First Lecture Notes Flashcards
What was the Archaic Period?
800-500 BC
-middle-late bronze age
What groups were in the Archaic Period
Minoans and the Mycenaeans
Who were the Minoans?
-Krete nation
-thalassocracy- coastal society
-good trading
Who are the Mycenaeans?
-lived on the mainland
-ruled by warlords
-eventually conquered the Minoans
What happened to the Mycenaeans?
-a rapid collapse of the area occurred
-Egypt survived
-the collapse leads this time into the Dark Age
What happens in the Dark Age?
-populations are sharply reduced
-semi-isolated small communities
-little communication and no trade
-ability to write is lost
-“kings” of small communities
What is a polis?
a city-state
How did polis’s emerge?
-there was a population increase due to higher crop yield (more moisture in area)
-widespread use of iron contributed to industrial advances
What is synoecism?
“living together” which provides mutual benefits like trade and facilitating contact which leads to culture
What was the government of the polis’s like?
-“kings” became insufficient
-officials developed specialization (military/legislative/executive/judicial/aristocratic council with wealth requirement)
-religiously, there was no separation of church and state
Who makes the laws and decisions of the polis’s?
the aristocratic council-however sometimes limited by popular assemblies
what did the polis’s rely heavily on?
agriculture-then developed to increasing professions like blacksmiths, carpenters, and, more recently, merchants
how did the government of these polis’s make money?
they had small taxes, relied of public donations, and had religious income
What is agora?
the central marketplace-integral for trade, socializing, political discussions, performances, and religious contributions
What led to trade in the polis’s?
-limited resources but increasing demand
-surplus’s of certain goods
