History of ancient Greece

The history of ancient Greece breaks up into several periods, whose principal ones are the antiquated time, the traditional time and hellenistic time. Under name “antiquated Greece”, one gathers various civilizations of Cyclades, Minoan and mycénienne (either of 2700 with 1200). The transitional period between the fall of civilization mycénienne and the antiquated time, characterized by a stagnation even a cultural regression - and thus called “obscure Centuries” by certain historians - extends thus from the XII E to the VIII E

Introduction

One calls “ancient Greece” the period of the Histoire of Greece extending during nearly one millenium until the Bataille to Actium. Many historians consider that it is the culture founder of the Western civilization. Greek civilization indeed had a considerable influence on the Roman Empire, which exported the components of them in many parts of the Europe. In addition, it influenced the language, the Political science, education, the Philosophie, the Science and the Arts, its redécouverte was at the origin of the Renaissance in Western Europe and it was again with the honor in the neo-classic current of 18th and 19th centuries in Europe and with the America S.

The term “ancient Greece” indicates the old world speaking Greek during the Antiquité. It includes/understands not only the peninsula of the current Greece but also the places of Hellenic culture where the former Greeks were established: Cyprus, islands of the Aegean Sea, the Aegean coast of the Anatolia (called thereafter Ionie), the Large Greece (Sicily and south of Italy), as well as the Greek colonies scattered on the coasts of Colchide, Illyrie, Thrace, Egypt, Cyrénaïque, the south of the Gaulle, the east and the North-East of the Iberian peninsula, the Colchide (or Ibérie of the Caucasus) and of the Tauride.

Chronology

It does not on there dates universally recognized concerning the beginning and the end of the ancient Greek period. Generally, this name refers to all the Greek history former to the conquest by the Roman Empire, but the historians bring more precision. Certain authors include the period mycénienne, hellénophone, which finished in the neighborhoods of the XII E, but the majority estimates that the Minoan influence was too important and too different from the Greek culture in becoming and that these two periods must be considered separately

What is called Greek antiquity is one one millenium period extending from the end of the Civilization mycénienne with the conquest of Greece by the Roman Republic, which is divided between four under-periods, defined according to art as well as the culture and the policy. The first among them is called " centuries obscurs" (XI e-IX E). During this time, the artists employ geometrical reasons such as squares, circles and lines to decorate the Amphore S and other potteries. The antiquated time (VIII e-VI E) is illustrated by great sculptures, drawn up in hieratic installations and with the famous " to smile archaïque" dreamer. With the traditional time (500 - 323) the artists improve the style " classique" , which remains exemplary, for example in the Parthenon. After the conquests of Alexandre Large the, during the hellenistic time (323 - 146), so called alexandrine, Greek civilization will extend from Egypt to the Bactriane.

Traditionally, the period of ancient Greece begins with the date of the Olympic first Games in 776, but much from historians go back the beginning to this period with -1000. The usually allowed date for the end of ancient Greece is that of died of Alexandre Large the in 323. The following period is named the hellenistic and hard Time until the integration of Greece in the Roman République in 146.

These dates are conventions of historians and certain writers regard old Greek civilization as a continuum until the advent of Christianity in IIIeme century of our era.

Origins

It is thought that the Greeks migrated of the south towards the Balkan Peninsula in several waves of settlement starting towards the end of the 3 {{E}} thousand-year-old front J.C; the invasion Dorienne by representing the last wave.

The period going of 1600 with approximately 1100 JC is known like the Period mycénienne; celebrate by the reign of Agamemnon and the Trojan War illustrated by the epopees of Homère, Iliade and the Odyssey.

The period going of 1100 with approximately 800 is known like the obscure Siècles; no princeps text us arrived from there, and only archaeological research highlights the vestiges. Only texts second and/or tertiary such as: the History of Hérodote, Description of Greece of Pausanias the geographer, the historical Library of Diodore of Chronic Sicily and the of Holy Jerome, contain seen briefs chronological S and lists Dynastique S of the kings of this period.

