Greece Political Structure Gods Art A Timeline By- Billy Power, Richard Comejo, and Bryne Innman The Greek Political Systems The Greeks went through a few successive political structures eventually leading into the more well know democracies. * Middle Helladic Period- 2000-1550 BC- a tribal warlike society ruled by a war chief. Very primitive societies, barbarian like. * Late Helladic Period- 1550-1150 BC- Small urban centers centered mainly on the Mycenaean islands, south of Greek mainland. Society was monarchial, lead by a “wanax” over an administration like a bureaucracy. Governments were very warlike. The Greek Political Systems * The Greek “Dark Ages”- 1100-750 BC- Very little is known about the actual events which took place. It is believed that it was tribal, nomadic societies. Believed the Dorians, a northern Greek tribe, took over mainland Greece. Not much political structure. * Archaic Period- 700-500 BC- Reformation of minor urban areas. A new political system, Oligarchy, implemented in a few cities, one being Sparta. A militaristic system where a few Elders are voted in a leaders and 2 kings make the branches. * Classical Period- 500-336 BC- most well known period of ancient Greece. Rise of great cities such as Athens, Sparta, Thebes, Argos and Corinth. Rise of Democracy after king of Athens is overthrown. The Greek Political Systems * Hellenistic Period- 336-133 BC- a period from when Philip 2nd and his son Alexander conquer Greece to when the Romans take Greece and Macedonia. The political system is a regular monarchy where the king of Macedon rules and his court were the rich elite. The Greek Gods * Zeus- God of Gods, God of heaven and sky and master of lightning * Hera- Wife of Zeus and mother of the lower gods * Hephaestus- master forger * Athena- Goddess of wisdom and war, patron goddess of Athens * Apollo- God of light, poetry, and music * Artemis- Goddess of wildlife and moon * Ares- God of war The Greek Gods * Aphrodite- Goddess of Love * Hestia- Goddess of Hearth * Hermes- God of science and innovation * Demeter- goddess of corn and the Harvest * Poseidon- God of the sea * Hades- God of the underworld and the dead Greek Art Greek life was dominated by religion and so the temples of ancient Greece were the biggest and most powerful The also served and political purpose as they were often built to celebrate civic power and pride or offer thanks giving to the patron deity of a city for success in war The Greeks developed three architectural systems, called orders. Each with their own distinctive proportions and detailing. The Greek orders are: Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian. Greek Art * Doric Order- used in pantheon, temple of Athena parthenos, * Ionic Order- used in Erechthous, contained sanctuariel to Athena polias, Poseidon, and Erechthous * Corinthian Order- used in temple of Apollo at basase. Geography * Greece is the southeastern most region on the European continent * surrounded on all sides by a series of mountains except the north by water * The mountains prevented large-scale farming and impelled the Greeks to look beyond their borders to new lands where fertile soil was more abundant climate * The Mediterranean Sea moderates Greece´s climate, cooling the air in summer and providing warmth in the winter months * Summers are generally hot and dry * Winters are moderate and rainy in coastal regions and cold and snowy in mountainous areas Women * Greek women had virtually no political rights of any kind and were controlled by men at nearly every stage of their lives. * The most important duties for a city-dwelling woman were to bear children--preferably male--and to run the household. * Greek home life was dominated by women Women * The wife was in charge of raising the children, spinning, weaving and sewing the family´s clothes * She supervised the daily running of the household * Duties of a rural woman included some of the agricultural work: the harvesting of olives and fruit was their responsibility Slaves * The price one might have paid for a slave in ancient Greek times varied depending on their appearance, age and attitude. * Those who were healthy, attractive, young and submissive, could sell for as much as 10 minae ($180.00). * Those who were old, weak and stubborn might have sold for as little as 1/2 a minae ($9.00). Slaves * Slavery played a major role in ancient Greek civilization. * They worked not only as domestic servants, but as factory workers, shopkeepers, mineworkers, farm workers and as ship's crewmembers. * There were many different ways in which a person could have become a slave in ancient Greece Slaves * They might have been taken prisoner if their city was attacked in one of the many battles which took place during these times * Another possible way in which one might have become a slave was if a family needed money, they might sell one of the children into slavery. * most wealthy Greek households had as many as 10-20 slaves. The Timeline * 2000-1100- mainly Mycenaean period, sea based countries, not much political structure, warlike societies based on mutual protection. * 1100-750- dark ages, mainly barbarian societies, tribal cultures, primitive art, no real cities. * 750-500- reemergence of urban centers such as Sparta, megalopolis, Argos, and Thebes. Militaristic societies, creation of a new military system, hoplite in phalanx formation. * 500-336- Classical Greece with the great cities such as Athens, Sparta, Corinth, Argos, and Thebes. First great alliances and advanced diplomacy. Golden age of Greece and Art. Great wars such as Persian and Peloponnesian. The Timeline * 336-133- The rise of Macedonia. Central Greece looses most freedoms and Autonomy for several centuries. Sparta and Athens no longer major players in world scene. Macedonians and Greeks create the largest empire of the time and go all the way to India.