Ancient Greece

Mediterranean climate
Aegean Sea
Periods in Greek history:
1. Early civilisations – Minoan Crete, Mycenae  (2500/2200 BC – 1200 BC)
2. Dark Age – a period of transformation  (12th-8th centuries BC)
3. Archaic Period  (8th-6th centuries BC)
4. The Golden Age of Greece  (5th century BC) - the middle of the 5th century
(Age of Pericles)
5. The Crisis of the Poleis  (4th century BC)
6. Hellenistic period  (4th-2nd centuries BC)

Early Greek Civilisations

I. CRETE / MINOAN CIVILIZATION

o 3rd millennium BC (3. évezred)

o Named after the legendary king of Crete, Minos (despotic)
o Royal Palace in Knossos (legend of Minotaur – half human, half bull, labyrinth) – their
palaces weren’t protected by walls
o Lords of the sea – controlled the Aegean Islands – sailors, built ships – traded (olives) –
influenced the peoples of mainland Greece
o Wealthy dresses
o End: volcanic explosion

Early migrations to Greece

 Beginning about 2000 BC, new people migrated to the Greek mainland from north
o Spoke Indo-European language, an early form of Greece
o They were organized into tribes and clans
o Grew grains, grapes, and olives
o They sailed, became pirates

II. MYCENAEAN CIVILIZATION

 Mycenaeans dominated the Greek mainland from 1600 BC and 1200

BC
o They built fortified cities in the Peloponnesus=southern part
of Greece, fertile
o Tribes, olives, grapes, wine
o Warlike people
o Had written language
Other migrating tribes – legendary Sea Peoples

III. THE DARK AGE OF HOMER (12TH-8TH CENTURIES)

After 1200 - Dorians – Dorian invasion – iron weapons

o Moved to Crete and Asia Minor (from North)
o They were less advanced than the Mycenaean Greeks, more primitive Greeks
o Were illiterate – knowledge of writing disappeared
o Dark age until 750 BC – until Phoenician traders introduced an alphabet ~750 BC
o Aristocracy owned big lands, in city states the kingdom turned into aristocratic republic

Olympia
o 776 BC (the first recorded Olympic Games) = starting point of Greek chronology –
games were held in Olympia – were devoted to the gods – held every 4 years
o Because displays of the strength and courage supposedly pleased the god  Greeks held
athletic contests in their honour
o Most famous ones were the games at Olympia  The Olympic Games
o Held every fourth year in honour of Zeus
 Only men could compete in and attend the Games
 Women were not allowed (they had their own events dedicated to the goddess
of Hera)
 At first there were only footraces, then Greeks added jumping, wrestling, javelin,
and discus throwing (gerelyhajítás és diszkosz vetés), boxing, horse riding
 Winners received a wreath of wild olive branch
 They were showered with honour, money, gifts
o The games were so important, the Greeks used them as the basis for dating events 
Beginning in 776 BC - the first recorded Olympic Games - figured time in Olympiads,
meaning four-year periods.

The age is named after

Homer, the writer of
The Iliad and The
Odyssey – epic poems,
great sources
 IV. THE POLIS / APPEARANCE OF CITY-STATES

Polis
 city-state = basic political institutional unit of the Greeks  community of citizens
 Was a city or town and its surrounding countryside
 People lived in compact group of houses within the city
 Water supply came from public fountains and cisterns (víztárolók)
 Surrounded by wall
 Elevated point, the acropolis  place of refuge (menedék) (with
temples, altars, and monuments – dedications to the gods)
 public square or marketplace (agora) - political centre where
were porticoes (csarnok), shops, courts
 Unsettled territory of the polis  source of wealth

 Arable land (szántóföld), pastureland (legelő) and waste land

(sivatag/műveletlen terület)
 Farmers cultivated the lands, or tended their flocks of sheep
and goat,
 Mined for precious metal

 Did not have a standing army - relied on its citizens for protection
 Citizens did not allow foreigners in
 Women could not play a political role
 Autonomy (political independence) + economic independence + army (military
independence – citizens) + self-sufficiency
Self-sufficiency
 Geographical and political independence
 An economic development, so that the citizens can prosper and flourish in several aspects of personal
and public life.
 In Athens
o Great efforts were made to ensure a variety of supplies for the city.
o There were laws concerning land property
o Took care of the direct and indirect supplying of grain
o Introduced new laws and imposed mandates (meghatalmazás) or even conditions to its
allies about the taxes regarding the imported goods.
 Athenian knew they were not able to cover the needs of all the Athenian
citizens
 These attempts reveal the conscience of the people in relation to their
economic problems

