Bibliography

These are some of the books and websites I used in making this blog. I hope you find them helpful and useful in finding any information or corrections I can make.

http://www.historynet.com (general info about ancient Greece)
http://greece.mrdonn.org (Ancient Greece for kids)

http://ancient-greece.org (Ancient Greece archaeology)
http://explorecrete.com (Crete, the Minoans and the Mycenaean)
http://mathisfun.com/pythagoras.html ( for info about Pythagoras)
htto://lep.utm.edu (info about Greek philosophers)

Galloway, P.  Aleta and the Queen. Annick Press Limited, 1995
Church, A.  The Iliad and the Odyssey of Homer. New York, NY: The Macmillan Company, 1967
Pearson, A. Ancient Greece. New York, NY: DK Publishing, 2007

     These are not the only materials I used. They are simply the ones I found most helpful.

4. How do the Ancient Greeks Still Influence our World Today?

    The Ancient Greeks had a very advanced civilization, but we don't study them just because they are interesting or fascinating. We also study them because the world of the Ancient Greeks has greatly influenced our world today.

The Greek Alphabet

     The Ancient Greeks left us their language. They developed an alphabet, and many people in the world today speak Greek, including those in countries outside of Greece.
     The Ancient Greeks left us the Olympics. In 1896, the Olympics were once again held in Greece. They have continued since then and have become an event famous worldwide. The Summer Olympics were held in London this summer (2012) with over 9 million tickets sold and over 2000 medals awarded.
     The Ancient Greeks left us their writing. Philosophers from Ancient Greece are still studied in colleges around the world. The Iliad and The Odyssey are still read, retold, and translated. Scrolls from Ancient Greece are studied to find out more about how the Ancient Greeks thought and wrote. When researching for this blog, I read several historical fiction books about Ancient Greece. The Librarian who Measured the Earth by Kathryn Lasky  is about Eratosthenes, the chief librarian of Alexandria, who accurately measured the circumference of the earth. The Iliad and The Odyssey of Homer retold by Alfred Church retells the events of the Trojan war originally written by Homer. Aleta and the Queen by Priscilla Galloway shows Queen Penelope's adventures at home while her husband Odysseus is finding his way back to his palace. Reading fiction books about the Greeks is a great way to learn more about what their life is thought to have been like.

The God Zeus

     The Ancient Greeks left us their religion. Though we now usually call it mythology, the gods and goddesses of Ancient Greece were as real to them as the ways we explain nature today. Indeed, the Greeks used their gods to explain nature. People- adults too, not just children- are still fascinated by the Greeks' mythology. We have written stories, poems, and whole books about their religion.
     The Ancient Greeks left us the remnants of their lives. Archaeologists find new pieces of evidence- pottery, scrolls, anything to show us what their lives were like. In finding these things we learn new things about their past, our past, and how we came to be what we are today.

3. What are some Important Events that Happened in Ancient Greece?

     Greece has a rich heritage, not only in people and places, but also in the events that happened during its time. In this post, I will highlight four important events in the history of Ancient Greece and show Bible times in relation to Grecian times

The Palace at Knossos

     One of the symbols of Minoan civilization is the palace at Knossos. This great palace, built in 1900 BC, is famous for its complicated building plan and immense size. It was destroyed in 1700 BC, but was rebuilt by the Minoans afterwards. It came to a definite end in 1350 BC, perhaps by fire or foreign invaders. These three dates of Knossos are important to the Minoan civilization and therefore to Ancient Greece.

The Olympics are still important for us today.

     An important event for most of the Greek city-states, the Olympics are said to have started in 1776 BC. They certainly were not the only competitive games in Ancient Greece, but they were certainly the most popular. Each city-state who entered would send a team made up of male athletes. Even war halted for these important events. Modern-day Olympics were started back up in 1896. They are still with us today.
     Even though Athens was a Democracy, it still had laws. In 621 BC, a legislator named Draco wrote the laws for the city of Athens. Oddly enough, the punishment for disobeying these laws was usually death, even for trivial things, such as stealing an apple. These laws were written on tablets and passed on orally. Solon, a leader after him, revised most of these laws, but they still shaped Athens.
     One of the most famous battles in the history of Ancient Greece is the Battle of Marathon. 10,000 Greeks (mostly Athenian) faced at least 20,000 Persians on the Plain of Marathon. Though the tide seemed in the favor of the Persians, the Greeks won the battle by their strategy: placing their strongest soldiers on the outside to scare the weaker Persians, who fled. Instead of chasing the fleeing soldiers, the victorious Athenians turned to help their countrymen. The rest of the Persians, confused, were easily defeated. This is considered an important event in the history of Ancient Greece.

     We now know what happened in Ancient Greece. How does this relate to the times of the bible?

Some Greeks wrote on scrolls.