One often makes coincide the history of Greece Antique with the death of Alexandre Large the, in 323 JC. The posterior events belong to the period of the hellenistic Greece.

Any history of the ancient Greece requires a careful study of the sources which describe it. However all work of the political writers and Greek historians who reached us, namely Hérodote, Thucydide, Xénophon, Démosthène, Plato (and through him Socrate), Aristote, etc belongs all to the Athenian sphere .

This is why the history of Athens occults that of all the other Greek Cities Corinthe, Sparte, Thèbes… which one knows only very few things. Moreover these writers concentrated almost all their work on the political aspects, soldiers and Diplomatique S of the history, by being unaware of the economic and social history. Also all the historical studies on ancient Greece must take account of these limits imposed by their same sources.

The emergence of the Greek world

After the collapse of the Civilization mycénienne, the Greek world reorganizes starting from the texts mycéniens and their alphabet even had been forgotten, but the Greeks take possession of the Alphabet phenician to forge new a Greek alphabet, the first traces of accounts in Greek characters go back to 800. The Greek world was divided into multiple autonomous entities, according to the physical geography where each island, valley, are cut of its equivalents by the relief, assembly lines, which make difficult (but possible) to pass from the one to the other.

The economy and the exchanges progress all the same while the population increases the surface cultivated parallel to (according to Mogens Hermann Hansen, the Greek population is multiplied by more than ten of 800 with 350, passing from 700,000 with a population estimated between 8 and 10 million). Starting from 750, the Greeks have a phase of territorial expansion (vis-a-vis the other less dynamic people démographiquement) 250 years, establishing colonies in all the directions. Initially towards the East, in the islands of the Aegean Sea and towards the coast Anatolia, then towards Cyprus and the coast Thrace, the Marmara Sea and the southern part of the Black Sea. Finally, colonization reaches until the North-East of the current Ukraine. Towards the West, the Albanian coasts , of Sicily and the South of the Italy (“Large Greece”) are colonized, then follow the coasts of the South-east of France (Marseilles), the Corsica , and even the North-East of the Spain. Other colonies are also founded in Egypt and Libya. The current cities of Syracuse, Naples, Marseilles and Istanbul were born from the named Greek colonies Syracusa, Neapolis, Massilia and Byzance.

At the 6th century, the Greek world, inhabited by men of language and Greek culture, is much vaster than the Greek peninsula or than the current Greek State. But it is to be stressed that the whole of these colonies are not politically connected between them, nor necessarily by their city-mother. The colonies however keeps of it religious properties, and a preferential link between city-mother and colony-girl. On the two sides, the Greeks organize themselves in cities autonomous, and the city ( Polis ) becomes the fundamental unit of the Greek world. At the time of this Life century, the economy develops davantage In this period has huge economic development occurred --> as much in the Greek pénincule that in the remote colonies, with an increase in the trade (maritime) and artisanal production. This economic development is also accompanied by a notable improvement of the living conditions. Certain studies, estimating that the surface of the Greek houses would have, of 800 with 300, multiplied by 5, indicate a similar increase in the standards of vie.

By its level of economic development, ancient Greece of the 4th century is regarded as the saving of exchange and the most advanced production world. According to certain economic historians, it is also the case in term of preindustrial economy and techniques. That illustrates for example by the average daily wages of a worker, who is equivalent then to 13 kg of grains, more than 4 times the daily wages of an Egyptian (~3kg of grains).

Social conflicts and political

; The monarchical Era The Greek Cité S were originally Monarchie S, thus controlled, according to the Coutume by a monarch, the King often assisted by the Council of Old. Though for much among them, very small, the term of " King " ( Basileus ) seems somewhat disproportionate. In fact, the cities are small State S independent (the Cités - States : approximately 750), sheltering a few hundreds or a few thousands of inhabitants, the Citoyen S which form the dêmos (the “Peuple” in Greek). They are made up very simply of a city, more or less strengthened, and of its surrounding countryside.

; The aristocratic and tyrannical Era In this country always with cultivable ground court, the capacity belongs in fact to a small handle of landowners, who form a warlike class aristocratic (or Oligarchique) frequently launching out in small wars inter - cities, making and demolishing monarchies in place quickly.

