Ancient Greece
We first meet Khayman in
Athens so it is obvious he spent some time here during his long life.
Since Khayman is known to have spent time in Troy, it is possible that
he witnessed such major historical events such as the Greek invasion and
subsequent fall of Troy.
The Greeks as always were
a splendid people, gentle and trusting, though they were darker of hair
and skin now on account of their Turkish blood.
The history of Greece can
be traced back to Stone Age hunters. Later came early farmers and thecivilizations
of the Minoan and Mycenaean kings. This was followed by a period of wars
and invasions, known as the Dark Ages. In about 1100 BC, a people called
the Dorians invaded from the north and spread down the west coast. In the
period from 500-336 BC Greece was divided into small city states, each
of which consisted of a city and its surrounding countryside.
The early history of Greece
is not very detailed. Because of this it is often called the Dark Age of
Ancient Greece. The first people to inhabit Greece built settlements
along the shores of Greece. They relied on the Aegean Sea for trade
and supplies. Travel by sea introduced the Greeks to other cultures,
and they were exposed to western benefits of agriculture and various techniques
of metalwork.
Different communities began
to develop in Greece: the Aegeans, Achaeans, the and Pelasgians.
Crete became the center of the Aegean civilization, also called the Minoans,
and their culture dominated the region about 2500 BC. The Achaeans
built their capital at Mycenae. A volcanic eruption in 1400 BC caused
the destruction of the Minoan Thera, an island east of Crete. The destruction
crushed the Minoan functionality and their culture was absorbed by the
Mycenaean Greeks
Around 1200 BC, a conflict
arose at the city of Troy, where a ten year battle took place. Armed
invaders hid themselves inside a large wooden horse. As the horse was brought
into the city, the soldiers attacked and seized control. This was
the subject of an epic poem by Homer. Homer is also well known for
his epic poem of the hero Odysseus. These works of literature are now popular
school studies.
Greek settlements transformed
themselves into city-states, or poleis. Regions ruled by a council
and a king. Their political structure was unstable because the kings often
acted like tyrants to the citizens. The Aristocratic people, mostly landowners,
served on the council. Many citizens were not fairly represented
in this system. This caused tension, and in many cases political
uprisings. It is ironic that the Greek culture is given so much credit
for ideas of democracy, because times of democracy seldom existed in Ancient
Greece; only for short whiles in-between unstable governments.
The Olympic Games, a great
athletic contest, began in 776 BC. The Olympics marked a rise of
the Greek culture, and the beginning of the Archaic Period of Greece. During
this time period, foreign culture held a great influence over Greek ideas.
Artwork began to focus on human figures and of mythology. The culture soared
even higher into the Classical Period, approximately 500 BC. This
was the highest point of Greek creativity especially in the areas of philosophy,
art, and literature.
The Persian Wars began in
490 BC, with a Persian invasion in Greece led by Darius the Great of Thrace.
The Greek forces were superior and crushed the invasion at Marathon, under
Miltiades. In 480 BC, the Persians launched a second attack led by Xerxes
and sacked and ruined Athens. The Greeks later won a decisive military
victory at Salamis, they defeated the Persian naval fleet.
More Wars followed, and in
461 BC, the first of the Peloponnesian Wars began between the Athenians
and Spartans. Athens had a completely democratic government,
and the Spartan aristocratic government saw that as a potential threat.
Athens was victorious and they signed a peace treaty with Persia and made
a truce with Sparta Athens lost the second Peloponnesian War, and its empire
was crushed. The Thirty Tyrants, a group of aristocratic Spartans,
took control of Athens. In 399 BC, Socrates, the philosopher, was
tried and executed for his objection to the Thirty Tyrants.
In 386 BC, Pluto, a famous
pupil of Socrates, founded his philosophical Academy. In 359, Philip II
becomes the king of Macedon. Thebes, Athens, and Sparta were three
major competing powers. Philip II eventually took control of the
entire Greek penninsula. In 336 BC, King Philip II was assassinated, and
his son Alexander took control of the kingdom. Alexander the Great
took Egypt and conquered the entire Persian empire. Upon his death
at Babylon in 323 BC, his empire was divided into three main regions: Ptolemic
Egypt, Antigonid Macedonia, and Seleucid Syria.
The time period after Alexander
the Great's death became known as the Hellenistic Age. Throughout
this time, the seperate kingdoms constantly feuded with one another, crippling
each other and foreshadowing the Greek downfall. In 197 BC,
King Philip V lost
to Roman forces at Kynoskephalai. The Roman military campaign overtook
the Greek warriors, and Rome tried to incorporate Greek culture within
its own.
This is perhaps one of Greece’s
most famous historical landmarks, the magnificient Acropolis situated in
the capital, Athens. The most prominent and probably most impressive
ruin is the Parthenon which was dedicated to the Goddess Athena, the patron
Goddess of Athens.
If you are interested in
finding out more about ancient Greece we recommend visiting the following
excellent sites
Ancient
Greece.com
The
Greeks - Crucible of Civilization
We at Ankh would like
to give a special thank you to Ophelia, for her kind help in finding information
about ancient Greece. Efcareesto Ophelia!
