athens’ age of glory lesson 3. the big picture in 499bc greece went to war with persia ...
TRANSCRIPT
Athens’ Age of Glory
Lesson 3
The Big Picture
In 499BC Greece went to war with Persia Understanding the importance of sea power, Athenians built a
naval fleet Over the next 20 years they joined forces with Sparta and other
city- states Together they defeated the Persians Many Greek colonies were still in danger of Persian attack Some colonies began paying money to Athens for protection. This made
Athens rich This age of wealth and great achievement is known as the “Golden Age”
Walk Through Athens
The Acropolis was high above the city (this was the religious center of Athens)
New building displayed the city’s new wealth and power At their center rose a temple to honor the goddess Athena. This
is known as the Parthenon. The temple can be seen from anywhere in the city About 100,000 people lived in Athens making it the largest city
Activity in the Agora
Many had come to do business at the Agora There were students, lawyers, shopkeepers, that worked in the
market or government buildings In the corner of the agora, was the city’s “bulletin board”. This is
where people could post messages about matters that are being voted on
Merchants sold perfume, vegetables, and clothing or offered haircuts
In workshops, potters crafter pots and bowls
Athenian Government
Early 400 B.C a small council of powerful citizens made all of the cities decisions
Later on, the councils powers had been taken over by an assembly Assembly- is a lawmaking body of a government The assembly voted on issue that helped shape the future of the city
No women or enslaved men had a say in the government (they were not considered citizens- they could not own land)
A Great Statesman
Pericles was an Athenian leader- the government was a democracy
Pericles made sure poor as well as rich citizens could take part in the government
Citizen served on the assembly and sat on juriesJury- is a group of citizens chosen to hear evidence and make decisions
in a court of lawCitizens were paid when they served on the jury. This allowed farmers
and other poor citizen could afford to take time off of work to be involved in the government
Philosophy in Athens Socrates was a famous philosopher He led discussions about the right way to live He taught philosophy ( the search for wisdom or the right way
to live) They discussed what makes the best kind of government and
what it means to be a good citizen Shortly before 400 B.C Socrates began questioning Athenian
values (such as laws), customs and religion It made some Athenians angry that someone would question the
polis. He was put on trial and sentenced to death His teaching were written down by his student Plato ( who also
became a famous philosopher)
War and Conflict
The Golden age of Athens did not last foreverSparta and other city- states became jealous of Athens They formed the Peloponnesian League
This became known as the Peloponnesian War
Battles on land and Sea The wars began with an attack from the Spartan army Pericles knew that his army was no match for Sparta
He said that all people living outside the cities wall move inside the cities surrounding wall. This was used as protection
Sparta's army destroyed the farmland around Athens Athenians did not starve because they controlled the Aegean sea. Ships
were able to bring in grain from other areas
Because Athens had such a strong navy, they were able to win the battles in the sea. Sparta won many battle's on land.
A terrible disease swept through Athens. At least 1/3 of the population died (so did Pericles)
A Final Blow In 404 B.C Sparta was able to cut off Athens grain supply from
the Black Sea Starving Athenians surrendered
The End of the Golden Age
Following the Peloponnesian wars, Sparta was in control of the Polis. This was short lived
These unsettled times would leave Greece open to threats from a new power to the north