Greek History

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Minoan Culture

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Island of Crete, Knossos capital, Linear B language and writing (Linear A comes from Levant Ugarit), Bronze Age, volcano Thera devastated island with tidal wave 1628 BCE, King Minos and the Labyrinth at Knossos, 5,000 BCE develop agri, (2600 BCE- 1250 BCE) wiped out by Sea Peoples and Mycenaean raids

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Ugarit Culture

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Levant port city of Ras Shamrah in Syria, 1350-1200 BCE, Linear A language and cuneiform tablets contemporary to Phoenician writing

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King Minos

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Minoan king forced Aegean neighbors to pay human tribute to Cretans as fodder for legendary Minotaur. Palace at Knossos and labyrinths, Theseus defeats Minotaur. Descendents support Agamemnon v Troy, possessed large fleet and destroyed pirates

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Island of Crete

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Trade during Bronze Age with Phoenicians and Egypt. Minoan era 2600 BCE-1100 BCE, First Greeks in culture

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Homer

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Iliad and Odyssey, Tales of Mycenaean Greeks v Troy and the aftermath, Agamemnon, Menelaos, Paris, Ajax and Achilles the heroes, Myths of Pandora's box, Orpheus the musician, Ikarios and Herakles

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Mycenae

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Peloponnesian city, King Agamemnon, 1600 BCE-1100BCE, trade with Med. cultures, large city walls, collapse from Dorian Greek invasions from N., internal strife and econ. stagnation

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Lydian Troy v Mycenae and the Trojan War

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Homer's Iliad 4 centuries later, Helen Queen of Sparta eloped with Paris son of King Priam. King Menelaos of Sparta seeks revenge and enlists Agamemnon. 10 year siege. Trojan horse. Achilles v Hector. Ends 1200

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The Dark Age of Greece

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Mycenae city-state rivalries, perpetual war, Agamemnon murdered by wife Clytemnestra, external invasions from N. Dorians or Sea Peoples, 1100 BCE-750 BCE

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Aristotle

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390- 330 BCE Life scientist tutor to Alexander the Great, from Pella and Athens

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Plutarch

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45-125 CE Historian

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Diogenes

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390-323 BCE Cynic and Philosopher, from Sinope settled in Corinth

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Herodotus

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484-425 BCE Historian. Travel stories with many inaccuracies. Secular prose and narrative. From Ionian city of Halikarnassos. Described Persian invasion by Xerxes 480

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Thucydides

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471 BCE-396 BCE Peloponnesian War historian. War from 431-411BCE

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Xenophon

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430-335 BCE Historian traced collapse of Athens after Peloponnesian War in 404 BCE and the fragile peace. Wrote Anabasis covering the campaigns of Greek mercenaries against Persians

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Corinth

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Early city in Greece, founded colonies and controlled trade routes, First naval battle in 670 BCE, employed trireme.

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Cyrus the Great

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559-529 BCE forms Persian Empire. Defeated Lydian King Croesus in 546, extending his reach to Anatolian coast. Released Christians from Neo-Babylonian captivity

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Darius the Great

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522 - 486 BCE, First to invade Greek lands in 490 with a huge fleet and 15,000 men. Assault on Athens. Defeated at Marathon by Miltiades.

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Xerxes

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Invades Greece with 100,000 men in 481 BCE. Crosses Hellespont on bridge of boats marched through Thrace and Thessaly. Battle at the pass of Thermopylae against Leonidas and Spartan 300. Themistocles defeats larger Persian fleet at Salamis.

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Themistocles

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Greek leader of Athens who built up large naval fleet. Defeated Xerxes at sea

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Golden Age

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6th and 5th Century BCE , advances in arts, sciences, philosophy and political theory. Note the rise and proliferation of drama tragedies and plays. Delian League of Greek allies

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Peloponnesian War

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Sparta and allies v Athens and allies 431 BCE, conflict over trade routes linking Greece to Adriatic. Ended with siege of Athens in 405-404 BCE

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Socrates

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469 - 399 BCE wrote nothing down, killed by the authorities after accused of creating new gods and seducing young men

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Plato

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Philosopher, wrote dramatic dialogues, founded school near Athens in 380s know as the "Academy" Trained Aristotle

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Macedonia

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King Philip II succeeds to throne in 359 BCE, poor and disorganized country. Philip est. professional army and it became a powerful state. 338 invades city-states of Greece

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Alexander

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Ruled 336- 323 BCE. Freed Greek cities from Persians, however, destroyed completely Thebes. Fought Darius III near Troy and Antioch. Wintered in Egypt in 332. Died in Babylon in 323. Expanded Greek culture to the Indus, Egypt and united Near East culturally to a degree.

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Delian League

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Allied Greek city-states after defeat of Xerxes. Athens naval superiority leads the group. Trade increases, naval power, Occurred during Golden Age

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Pericles

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Leader during climax of Golden Age. Rebuilt Acropolis, esp. Parthenon (temple of Athena), supports art, theater, philosophy. Starts war with Sparta, dies of plague during siege of Athens