The history of greece from ancient times is brief. The history of Ancient Greece is brief. Famous literary works of the ancient Greek era

The history of the development of Ancient Greece. The era of ancient Greece originates from its existence in the III millennium BC. and lasted before the 1st century BC... on south of the Balkan Peninsula and islands in the west of Asia Minor. By the end of the 7th century BC. Greek culture has become as prosperous as possible. The Greeks made great strides in the fine arts, monumental construction, solving the mysteries of mathematics and medicine, and developing social ideas. They created a system of government in which all citizens had a voice in deciding critical issues.

But Ancient Greece was not a single state. The mainland and islands were divided into many city-states surrounded by rural settlements. The most powerful city-state was Athens which became in 5th century BC... the center of Greek civilization. Athens had a well-trained army and the most powerful ancient navy in the world. Trier, ships with 3 rows of oars on each side, made up the bulk of the Greek combat fleet.

Athens

Athens were the most prosperous city in Greece. A huge bronze statue of Athena the Protector towered at a height of 9 meters, and in the temple Erechtheion there was an ancient wooden statue. There was a huge altar on the side of the temple. The main temple of Athena was called Parthenon ... It was built in 447-438 biennium BC... of sparkling white marble. The roof was covered with marble tiles. The frieze was decorated with scenes of battles of centaurs - mythical creatures of half-humans, half-horses. The magnificent city owned silver mines and carried on international trade through the port in Piraeus ... Towered on the hill Acropolis(upper city), a sacred place with temples and sanctuaries of the goddess Athena. Below lay a city with cobbled streets, splendid buildings, and a marketplace called agora, where the people's meetings were held. Great philosophers Socrates, Plato and Aristotle lived in Athens.
On the festivals of Athens, there were crowded religious processions that entered the sacred land of the Acropolis through marble gates - Propylaea.

People power

The city-states of Greece were called policies(from which the word originated politics). Around 510 BC NS. the policies got rid of the kings and preferred the rule of a group of noble people ( oligarchies) or one influential politician ( Tirana). In 508 BC. appeared in Athens democracy, or People power... Under the new device, male citizens resolved various issues by voting in assembly- the assembly of the people. Women, foreigners and slaves were not allowed to vote.
In 443-429 BC... Athenians elected a major politician as ruler Pericles who started construction temple on the Acropolis.

Culture and craft

In Greece, for the first time were born Olympic Gamesin 776 BC... and later became part of the festivities in honor of the god Zeus. In a democratic society, the politician had to own oratory. The first historical thinker named appears Herodotus, in the near future he was called "the father of history." He was able to describe all historical events in a believable and honest way. Greeks visited Delphic Oracle who, according to legends, could tell a lot about the future useful information... Mount Olympus was considered the abode of the gods and was the most sacred site in the Greek religion.
Thessaly It was famous for horse breeding due to its excellent and extensive pastures. The Greeks made their magnificent painted ceramics from a special clay that acquired a red color during firing. V Lydia, and later in Athens, the first coins began to be minted with the emblem of an owl of one of the goddesses. There were silver mines in Greece Lauria, which were famous for their deposits of precious metals.
Greek women themselves weaved most of the fabrics to make linen and clothing for their home. They wore clothes ionic and Doric style. During the harvest, the girls blew the grain, separating it from the chaff.

Architecture of greece

The Greeks built grandiose temples that were built on a stepped platform. They were surrounded by a colonnade. Inside there was a main hall with a statue of a god or goddess and a repository for temple treasures.
Outside, the temple was decorated with bas-reliefs and sculptures, traditionally painted in red and blue. At first the temples were made of wood, but from the 6th century BC. they began to be built of stone or marble and covered with tiles.
Residential buildings were built by the Greeks simple from brick and wood, with earthen floors. But public buildings, especially temples, were spared neither money nor labor. The architects strived for harmony of proportions. The buildings were usually colonized. There are two main styles - the Doric, austere, with squat smooth columns, and the more refined Ionic, with slender graceful columns. Public buildings were usually decorated with statues and murals.

