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Course: AP®︎ World History > Unit 2
Lesson 2: Classical Greece- Classical Greece
- Classical Greek Society and Culture
- Classical Greek society
- Classical Greek culture
- The Greek polis
- Philosophy: Socrates, Plato and Aristotle
- Greco Persian Wars
- Second Persian Invasion
- The Peloponnesian War
- Lesson summary: Classical Greece
- Classical Greece
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Lesson summary: Classical Greece
An overview of ancient Greek city-states and politics.
Key terms
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| democracy | a form of government controlled by the citizens of a state; in Athens, citizens were randomly chosen to serve in some government roles, while other positions were chosen by fellow citizens by election. |
| oligarchy | a form of government where power rests with a small number of people; in Ancient Greece, oligarchies were made up of wealthy and influential citizens. |
| tyrant | a ruler who was not subject to the law; many tyrants in ancient Greece were actually aristocrats who challenged the ruling oligarchies in their cities; a government led by a tyrant was called tyranny. |
| polis | another name for the Greek city-state; the polis was the typical political unit in Greece and citizenship was associated with a particular polis. |
| helots | a class of unfree laborers forced to work in Sparta |
| Sparta | one of the most powerful Greek city-states, ruled by two kings and a council of oligarchs; famous for its military, all Spartan citizens trained as soldiers. Sparta relied largely on helots to produce food. |
| Athens | one of the most powerful Greek city-states; classical period Athens used a democratic system of government. Participation in democratic processes was limited to citizens. |
| Delian League | alliance of Greek cities to defend against Persia; led by Athens, many historians see this as essentially an Athenian Empire. |
| Peloponnesian War | conflict between Sparta and Athens and their allies for control over Classical Greece; Sparta won after nearly three decades of fighting. |
| Golden Age of Athens | period when philosophical thinking, writing, art, and science flourished in Athens; thinkers like Socrates, playwrights like Aristophanes, and historians like Herodotus and Thucydides lived during this period. |
| Hellenism | another word for Greek culture; Greeks called Greece "Hellas". |
| Alexander the Great | king of Macedon, a region north of Greece that shared many cultural characteristics with Greece. Alexander the Great conquered Greece and the Persian Empire and spread Hellenistic culture. |
Key dates
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| c. 1300 BCE—c. 146 BCE | duration of Ancient Greek civilization; Greece was eventually conquered by Rome. |
| 510 BCE—323 BCE | Classical Period in Greece; from the fall of the last tyrant in Athens to the death of Alexander the Great |
| 499 BCE—449 BCE | Greco-Persian Wars; Athens and Sparta were allies fighting against Persian invasions. |
| 478 BCE—404 BCE | existence of the Delian League |
| 461 BCE—429 BCE | height of the Golden Age of Athens |
| c. 431 BCE—c.404 BCE | Peloponnesian War fought between Athens and Sparta |
| 336 BCE—323 BCE | reign of Alexander the Great as king of Macedon and later as Persian emperor |
Key themes
Culture: Economic, social, and political conditions influenced art. In the middle of the fifth century BCE, art, writing, and sciences flourished in Athens. Great thinkers, playwrights, athletes, and artists emerged out of Ancient Greece. This emergence of various art forms reflected the political and economic power of Athens.
Environment: Human societies are affected by their environments, and in response, people adapt to and try to alter their environments. The territory of Greece is mountainous; as a result, ancient Greece consisted of many smaller regions, each with its own dialect, cultural characteristics, and identity. Cities tended to be located in valleys between mountains or on coastal plains and dominated the countryside around them. The small amount of land ideal for farming in Greece contributed to the establishment of colonies outside Greece and the growth of trade.
State Building: Greek city-states were organized by strong centralized governments that facilitated the building of major monuments, organization of armies and trade, and enforcement of laws. Regional conflicts were a prominent feature of ancient Greece.
Social structure: The Greek city-states developed different social structures from one another. Slavery and patriarchy were a part of many Ancient Greek societies. Some Greek city-states also introduced the ideas of democracy and citizenship, which gave more people access to government, while also creating a new division between citizens and non-citizens.
Review questions
- How were the environment and political structures of Classical Greece connected?
- What similarities and differences existed between social hierarchies in Greece and other early states and civilizations?
- How might Athens' control of the Delian League have contributed to Athens' "Golden Age"?
Want to join the conversation?
Can someone tell me about question 3, 'How might Athens' control of the Delian League have contributed to Athens' "Golden Age"?'(2 votes)
The Delian League (referred to in Ancient sources as "symmachia," the alliance) began in 478 B.C.E. as a defensive alliance against Persian imperial expansionism. It gave Athens much more power; in the same way that in the modern world being a part of the United Nations offers a country more security, having a large network of allies in the ancient world provided insurance.
Not only did it give Athens a sense of protection against foreign invasion, in the form of expanded territory and thereby a larger military, but it also necessarily led to Athens having a greater population to tax. Taxes meant more money, and more money meant greater luxury. Hence, the Delian League, made a golden age almost inevitable.
As Plato points out in his Republic, however, a luxurious state becomes compelled to engage in conquest. Having vast amounts of resources makes one a more attractive target to invaders, so building a larger military becomes essential. Furthermore, having a larger population means a great reliance on trade. We can see that Plato got some of his ideas in The Republic from the recent history of his time.
In summary, the Delian League made a Golden Age possible, and a Golden Age made the Pelopponesian War inevitable.(3 votes)
How were the environment and political structures of Classical Greece connected?(1 vote)- The environment of Classical Greece is a perfect metaphor for its political makeup. In the article I have provided below [1], the geography of Greece is described in detail.
Ancient Greece has a landscape characterized by inhospitable mountainous regions and cozy valleys that were perfect to live in. As one can imagine, the mountainous regions provided a natural defense for each polis of Greece, which brings me to my second point. The political "geography" of Greece is characterized, similarly, by independent poleis (city-states) only somewhat united politically, but very tightknit culturally. They spoke different dialects of the same language, Ancient Greek (Hellenike), and believed in the same system of gods.
The uneven terrain likely contributed to the Persians' failure in ever conquering Greece in the Greco-Persian Wars. And the natural protection of the Aegean Sea between the Greek peninsula and Persia was definitely a major benefit. Thus, the environment kept Classical Greece independent within itself (until Athens' Delian League) as well as independent from foreign powers.
1. https://greekarchaeology.osu.edu/arch-edu/archaeology(2 votes)
- What happened in Rome around 510 Bce?(0 votes)
Rome started to adopt a republic system where people (especially the higher classes) could take positions of power. The poor also had a chance to take power too as they had their own "branch" of government as well. During this time, Rome is known for create the Senate, consuls, and the Tribune.
Hope that helps! :)(1 vote)