c


 
  
The ancient Classical and Hellenistic eras of Greece are undoubtedly the most splendid,
having left behind a host of ideas, concepts, and art to provide the foundation of what we
call ³western civilization´. However, the two previous millennia that lead to these ancient
eras, as well as the other two millennia that succeeded them are all part of the history of
Greece and have left just as rich a cultural footprint on the land.

Much of the ancient Greek civilization has survived either directly or through permutations
to our day. The ancient Greek dialects are influential even to this day with much Greek
vocabulary embedded in the Modern Greek and English languages. Likewise, the art and
architecture of ancient Greece has remained relevant and influential up to our time in the
breadth of western society. The much-celebrated Renaissance was guided in large part by
the re-discovery of the ancient Greek ideas through text and art, which were hitherto
suppressed by the belief in the absolute authority of the supernatural power
and the church.

It should be noted that History is a discipline that was conceived first in

Ancient Greece. Herodotus (484 ± 425 BCE) is considered the Father of
History, as he was the first who attempted to record events and human actions
for the sole purpose of preserving them for future generations. The very first
lines of his Histories read: O
 















 























(Herodotus, 3). Being the first to attempt such a feat, Herodotus was
not spared from harsh criticism for including in his Histories (written between 431 and 435
BCE), myths, legends, and outrageous tales.

O






 



 





 

(Thucydides, 16)

Not much later than Herodotus, Thucydides (460 ± 395 BCE) with his History of the
Peloponnesian War, put his own stamp on the discipline of History by attempting to present
history in an ³objective´ way, and to make correlations between human actions and events.
Their approach and methods of recording historical events became the guiding light for
historians of the next two thousand years.

This brief history of Greece is compiled here as an introduction to web readers and to
provide the historical background that¶s needed to appreciate all the subjects of Ancient
Greek culture. It was no easy task to compress the history of Ancient Greece into a concise
format that would be appropriate both for online reading and as a precise overview of the
subject. Suffice to say that each sentence of this essay has been the subject of countless
volumes of discourse throughout history. Further reading can be found in the bibliography. -
- 6/2007

c

  
  

Greek history is generally divided into the following eras:
Paleolithic (circa 400,000 ± 13,000 BP)
Mesolithic (circa 10,000 ± 7000 BCE
Neolithic (circa 7000 ± 3000 BCE)
Bronze Age (circa 3300 ± 1150 BCE)
Cycladic (circa 3300 ± 2000 BCE)
Minoan (circa 2600 ± 1200 BCE)
Helladic (circa 2800 ± 1600 BCE)
Mycenaean or Late Helladic (circa 1600 ± 1100 BCE)
Dark Ages (circa 1100 ± 700 BCE)
Archaic (circa 700 ± 480 BCE)
Classical (480 ± 323 BCE)
Hellenistic (323 ± 30 BCE)

Each era had its own unique cultural characteristics, and the transition between them was
often tumultuous.

 

The position of Greece at the crossroads between Africa,
Asia, and Europe has undeniably played a large role in the
diverse and often turbulent history of Greece.
Protruding from Europe, Greece hangs precariously
southward from the end of the Balkan Peninsula, and slices
towards the Mediterranean Sea with dramatic peninsulas and
thousands of large and small islands.
The Mediterranean Sea offered an easily adaptable climate
with mild winters and hot, dry summers, while the
mountainous terrain, allowed for multiple easily defensible
positions.
The surrounding sea offered an environment conducive to
developing and sustaining a enduring culture that was relatively safe from incursions while
able to communicate and exchange large quantities of goods and ideas with ease through
the sea lanes. It is not by accident that the ancient Greek civilization developed around a
significant maritime power.

While today¶s Greece is confounded within the modern borders, in ancient Hellenic
civilization it expanded throughout the Mediterranean. Besides the traditional mainland, the
islands, and the coast of Asia Minor, Hellenic colonies existed in Italy, Sicily, France, Spain,
Libya, and all around the Black Sea. With the conquests of Alexander the Great Hellenic
civilization attained its widest reach. During the Hellenistic era Greek culture expanded to
include Asia Minor, the Middle East, Egypt, and the land further East to the Western parts of
India, and as far north as today¶s Afghanistan.


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The two rivals of ancient Greece that made the most noise and gave us the most traditions p


were Athens and Sparta. They were close together on a map, yet far apart in what they
valued and how they lived their lives.pp

One of the main ways they were similar was in their form of government. Both Athens and
Sparta had an Assembly, whose members were elected by the people. Sparta was ruled by
two kings, who ruled until they died or were forced out of office. Athens was ruled by
archons, who were elected annually. Thus, because both parts of Athens' government had
leaders who were elected, Athens is said to have been the birthplace of democracy.

Spartan life was simple. The focus was on obedience and war. Slavery made this possible by
freeing the young men from household and industrial duties and allowing
them to focus on their military duties. Young boys were trained to be
warriors; young girls were trained to be mothers of warriors.

Athenian life was a creative wonderland. As an Athenian, you could get a

good education and could pursue any of several kinds of arts or sciences.
You could serve in the army or navy, but you didn't have to. (This applied
only to boys, however: Girls were restricted to other pursuits, not war or
business or education.)

For many years, Spartan armies provided much of the defense of the Greek lands. The
Spartan heroism at the Battle of Thermopylae, during the Persian Wars, inspired all of
Greece to fight back with all their might against the invading Persians. Athenian and
Spartan fought side by side in the Battle of Plataea, which ended Persian invasions of
Greece.

One way that Athens and Sparta really differed was in their idea of getting
along with the rest of the Greeks. Sparta seemed content to keep to itself
and provide army and assistance when necessary. Athens, on the other
hand, wanted to control more and more of the land around them. This
eventually led to war between all the Greeks. This was the Peloponnesian
War. After many years of hard fighting, Sparta won the war. In true Greek
spirit, Sparta refused to burn the city of Athens. Rather, the culture and
spirit of Athens was allowed to live on, as long as the Athenians no longer
desired to rule their fellow Greeks. In this way, the influence of Athens remained and grew
stronger. Other city-states had the same kinds of temples, buildings, and meeting-places,
but it was Athens that became most famous.