Colonization
o Reasons for colonization  Because of the general characteristics of Greece
 Relatively small country
 Not fertile (not good for growing grain, BUT good for olive, grape)
 Increase in population, overpopulation  land hunger
  Political tension
 Desire for a new start. Love of excitement and adventure, curiosity
 Greeks were seafaring people mostly
o Greeks travelled to new areas (like Cyprus, Malta, Sicily) and established settlements
like their own (~ like independent poleis)  colonial cities
o Raised same crops (more grain and traded with their hometowns)
o Continued their life essentially as in Greece

o From 750 BC to 550 BC

 Greeks from the mainland and Asia Minor poured onto
 Ionian Sea, Black Sea, Bosporus (Byzantium was founded there as a
Greek colony) into North Africa, Sicily, southern France and Italy and
Spain

o CONSEQUENCES OF THE COLONIZATION

 Greek colonies appeared – independent, BUT kept strong economic contact
with the poleis
 Cheap grain came from colonies – poleis could specialise in other goods –
goods production (in return: olive, wine)
 Trade – navigation
 Economic growth – role of money increased – poleis introduced own coinage –
money economy
 The wave of colonization spread the Greeks and their culture throughout the
Mediterranean
 Greeks themselves encountered with new ideas and customs as well (art: vase
painting)
 Established new economic links – trade – larger market for agriculture and
manufactured goods (jewellery, fine pottery) goods production
 Demos claimed political rights

Goods production
o Greece's export products
 Olive oil
 Wine
 Fine pottery
 Metalwork
o Import goods
 Grains
 Pork from Sicily, Arabia, Bosporan Kingdom
Ókori demokrácia

Megjelent: Athénban
 Városállam, polisz
 Attikai-félszigeten helyezkedett el

Társadalom
 Lakosok/nép  démosz (kereskedők, parasztok)
 o A városállam köznépe
o Számuk a gyarmatosítás után megnőtt, elkezdték megkérdőjelezni az
arisztokraták uralmát
 Arisztokraták
o Az elit egy kis csoportja uralkodik
o Minden politikai hatalom az ővék
o A polgári tömegeket kizárták a politikai életből
o Arisztokrata kormány  Csak, akinek földje volt, az uralkodhatott
o A választók a Közgyűlésben üléseztek, 9 arkhónt / uralkodót választottak (akik 1
évig szolgáltak)
 archóni méltóságok nevezték ki a tisztviselőket
 Szavazhattak is és meg is választhatták őket – tisztviselőknek –
bírónak
 Törvényeket hozhattak – ‘arisztokratikus köztársaság’
 A törvények mindig a nemeseket részesítették előnyben
o Valaki csak akkor volt állampolgár, ha mindkét szülője az volt

 Együttlakók/metoikoszok
o Nem Athénban született emberek
o Nincs politikai joguk, nem lehetett földjük, de ugyanolyan adókat fizettek, mint a
nép (démosz)
o Voltak személyi jogaik
o Kereskedők, kézművesek voltak

 Rabszolgák (nem birtokolhattak semmit sem)

o Mezőgazdaságban dolgoztak
o Nem lehetett családjuk
o Egy mester tulajdonába tartoztak
o Bányákban, háztartásokban dolgoztak
o Egy felszabadult rabszolga metoikosz lett (bevándorolt szabad, akinek nincsenek
politikai jogai)

Katonáskodás
Tengerészet
Hadsereg – lovasság, gyalogság

A demokrácia felemelkedése
Demokrácia
o “a nép uralma”
o Államforma, ahol az állampolgárok maguk alkotnak törvényeket
o Minden férfi állampolgár egyenlő politikai jogokkal, szólásszabadsággal és a politikai
életben való közvetlen részvétel lehetőségével rendelkezett. ( Közvetlen demokrácia)

Dracón: az első írásos görög törvények megalkotója (Kr. e. 621)

Kr. e. 7. században volt athéni politikus
 “drákói szigor” – majdnem minden bűnért halálbüntetést szabott ki
Arkhón volt