Science and knowledge

Knowledge of Ancient Greece... In the VI century BC. Greek scientists began to strive for knowledge of the structure of the universe. They were called philosophers, that is, "lovers of wisdom." They studied the structure of the human body, solved mathematical problems and followed the movement of the planets. Alexander the Great's mentor Aristotle, for example, described hundreds of animal species. Research by Greek scientists laid the foundation for modern biology, medicine, mathematics, astronomy and philosophy. Science of Ancient Greece was one of the most unique and peculiar in the ancient world.

Olympic Games

Sports were part of all major religious festivals in Greece. The Olympic Games in honor of Zeus were considered the main ones. They were held every 4 years and lasted 5 days. Many of the Olympic events, such as javelin throwing or wrestling, were associated with military training needed by every man. During the games, wars were interrupted so that participants from all over the country could come to Olympia. The winners of the games became celebrities.
The female sex was forbidden to watch and participate in the Olympic Games.

Theatre

The first great dramatic works created by the Greeks. Poets performed their songs at Dionysia - holidays in honor of the god Dionysus. Gradually, the songs became longer, the number of performers grew, and the songs turned into theatrical performances. There were 3 types of plays - tragedy, comedy and satire. The best play in each genre was awarded. Special buildings were built for theaters, without roofs. The actors were wearing masks, and all the roles, even female ones, were played by men.

Religion

The names of the gods of Ancient Greece.
The Greeks had 12 main gods :
1) Zeus- the king of the gods, a thunderer; an eagle was considered his cult bird
2) Athena- the daughter of Zeus, was the goddess of wisdom and war, the patroness of Athens. The owl was her cult bird
3) Artemis- the hunter, was the goddess of the moon, the patroness of women and children
4) Aphrodite- goddess of love and beauty
5) Demeter- the goddess of fertility and agriculture. During sowing, the Greeks organized holidays in her honor
6) Poseidon- god of the sea, brother of Zeus and Pluto, with his trident he could cause a storm
7) Hera- goddess, wife of Zeus, patroness of women
8) Hestia- goddess of the hearth, sister of Hera
9) Apollo- god of the sun and music
10) Pluto- god of the underworld
11) Ares- god, son of Zeus and Hera
12) Hermes- god, the son of Zeus and one of his beloved, messenger of the gods

Sparta

Sparta ruled in the south of Greece, in Peloponnese... After the conquest Messenia and Arcadia she became the most powerful state in Greece. The Spartans devoted themselves entirely to war. All true Spartans were supposed to be warriors, their training, which began at the age of 7, was extremely harsh.
Boys were subjected to corporal punishment to teach them pain and the ability to overcome fear in battle.
The girls were raised strong so that they would have healthy children in the future. All this helped Sparta win Peloponnese Wars with Athens in 431-404 BC.
The Spartans who did not show sufficient courage were ordered to shave off half of their beards. They were subjected to general ridicule and humiliation.
Athens and Sparta were constant rivals and always at enmity.

Greco-Persian Wars

Wars of Ancient Greece... The Persians invaded Greece in 490 and 480 BC. The Greeks survived the sack of Athens and the death of a small Spartan army defending a narrow passage in the gorge Thermopylae... Despite the losses, they still won, winning the battles of Marathon, at Payei and sea battle at Salamina... The Athenian leader convinced the government to create its own warships. The Greek fleet became a powerful force, the main weapon of which was trier ship ramming enemy ships below the waterline. The ram was usually made of bronze. Trieres smashed the formation of enemy ships, rammed them and hid from sight.
The decisive battle took place at Salamis islands and ended with the defeat of the Persian king Xerxes who invaded Greece. The Persians were lured into a trap - a narrow strait between Salamis and the mainland - and defeated.
Bucephalus. During the campaigns, Alexander left his people in the conquered lands. This contributed to the widespread dissemination of Greek culture and language, and, ultimately, to the assimilation of the achievements of Greek science and architecture by the later civilizations.

Military campaigns of Alexander

Conquering Asia Minor, Alexander won the battles with the Persians at Granicus and Issus. Turning south, he conquered Phenicia, Judea and Egypt, where he was received as Pharaoh. The Macedonian visited the temple of the god Amun in Siwa, where he recognized him as his son, and then defeated the Persians in the battle of Gaugamela. The Persian king Darius III fled after the crushing defeat inflicted on him by Alexander the Great. Darius was killed soon after. After a drunken revelry in Persepolis, Alexander ordered the palace to be burned before moving on to India. Then the great commander went to India and again became the winner in the battle at the Hydasp River, having entered into a battle with the war elephants of King Pora. He would have continued his campaigns further, but the army was already exhausted.

