Ancient Greek History Essays

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Pages: 6

Ancient Greek History

Why should one study the Ancient Greeks? There exist almost countless contributions that Greek culture has made to western society in the areas of art, literature, philosophy, drama, architecture and politics. Lasting visions of thought and inspiring intellect helped shaped today's western culture with notions of democracy and personal freedoms. Greek scientists made revolutionary discoveries in medicine, mathematics, physics, and astronomy. It was the Greeks who, through philosophy, instilled thoughtful exploration of the mind and consciousness. The beauty of their artwork and the precision of their statues reflected human development and expression of individuality. The most important reason to study the
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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 (see Greek maps) 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 separate 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