Relationship with Greece—prior to 1600 BCE they probably were better off than their mainland cousins, at least commercially. The story of Theseus and the Minotaur are that he went to Crete to free Athens from the heavy tribute paid to King Minos. Again, they borrowed the written language (Linear B) and modified it to the point of bettering it.

The Mycenaeans—Linear B proved that they were around as a nation in the Bronze Age.

The arrival of the "Greeks"—no one knows with any certainty where the first Mycenaean Greeks came from. Eminent scholars suggest that they immigrated and invaded for many years assimilating and intermingling for several centuries until they finally “became” Greek.

A warrior society—the leaders of the palaces prided themselves on their ability to lead men into battle by being buried with their weapons and allowing their followers to plunder anything won.

Trade and piracy—practiced by the Greeks and a fine line indeed. All the little passages were guarded by them and they raided where they could and they traded where they could not raid.

The citadel—may have been through the influence of the Mycenaeans. It was the government and the economic warehouse.

More Near Eastern than Greek—through the use of war chariots, but they were highly impractical as the rocky terrain prohibited their use. A powerful palace, a warrior king, and several other aspects of Near Eastern governments led them to be considered Near Eastern.

All these facets of the first Greek civilizations point to the fact that the myths may have actually been true. The classical Greeks thought that all that had come before them had been made by the gods or even monsters.

A cycle of warfare and the disappearance of the Mycenaeans—the whole thing comes to a crashing halt and most signs point to a cycle of warfare possibly “culminating” with the battle of Troy. It seems to have collapsed under its own weight and may have been aided by famine, disease, drought, natural disasters and even social unrest.

The Sea Peoples and the end of the Bronze Age—the Sea Peoples may have been the cause of the Greek collapse as they may have cut off trade routes and this would have helped to collapse the empire of the Hittites which collapsed very quickly. By the time they reached Egypt they were defeated by the Egyptians and that’s was it, they was all thew… thanks Walter.

A Greek dark age—this was the result of the chaos that occurred during the Sea Peoples invasions, as well as whatever else ailed Greece. They became economically and culturally isolated from the Near East and their new urbanism would be the result of their

unique geographic environment.

Egypt too went into a long decline as all their trading partners were gone, and the Assyrians felt the threat, but would recover to harass Mesopotamia, but the Kassites would go the way of Neanderthal.

The end result was new (fresh) political and cultural experiments and an economy based on a new widespread metal, iron, which ushered in the Iron Age.

Introduction—the triumph of reason and freedom over “superstition” and “despotism” prevalent in the Assyrian and Persian empires.

Near Eastern influences—the ideas/inventions and dialogue with the Phoenicians (A, B, C,); the Assyrians (hoplite); and the Egyptians (statues), all helped shape Greek civilization.

Western ideas/western values—differences in dignity, liberty, participatory government, arts, sciences, constitutions, the human mind, all shaped Greek civilization and continue to shape the world today, albeit as something that even the Greeks would not recognize today.

The Dark Age of Greece and Homer (1150-800 BCE)—In the period from 1,100 B.C. to 750 B.C. Greece experienced a decline in government, economics and culture. The Mycenaean kingdoms declined to the status of small towns and villages. Trade declined and most economic activity centered on subsistence farming. Intellectually and culturally the Greeks declined as they lost the ability to write in Linear B. The values of the Dark Age Greeks are reflected in the epic poems The Iliad and The Odyssey.

The Greek Dark Ages, circa 1100-725 B.C. This is the era from the fall of Mycenae to the rise of the Greek city-states. The gloomy term is used less often as archaeology increases our knowledge of the period. The evidence does, however, suggest a considerable depopulation in Greece and rich and poor alike seem worse off that in Mycenaean times.

New peoples began to move into central and southern Greece including the Dorians, speakers of a Greek dialect whose material culture was rougher and ruder that that of Mycenae’s descendants. They did, however, introduce the iron slashing sword.

Greece during this period was largely a poor and illiterate society of small towns and low-level agriculture and trade. After 800 B.C. a huge change came over Greece.

Mycenaean decline--

Dorian invasion—many scholars now doubt their invasion triggered the Age instead thinking of them as opportunists.

Depopulation—was as high as 90% in some communities. People strayed from the sea to become pastoral and economies suffered. The largest effect may have been that of all people being equals, both politically and economically.