But about this time the rise of a commercial class (that the introduction of the Monnaie illustrates towards 680) generates a new kind of conflicts between the large cities. Passed 650, the aristocracy must fight not to be reversed and not replaced by leaders populist S called Tyran S. to notice that this term of ( tyrant tyrranoï ), does not have necessarily the modern direction of despotic dictator but generally indicated, simply the chief (or the mayor) of the City.

At the 6th century several cities émergeantes dominate the Greek world: Athens, Sparte, Corinth and Thèbes. Each one of them brought the neighbouring campaigns and small towns under its control. Whereas Athens and Corinthe become commercial great powers as much as maritime; Athens and Sparte start a competition which will dominate the Greek History lasting of the generations.

With Sparte, the land aristocracy maintains its capacity that the Constitution of Lycurgue (towards 650) will do nothing but reinforce by giving to Sparte a permanent military regime in the form of a bicephalous monarchy. Sparte dominates the other cities of the Peloponnese, with the only exceptions of Argos (oldest of the Greek cities) and of the Achaie.

; Awakening of the democracy With Athens, on the contrary, monarchy was abolished in 683, and Solon by its reforms establishes there a moderate system of government, considered as the ancestor of the Démocratie. These systems of government (aristocratic then (pre) democratic) was followed by the tyranny of Pisistrate (which had been combined in Sparte) then that of its sons, which however gave to the city a naval and commercial great power. When the Pisistratides were reversed, Clisthène (in Greek Κλεισθένης/Kleisthénês, towards 570/507 front J. - C) establishes the first true democracy in (500 front J. - C), with a capacity held by an assembly of male citizens. Like guarantor of this democracy, it establishes the first Vote S (enough simplistic using black stones to say not and white stones to say yes). But one must still remember that only a minority of male inhabitants were citizens, other than the slaves, the women, the Métèque S (foreigners) and the nonautochtones (not-Athenians)

Medic wars

Since 546 and the fall of the Lydian kingdom, the Greek cities of Ionie (west coast of current the Turkey) passes little by little under the domination of the Persian Empire. A Persian satrap, kind of governor of province, was charged to ensure the lifting of the royal tax and thus installs in the Greek cities of the favorable governments. For as much, the traces found numismatics show that the economy of the area preserved its strength and that the Greek religions and practices are respected, the Persian empire wanting to be pluriculturel. But towards 500 - 499, Aristagoras and the city of Milet managed to raise Ionie against the Persian supervision and requires of the assistance of the cities of Greece. Sparte refuses to be carried in such a remote and hazardous war, Athens sends 20 ships (that is to say 4000 men), Érétrie 5. After the daring catch of Sardinian, the Greeks must fold up themselves. The Athenians give up, while the revolt dies out at the same time as she is subdued. In 494, the battles of Ladè mark the end of this first confrontation.

But Darius Ier, “Large the Persian King”, undoubtedly noting that the cities of Grèces constitute a back country encouraging agitations, it decides the punitive forwarding of 492 - 490. The Persian navy conquers the Greek islands, takes Érétrie, and unloads in Attique (area of Athens) in order to attack Athens. After several days of skirmishes, Persians re-embark to unload face directly has Athens. The 10.000 Hoplite S Athenians carried out by Miltiade attack then, make 6400 dead and set out again quickly in Athens: it is the Bataille of Marathon of 490. When the Persian navy arrives vis-a-vis Athens, she sees the Athenian army in the city and notes that its attempt at skirting failed.
Les Perses turns over towards their territory, celebrating the conquest of the islands of Égée.

