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Now while the Greeks were enjoying some form of Democracy, war broke out and the Greeks found themselves fighting a much stronger opponent: The Persian Empire
To fight the world's strongest empire at the time, the different city-states needed to band together.
With the leadership of Athens, and the ferocious might of the Spartans, the outnumbered Greeks defeated the Persian Empire!
Ancient Greece
While this was a good start, not everyone was allowed to participate in the government. Only free men over 20 who had completed military training were allowed to vote. Women, children, immigrants, or slaves had no voice.
Solon was a lawmaker who proposed plans to allow all men to vote, and helped bridge the gap between the rich and the poor
While many people contributed to the development of democracy, there was one man responsible for many of its significant changes. That man's name was Solon
Again we often call Greece the Cradle of Democracy because Athens was the birthplace of democracy. This developed around 500 BCE and slowly developed for several centuries
Democracy
We call this.....
Spartan
Government
Each city-state had different ideas of how to run its government. The Spartans were led by two Warrior Kings and a small council of Elders.
Sparta was incredibly aggressive, fighting and taking over the surrounding villages and towns.
Shining example of a City-State:
Athens was a powerful city-state or polis, that often struggled with Sparta for domination. Much of Athen's prosperity and success came from their stable and effective government
This freed citizens to serve in the military and train all day long. Spartan warriors began extremely intense training called the Agoge at age 7
Did You Know?
Spartan Life
These conquered people became known as Helots or slaves and they were responsible for almost all physical labor.
Unfortunately for the Mycenaeans, being extremely war-like often leads to disaster as Mycenaean cities fall and a dark age of almost 400 years occurs.
To support this military lifestyle, the Spartans demanded strength and toughness from their people
If a child was found unhealthy after birth, he or she was left to die in the wild. If the child was still alive after two days, it would be welcomed back after proving its strength.
At the end of their training, the boys would be sent into the wild with no food and few tools and were expected to survive.
By age 20, they became Hoplites or foot soldiers for an additional 10 years. These soldiers would then have to apply for Spartan citizenship through unanimous votes of older Hoplites. If they did not gain entry by age 30, they could not gain citizenship. Only at age 30 could they marry and have children
And then Came the Athenians
When they finally got their act together, they developed society around the Polis or City-State
The City-state became the basic political unit of Greece! These became the center of daily life and culture for the Greeks
What did they do there?
No not this one!
Unlike the Minoans, the Mycenaeans were intensely war-like and were dominated by powerful kings.
This one
The Mycenaeans were very much like the Minoans in that they were excellent traders
This inspired famous legends like the story of the Trojan War. This "story" was called the Iliad, and was written by a famous poet named Homer
To begin:
The earliest known Greeks were called the Minoans. Their society developed on the island of Crete near 3000 BCE.
They were eventually wiped out by the warlike Mycenaeans!
The Minoans were great sailors who traded often in the Aegean Sea. They LOVED the water and the sea played a major role in their culture
They were also known for their statues of Bulls which inspired tales of the legendary Minotaur
What Greeks invented
This is Greece
At its height, the Athenian Democracy was split into three parts: