Jillian Kurzmann's Blog 2/1/18

Jillian Kurzmann
2/1/18
Honors Western Civilization

Today, I was not in class due to my illness. I will be blogging from slides 31-47 on the Powerpoint located on Veracross.

• What Cleisthenes did was a  huge step forward- getting "regular folks" involved in governing.
• But, this first democracy had its limits. 
• Citizens could participate- but only 1/5 of Athenians were citizens (free adult male property owners born in Athens).
•  After several years, Athens practiced a direct democracy. 
• It's where the state (or in this case, city-state), is ruled by its citizens.
• Rule is based on Citizenship.
• Majority rule decides vote. 
• In the Agora, citizens argued, made speeches, and voted with stones. White= Yes. Black= No.
• It was first practiced in Athens under Cleisthenes by around 500 BCE.
• What is unique about the Greeks' relationship with their Gods is the interaction with humans. 
• Poseidon (God of the Sea) interfered with Odysseus trying to return home.
• Aphrodite (Goddess of Love) had lovers of both Gods and men. 
• Dionysus (God of Wine) is the son of Zeus (a God) and of Semele (a human princess).
• And on and on and on....
• Zeus: ruler of Heaven and Earth; Father of Athena; God of the sky, weather, thunder, lightning, law, order, and justice.
• Had a temper and was known to hurl thunderbolts.
• Athena: Goddess of skill, wisdom, warfare (and peace), intelligence, battle strategy, and handicrafts. 
• She was born from Zeus' head fully formed and armored.
• A special patron of heroes- such as Odysseus.
• She was the patron of Athens (the city was named after her).
• Apollo: God of music, arts, knowledge, and healing.
• Zeus was his father, Artemis was his twin sister.
• He's associated with the sun and his sister with the moon.
• Poseidon: God of sea, rivers, earthquakes, and floods.
• Brother of Zeus, King of the sea and waters.
• Aphrodite: Goddess of love, beauty, desire, and sexuality.
• Her lovers include Ares (God of War), Adonis (Demigod of Desire), and Anchises ( a mortal who fathered a baby).
• Demeter: Goddess of grain, harvest, and agriculture.
• Zeus's sister.
• Greeks were certainly a war-like people- especially the Spartans.
• Spartans were known for their tough, ruthless infantry: soldiers who fought of land.
• Spartan boys trained from the time they were seven.
• Real Spartans were much more fearless than those oily gym rats in the movie 300 (IMHO).
• Athens had a great infantry too, but nothing could compare to their navy.
• Their most efficient weapon was the trireme.
• Trireme: a technological marvel; fastest ship in the world at the time; rowed by up to 170 men on three levels; could be used as a battering ram; agile; fast.
• The phalanx- close-ranking, dense group of warriors; armed with long spears and interlocking shields; soldiers would advance slowly towards the enemy, until they broke through their ranks.

Persian War

• Persian empire vs. Greece
• Look how little and insignificant Greece appears.
• Look how big the Persian Empire is.
• Persians have huge army, and nearly unlimited resources. 
• This beatdown shouldn't take long!

Greek Army

• Iron weapons meant that ordinary people could afford to arm themselves.
• Foot soldiers (hoplites) trained from an early age.
• Armed with spears, swords, and shields.
• Often fought in phalanx formation.
• "Home field" advantage.
• Motivated to preserve democracy.

Persian Army

• First archers (do damage from a distance).
• Then cavalry (they disrupt communication between soldiers and generals).
• Then lightly armored infantry (carried spears swords, and bows).
• Huge numbers.
• Long way from home.
• Professional army (soldiers for hire, or mercenaries).

Persian War Highlights

• 546 BC: Persians conquer Greeks in Ionia.
• 499-494 BC: Ionian revolt (Athens help).
• Darius the Great defeats these rebels and vows revenge on Athens.
• 490 BC: Persian fleet attacks Marathon (run, Pheidippides, run).
• 480 BC: Xerxes (Darius' son) conducts massive assault on Athens.
• 480 BC: Greeks (especially 300 Spartans) hold their own at Thermopylae.
• 480 BC: Greeks abandon Athens to fight Persia at sea, winning at the Straits of Salamis.
• Victorious Greeks from Delian League.

Socrates

• Looked to science and logic (not to the Gods) for explanations of how the world worked.
• The Socratic Method fostered critical thinking.
• "The unexamined life is not worth living".
• Socrates was charged with serious crimes: impiety (disrespecting the Gods), and corrupting the youth of Athens.
• At his trial, his described himself as a stinging gadfly, and Athens as a lazy old horse.
• Did not deny what he had done; asked for free dinners.
• Found guilty by Athenian jury, and sentenced to death by hemlock poison (nasty was to go).

Plato

• Plato was a student and follower of Socrates.
• He wrote out Socrates' teaching, and described his trial in Apology.
• Republic was Socrates' discussion of justice and the ideal state- one of the most influential books on philosophy ever written. 

Aristotle

• Aristotle was a student of Plato.
• He helped foster the idea of Athens as an intellectual destination.
• His school- the Lyceum- focused on cooperative research- building on knowledge gathered from all around the world.
• He didn't invented the internet, but he did dream of having the sum of mankind's knowledge easy to access all in one place.
• He wrote extensively on such topics as: logic-physics-biology, ethics-political-rhetoric, motion-theatre-poetry, metaphysics-psychology-dreams, and on and on and on.....
• He also tutored Alexander the Great.