After occupybeing occupied by a revolt in Egypt, Xerxès Ier organizes the punitive forwarding of 480, of greater scale: nearly 300.000 men according to the contemporary historians associated with a navy of 1207 ships according to Hérodote. Two bridges of ships are built through the strait of the Hellespont allowing the passage of the troops in Thrace. The Greek world worries, and is combined finally in a Greek league under the Hegemony of Sparte, the most powerful city takes the command of the operations. Persians go towards the south while their fleet accompanies them while skirting the coasts. To the Battle of Thermopyles, in 480, the king de Sparte Léonidas and a small troop are sacrificed courageously to slow down Persian walk. But Persians take the Béotie and the Attique, Athens is put at bag and is burned. Athenians having been evacuated on the close islands, while the citizens being ready to fight are embarked on the ships of the Greek coalition. The daring Thémistocle arrives to désinformer Persians and to attract their fleet in the trap of the strait of Salamine. The Persian ships are thus massacred in this Bataille of Salamine (480), a victory of the Athenian poor classes. One years later, in spite of the peace proposals separate offered to Athens, the Greek allies guided by Sparte and Pausanias demolish Persians with the Bataille of Foundations, pushing back the terrestrial troops. The battle of the Cape Mycale completes the Persian fleet Égée at sea. Byzance is taken in 478.

In this race in the islands, Athens releases then previously enlists all the Greek islands under Perse domination. She enlists them vis-a-vis the threat - always real - Perse power in a kind of “League anti-Persians”. Each city member has a duty of assistance and contribution to the marine of common defense, either by providing ships and men, or by financing the league. These financings are them stored on the island of Délos, which will subsequently give to this league the name of Ligue of Délos. The diplomacy Spartan, divided between the military implication at sea Égée and insulation, chooses the fold finally, leaving the full command to Athens. The latter benefits from the free field to establish its military and commercial hegemony on the Aegean Sea.

Domination of Athens

The medic Guerres involve one century of Athenian domination on the Greek businesses. Athens becomes the uncontested Master of the seas, as well as the dominant commercial power, although Corinthe remains a serious rival. The most important statesman of the time is Périclès, which uses the tribute of the members of the Ligue of Délos to build the Parthenon and the other large monuments of traditional Athens. In the middle of the 5th century, the league of Délos becomes in fact a Athenian Empire, with the transfer of the treasure of Délos to the Parthenon in 454.

The richness of Athens attracts the talents of all Greece, and gives rise to a rich person classifies idle. With the Athenian State, it supports sciences and arts, in particular architecture. Athens becomes the Greek center of the literature, the philosophy and the arts. Among the great names of the Western history cultural and intellectual which lived in Athens at that time one finds: the tragedies Eschyle, Euripide and Sophocle, the comic poet Aristophane, the philosophers Aristote, Plato, and Socrate, the historians Hérodote, Thucydide and Xénophon, the poet Simonide and the sculptor Phidias. The city becomes, according to the word of Périclès, “the school of Greece. ”

The other Greek cities accept initially the Athenian domination in the name of the continuation of the war against Persians, but after the fall of the conservative Cimon in 461, Athens more and more openly becomes a power imperialist. After the Greek victory with the Battle of Eurymédon in 466, Persians cease being a threat, and certain cities, like Naxos, try without success to make secession of the Ligue of Délos. The new Athenian leaders, Périclès and Éphialtès, leave the relations between Athens and Sparte to degrade itself, and in 458 the war bursts. After several years of an undecided war, a peace treaty is signed for thirty years between the Ligue of Délos and Ligue of the Peloponnese (Sparte and its allies). That coincides with the last confrontation between Greeks and Persians, a naval battle with broad of Salamine, followed Paix of Callias in 450.

The Peloponnesian War

In 431 the war bursts between Athens and Sparte, supported by their respective allies. Three main causes are advanced by the ancient historians, in particular Thucydide and Plutarque. Before the war, Athens had mingled with a disagreement between Corinthe and one with its colonies, Corcyre (current Corfou). A little later Corinthe and Athens had disputed the control of Potidée, which had led to its seat by Athens. Athens is shown by the members of the Ligue of the Peloponnese to violate the thirty years peace because of all its actions, and Sparte declares the war to him.

Many historians consider that they were only pretexts, the true cause of the war being the resentment growing of Sparte and its allies vis-a-vis the Athenian domination on the Greek businesses. The war lasts 27 years, in particular because the confrontation between the naval power of Athens and the terrestrial military power of Sparte was difficult.