     The Minoan civilization started around the same time that Abraham and Sarah had Isaac. The Mycenaeans took over the island of Crete around the same time that Joshua and the Israelites were crossing the Jordan. The first Olympic games happened around the same time that Uzziah was king of Judah and Jonah was sent to Ninevah. The Ancient Greece Period is said to end around 30 BC, and Jesus was born in around 5 BC. Jesus was crucified around 30 AD. Around 40 and 50 AD, Paul preached in Greece.
     We are lucky to have the history of many events in Greek history in the form of stories, poems, and documents. This is one way that Greek history is still with us.

     

2. Who are Some Important People From Greece?

     Many of the important philosophers and leaders from Ancient Greece came from Athens. Today I will write about four famous Greek people- 3 from Athens and 1 from the island of Samos.

Pericles of Athens

     Pericles was a famous leader of Athens. He lived from around 493 BC TO 429 BC.  He was the leader of Athens for twenty years, and during his reign, Athens prospered. Pericles was a great orator, and people loved him. He was the mastermind behind building the Parthenon, and he put in place many laws. Generally these laws were beneficial to the people of Athens, but sometimes his advice turned out to be bad. One such example of this can be found when he made a speech telling the people that if they wanted to go to war with Sparta they needed to do it wholeheartedly and not draw back. The assembly immediately declared war on Sparta. Pericles came up with the strategies for the war, but there was one thing he hadn't thought of: plague. The ships that brought grain to Athens brought plague and death to many thousands of people. The people left alive sent a peace treaty to Sparta and then turned on Pericles. He died of the plague himself in 429 BC.


Socrates

     One thing that Pericles made Athens into was a place of art, philosophy, and science. Two of the world's greatest philosophers were from Athens: Socrates and Plato.
     Socrates ( c. 469- 399 c.) was famous for his discussions with his pupils. He left no writing to us, but he asked many important questions, such as "Can virtue be taught?" and "Do we really understand the world as well as we think we do?". His pupils were extremely loyal to him, but other people accused him of undermining Athenian religion and culture. In 399 BC, he came before a jury that sentenced him to death. Drinking hemlock, he died soon after.

Plato

     We get most of our information about Socrates from Plato, one of his pupils. Also from Athens, Plato did write- a lot- and his writing can be separated into three categories: Socratic (often about Socrates), Middle (in the middle of his lifetime), and Later (in his later years). Plato used dialogues in his writing, and he taught Aristotle. He died around 347 BC.   

Pythagoras

     Pythagoras was a philosopher and scientist from the island of Samos. Born around 570 BC (before Pericles, Socrates, or Plato,) you will often hear his name in math referring to his famous Pythagorean Theorem. However, Pythagoras is not known to actually have written this; it is simply given his name because he perhaps proved and explained the theory that was probably discovered around 800 BC. He made contributions to the musical intervals of a scale and was interested in Astronomy. He wrote that there are three kinds of men: lovers of gain, lovers of honor, and lovers of wisdom. He died around 495 BC.
     One way that the Ancient Greeks still influence us today is through the writing and teaching of philosophers. In my next few posts, I hope to show some more ways that the Greeks still influence us today.

Whee Did Greece Come From? (From Alexander the Great to Rome)

Alexander the Great

     Alexander the Great is a pretty familiar name to most people. He united almost all of Greece and conquered other areas to add to his kingdom. His personality is known to be fiery and sometimes impulsive. He came from Macedonia, a small kingdom on the sideline of Greece. However, when Alexander's father, Phillip II came into power, Macedonia started to grow. It pushed back its Grecian enemies and started to take back territory. Philip II loved war (and women); he wasn't usually around with Alexander, but by the time he was murdered, he had managed to conquer most of Greece, Thrace, and Illyria. He left his biggest dream, to conquer Persia, to Alexander. Olympia, Alexander's mother, and Aristotle, Alexander's tutor, were very influential in his life, and when his father died, Alexander was ready to murder all other heirs, take the throne, and carry on that dream. That's exactly what he did.
     Withe the help of his mother, he disposed of other competition, used the army to crown himself as king, and moved swiftly onward to subdue his own territory. Next, he gathered up the Macedonian troops for a long march, and he added Persia and Egypt to his kingdom. Then, he grabbed Northern India and Iran, setting up colonies in the latter. He wanted to pursue land past the Ganges River, but when his troops resisted, he decided to head back home. On the way, he was wounded, but that didn't stop him from having big ambitions. Next on his agenda was Carthage and Rome, but he had current matters to think about first. His own Macedonian troops were beginning to complain, and his efforts to keep the peace with Persia was turning his own country against him. He died at the age of 32, only a few months before his Iranian wife, Rhoxana , gave birth to a child. Alexander is known for creating one of the seven Wonders of the World: the Lighthouse at Alexandria. This Wonder actually had a practical use, (to help ships find their way) but it was destroyed, probably by an earthquake. Alexander is also known for expanding the Macedonian kingdom.
     After Alexander died, Greece passed into what is known as the Hellenistic Age. The blending of cultures that Alexander had accomplished did not work out as well as he had wished. Eventually, Macedonia and its territories split into four different kingdoms: Macedonia, Egypt, Pergamon, and Syria. For different periods of time, these kingdoms were relatively stable, but one by one, they all were joined to Rome.