Szolón reformjai (Kr. e. 6. század)

 Arkhóni méltóság volt Kr. e. 594 körül
 Megteremtette a demokrácia alapját.
 A politikai jogokat kiterjesztette a legszegényebb polgárokra is: részt vehettek a
népgyűlésen és az esküdtbíróságokban.
 A legtöbb állampolgár szavazhatott, de csak a gazdagabbak tölthettek be tisztségeket.
 A társadalmat 4 osztályra osztotta vagyon alapján
 Felszabadította az eladósodott rabszolgákat – Eltörölte az adósrabszolgaságot – Minden
adósságot törölt
 Népbíróságot hozott létre

Reformok (Szolón reformjai) Kinek kedvezett?

Eltörölte az adósrabszolgaságot (elengedte adósságaikat, ezért megtarthatták Parasztoknak
földjeiket)
Jövedelem szerint 4 osztályra osztotta a társadalmat (az adókat, a katonai Démosznak
szolgálatot, a politikai jogokat ezen társadalmi osztályok alapján határozták (köznép)
meg)
Tárt karokkal fogadta a külföldi kézműveseket Athénban Kézművesek,
kereskedőknek
Az apáknak fiaikat kellett tanítaniuk Démosznak
Létrehozta a Népbíróságot és a Tanácsot a törvényjavaslatok előkészítésére Állampolgároknak
(démosz)
Állásfoglalás a politikai vitákban Állampolgároknak

 Az arisztokraták ellenezték a reformokat, a kereskedők, parasztok és kézművesek azonban

támogatták.
 A parasztok és kézművesek mégtöbb jogot akartak  Folytatódott a démosz és az
arisztokraták közötti konfliktus  zsarnoksághoz vezetett

Zsarnokság (türannisz)
o Egy vezető: zsarnok hozza meg az összes döntést
o Az ókori Görögországban a zsarnok gyakran a köznép (démosz) bajnokaként lépett fel az
arisztokrácia ellen.
o Olyanok, mint: Kleiszthenész, Peiszisztratosz
 Reformokat vezettek be, amelyek a démosznak kedvezett, ezért népszerűek voltak
közöttük.
 Törvényeket írtak le

Peiszisztratosz
o Gazdag arisztokrata, zsarnok volt
o Erőszakkal vette át a hatalmat
o Száműzte a nemeseket, akik nem értettek vele egyet

Kleiszthenész
 o A reformjai még közelebb vitték Athént a demokráciához – Kr. e. 508-banl demokráciát
hozott létre
o A polgárokat terület alapján osztotta fel, (nem vagyon alapján)
o 10 phüle – olyan területi alapú közogazgatási egység, amely egy tengerparti, egy városi, és
egy belső részből állt – Ez a felosztás biztosította a démosz fölényét az arisztokráciával
szemben, hiszen a három alkotóelemből kettőben (város, tengerpart) a démosz volt
többségben.
o Minden Athéni férfi állampolgár (20 évesnél idősebb) részt vehetett a népgyűlésben – a
legfőbb hatalom a népgyűlés kezében volt, mert ők választották a hadvezéreket, arkhónokat
o Az ötszázak tanácsa vitte a mindennapi ügyeket, javaslatokat tett a közgyülésnek.
o Democratic courts – jury and officials chosen by lot
o Bevezette cserépszavazást:

 Ha valakiről a polgárok úgy gondolták, hogy zsarnokságra tör, cserépszavazással

száműzték
 A zsarnokság ellen jött létre, de politikai ellenfelektől való megszabadulásra is
használták

Athén demokrácia volt, mert…

 Szólásszabadság volt az állampolgárok számára
 A polgároknak joguk volt szavazni törvényekről,, tisztviselőkről, háborúról, békéről
 Minden polgár tagja lehetett az esküdtbíróságnak

Ókori Görögországban Manapság

Ekklészia (népgyűlés) Országgyűlés a Parlamentben
Tanács (ötszázak tanácsa) Kormány
Esküdtbíróság Bíróság
Közvetlen/direkt demokrácia Reprezentatív/képviseleti
demokrácia