The initial strategy of Sparte is to invade the Attique, but the Athenians manage to fold up themselves behind their walls. Périclès perishes of an epidemic of Peste which decimates the city during the seat. At the same time, the troops unloaded in the Peloponnese by the Athenian fleet overcome with the Naupacte (429) and with Pylos (425). But no camp obtains decisive victory, and after a few years the moderate Athenian Nicias concludes the Paix from Nicias in 421.

In 418 however, hostility between Sparte and Argos, allied of Athens, conduit to the resumption of the engagements. With Mantinée Sparte demolishes the armies of Athens and its allied. The resumption of the hostilities brings back the party warmonger, carried out by Alcibiade, with the capacity in Athens. In 415 Alcibiade persuades the Athenian assembly to launch a capital forwarding against Syracuse, allied Sicilian of Péloponnésiens. Although Nicias declares skeptic on this sicilian forwarding, it is named by it chief with Alcibiade. Following charges of sacrilege, Alcibiade flees in Sparte where he persuades the Spartans to send of the assistance to Syracusains. So forwarding turns to the disaster, and the complete task force is lost. Nicias, taken, is carried out. Sparte finally built a fleet (with the assistance of Persians) able to compete with Athenian maritime supremacy, and found in Lysandre a brilliance military chief, which will occupy the Hellespont, strategic passage for the supply corn of Athens. Threatened of famine, Athens sends its last ships against Lysandre, which definitively demolishes them with Aigos Potamos in 405. Its lost fleet, Athens is at the edge of the bankruptcy. In 404, Athens requires peace, and Sparte dictates hard conditions: Athens loses its walls, its fleet, and all its possessions overseas. The undemocratic party, supported by Sparte, seizes the power.

Domination of Sparte then of Thèbes

The end of the Peloponnesian War makes of Sparte the mistress of Greece, but the narrow designs of the military elite Spartan are not appropriate for this role. At the end of a few years the democratic party takes again the capacity in Athens and in other cities. In 395 kings de Sparte rejects Lysandre, and Sparte loses its maritime supremacy. Athens, Argos, Thèbes and Corinth (these two allied last old of Sparte), is opposed to the domination Spartan at the time of the Corinthian Guerres, which are completed without winner in 387. Same the Sparte years alienates the Greek opinion by concluding the treaty from Antalcidas with the Persia, which makes the cities Greek of Ionie and Cyprus; thus are unobtrusive one century of Greek victories against Persia. Sparte then tries to weaken the power of Thèbes. In the war which is followed from there, Thèbes is combined with the enemy old woman, Athens.

The generals thébains Épaminondas and Pélopidas gain the decisive victory of Leuctres in 371. It is the end of the supremacy of Sparte, briefly replaced in this role by Thèbes, Athens recovering much of its old power. With died of Épaminondas with Mantinée in 362, Thèbes loses its larger leader, and its successors enferrent during ten in the third crowned war against the Phocide. In 346 Thébains call some with Philippe II of Macedonia against Phocidiens, implying for the first time the Macedonians in the Greek businesses.

The rise of Macedonia

The Royaume of Macedonia goes back to It has a minor role in the Greek political matters until At the beginning of the 4th century, the ambitious king Philippe II of Macedonia, educated in Thèbes, wants to play a more important part. In particular, he wants to be recognized like the new chief of Hellènes for the release of the Greek cities of Asia of the Persian yoke. By taking again the Greek cities of Amphipolis, Méthone and Potidée, it seizes and the money gold mines of Macedonia. That gives him the means of its ambitions.

Philippe imposes the domination Macedonian on the Thessalie (352) and the Thrace, and in 348 it controls all that is in the north of the Thermopyles. It uses its richnesses to corrupt Greek politicians, creating a " party pro-macédonien" in each Greek city. Its intervention in the war between Thèbes and the Phocidiens gives him a great prestige, as well as opportunity of counting in the Greek businesses. The speaker Athenian Démosthène, in a series of famous speech, the Philippiques, exhorts the Athenians to resist the rise of Philippe.

