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Warring City-States
MAIN IDEA
polis
acropolis
monarchy
aristocracy
oligarchy
phalanx
tyrant
helot
democracy
Persian Wars
SETTING THE STAGE After the sea peoples invaded mainland Greece around
1200 B.C., the Dorians moved into the area. Greek civilization experienced a period
of decline during the Dorian period. After many centuries, Dorians and Mycenaeans
alike identified less with the culture of their ancestors and more with their local
city-state. By 750 B.C. the Greeks saw the rise of powerful city-states.
A. Possible Answer
Individual citizens
would tend to feel
more confident and
personally responsible
for defending the citystate. They might
demand a share in
governing themselves.
Background
The term hoplite
comes from the word
hoplon, a shield that
covered half of the
soldiers body.
A New Kind of Army Emerges During the Dorian Age, only the rich could afford
bronze spears, shields, breastplates, and chariots. Iron later replaced bronze in the
manufacture of weapons. Harder than bronze, iron was more common and therefore
cheaper. Soon, ordinary citizens could afford to arm and defend themselves.
The shift from bronze to iron weapons made possible a new kind of army composed of merchants, artisans, and small landowners. Citizens were expected to
defend the polis. Foot soldiers, called hoplites, stood side by side, holding a spear in
one hand and a shield in the other. This fearsome formation, or phalanx (FAY lanks),
was the most powerful fighting force in the ancient world.
Tyrants Seize Power No ruler could ignore the power of the citizen-soldiers. In many
city-states, unemployed farmers and debt-ridden artisans joined in revolt against the
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nobles. Powerful individuals, called tyrants, gained control of the government by appealing to the poor and the discontented for support.
The rule of some city-states passed from one tyrant to the next as competing groups
took power. Other cities, however, found new ways of governing. Among these city-states
were two of the most powerful, Sparta and Athens.
SPOTLIGHT ON
Warrior-Women
Greek myths of an army of fierce
warrior-women called Amazons have
thrilled readers for centuries. Legend
has it that the Amazons fought and
governed, while their husbands
cooked and cleaned. Skilled archers
and swordswomen, Amazons were
expected to kill before marrying.
For centuries historians dismissed
tales of the Amazons as fantasy.
In 1997, however, Russian and
American archaeologists unearthed
contrary evidence. In Pokrovka,
Kazakhstan, they dug up 44 burial
mounds. Inside they found the
skeletons of women buried with
swords and iron daggers.
Scientists think these ancient
women may have inspired Greek
legend. These finds have also cast
new light on the roles of women
in societies long ago.
Spartan Education For men, daily life centered around military training. Training
was rigorous. At the age of seven, boys left home and moved into army barracks.
Wearing no shoes, they marched in light tunics during the day and slept on hard
benches at night. Trainees gulped down meager meals of coarse black porridge. Such
schooling produced tough soldiers.
Spartan girls also led hardy lives. Although they did not receive military training, they ran, wrestled, and played sports. Like the boys, they
also learned to put service to Sparta above even love of family. As
adults, women managed the family estates while their husbands served
the polis. Although Spartan women did not have the right to vote,
their roles in Spartan society surprised men from other Greek citystates. This was particularly true in Athens, where citizens
expected women to remain out of sight and quietly raise children.
From around 600 until 371 B.C., the Spartans had the most powerful army in Greece, but they paid a high price for that position. All
forms of individual expression were discouraged. As a result, Spartans
did not value the arts and had practically no time for artistic expression. Spartans valued duty, strength, and discipline over individuality, beauty, and freedom.
116 Chapter 5
Background
The kings of Sparta
were not monarchs in
the traditional sense
but hereditary military
leaders.
Spartan women,
such as the runner
below, took part in
athletic contests.
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For Athenian
women, life
centered around
home and the
family.
A V O I C E F R O M T H E PA S T
You will need to stay indoors. . . . The greatest joy of all will
be to prove yourself . . . a better helpmate to myself and to
the children, a better guardian of our home, so will your
honor increase. . . . [By being dutiful] you will enjoy your
food, grow vigorous in health, and your complexion will in
very truth be lovelier.
XENOPHON, Oeconomicus
In addition to having no part in government, women had very little to do with the citys intellectual life.
Solons Political and Economic Reforms Repeated clashes
Background
The legal code prepared by Draco was
so harsh that the
word draconian has
become a synonym for
extreme cruelty or
severity.
Monarchy
State ruled by a king
Rule is hereditary
Some rulers claim divine right
Practiced in Mycenae (1450 B.C.)
Aristocracy
State ruled by nobility
Rule is hereditary and based on
land ownership
Social status and wealth support
rulers authority
Practiced in Athens (594 B.C.)
Oligarchy
State ruled by a small group of
citizens
Rule is based on wealth
Ruling group controls military
Practiced in Sparta (800600 B.C.)
Direct Democracy
State ruled by its citizens
Rule is based on citizenship
Majority rule decides vote
Practiced in Athens (461 B.C.)