Népgyűlés- Ekklészia
o TÖRVÉNYHOZÁS
o ~olyan volt, mint ma a parlament
o Legnagyobb hatalommal rendelkezett
o Havonta 3-4 alkalommal üléseztek
o Fontos volt az ékesszólás
o Bármely szabad, athéni, férfi állampolgárnak joga volt részt
venni (20 év felett)
o Törvényeket alkotott, háborúkról, békéről döntött
o A megválasztott tisztségviselőknek hivatali évük lejárta után
számot kellett adni munkájukról
Direkt demokrácia
o közösség minden tagja személyesen részt vehet a közügyek
eldöntésében

Tanács / Ötszázak tanácsa

o VÉGREHAJTOTTÁK a népgyülés döntéseit
o Sorsolással választották a képviselőket, 50 személyt minden
phüléből
o ~ olyan volt mint ma a kormány
o Intézte a város mindennapi ügyeit – minden nap üléseztek
o Törvényjavaslatokat készített a Népgyűlésnek
o published agenda (teendő)

Esküdtbíróság
o BÍRÓSÁGI HATALOM
o Sorsolás útján választották a tagokat (esküdtszék)
o Jogi vitákban a két érdekelt fél (alperes és felperes, kivéve az
emberölés és hazaárulás eseteit) beszéde alapján döntöttek.

Sztratégosz
o Katonai vezetők, minden kerületből egyet választottak
o Pénzügyi felelősök is voltak

Árész-domb tanácsa (Areioszpagosz)

o Tisztviselők ellenőrzése
o Kleiszthenész megtartotta az arkhónok hivatalát, DE csak a
tisztviselőket tudta felügyelni
Az athéni demokrácia fénykora – Periklész (kr.e. 5. Század)

Kr. e. V. század közepe a demokrácia virágkora Athénban – Periklész kora

 Athén – demokratikus köztársaság
 reformok:
o A köztisztviselők fizetést kaptak – napidíj járt a közszolgálatért
 Ez egy motiváció volt a részvételre, és így a legszegényebbek is lehetőséget
kaptak tisztség betöltésére
o Minden tisztviselőt sorsolással választottak, kivéve a sztratégoszt
o fizetett a polgároknak azért, hogy színházba járjanak, mivel azt a politikai nevelés
egyik formájának tartották
o a gazdagok pénzügyi kötelezettsége
 különadó fizetésére késztette a gazdagokat pl.: színházi darabok
finanszírozására
Templomokat építtetett, és az Akropoliszt

Sparta

Sparta
 One of the three city-state that was able to master the resources of
an entire region behind them: polis
 Dorians moved here and made it their capital in 1200 BC
 Dominated Laconia – Southern Peloponnesus/Peloponnese
 Strong land forces, BUT no navy

Militaristic

Social groups
Citizens
o Descended from the Dorian invaders
o Served as hoplites (foot soldiers) in the army
o They controlled the government
o The government divided land equally among them [Sparta 
economic equality] [Athens  political equality]

“Neighbors” / Perioikoi
o Free BUT no citizenship, but pay taxes
o Lived in towns surrounding the city-state Spartan
o Artisans, traders hoplites
o provided troops for the Spartan army during wartime

Helots
o Ionians
 o Could not own property
o ~ Slaves – Agricultural laborers – Worked for the Spartans
o Sometimes rebelled against the Spartans – outnumbered them by five to one
o Spartans could officially murder the helots

Political system
Two ceremonial kings
 Commanders, religious leaders

Assembly
 Elected from every male citizen over 30
 Only right to approve the decisions of the kings, no right to object

Council of Elders
 Proposed laws
 Elected from 60-year-old citizens

Five ephors / overseers / felügyelők

 Had the actual power
 Controlled the government
 Had unlimited power – e.g., prohibited the use of gold, silver, jewelleries, did not
welcome foreign visitors, forbade citizens to travel
 Elected by the Assembly, for one-year terms

Spartan constitution
In Code of Lykurgos
1) Formal equality – equal pieces of land
2) Forced uniformity in education/training
3) Isolation / Self-sufficiency – own iron-based coinage – no trade with other poleis –
stopped economic contact

The military machine

 Sparta regulated the lives of its citizens from birth to death
 Every citizen part of military machine – aim: control the helots, extend Spartan power
 Fighting men, healthy fit women, weak and unhealthy children were abandoned in the
countryside
 7-year-old boys went to live in military barracks – military training (harsh) – learn to dure
pain, develop endurance, discipline
 Unconquerable army - phalanx military formation
 Sacrificed individual freedom to the state
 No art, literature, philosophy, science
The Persian Wars
(492 – 448 BC)
Dareios/Darius I – Persian King