In 339 Thèbes and Athens are combined against the growing influence of Philippe. This last tackles the first advancing in Greece and beating the allied ones with Chéronée in 338. This victory traditionally marks the beginning of the decline of system of the city-states, although the majority perdurent as independent states until the Roman conquest.

Philippe II tries without much success to gain with him the Athenians by flatteries and gifts. It links the cities in the Ligue of Corinth, and announces that it will carry out the invasion of Persia to release the Greek cities and to avenge the Persian invasions for the previous centuries. But he is assassinated front, in 336.

Conquests of Alexandre

The succession of Philippe falls to his 20 year old son Alexandre, who immediately gets busy to carry out the projects of his father. He undertakes to revive the Athenian tradition by a victory over Persia. He goes to Corinthe where the cities which were assembled there recognize it chief of the Greeks, then moves towards north to join together its forces. The hard core of its army is consisted robust mountain dwellers Macedonians, but it multiplies manpower and diversifies its recruitment with taking away of troops in all the Greek areas. It enriches its tactic by having recourse to the cavalry thebaine or the guerilla Spartan. Its genius and its naval constructions are mainly of Greek origin, making use of artillery of seat of Archimedes and of the techniques amphipolitaines of reinforcement of the ships. But while Alexandre makes countryside in Thrace, he learns that the Greek cities rebelled. In a vast movement towards the south, it captures Thèbes then shaves it, letting remain one building, the house of the poet Pindare, who had formerly spoken in praise of his ancestor Alexandre I^er. This was used of symbol and warning in the Greek cities from now on obliged to accept that its power could not be defied any more, while knowing that it would preserve and respect their culture if they were obeying.

In 334, Alexandre passes to Asia, and gains a victory over Persians with the river Granique. He obtains the control of the Ionian coast thus, and makes a triumphal procession in the released Greek cities. After having regulated certain businesses in Anatolia, it advances in the south through the Cilicie and gains the Syria, where it demolishes Darius III at the time of the Bataille of Issos in 333. It crosses the Phénicie then and passes in Egypt, which it conquers without meeting of resistance, the Egyptians accommodating it like the liberator of Persian oppression, and the prophetic son of Amon.

Darius is now ready to make peace and Alexandre could return triumphantly to Macedonia, but it is decided to conquer Persia and with becoming the Master of the world. It travels towards the North-East through Syria and the Mésopotamie, and overcomes Darius again with Gaugamèles (331). Darius is escaped and was killed by its own men, and Alexandre finds main Persian empire, occupant Suse and Persépolis without meeting resistance.

During this time, the Greek cities make new attempts to escape the domination Macedonian. With the Battle of Megalopolis in 331, the regent of Alexandre Antipater beats the Spartans, who had refused to take part in the Ligue of Corinth.

Alexandre advances with forced march through what today is the Afghanistan and the Pakistan to the valley of the Indus and towards 326 it reaches the Pendjab. He could have descended the valley from the Gange until the Bengal if its army, convinced to be arrived at the end of the world, had not refused to go further. Alexandre turns back unwillingly, and dies of fever with Babylon in 323.

The empire of Alexandre breaks shortly after his death, but its conquests change the Greek world in an irreversible way. Thousands of Greeks travel with him or on its traces to settle in the new Greek cities which it founded during its tour, of which most important is Alexandria in Egypt. Kingdoms hellénophones are established in Egypt, in Syria, in Persia and Bactriane. Knowledge and the cultures of the east and the west interpenetrate and interact. The hellenistic time starts.

Roman domination

Internal bonds

Chronology of ancient Greece and ancient Greece

antiquated Time
traditional Time with V {{E}} century and Athenian Impérialisme
traditional Time with the IV {{E}} century
Emergence of Macedonia
Alexandre Large the
hellenistic Time
Roman Greece

Origin of philosophy

Présocratiques

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External bonds

ancient Greece
Greeks in Asia before Alexandre the Large one by Pierre Cabanes, professor emeritus of the university Paris X Nanterre.

References

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