The Greeks and their gods—people took a dim view of their gods, they had all the failings of humans, but had superhuman power and delighted in interfering in human affairs. Greeks learned to rely more on human power then on divine intervention as a result.

But they also developed the idea of hubris, (excessive pride) as a way of keeping men from becoming too enamored of their accomplishments. Too much pride and the gods threaten and punish the hubristic man. These notions too be well-developed later, had their roots in the Dark Ages.

Homer and the heroic experience—trade was on the upswing after 1000 BCE and wealth came to those who were successful leading to social stratification. Traders hoarded their wealth for their own social standing and an aristocratic class began to develop. One could also gain wealth by warfare; but one also had to be a singer of songs (Oral history), a doer of deeds, a winner on the battle field, and favored by the gods, in short a hero to be considered the best.

The Iliad and the Odyssey—not written until about 800 BCE (Phoenician alphabet)—they were rooted in an oral tradition going back to the past that they saw in ruins all around them. Competition and status are of the utmost importance to the warrior elite.

Hero cults and the heroic ideal-- The competition especially led to hero cults which led to whole communities identifying with a local hero. Homer preserved this tradition and passed it down to succeeding generations.

Foreign contacts and the rise of the polis—the contacts were mostly Phoenician and it led them to the alphabet where they added vowels. Also, they led them to seafaring, rather than let the Phoenicians come to them, they decided to go to everyone else.

The Phoenicians—alphabet and seafaring but, also they copied their ships and Homer got in the act with the Odyssey, it recognized an awareness of the world.

Population growth—in both the homeland and the new colonies resulted from their new commercial activity. But the increased demands on the resources of a limited country meant that city-states would expand and ultimately run up against neighbors leading to contact and rivalry, sometimes cooperation was the result, sometimes war.

The polis— or The City-State as a Political Unit; after 800 B.C.E. government revolved around a city-state (polis), with polities varying in size and embracing a city and its agricultural hinterland. Many city-states formed, but political unification did not occur. The city-states were ruled by landowning aristocrats descended from Indo-European warriors. They and free farmer citizens met to discuss political issues in councils, even when there were kings.

After 700 B.C.E. the system of aristocratic control was challenged as a result of commercial expansion and the growth of specialized commercial agriculture. Small landholders suffered and a growing gulf emerged between the rich and poor. Some aristocratic oligarchies in purely agricultural regions, as in Sparta, remained unchallenged, but others faced steady pressure.

By the 6^th century B.C.E. urban commercial groups and dispossessed farmers sought reform. Tyrants won support by challenging aristocratic interests. Other reformers, like Solon of Athens, labored to develop new laws to regulate economic relationships. Additional cause for change came from the democratization of military service by qualified citizens.

By 500 B.C.E. most city-states were based upon principles of loyalty to the public community rather than to an individual ruler. Widespread participation in public life by male citizens was common. Since each city-state had its own gods, religious rituals also supported involvement.

The asty — the urban community

The khora — the "land"

Synoikismos — the "bringing together of dwellings"

The Polis

•Two parts: The urban area, which usually was tiny, and the surrounding countryside, where most of the people lived.

–The urban public space included both a defensible hill, called a “high city” (acropolis), and a “gathering place” (agora) used as a marketplace and meeting place.

•At least one temple usually served as a focal point. Some poleis had a temple located not in the polis, but several miles away.

•After around 500 B.C. stone buildings, including council houses, theaters, covered porticoes, gymnasia, and baths, became increasingly common.

Archaic Greece (800-480 BCE)—misleading name as it was so-called when scholars focused on the Classical age, therefore something had to be considered pre-historic.

Age of Experiment — a new dynamism— after laying in obscurity for some 400 years, the renewed vigor let them try previously untried avenues in religion, society and politics.

Colonization and Pan-Hellenism

Expansion of the Greek world — new contacts and trade— the physical and economic expansion led to a full-fledged colonizing effort that would see the Greeks establish hundreds of colonies in all. Magna Graecia (Greater Greece) was the Roman name for the southern third of Italy and Sicily. By the 4^th century BCE more Greeks lived in Magna Graecia than in Greece itself. Colonies were set up as far away as France and North Africa.

Colonies were established due to several reasons, each unique to a particular city-state. Corinth had agricultural poverty, euboean poleis had old commercial traditions that were re-instituted, and others had over-population or political turmoil and used colonies as an outlet for excess people or troublemakers.

