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THE PERSIAN
WAR
In the 6th century
BC, through the
conquests of Cyrus the
Great (ca. 585-529), the Persian Empire's
greatest shah, the Greek colonies on the Ionian coast
came under the control of the Persian Empire, which was
at the time the foremost power in the region. The
cities of Ionia initially prospered under Persian rule,
but later developed problems with their
Persian-installed local leadership. In particular, the
Persian Empire, an absolute monarchy, distrusted the
Greek democracies, and tried wherever possible to
support tyrants or oligarchs in the Ionian cities under
their rule. In 499, a group of the Ionian cities
overthrew their Persian-installed tyrannies and
rebelled. They turned for help to mainland Greece.
Sparta refused, but Athens which had close ties of
kinship, religion, and tradition, agreed to send a fleet
of 20 ships. Another Greek colony, Eretria, sent five.
Athen's motives were a mixture of sentiment for
fellow Greeks, and mercenary motives: the Athenians were
afraid the growing Persian Empire would seize control of
the naval trade on the Black Sea, the source of Athen's
grain supply (as a primarily mercantile power, the
Athenians did not grow enough food to feed their own
people; they were dependent on imports).
THE ATHENIAN EMPIRE
1. DELIAN LEAGUE, EST.
478-77:
In 478-77, the Greeks under Athens met on the sacred
island of Delos, and swore to a perpetual union to drive
the Persians out of area, and demand compensation from
them for the attack. Sparta, once again preoccupied with
her Helots, declined to join. The Delian League was
remarkably successful, not only in driving the Persians
off the Hellespot, but also in clearing the Aegean Sea
of pirates. In 467, they routed the Persians in Asia
Minor and added several more cities to the League;
however, some cities were forced in, and other, older
members were prevented from leaving the league.
D. CLASSICAL GREEK CULTURE
461-429: GOLDEN AGE OF
ATHENS UNDER PERICLES:
Under Pericles' government, at the same time as Athens
was developing into an domineering imperial power with
regard to the other Greek states, its home government
was becoming the freest the world had known until that
time. Adult males were no longer banned from office by
property requirements, and every decision of the state
had to be approved by the Assembly, which operated by
direct, rather than representative, voting. High public
officials were elected for annual terms; and anyone
could be written in on the ballots. The judicial system
was remarkably fair. Most government officials were
selected by lots, without regard to class. All officials
had short terms and were held to strict standards of
accountability.
Pericles was elected to the generalship, a military
position with important political duties, 15 times in a
row and 30 times in all. His power was based on his
speaking ability and his high reputation as a military
leader and a statesman. Pericles lived at the height of
Athens's power, when the Athenian navy dominated the
Aegean and the Acropolis was being built from the
tribute coming in from the other cities. Under the
terms of Athenian democracy, Pericles stood for election
every year, and could be voted out at any time. He
gained support with commoners by establishing building
programs to provide jobs and heighten the grandeur of
Athens.
Athens internally was the first true democracy — the
votes of poor were bought by bribery, but at least it
gave them a means of participating. Externally it was an
empire that controlled the Aegean. Due to both the wars
and their prosperity from tribute, the Athenians were
living amid a huge number of slaves, who almost
outnumbered their male citizens.
Read more:
http://www.loyno.edu/~seduffy/classicalgreece.html |
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• 508–507 B.C.
The Athenian statesman Kleisthenes furthers efforts made
by Solon and establishes a democratic constitution at
Athens.
• 490 B.C., 480/79 B.C.
The Greeks repel two attempts by the Persians to conquer
Greece.
• 477 B.C.
The Delian League is founded after the end of the
Persian Wars.
• 490 B.C., 480/79 B.C.
The Greeks repel two attempts by the Persians to conquer
Greece.
• 477 B.C.
The Delian League is founded after the end of the
Persian Wars.
• 449–432 B.C.
The Greek architects Iktinos and Kallikrates design and
build the Parthenon, the temple of Athena Parthenos on
the
akropolis at Athens.
The temple is the principal element in Perikles'
building programs overseen by the sculptor Pheidias. The
Parthenon incorporates the
Doric and Ionic orders
and is made predominantly of Pentelic marble. It houses
Pheidias' gold and ivory cult statue of the Parthenos.
• ca. 420–410 B.C.
After the Temple of Athena Nike on the Acropolis is
completed a parapet is begun around the bastion. It is
carved with processions of Nikai bringing offerings to
Athena. They are clothed in near-transparent
garments that cling to
their bodies like wet linen or silk.
• 404 B.C.
Lysander, an admiral of the Spartan navy, installs the
Thirty Tyrants, a pro-Spartan government, in Athens.
They are overthrown the following year.
• ca. 403 B.C.
Dionysius of Syracuse founds Tauromenium (modern
Taormina) in
Sicily. Its theater, the largest in Sicily after the one
at Syracuse, is famous for its remarkable scenic
setting.
• 399 B.C.
Sokrates, an Athenian who devotes himself to inquiry
into righteous conduct by cross-questioning, is brought
to trial on the charge of corrupting youth. He is
condemned to
death and drinks
the deadly hemlock.
• 380s B.C.
Plato founds the Academy at Athens. |
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• 338 B.C.
Philip II of Macedon establishes the Corinthian League,
which provides the framework for Macedonian domination
of Greece until it is dissolved in 322 B.C.
• 335 B.C.
Aristotle founds the Lyceum in Athens.
• 323 B.C.
Alexander the Great,
king of Macedon, dies. Having defeated the Persian king
and won a great empire, he extends Greek influence to
the east as far as the Indus Valley and Afghanistan.
• 214–205 B.C.
Rome
successfully faces Philip V of Macedon in the First
Macedonian War.
• 200–196 B.C.
Rome enters the Second Macedonian War, which ends with
the victory of Flamininus at Cynoscephalae.
• 172–168/7 B.C.
Perseus of Macedon challenges Rome and thereby brings
about the Third Macedonian War. He is defeated by Lucius
Aemilius Paulus at Pydna, and Macedonia is divided into
four republics.
• 146 B.C.
Under the consul Mummius Achaicus, the Romans sack
Corinth and
dissolve the Achaean Confederacy. From this time onward,
Greece is ruled by
Rome.
• 86 B.C.
The Roman general Sulla sacks Athens.
• 48 B.C.
At the Battle of Pharsalus in northern Greece, Pompey is
defeated by Julius Caesar.
• 43–42 B.C.
Antony, Octavian, and Lepidus form a triumvirate and
defeat the Republicans led by Cassius and Brutus at
Philippi in eastern Macedonia.
• 32–31 B.C.
Octavian (later Augustus) defeats Marc Antony and
Cleopatra of Egypt at the Battle of Actium. |