 The Greek Flag

     When Rome split in the Third Century, the Eastern Roman Empire became the Byzantine Empire, ruling Greece for almost 1,000 years. After that, the Byzantine Empire was conquered by Ottoman Turks who ruled Greece from 1453 AD to 1831 AD when the first independent Greek state was formed a result of the Greek War for Independence. Since then, Greece has suffered as a result of WW2 and its own civil wars. Now, Greece is famous for re-starting the Olympics, which it hosted in 1896 and in 2004. Its capital is Athens, and you will frequently hear of it on the news as a result of its participation in the European Union, which it entered in 1981. Greece has such a rich and complicated history. Imagine the country that we know today and the country more than 4000 years ago. How different they are, but there are still ways that the Ancient Greeks influence the Greeks and the whole world today.

1. Where did Greece Come From? (The Dark Ages and )

      The Dark Ages of Greece were called dark because we know very little about them. (The middle ages in Europe are often called the dark ages also.) We have gotten two things from the Dark Ages though: The Illiad and the Odyssey. These are stories in verse written by Homer, supposedly during this time. They are about a Mycenaen battle and a king's adventures on his way home from that battle. Although the tales are probably not factual, it is very probable that they could have been based on real events such as a war between the Greeks and the Trojans.
     Emerging from the Dark Ages around 700 BC, Greece began to expand. It was now made up of many little city-states, such as Athens and Sparta. It set up trading posts and colonies which made it rich. Its art during this time was greatly influenced not only by the earlier Grecians, but also by foreign countries.
     Perhaps the greatest of the Greek city-states was Athens, a center of art and learning. Athena was the goddess of wisdom and warfare, and the city, named after her, was especially known for the Parthenon. Sitting high atop the Acropolis, the temple was built for Athena. Athens was also the first place in the world to develop democracy.
     In most Greek city-states, there were many poor people, a few rich people, and one tyrant (ruler). The rich people usually had more say in the government because of their affluence. However, in Athens, every citizen, rich or poor, could make speeches or vote. Provided you were a man. The regular citizens attended meetings called assemblies in which that would make decisions. Above the Assembly were the Council (500 members) and the Strategoi (10 members) who made the more important decisions in Athens.
     Another Greek city-state, Sparta was founded around 900 BC. It soon conquered Messenia, its neigbor, gaining excellent farm land. However, Sparta often had to be more focused on military matters. It had two main enemies: Athens and slaves.

Spartan Warriors intimidated their foes.

     Athens was Sparta's main rival, and so the Spartans were always prepared for war against them. Boys were trained to be soldiers at a young age, and even the women competed in athletic games so that they would bear strong and healthy babies.
     Another reason that the Spartans trained was that they had slaves called Helots, generally captives from wars, who had a habit of revolting against the Spartans. Perikoi sat a bit higher than Helots; they couldn't become citizens, but they could trade and serve in the army. Very disciplined, harsh, and orderly, the Spartans wore long hair to scare their enemies. And their enemies were scared. The Spartans seemed undefeatable.

1. Where did Greece come from? (The Beginning)



The Minoans and the Mycenaeans lived on the island of Crete.

      Greece has been a country for a long time. But where did Greece start anyway? Early Greece grew out of the Minoans and the Mycenaens.
     The Minoan civilization thrived from 2800 BC to about 1400 BC- 1400 years.The Minoans lived on the island of Crete. They were a people of trade and agriculture. Crete was a place of peace.
     On Crete, the Greeks grew wheat, barley, grapes, and olives. They became carpenters and metal workers. They built ships and traded with other Greek towns, Egypt, and Syria.  The Cretan civilization was named after Minos, a legendary king of Crete. We are not certain how their culture died away. What we are sure of is that around 1450 BC, Crete became Mycenaean.


     The Mycenaean civilization inhabited Crete in the form of a few separate kingdoms. They were people of trade, like the Minoans, but also of warfare. Minoan artwork and lifestyle greatly influenced the Mycenaens, but they also developed their own techniques for making jewelry and pottery.
     Around 1200 BC, it seems that the Mycenaens came under attack by foreign invaders and were eventually worn down. Gradually, their great palaces and major cities began to be abandoned. After less than 100 years, Mycenae was no more and the Dark Ages of Greece had become.