A new awareness — Hellenes—encounters with different people led them to think of themselves as having a common identity, (and their art changed to reflect that of Egypt). The common identity thread did not lead to cooperation; however, as evidenced by the fact that Athens and Sparta spoke different dialects.

Hellenism led to a common religious cult though, as the Oracle at Delphi applied to people all over the Greek world. (She would answer questions in an unintelligible fashion and priests present would “translate” her answers which were always vague enough so that she (them, priests) could rarely be proven wrong.

Festivals — Pan-Hellenic games at Olympia (776 BCE)—the first Olympic Games were held to honor Zeus through athletic competition, but the Greeks celebrated four such festivals in a quadrennial cycle with the Olympic Games the most important. Only Greeks were permitted to participate and all wars ceased while the games were on, a victor could see an elevated status both socially and politically within his polis.

The hoplite—Common foot soldiers supporting aristocratic warriors

0.          The phalanx

0.          Formation of a "hoplite class"

Every polis needed a hoplite force

Ranks filled by farmers who could afford armor

Wanted a share in the political decisions of the polis

•Another consequence of foreign contact was the introduction of new military technology, which the increase in wealth allowed Greeks to adopt.

•Social changes fostered new tactics on the battlefield: Hoplite phalanx

–A tightly ordered unit of heavily armed, spike-bearing infantrymen.

–The phalanx (fighting unit) became the dominant military force in Greece, western Asia, and the Mediterranean until its defeat by a Roman army in 197 B.C.

Hoplites

•Hoplites (infantrymen) were amateur soldiers. Most were full-time farmers outside the fighting season. The notion of the farmer-soldier, independent and free, would have a lasting impact in Western political thought.

•So would the warrior values of what became a way of life in Greece.

–In Homer’s time: fought for personal and familial honor.

–By around 650 B.C.: fought for your community as well.

•Warrior’s death brought honor to his city and his countrymen.

Aristocratic culture and tyranny

Pursued wealth and power as well as a distinctive culture—led to competition between aristocratic families. The positions were an unsalaried position only the wealthy could afford.

Office-holding and the symposium—it was part of a life-style (Harley Davidson, “if I had to explain, you wouldn’t understand”)—to be excluded from this was to be excluded from the aristocratic ranks.

Homosexuality—a man in his late twenties took a teenage protégé as his homosexual lover and taught his the ropes of government and society.

The aristocratic identity—anyone left out of the elite world could not fully participate in the political, economic, social and cultural life of the polis, and the circle was narrowing.

A new elite— problem—when the circle narrowed, former aristocrats used violence between aristocratic groups leading to tyranny.

Tyrannos — someone who seized power and ruled outside traditional framework—not necessarily an abusive leader at first. Lydian word and would lead to greater political enfranchisement.

The tyrant had to satisfy the hoplites—they had their own grievances as people who had numbers and strength, but no voice. The tyrant gave them new economic and judicial guarantees and they gave him military support, but this form of government is very unstable and lasted only two generations most times.

It was an important path from aristocracy to democracy by virtue of the increased enfranchisement.

Government under the Tyrants

•Tyrant did not become a pejorative word until roughly 550 B.C., when the people soured on the second and third generation of tyrants (who tended to rule oppressively).

–Over the course of the 7^th and 6^th centuries B.C., all of the major Greek poleis except Sparta became tyrannies.

–Few tyrannies lasted beyond the third generation, when they were overthrown and replaced by oligarchy (“rule by the few”) or, less often, by democracy (“power of the people”).

•By 500 B.C. tyranny had disappeared from most of Greece.

Lyric poetry

A new departure—from Homer’s heroes in epics to poetry.

Hesiod, Theogony and Works and Days—Theogony described the origins of the Greek gods and the creation of the cosmos. Works and Days described tales of his scheming brother who tried to take Hesiod’s inheritance, and of the elite class in his hometown. From here he told of the rewards of hard work—justice in the polis and – treating one’s neighbors well.

Sappho—she was one of the next generation of Greek poets, they wrote highly personal stuff. She lived on the island of Lesbos and wrote beautiful poetry on longing and lust, sometimes about men, but more times about women.

Some poets continue to praise heroes, but others began to honor the hoplite phalanx and those who fought for their polis, not those who fought for personal gain. This was something new to the West: the individual who expresses his or her feelings, even when these are at odds with the dominant culture of the time.