The Origins and Development of Greek Civilisation
The Origins of Greek Civilisation
The origins of Greek civilisation go back to the prehistoric age. Prehistoric stone tools have been discovered in different places in Greece, and there is evidence that agriculture and livestock appeared around 7000 BC. The ancient name of Greece was Hellas, which means ‘lands of the Hellenes’.
The Development of Greek Civilisation
During the 8th-6th centuries BC, the poleis were governed by chiefs or kings, but they gradually lost power to the aristocracy who began to hold public positions. Sometimes the aristocracy oppressed the weakest social groups, and then in reaction to this, a tyrant took power by force. Tyrants took away the citizens’ rights and freedom, but some also made political and economic reforms in favor of the merchants, peasants, and artisans. The population grew, and there was not enough farmland to grow crops. Merchants and artisans wanted to expand their trade, so the ancient Greeks started to establish colonies around the Mediterranean Sea. During this period, they also began to produce coins.
The Rise of Democracy
In Athens in the 7th century BC, the peasants and other groups in the polis protested against the abuse of power by the governing aristocracy. As a result, some reforms were introduced, such as giving political power to the citizens’ assembly, Ekklesia. This measure was introduced by Solon, the lawmaker. After a long process, a democratic government of the people was established in Athens. The citizens held power, voted for laws, elected public representatives, and decided if the polis should go to war or make peace with its enemies. The Ekklesia elected magistrates and voted on the laws. The magistrates carried out the assembly’s decisions and held public office in administration and in the army. The members of the council, Boule, who prepared the laws and worked with the Citizens’ Assembly, were chosen from among the members of the Ekklesia by the casting or drawing lots.
The Political System of Sparta
Sparta’s political system was oligarchical: power was held by a small group of people. The Sparta polis was ruled by 2 kings, 28 elders (Gerousia), and 5 officials (ephors). The kings performed civil and religious functions. The Gerousia presented projects to the popular assembly, Apella, made up of Spartan citizens. The ephors represented the Apella, controlled the actions of the kings, and made sure that the laws were obeyed. According to Spartan tradition, Lycurgus, the lawmaker, wrote the laws that governed Sparta.
Military Conflicts and the Hellenistic Age
In the classical age, the Greeks took part in several wars. In the Persian Wars 494-479 BC, they fought the Persians over control of the coasts of Asia Minor. Athens organized an association of city-states called the Delian League and sent a powerful fleet to conquer the Persians. In the Peloponnesian Wars 431-404 BC, the Greek city-states fought each other. Athens wanted to control the Delian League’s treasure and forced the other polis to stay in the association. Sparta was opposed to this, and there were tensions between the poleis: some supported Sparta and others Athens. Sparta won and imposed an oligarchical rule on Athens. From the 4th century BC, the kingdom of Macedonia to the north of Greece began to conquer the Greek city-states. Macedonia was governed by a hereditary monarchy. In 359 BC, Philip II came to the throne and began the expansion of Macedonia territories, including the conquest of Greece. His son, Alexander the Great, created the largest empire the ancient world had ever seen. After Alexander’s death, the generals shared out this empire. It was divided into 3 large Hellenistic Kingdoms, governed by their respective dynasties and consisting of the following lands: Macedonia and Greece, Asia Minor, Syria, Mesopotamia, and the old Persian Empire, and Egypt. Between the 2nd and 1st centuries BC, Rome, which formed a huge new empire, took control of the Greek territories.
In the center of ancient Greek cities was an acropolis. This was a religious space, standing on the highest part of the city. It was fortified to shelter the people in times of danger. The city’s inhabitants met in the agora to talk about politics and buy and sell products. The nearby villages and territories were also part of the ancient Greek city-states. Agriculture was very important, although there wasn’t a lot of cultivated land. Vines and olives were the main crops. The Greeks also kept bees for honey (apiculture) and livestock: sheep, goats, pigs, donkeys, and mules.