Alexander the Great died 323 BC in Babylon from fever on the eve of the campaign to Arabia.
He was buried in Alexandria. He was at that time only 33 years old.

Not only professional historians and students of history faculties are fascinated by ancient Greece. It is a subject of admiration and interest for researchers from related fields of science, tourists and travelers who want to know everything about Ancient Greece. This applies to both historical events and everyday life, culture, philosophy, scientific knowledge, philosophy, mythology.

Ancient Greece is usually understood as a period in world history that began in 3 thousand BC and lasted until the middle of the 1st century AD.

Periodization

Depending on what criteria scientists lay in the division of ancient Greek history, such can be a periodization. There are two most common and accepted classifications in science. The first of them involves dividing into three large periods:

• Preclassical, which began in the 3rd century. BC. and lasted until the 4th century. BC.;
• Classic, covering 5-4 centuries. BC.;
• Hellenistic, dating from the second half of the 4th century. - the middle of the 1st century. AD

Archaeologists insist that the pre-classical period should be further divided into three stages - Crete-Mycenaean, Homeric and archaic. At the turn of the 3rd - 2nd millennium BC. the first civilization arose on the island of Crete, which was separated from the rest of the periods, thanks to various artifacts. The culture of the Crete-Mycenaean period is not as rich as other eras of Ancient Greece, but it suggests that this civilization requires special attention of researchers.

The Homeric period has been little studied by historians; basic information about it has been preserved in the works of Homer. Chronologically covered the period from the 11th to the 9th centuries. BC.

It was followed by an archaic stage, in which the foundations of the statehood of the Greeks, mentality, culture, mythology began to take shape. The period began in the 8th century. BC. and ended at the border of the 5-4 centuries. BC.

Settlement of Hellas

People began to appear on the southern outskirts of the Balkan Peninsula during the Middle Paleolithic. Traces of primitive man have been found from Macedonia to Elis. In the Neolithic, people were already engaged in agriculture, raised livestock, began to build houses, a clan system was formed, which in 3-2 thousand BC. grew into an early class society.

During the Aegean period, the settlement of mainland and insular Greece took place. In particular, the Minoan culture developed in Crete, the Helladic culture on the mainland, and the Cycladic culture on the islands.

In the Bronze Age, civilization actively developed on the Greek islands. For this period, the following features and achievements were characteristic:

• Ore mining began, including copper;
• People began to actively use silver and lead;
• Weapons, adornments, tools, and cult items were made of metal;
• Ceramics and pottery were created;
• Construction and crafts related to it developed. This made it possible to develop shipping. The construction of ships contributed to the gradual development of the islands neighboring Greece. As a result, the ancient Greeks established dominance over the coast of the entire Aegean Sea;
• Large cities arose, which were the centers of certain tribes. The settlements were inhabited on hills, which indicates the beginning of the differentiation of society. There were rulers who sought to rise above other people. This provoked the first tribal wars in ancient Greece.

In the Bronze Age, Crete was the center of social and economic development, on which several states were formed. These include Festus, Mallia, Knossos. By their nature, these were early slave-owning states, which had their own written language (hieroglyphic). At the very end of the Bronze Age, a new palace began in Crete, during which the creation of new palaces and the renovation of old ones took place. The Cretan-Mycenaean civilization was one of the most developed in Ancient Greece, under which relations with the outside world, maritime domination, and cities were strengthened. In 1470 BC. there was an earthquake on the island of Fera, which reached Crete. Cities, palaces, and the fleet were instantly destroyed. The entire population of the island also perished, after which its territory began to fall into desolation. A hundred years later, the Palace of Knossos was restored, but this state did not achieve its former power.

Other centers of slavery arose on the mainland, which became separate city-states. It was Pylos, Tiryns and Mycenae who created the Achaean tribes. They built not only warships, but also large merchant ships, which made it possible to establish dominance over the existing trade routes of that time. The products of the Achaeans were sold to such countries of the East as Phenicia, Syria, Egypt. There are products of the ancient Greeks both in Asia Minor and in Italy. The Achaeans invented their own writing, which, unlike Cretan, was not hieroglyphic, but syllabic.

Features of the Homeric period

The Achaean civilization fell under the onslaught of the new Dorian tribes, who conquered the states in the middle and southern regions. Athens survived, where the Achaeans from the Peloponnese moved. Here it was possible to maintain a high culture and develop further, and the rest of Greece in development was thrown back.

This is due to the fact that the Dorian tribes were in the conditions of the formation of the clan system. Therefore, production, cities and political system began to change rapidly. Family relations came to the fore again, which is why tools and weapons made of iron began to spread in ancient Greek society. Products made of metal and iron caused the formation of a special class of society - artisans, due to which at the end of the 9th century. BC. the craft was finally separated from agriculture and cattle breeding. So the market began to form, individual cities began to specialize in the production of only one type of iron products.

Independent communities headed by the Basilees began to take shape. Their power was supported by the clan nobility, which strengthened its influence through land holdings. The population living in such territories fell into slavery. People became dependent on the rich in different ways:

• In Sparta, the dependent categories of the population included the periecs, which form the basis of the indigenous population of the state; as well as helots - farmers from Messinia. The Perieki had little self-government, continuing to engage in trade and various crafts. The helots were state property, they were attached to the plots of land of the Spartiats - representatives of the local nobility;
• In Thessaly, the conquered population was called penetes;
• In Crete, they were clarotes.

Slavery in the Homeric period also existed in Athens, but people who did not pay their debts became slaves.

Greece in the archaic period

The increase in the number of cities and the complication of the social system caused the active development of trade. Residents of settlements demanded constant raw materials for work and food. The situation was aggravated by the fact that the cities became a haven for the peasants, whose land was taken away. The number of representatives of the nobility, which constantly needed slaves, also increased. They were used for the construction of palaces, for the cultivation of fields, for household work.

All this created the preconditions for the beginning of a new stage in the history of Ancient Greece - the colonial one. The impetus for the beginning of the creation of the city-colonies was the exacerbation of the social struggle within the Greek society. During the 8-6 centuries. BC colonies were withdrawn on the islands of Sicily and Euboea, the coast of the Gulf of Tarentum, the Black Sea, along the Aegean coast.

The presence of a large number of colonies led the trade of the Greeks to new level development - international. The consequences of the creation of colonies include:

• Growing demand for Greek goods;
• Slaves constantly entered the metropolis;
• Nobles received wealth and luxury goods;
• Coins borrowed from other peoples began to be used in trade;
• The position of many landowners and clan nobility strengthened;
• Separate cities of Greece became common religious centers.

The archaic period was characterized by a constant struggle between the demos and the aristocracy. The population of the cities tried to get rid of slavery, and this was done in a number of cities in Hellas.

Resistance was provided by the clan nobility, which they managed to subdue through the establishment of a tyranny regime.

During the 8-6 centuries. BC. a special form of the political, social and economic structure of the Greek city developed. It was a policy - a free settlement in which only free citizens lived. If people belonged to the polis, then this ensured them rights, including to slaves and to land.

Policies were divided into two groups:

• Oligarchic (Sparta and Crete);
• Democratic (Athens).

In the city-states, slavery and elements of the tribal system simultaneously existed. In the south of mainland Greece, agricultural communities continued to develop, which belonged to separate tribes.

Hellas in the classical period of development

Greece reached its peak of development in the 5-4 centuries. BC. Historians believe that this was the heyday of the economy, culture, politics, trade, sciences and arts. Trade and craft policies continued to use slaves - in craft workshops, in mines, in the fields, on the farm.

Small peasant farms and handicrafts became widespread.

During the classical period, the center of political life was Athens, which was famous for its democratic traditions. This allowed them to win a series of Greco-Persian wars, to create the Delian alliance to fight against the Persians.

In Greece, there was never any unity between the poleis, and the struggle for domination intensified precisely in the classical period. The peak of the confrontation was the Peloponnesian War between Sparta and Athens, which ended in the loss of the last policy. The Greek cities that supported Athens suffered defeat and losses. But the war sparked the rise of Sparta and its supporters.

But it wasn't last war in Hellas at that time. Another flared up in 395-387. BC, and received the name Corinthian. It ended with the defeat of Sparta, and the falling of part of the Greek city-states under the rule of Persia.

In the middle of the 4th century. BC. in the northern Greek regions, a new political force was formed, led by the city-polis of Macedonia. Its king Philip II gradually captured the coast of Thrace, Thessaly, Hakidika and Phocis. The influence of Macedonia was so strong that parties of a pro-Macedonian orientation appeared in other policies.

In 338-337 BC Philip II convened the Corinthian Congress, which officially formalized the rule of Macedonia over insular and mainland Greece. He also created a union of policies, which proclaimed an oligarchic regime of government. Order among the population and in the government was maintained by the efforts of the Macedonian army.

The decline of ancient Greece

At the end of the 4th century. BC Hellas entered a new period of development, which in historiography is called Hellenistic. It was associated with the name of Alexander the Great, son of Philip II. His conquests qualitatively changed all spheres of life in Greece, formed many other states, and enriched Greek culture. Alexander the Great managed to create a huge empire, which ceased to exist immediately after his death in 323 BC.

The Hellenistic period in Greece was characterized by the following events:

• Creation of permanent alliances of cities, policies. Such formations were of a military nature, and were aimed at challenging the rule of Macedonia, Sparta or Athens in Greece;
• Polis were headed by oligarchs or tsars who constantly fought among themselves;
• Macedonia won the fight against Athens, which ended the famous Athenian democracy;
• Macedonia lost power over the Balkans, as the Achaean and Aetolian military alliances constantly fought against it;
• The death of Alexander the Great unleashed a struggle between his successors, as a result of which cities were destroyed, people died, the sale of people into slavery intensified, and new colonies were created. Pirates also began to attack Greece, especially the island and coastal policies suffered from this;
• In the polises, the social struggle intensified, which depended on what political force intervened in the internal affairs of Greece. They were both Romans and Persians.

In 196 BC. the Isthmian Games took place, at which the commander Flamininus announced that the Greeks had freedom. This strengthened the popularity of Rome in Greece, which in fact became the property of the republic. In 27 BC. Hellas became one of the Roman provinces called Achaia. And so it went on for several centuries, until in the 4th century. AD raids by barbarians did not destroy the Roman Empire, dividing it into Western and Eastern. On the basis of the latter, a new political force began to form on the Balkan Peninsula - the Byzantine Empire.

Religion and mythology of ancient Greece

The inhabitants of Hellas had their own distinctive religion, which linked culture, mythology and art into a single whole. The Greeks believed that Zeus, sitting on Mount Olympus, is the main god. Together with him, eleven other gods and goddesses lived there. The Greek religion, like mythology, is interesting in that the Helladians represented their gods as people, endowed them with human traits of character and behavior. The gods had the same feelings as people, vices and desires that were present in the ancient world.

Mythology was formed over several centuries, and reflected all the problems faced by the Greeks in Everyday life... Besides the gods, Greek mythology rich in characters such as mortal heroes such as Achilles and Hercules, mythical creatures... These were satyrs, ora, nymphs, forest and river monsters, dragons, muses, dragons and echidnas.

Arts and Science

The inhabitants of Ancient Greece made a huge contribution to the development of theater, painting, sculpture. Greek art is present in almost every corner of the globe. First of all, these are temples and architectural styles. The Greeks erected temples in honor of the gods, so that Zeus and his supporters had a place to live. But, unlike the Romans, or the most ancient civilizations of Egypt, Mesopotamia, Babylonia, the Greeks built small temples (relatively, judging by their size), placing them in the acropolis of the city. It was the most secure part settlement... To make the temple visible from afar, it was erected on a mountain or hill. They tried to use two basic materials for construction - limestone and white marble. Each temple, like any Greek structure, necessarily had columns, located in one or two rows. During the classical period, the art of building temples reached its peak. In the next era - Hellenistic - stadiums, sports grounds, promenade spaces, and amphitheaters began to appear.

