Ch7 Lesson 3 Highlights

What changes happened in Athens during Pericles rule?

Athens became a center of learning and the arts. Athens was rebuilt after the Persians burned much of the city.

What did Pericles call Athens?

"The school of Greece"

How was farming and trade in Athens?

Athenian farms lacked sufficient land to grow enough food to support the city-state. Although Athenians grew some grain, they had to import more from other places. Athens built a large fleet of ships to trade with colonies and other city-states in the Mediterranean world. During the 400 B.C., Athens led the Greek world in trade.

What was the Delian League and how did it form?

Even after the Persian Wars ended, the Persian threat against Greeve remained. In 478 B.C., Athens joined with other city-states to form a defensive league, or protective group, to defend its members against the Persians. Athens provided the Delian League with most of its sailors and soldiers, while other city-states supplied money and ships. During the next several decades, the league drove Persia out of the remaining Greek territories in Anatolia. Free of Persian domination, Greece grew richer through increased overseas trade.

How did Pericles make Athens a more democratic city-state?

He appointed people to positions because of their abilities, not because they were members of a certain social class. He brought more ordinary Athenians into government.

How did Athens affect the Delian League

Over time, Athens began to use its influence to control the other member city-states. The league had become a group of city-states controlled by Athens. Pericles's leadership helped Athens dominate the Delian League. He treated other city-states like subjects, demanding strict loyalty and regular payments from them. He even insisted that they use Athenian coins and measures. In 454 B.C., the Athenians moved the Delian League's treasury from Delos to Athens. They also sent troops to other Greek city-states to help the common people rebel against the nobles in power.

Who lead the Athenians in their golden age of prosperity and achievement?

Pericles. His wise rule guided the city-state for more than 30 years.

Who was Aspasia?

She was a well-regarded woman. Known for her intelligence and charm. Taught public speaking, and her ideas were popular among Athenians. Both Plato and Pericles were influenced by her.

What was the role of slavery in Athens?

Slavery was common. Most Athenian households had at least one enslaved person. Wealthy Athenian families often had several.

What happened soon after the Peloponnesian War started?

Sparta and its allies surrounded Athens. Pericles kept his army and the people within the walls of the surrounded city. The powerful Athenian navy would bring supplies to the city from its colonies and allies. Sparta lacked a navy and could not stop the Athenian ships. For almost two years, Athens remained safe. Then a deadly disease broke out within the overcrowded city's population. More than a third of the people died, including Pericles. During the next 25 years, each side won some victories but was unable to defeat its opponent. Finally, Sparta made a deal with the Persian Empire. The Spartans agreed to give the Persian some Greek territory in Anatolia. In return, Sparta received enough Persian gold to build its own navy. As the war dragged on, Athens fell into a state of unrest. The democracy had been overthrown. The government that replaced it was then overthrown. By the end of 411 B.C., democracy had been restored. The war, however, continued. In 405 B.C., Sparta's newly built navy destroyed the Athenian fleet. Sparta then placed a blockade around Athens, preventing food and other supplies from entering the city. Starving, the Athenians finally surrendered a year later. The Spartans and their allies then knocked down the city walls. The Athenian empire collapsed.

What happened between Sparta and Athens as the economic and political power of Athens grew?

Sparta became the leader of an alliance of city-states opposed to Athens. War broke out in 431 B.C. and historians call this conflict the Peloponnesian War because Sparta was located in the Peloponnesus.

What was the assembly like in ancient Athens?

The assembly consisted of some 43,000 male citizens over the age of 18. Often, however, fewer than 6,000 participated in the meetings, which were held every ten days. At those meetings, participating citizens passed laws, elected officials, and made policy on war and foreign affairs. The ten top officials, elected each year, were known as generals.

What were Athenian women's life like?

They focused on their homes and families. Girls married at a young age, often in their mid-teens. Their duties centered on having children and taking care of their households./ Most upper-class women rarely left their houses except to attend funerals and festivals. Even then, they had to be accompanied by a male relative. Upper-class women generally supervised the servants and spun, dyed, or wove cloth. They could not participate in political activities or own property. They were always under the care of a male family member. Husbands were responsible for their wives and unmarried daughters. Sons looked after their widowed mothers.

What were Athenian men's life like?

They worked as farmers, artisans, and merchants. They often finished their daily work in the morning. They spent afternoons exercising at the gymnasium. In the evening, upper-class men enjoyed all-male gatherings where they ate, drank, and discussed philosophy or politics.

What were the effects of the Peloponnesian War?

Thousands of young Greeks left Greece to join the Persian army. During the next 30 years, Sparta tried to put down rebellions and fought Persia again. Finally, in 371 B.C., the city-state of Thebes seized Sparta and ended the Spartan empire. About 10 years later, Thebes also collapsed.

Which people were supported by Pericles?

Writers, artists, teachers, sculptors, architects, and philosophers.