 Ionian cities were conquered by Persia – sought help from Athens

 Greek victory at Marathon against Darius

After: 2 parties appeared in Athens

I. Merchants and craftsmen wanted to strengthen naval power – advantage in trade
II. Landowners and farmers wanted to strengthen land forces – reason: protection of land
The first group won – Athens built a big fleet – modern ships

 Xerxes (Darius’s son) led the Persian army against Greece overland
 Defeat of the Spartan King: King Leonidas at Thermopylae (because of a traitor – áruló)
 Athens was captured and destroyed

Battle of Salamis – decisive naval victory of the Greeks

 Athens rebuilt their city – magnificent temples, public buildings

 Formed the Delian League (déloszi szövetség) – alliance among city states – Athens’
domination, leading city-state - power to decide how many ships and money others
contribute
Peace Treaty 448 BC between Greece and Persia

The Peloponnesian War

(431 – 404 BC)
Rivalry between Sparta and Athens
Spartans invaded Attica (region surrounding Athens)
Athenians retreated behind the city walls
Sparta turned to Persia for help
Athens surrendered to the Spartans in 404 BC
CONSEQUENCES:
 Delian League ended
 Democracy was replaced by oligarchy – political supremacy of rich
 Large-scale production – landless peasants/poor
 Thebes became a dominant city-state for a while
 Greek disunity
 Greek poleis less able to resist the attempts of the new Macedonian Kingdom

Religion and mythology

Polytheistic
Rituals were held in temples on the acropolis
 Oracles – jóslatok
Myths about the gods and heroes made up Greek mythology
Shared religious beliefs linked Greek city states together.

 Greek gods:
 Greeks attributed (tulajdonít) human qualities and personal characteristics to all their
gods  human-like gods (anthropomorphs)
 Their gods had weaknesses/faults, wants, immortal BUT human feelings, their
society was similar to human society
 Greatest Greek gods lived on top of Mount Olympus

 Zeus
 God of the sky, lightning
 He was the king of the gods and the father of some humans
 Roman equivalent: Jupiter
 Hera
 Queen goddess of Olympus
 She was the wife and sister of Zeus
 She protected woman and marriage, goddess of birth
 Roman equivalent: Juno
 Poseidon
 Brother of Zeus
 He was the god of the sea, horses, earthquakes
 Important god to the seafaring Greeks (tengerészek)
 Roman equivalent: Neptune
 Athena
 Daughter of Zeus
 She was the goddess of reason, wisdom, just war, womanly virtue, war, and
technical skills
 She was also the special protector of the great city-state, Athens, which was named
in her honour.
 Her Roman equivalent was Minerva
 Aphrodite
 Another daughter of Zeus
 She was the goddess of love, sex, and beauty
 Apollo
 Son of Zeus
 Was god of light/sun, music, and poetry, art
 He was also the symbol of manly beauty
 Twin of Artemis (goddess of hunting)
 Bacchus - Dionysus Oracle at Delphi –
 Son of Zeus
sanctuary (szentély) of
 God of fertility and wine and drunkenness
Apollo
 A nature of god of fruitfulness (termékenység) and
vegetation, also known as the god of ecstasy
 Roman equivalent: Bacchus – god of wine
 Hades
 God of the underworld, ruled the world of the dead
 Ares
 God of war, bloodlust
 Roman equivalent was Mars

Greek mythology
  Collection of stories concerning the gods, goddesses, heroes, and rituals of the ancient
Greeks.
 Contained a considerable element of fiction, but mostly, they were viewed as true accounts
(elmondás)
 Greek mythology has had extensive influence on the arts and literature of Western
civilization, which fell heir to much of Greek culture

Classical Greek Culture

Philosophy  meaning of the word: "the love of wisdom"

The study of the most basic and profound matters of human existence.
Meaning of existence, reality, knowledge
Two philosophical approach: materialistic, idealistic
 Materialism: only material things exist, ideas are only of second
importance
 Idealism: world is more than material existence, ideas are the only
real things

Idealistic philosophers:

Socrates
o His pupil was Plato
o Eternal values that exist in themselves: truth, love…

Plato
o Greek philosopher in the 5th-4th century BCE
o He spread the ideas of Socrates after his death
o He was a wealthy aristocrat who taught philosophy
o He writings (dialogues, imaginary conversations) covered the topics of government,
education, justice, virtue (erény), religion – What is the best form of government? What is
the best way of life? What is love? Why should people behave morally?
o Famous work: The Republic
o Ideas:
 Ideal government/ideal polis  aristocracy - ruled by the upper class - who were
chosen based on their intelligence, reasoning, education, - philosopher-kings –
wise and unselfish
 One level of government should control a person's life for the benefit of the
whole state
Aristotle
o Great philosopher and accomplished scientist (studied plants, animals, astronomy, physics)
– “founder of the science of biology”
o Student of Plato
o Teacher of Alexander the Great
o Wanted to investigate all kinds of knowledge
o His book  Ethics - examined the acts and beliefs of individuals
o Other works
 Poetics - studied Greek drama – speaker should organise its speech
 Logics - defined the principles of correct reasoning
 Politics
o described the principles of government  main idea: Best government
should include aspects of each form of government – powerful leader,
aristocratic adviser, democratic assembly
o importance of able leaders and respect of the law

Greek historians

Herodotus
 Greek historian
 Author of the History of the Greco-Persian Wars
 Also called "father of history"
 His works remain leading source of original historical information, mainly for Greece
between 550 BC-479 BC.

Thucydides
 Greatest of ancient Greek historian
 Creator of objective historical science
 Author of the History of the Peloponnesian War ~ a lesson for practical life –
historical process was determined not by the gods, but by natural causes
o The book recounts the struggle between Athens and Sparta in the 5th
century BC.
o It was the first recorded political and moral analysis of nation's war
policies.

Architecture / Sculpture

Phidias / Pheidias
 Athenian sculptor
 He was the artistic director of the construction of the Parthenon
o temple on the Athenian Acropolis, Greece, dedicated to the
goddess Athena
 He created its most important religious images and supervised and
designed its overall sculptural decoration.

3 types of columns:
Parthenon in Athens
 Discobolus – Classical Period

Statue of Zeus at Olympia – Seven

Wonders of the Ancient World Temple of Artemis in Ephesus –
Seven Wonders of the Ancient
World

Colossus of Rhodes – Seven

Wonders of the Ancient
World

The Rise of Macedonia – Alexander the Great

336–323 BC – reign of Alexander the Great

End of polis system, end of Classical Age
Alexander "The Great" (336-323 BC)
 He built an empire that stretched from Greece to India to Egypt
 Student of Aristotle
 Army: well-trained, disciplined,
Macedonian phalanx
 Died in Babylon in 323 BC
 After his death, the empire fallen into pieces

Characteristics of his conquests

 He did not destroy the societies he subjugated, but married
their best aspects with those of Hellenic civilization – left
a lasting mark on world culture
o He spread Greek ideas and culture from the eastern
Mediterranean to Asia.
  Pioneered the use of the massive intimidating infantry formation known as the phalanx.
(phalangists: heavy industry)

Macedonia:
o Military power in Greece in the 4th century – brought most of Greece under his
control
o Rulers: King Philip II, Alexander "The Great"

Alexandria
o Port city located on the Mediterranean Sea in Northern Egypt
o Founded in 331 BC by Alexander the Great.
o The city grew form a small port town to become the grandest and
most important metropolis in ancient Egypt – commercial centre

The Lighthouse of Alexandria – one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World
o destroyed by earthquakes by the beginning of
the 1400s

Hellenism - "Greek-ness"  the adaptation of ancient Greek language, thought, customs, art etc.
o After the death of Alexander his empire fell into three powerful dynasties  who
were not politically united but shared a great deal in common  Hellenistic World
o Cultural interaction between Greek culture and oriental cultures
o Characteristics
o Hellenistic states were ruled absolutely by kings - monarchy
o Imported ivory, gold, ebony, pearls, and spices from
India
o Put their wealth on display: building palaces,
commissioning art, sculptures, jewellery
o People moved fluidly around the Hellenistic kingdoms
 People spoke the same language
 o Busy trade among Hellenistic kingdoms
o Sculpture: The Laocoon Group