SKILLBUILDER:
Interpreting Charts
1. Which forms of government
feature rule based on wealth
or property ownership?
occurred between the aristocrats who governed Athens and the common people. A group of peasants foiled an attempt by an Athenian
2. In which form of government
nobleman named Cylon (SI luhn) to establish a tyranny. In return,
do citizens have the most
they demanded a written code of laws. In 621 B.C., the Greek lawpower?
maker Draco wrote the first legal code, dealing mainly with contracts
and property ownership. Dracos code included such unfair practices
as debt slavery, in which small farmers worked as slaves to repay their debts. As a result,
conflicts between the aristocrats and the poor continued. To prevent civil war, in 594
B.C. the aristocrats chose a trusted statesman named Solon (SO luhn) to head the government. Athenians gave him full power to reform the law.
Solon outlawed debt slavery. He allowed all citizens to participate and debate policies in the Athenian assembly. In another political move, Solon introduced the legal
concept that any citizen could bring charges against wrongdoers. In addition, his economic reforms benefited many. For example, by encouraging the export of grapes and
olives, Solon initiated a profitable overseas trade and demand for these products.
Although Solon initiated political and economic changes, he neglected land reforms.
At the end of his rule, fighting erupted between wealthy landowners and the poor
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farmers. Around 546 B.C., a nobleman and military leader named Pisistratus (py SIS
truh tuhs) seized power and became one of Athens first tyrants. Seeking power at the
expense of the nobles, he provided funds to help peasants buy farm equipment. He
financed this reform by a tax on agricultural production. Pisistratus also launched a massive building program that gave jobs to the poor and earned him their support.
(KLYS thuh NEEZ) introduced further reforms. He worked to make Athens a full
democracy by reorganizing the assembly to break up the power of the nobility. He
also increased the power of the assembly by allowing all citizens to submit laws for
debate and passage. Cleisthenes then created the Council of Five Hundred. This
body proposed laws and counseled the assembly. Council members were chosen
by lot, or at random. While these reforms allowed Athenian citizens to participate
in a limited democracy, only one-fifth of Athenian residents were
CONNECT to TODAY actual citizens.
Modern Marathons
Today, the word marathon refers
to a foot race of 26 miles, 385 yards.
One of the largest and best known is
the Boston Marathon. The history of
this grueling race dates back to the
Persian Wars and Pheidippides run
from Marathon to Athens.
After running at top speed
for approximately 25 miles,
Pheidippides arrived in Athens. He
gasped "Rejoice, we conquer," and
instantly died. His heroic run
inspired officials at the 1896 Olympic
Games in Athens to add a 26-mile
marathon to their competition.
In 1908, officials in London
further lengthened the race. King
Edward VII decided he wanted it to
begin at Windsor Castle385 yards
from the citys Olympic Stadium. The
photo below shows Lameck Aquita
of Kenya, who won the 1997 Boston
Marathon with a time of 2 hours, 10
minutes, 34 seconds.
Thermopylae and Salamis Ten years later, in 480 B.C., Darius the Great was
dead. His son and successor Xerxes (ZURK seez) tried to crush Greece. Xerxes
assembled an enormous invasion force of ships and men. By then, however, the
Greeks were badly divided. Some city-states agreed to fight the Persians. Others
thought it wiser to let Xerxes destroy Athens and return home. Some Greeks even
fought on the Persian side. Consequently, Xerxes army met no resistance as it
marched down the eastern coast of Greece.
When Xerxes came to a narrow mountain pass at Thermopylae (thur MAHP uh lee),
7,000 Greeks, including 300 Spartans, blocked his way. The Persian king underestimated their power. They fought for three days before a traitor told the Persians about
118 Chapter 5
B. Contrasting How
would you compare
the ideals of Spartan
and Athenian society?
B. Possible
Answers Spartans
valued physical and
military strength and
discipline. They did
not care much for the
arts and ideas. The
Athenians valued
their political freedom, family life, and
using the mind.
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C. Possible
Answers The
Persian Wars united
many Greek citystates under Athens.
It left them determined to build up a
defensive navy to prevent future attacks.
Victory produced confidence and paved the
way for a new burst
of creativity.
Mt. Olympus
Aegean
Sea
Troy
28E
Artemisium (480)
Thermopylae (480)
Plataea
(479)
Athens
38N
IONIA
PERSIA N
Sardis EMPIRE
Ephesus
Mycale (479)
Miletus (494)
GREECE
Sparta
Eretria
(490)
Thebes
Mediterranean
Sea
Knossos
38N
CRETE
Marathon
(490)
Salamis
(480)
100 Miles
0
0
200 Kilometers
34N
Athens
Saronic
Gulf
0
0
25 Miles
100 Kilometers
24E
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G E O G R A P H Y S K I L L B U I L D E R : Interpreting Maps
1. Movement By what routes did the Persians choose to attack
Section 2 Assessment
1. TERMS & NAMES
Identify
polis
acropolis
monarchy
aristocracy
oligarchy
phalanx
tyrant
helot
democracy
Persian Wars
2. TAKING NOTES
3. CONTRASTING
third
battle
second
battle
THINK ABOUT
roles of citizens
type/form of government
societal values
4. THEME ACTIVITY
fourth
battle