Simultaneously with sculpture, sculpture developed, which changed during the entire period of the existence of Ancient Greece. If in the archaic period there were always robes on the sculptures of people, then in the classical era the main attention of the masters was concentrated on the human body. It was customary to portray physically developed, strong, athletic people, which emphasized the inner and outer beauty. In Hellenism, sculptures began to be metaphorical in nature, exaggerations, splendor, which did not exist before, appeared in works of art.

The Greeks were also distinguished by their special painting technique, the samples of which have practically not survived to this day. But the drawings can be seen on the vases. The Greeks used two methods of painting such items as black-figure and red-figure. The first was characterized by the use of black varnish to depict people and animals. And the red-figure meant full painting of the black background, the figures were made red, and the black varnish helped to clearly draw the details.

During the celebration of the festival of winemaking, which was dedicated to the god Dionysus, the Greek theater began to take shape. With its inception, music and literature began to actively develop. Often these trends were not separated from each other, which made both literature and theater an organic whole. In the performances, it was customary to use special masks that were worn only by male actors. Women did not take part in the performances.

The special role of the theater in the daily and social life of Greece is evidenced by the large number of theaters and amphitheatres. Neither festivities nor festivities were complete without performances. The theater was distinguished by a wide variety of plots and themes, genres. These were comedies, and tragedies, and satires, and ironic performances on the topic of the day.

The scientific knowledge of the Greeks developed in different areas - philosophy, mathematics, astronomy, geometry, biology, physics, chemistry, history. A special place among knowledge was occupied by philosophy, which was engaged in the study of the problems of the origin of space, planets, man, and the search for answers to questions related to immortality. In Hellas, several schools of thought were formed, the outstanding representatives of which were Plato, Aristotle, Socrates, Thales, Herodotus, etc.

The schools of Ancient Greece taught literature, grammar, mathematics, history, astronomy, philosophy. Physical education was mandatory so that a person's personality develops harmoniously.

The most famous heritage of the Greeks is the Olympic Games, which were created in order to praise the gods and bring them various honors. At first, these were local competitions, which eventually developed into general Greek ones. Athletes from different policies of Hellas took part in the competition, trying to get the status of the best athlete. The main competitions took place in such a discipline as pentathlon, now it is also present at the Olympic Games.

Has made an invaluable contribution to European culture. Literature, architecture, philosophy, history, other sciences, the system of statehood, laws, art and myths of ancient Greece laid the foundation for modern European civilization. Greek gods known all over the world.

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Hellas and the Greeks. The country that we call ancient Greece was located in the south of the Balkan Peninsula. Although in ancient times it was never a single state, its inhabitants perceived themselves as a single people and called their country Hellas, and themselves Hellenes. They called all foreigners barbarians, and at first this word did not have a contemptuous connotation, as the Greeks denoted all those who did not speak their language and muttered something, from their point of view, incomprehensible (from the onomatopoeic "bar-bar" is Greek "barbara", ie barbarians).

Major parts of ancient Greece. Ancient Greece was divided into three parts: mainland, insular and Asia Minor. Mainland Hellas consisted of Northern, Central and Southern Greece. Northern Greece consists of two regions: Thessaly in the east and Epirus in the west. To the north of Thessaly were Macedonia and Thrace (their population, although related to the Greeks in language and culture, did not belong to the Hellenes). On the border of Macedonia and Thessaly is Olympus - the highest mountain in Greece, on top of which, as the Greeks believed, were the palaces of their gods, headed by Zeus, "the father of gods and people." The Illyrian tribes lived north of Epirus.

From Thessaly, through the narrow Thermopylae gorge, the road led to Central Greece, which also consisted of several regions, the main of which were Attica (its center is Athens) and Boeotia, the largest city of which was Thebes. To the west of Boeotia lay Phocis, on whose territory, in Delphi, was the temple of Apollo with the oracle of this god. Without the prophecies given by the priestess of Apollo, the Pythia, the Greeks did not start any important business. The rulers of the states neighboring Hellas also listened to the oracle of Apollo.

The narrow Isthmus of Corinth (Isthmus) separated Central Greece from South or Peloponnese (Peloponnese - "the island of Pelops" - was named after the mythical hero, the grandson of Zeus himself). The most significant regions of the Peloponnese: Laconia, whose center was the famous Sparta, Argolis with Argos and Elis, where in Olympia there was a temple of Zeus with a statue of this god, which was considered one of the wonders of the world, and the Olympic Games were held every four years in honor of the supreme god of the Hellenes ...

