Architecture
The acropolis was the main group of buildings in Athens that looked over the city. It is a sacred area that is one of the most recognizable monuments in the world. It took 9 years to build and was completed in 438 BC. It cost $3 billion dollars in today's money.
The Parthenon and other buildings on the acropolis were all built between 460 and 430 BC under Pericles. It was for politics and cultural achievements. Parthenon cost over $3 billion in today's money. It was one of the biggest construction projects of the ancient world.
The Porch of Caryatids has six columns holding up the. All the female figures were each sculptured differently and engineered so that their slender necks could take the weight of the roof and still look real. Started being built in 421 BC and was done in 406 BC. It cost $130 million dollars in today's money.
Greek Art
The most divine and complex sculptures of this time are the sculptures of the Athenian Acropolis. The earliest of these was the Parthenon sculptures.
Buildings
The purpose of the buildings were to show cultural and political achievements of Athens.
Others were used to honor gods and goddesses such as Athena. the goddes Nike also had buildings to worship. Some buildings were used for political gatherings. Athens had walls that would surround the city for protection and defense. Used for, praise and worship, buy and sell items, drama, education, and law making. The Parthenon was to worship the great Goddess Athena. Celebrate the ending of the Athens war with Persia. The Agora was like a market place. Towns people would come here to buy and sell their goods with each other. The theater of Dionysus was meant for dramatic plays. They were meant for comedy. They were either or an actor or watching. A Gymnasium was were the kids went to go get educated. Kids would leave home to go to the school at 6 or 7 and boys and girls were separated. Pnyx was a place to gather and decide laws.
Key players
Pericles' plan for Athens was to get the greatest Greece architects to build things like the Parthenon.
Socrates
Lived from 470 to 399 BC. Son of a sculptor. Served in the Athenian army during the clash with Sparta. He was attracted to a young boy.
Plato
Lived from 437 o 347. Socrates prized student in philosophy. Aristocles was his real name. Pirates captured him and his friend tried to buy him back.
Aristotle
Lived from 384 to 322. Born in a small greed colony call Stagira. In 334 he went to Athens and established his school of philosophy.
Military and Delian League
Tactics
Phalanx was used in the battle of Marathon around 500 BC. One major downside to the phalanx is its used against cavalry. The horses in the cavalry could quickly ride around the phalanx and attack the weak side. Athenians used mountains and natural habitat to protect the weak side.
Naval Warfare
Athens used naval warfare during the Peloponnese War. Shipped grain and food into city. They used ships called trireme and fought by ramming and boarding enemy ships. They were a major power.
Key players
Pericles- Politician, that lead the democratic movement. He was a general and he ruled Athens from 461 BC-439 BC.
Socrates was a philosopher from Athens and he was scrutinized for liking Sparta's way of doing things.
Plato was student of Socrates and he wrote the dialogues that contain most of Socrates ideas.
Aristotle was a student of Plato and a teacher to Alexander the Great later in life.
Archimedes was the first one to calculate pi
Pythagoras developed the Pythagorean theorem
The Delian League was a coalition of Greed states and Athenians and it was under the control of Athens and the Headquarters was in Delos.
Their goals were to free Ionian Greeks from Persia and protect Aegean Sea.
Persia was run out of the Aegean Sea
Famous battles in the Persian war
Marathon- 25,000 Persians met 10,000 Athenians and the Persians fled. Athenians had few loses.
Thermopylae- 7,000 Greeks and 300 Spartans stood up to the Persians for a long time. Persians found a way arond the mountain. The spartans let greeks flee and stayed to fight. All 300 Spartans died.
Salamis- The Greeks abandoned Athens and fought with their nval forces. they destroyed most of the Persiand Fleet,
Famous battle of peloponnesian War
Battle of Pylos- the Athenian naval forces were out attaching Zacynthus and the Spartan troops decided to attack walled city called Pylos. There were over 2,000 Spartan troops tried attacking sea side wall. Spartans failed to capture Pylos before the Athenian naval fleet could return. And the Spartans lost.
Weaponry and Armor Swords, iron knives compared to bronze knives, arrowheads, sling bullets- steel and clay, shields-bronze, archery, and spears.
To fight in the army they had to be male, 18 or older, own land, and have the mandatory 2 year military training. This system was different that the old way which was you had to be rich, had to buy your weapons and poor man could not afford to fight in the war. It resulted in a small army size. From the age 18 to 60 all physically fit men went to the military. Most of the soldiers were the heavily armored infantry called hoplites. You ephebe (teenage men) trained for 2 years. Hoplite attendants” light armored men usually poor citizens or trusted slaves. Most of the other wealthier citizens that could raise their own horse were part of the cavalry corps. Scythian police archers and Peltasts.
If the needed a small force they would take the people from 20 to 24 years old. Bur if it was a crisis they would summon everyone, even elderly. The hoplite attendants carried the supplies. The peltasts were lightly armored and carried javelins.
Geography
Greece borders the Aegean Sea, the Ionian Sea and the East Mediterranean Sea. Greeks thought the sea was a beautiful element. Shipping people traveled where they could always see land.
Land- The longest river in Greece is the Aliakmon but riverbeds tended to dry up. They grew barley and some olive plantations but they took a while. Grapes were popular too. They had goats and sheep were the most common animals. They provided fur, milk and meat the people needed. Chicken and geese were eaten. Oxen were rare but there. Donkeys and mules were used for travel.
Climate- mild, rainy winters. Relatively warn and dry summers with lots of sunshine all year. Winters in the mountains could be very snowy.
Trade and colonization- it was an important role as the furthest outposts of Greek culture. Bronze, silver and gold vessels, olive oil, wine and textiles were traded.
The Mediterranean basin enabled foreigners to travel to Greece.
Farming- there was little soil and farmland. 20% of land was used for farming. Their main crop was barley. Small farming villages were set up by people who came from the North. People grew enough to support their families.
Agriculture-their diet was based on cereals. It was home to many olive trees. And they were augmented by vegetable gardens.
Mining- (larva) there was a lot silver. There was a decline I mines during the Peloponnesian war.
Natural resources- iron, bronze, flax, clay, timber, grain, animals, leather, and wool.
Doctors were induce vomiting and sweating to bring the four “humors” back in balance.
Merchants were traders.
Blacksmiths and craftsman made things that people needed.
Bankers loaned money for trading voyages and their rate depended on the risk involved.
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