freedom and autonomy.
o They would no longer try to liberate the Persian King’s control over some Western Greek
city-states.
o If anyone tries to conquer a Greek city-state he would help them overcome this.
- What ever happened to unity against the “barbarian”? Greeks seem to have forgotten this,
especially Sparta because they helped make this treaty occur and would enforce it within the
Greek city-states. Sparta traded this all away for a leading role within the Greek word.
"Freedom" & "autonomy" preserved (because the King said so): This is always repeated in all treaties.
These become the buzzwords for all city-states during the several decades after the Peloponnesian war.
Battle of Leuctra: This is where Thebes had overcome Sparta. They redesigned their army and Hooplike
tactics.
- Uneven Array: They found out if you put all your force at one end. This line can almost always
contain dominance over the enemy.
- This showed that Sparta wasn’t unbeatable. Sparta’s army declines and now are restricted to the
Eastern side.
- This starts Theban Hegemony: 371-362 B.C.E. Thebes militarily dominant.
“Second Athenian Sea League:” 378-338
Athenians had begun to rebuild their alliance on the basis of commercial connections (trading networks).
They signed more allied treaties. This never really approached the heights of glory or wealth or of
aggression that the Athenian Empire had seen.
- The main purpose of this 2nd League was to protect overseas trading empire.
The Rise of Macedon: This is on the Northern fringes of the Greek world. These people have always been
looked down on by the Greeks because:
- Macedon hadn’t gone through the political evolution that the Greeks had done. They still had
Kings. Monarchies were the things of the past (Homer time). They saw them as being semi-
barbarian.
- During the Persian war, King Xerxes had traveled through Macedonia and used it as a staging
ground for their attacks on Greece. Macedon was a staging state. Although they may have not had
a choice. The Greeks never forgot King Alexander I. They saw them as being lacky of the Persians.
Greeks cold-shouldered Macedon and didn’t include them in any events until..
Philip II of Macedon (359-336 B.C.E.) He was regent for his brother’s son, but the baby eventually
disappeared and then he became full king.
- Philip II had lived in Thebes during their climax of military power and he had learned tons. When
he returned to Macedon he brought some of the military tactics that Thebes had produced.
- Based on wiles, trickery, various forms of diplomacy, and a strong military power, Philip knew
how to get what he wanted.
o He relied on bribes, trickery as his 1st option to get things done with 2nd option being
battles.
Philip’s new military tactics: These tactics made him the strongest military in Greece.
- The Theban phalanx, adjusted with new weaponry
- Introduction of cavalry, new siege warfare techniques
o He thought of advanced siege warfare techniques, which forced Sparta and Athens to look
at him with reality.
Attitudes to Philip’s rise: Demosthenes v. Isocrates
- Demosthenes: Athenian active politician who was completely against the rise of Philip because he
saw Philip expanding his power to others. He called for fellow Greeks to rise and revolt before his
power gets out of hand.
o Criticized for trying to waste Athenian powers to fight Philip.
- Isocrates: Other Athenian politician who recognized Philip’s power. He was an advocate for Greek
to unite under Sparta or Athen who would be able to fight against Persian. But after Philip
becomes strong, he looked to Philip as the most realistic person to unite Greece. He wrote letters
to Philip to take over Greek.
o Criticized for wanting to
Both were correct. He was a danger to Greek freedom on aspects to old tradition of loving to fight
each other. But he also was the most realistic person to unite all Greeks.
Battle of Chaeronea: 338 B.C.E. (gateway to central Greece) The Greeks finally decide they want to fight
Macedon. The alliance of Greece (Thebe’s “Sacred Band” gets together to try to stop Macedon’s
advancement.
- The Macedon warfare shows to be too much for Greece. This is a classic interlock hoplite battle.
- Philip comes in and engages Greeks, and then after engagement for a while the Macedonians
retreat and yielding the ground to Athenians as if they had given up on battle and were defeated,
as faint.
o This was trickery. Macedon knew how to maintain warfare while retreating. Therefore,
Macedonian breaks the front line.
o Alexander the Great was a key component of the Battle of Chaeronea.