Greek Islands and Asia Minor. The insular part of Greece consisted of many small and large islands, almost all of them were in the Aegean Sea. The largest of them is Crete, as if closing the Aegean Sea from the south. A kind of bridge connecting two continents, Europe and Asia, is the Cyclades archipelago between the south of the Balkans and the west of Asia Minor. The islands of another archipelago called the Sporades are scattered along the Asia Minor coast.

The western coast of Asia Minor was colonized by the Greeks at the end of the 2nd millennium BC, and they lived there until 1922, when, after the Greco-Turkish war, they were forced to move out of there. Greek Asia Minor was divided into Ionia and Aeolia, located to the north of it. The largest of the Greek cities in Asia Minor was Miletus.

Periods of Greek History. The history of ancient Greece is usually divided into five periods:

• Crete-Mycenaean (Aegean) - late III-late II millennium BC;
• Homeric - XI-IX centuries BC.;
• archaic - VIII-VI centuries BC.;
• classic - 500-323 BC.;
• Hellenistic - 323-30 BC.

Achaean civilization. In the ancient Crete-Mycenaean period, the first civilizations in Europe related to the Bronze Age arose: the Minoan in Crete and, under its influence, somewhat later in the Peloponnese and in Central Greece - the Achaean or Mycenaean (after the name of its most famous center, the kingdom of the famous Agamemnon) ... The Achaean civilization was the first to be created by the Greeks, whom Homer calls Achaeans or Danaans. She died at the end of the XII-beginning of the XI century. BC, and Greece was thrown back in its development for a whole millennium.

The Homeric period is so named because long time the main source for his study were the poems of Homer "Iliad" and "Odyssey". Now, the results of archaeological excavations carried out from the second half of the 19th century have acquired just as important importance. At this time, Greek society was slowly recovering from the disaster at the end of the 2nd millennium BC. and accumulated forces for a powerful leap forward - the creation of a civilization of a completely different type, unlike either the Cretan or the Mycenaean. The Iron Age of Hellas begins in the Homeric period.

City-states of Greece. In the archaic period, the formation of a polis civilization in Greece took place. Appeared new form states - a policy, which is usually called a city-state. In total, there were several hundred such states in Hellas, the area of ​​some of them measured in tens of square kilometers, but, despite their small size, they were completely independent. Polis was a slave state: as you know, ancient world was a world devoid of machines and full of slaves, the lot of most of whom was hard physical labor. At the expense of slaves, free citizens of the policy had free time to develop physical and spiritual culture, engage in military training, for holidays and entertainment.

The free population of the policy consisted of citizens and non-citizens, migrants from other places and their descendants. Citizens, in turn, were divided into aristocracy (nobility), which traced its origin to gods and heroes, and demos (farmers, artisans, merchants).

Types of power among the Greeks. Depending on the characteristics of their structure, the Greek city-states were divided into democratic, aristocratic and oligarchic. In the democratic, power belonged to the demos, in the aristocratic - to the entire nobility, in the oligarchic - to a narrow circle of persons from among the same aristocracy. In any polis there was a national assembly, a council and elected officials, but in a democratic all important issues were decided by a popular assembly in which all citizens participated, while in an aristocratic or oligarchic it existed only for the sake of appearance and rarely met, only to approve that had already been decided by those in power. An example of a democratic polis was Athens, an aristocratic one, later reborn into an oligarchic one - Sparta.

Greek warriors. The armed forces of the policy consisted of the militia of all citizens. They bought weapons with their own money, so the richest served in the cavalry (keeping a horse was very expensive), the wealthy in the heavily armed infantry, the poor were light infantry and crews of ships (the ships themselves were built either at the expense of the state or on its behalf by the rich, who appointed captains of the ships they built).

Aristocrats and oligarchs did not trust their own fellow citizens, so they preferred to rely not on them, but on mercenary soldiers who offered their services to the one who paid the most. But it also happened that one of the aristocrats, having conceived to seize power, bribed mercenaries, with their help he destroyed or expelled his opponents and became a tyrant - as the Greeks called the one who established sole power by illegal means. There was a time when tyrants ruled in many Greek cities, but by the end of the archaic period tyranny was being destroyed everywhere, in order to be reborn in a different environment after many decades.

