Classical Athens

themselves from Persian Empire, Athens formed the Delian League (477 B.C.E.). Since there was no danger of Persia after the Greco-Persian war, the collaboration between the two dominant Greek city-states came to an end. Conflicts between Athens and Sparta continued to arise during Athens’ Age of Pericles. Pericles was an Athenian aristocrat that was constantly elected to the highest position of the Athens government between 467-429 B.C.E. His leadership transformed Athens into an “economic and…

BC in Greek city-states known as Polis. Polis can be thought of as of a community of citizens in which each city-state has their own separate culture. Of these, Athens was by far the largest comprising the city of Athens and the surrounding territory of Attica. Towards the end of the Peloponnesian War there was a slow alteration in Athens from a monarchy, which the aristocrats overthrew to…

The forms of government in Ancient Thebes and Ancient Athens were antithetical, with Thebes having an absolute dictatorship and Athens having a pure, direct democracy. Nevertheless, both of these forms of government ultimately failed, as Sophocles demonstrates in his play, Antigone, and Thucydides demonstrates in his book, History of the Peloponnesian War. Together, these two works teach modern society that neither a pure democracy nor a pure dictatorship can be a successful political system due…

experienced many developments, which would lead to the democracy in Athens. The Dark Age began with the fall of the Mycenaean’s who were Ancient Greeks. The Dark Ages were characterized by warfare, the collapse of literature, and economic crisis. This period most likely ended with the relationships between the Near East and Greece, which helped civilization come back to life. There were many factors that developed in Greece that helped Athens become the first democracy including the polis and…

When people think of the Romans and the Greeks, they only remember a couple things, like the fall of the Roman Empire and Sparta, but they never remember what else was going on at the same time.At the same time as Rome and Greece another empire came into view, this empire was known as the Persian Empire. They wanted complete control of the land belonging to the Romans and the Greeks, who were not willing to give it up because they wanted to self rule. The Persians then attempted many different…

Ancient Athens: the beginning of democracy, even the kind we have today. People, only Greek citizens, (men who have completed military training and were landowners,) could vote in this government. They had control of the government. Athens was the “trial” or “beta” state of democracy. It was even a “fragile experiment.” The government was just starting out! Athenians fought for their precious democracy in the Greco-Persian War. Some citizens chose to fight against the Persians in this war; if…

just ended, and Athens had surprisingly come out on top. After the alliance between Athens and Sparta broke, Athens decided to create a new alliance, known as the Delian League, which helped the city’s wealth and empire during this time. The Golden Age of Athens is referring to the period where art and skills in the city were at their peak. Now at peace, Athens cultivated its city into its peak of cultural achievements. Pericles created an Athenian government that flourished. Athens achieved…

Once humans began using waterways for trade and travel, waterways also became places where pirates would plunder goods or people. This in turn caused early nations to develop navies to protect their interests on the waterways. This reading reflects the beginning of naval technology, military leaders and their strategies, methods of war, and reasons for early navies going to war. In times of old generally the nation with the largest and most powerful navy also had the most influence…

Athens established what is generally considered the first democracy in the fifth century before Christ. The revisions of laws, representative justice, and citizen-based law making impacted Athens’ movement from a monarchy to a democracy, influencing the United States’ government today. The Athenian Code of Laws was an important step in the protection of the rights of the individual. In 624 BC, Draco was appointed Archon Eponymos, the leader over the archons, to establish laws for Athens.…

Aristocracy. Athens and a multitude of other city-states in Ancient Greece were run by small…