The fourth (classical) period begins with the clash of the Greek city-states with the powerful Persian state (Greco-Persian wars), and ends with the conquests of Alexander the Great, who destroyed this state.

Persian kingdom. In it, from the time of the emergence to the death of the rule of the Achaemenid dynasty, and the state itself stretched from India to the Aegean Sea. King Darius divided it into regions - satrapies, each of which was headed by a satrap. The population of each satrapy had to pay taxes and, by order of the king, appear in the army. Thus, the Persian army was a huge number of soldiers with different weapons, different manner of fighting, speaking different languages. It was very difficult to manage such an army. The Persians did not have their own fleet; the Phoenicians, Egyptians and Ionian Greeks supplied them with ships.

Elinistic period. The last period The history of ancient Greece is called Hellenistic, it lasted from the death of Alexander the Great to the Roman conquest of Egypt. At this time, both the Greek city-states and the former Achaemenid state were part of the new states founded by the generals of Alexander, who, many years after his death, proclaimed themselves kings. One of the famous Hellenistic kings was Pyrrhus, whom the Romans had to meet on the battlefield.

How is it known about the wars and battles of the ancient Greeks. We know about the battles of the Greco-Persian wars mainly from the work of Herodotus "History". The information reported by Herodotus is supplemented and revitalized by Plutarch, who lived many centuries later. His "Comparative Biographies" represent several dozen biographies of famous Greeks and Romans and therefore are an important source on the history of not only ancient Greece, but also Rome.

Battles of the first half of the 4th century BC. described by their contemporary, the Athenian writer and historian Xenophon and already known to us Plutarch. On the history of the campaigns of Alexander the Great, in addition to the biographies of the great Macedonian and his contemporaries, the ancient historians who already lived in Roman times, Arrian and Quintus Curtius Rufus, created special works that have survived to our time and translated into Russian. Much interesting to characterize the struggle of the Greeks for freedom, against Macedonia, is contained in the speeches of Demosthenes.

The history of Great Hellas originates in the depths of distant centuries: it is about four thousand years old. Undoubtedly, the Greek civilization is of great importance for the entire modern world. World art, science, politics, philosophy and languages ​​are closely related to the culture and history of Greece.

Conventionally, the history of Greece can be divided into several stages, starting from the Minoan era, when, according to ancient testimonies, the Greek civilization arose on the island of Crete.

Minoan era

Crete Island (2800 - 1500 BC)

The history of Greece and Greek civilization begins on the island of Crete around the 6th millennium BC, in the Neolithic era.
The advantageous geographical position of Greece (at the intersection of trade and sea routes) undoubtedly served as one of the determining factors of its cultural and historical development, as well as the creation of a civilization that still amazes with its grandeur and grace.

It is noteworthy that it was the feminine principle that ensured such a rapid growth and prosperity of Cretan culture in the Minoan era. In those days, more than 4 thousand years ago, in Crete, a woman held a particularly high position, which was lost in subsequent patriarchal centuries.
Crete has tirelessly developed trade and cultural ties with its neighbors: the Cyclades, mainland Greece, Egypt, Mesopotamia and Syria. During this period, the level of development of life on the mainland lagged significantly behind that of Crete. The cities of Mycenae and Tiryns, located on the southern peninsula of the Peloponnese, in many ways imitated and duplicated the achievements of Minoan Crete, became the cultural centers.
From the first stage of its existence, the Greek civilization experienced the influence of the elements, and the history of Greece was forever intertwined with sea power, with the sea.
Around 1500 BC, near the island of Crete (in the immediate vicinity of the island of Santorini), there was a strong earthquake that caused the irreversible process of the collapse of the Cretan civilization.

Achaean period (1400-1100 BC)

Around 1400 BC. the northern Achaean tribes (Achaeans) came to the Peloponnese peninsula and assimilated. There are still disputes over their origin. According to one version, these are the Greek people of Northern Greece, and according to the other, the tribes that came from Central Europe. In any case, there is evidence that it was the Achaeans who brought with them the pagan cult of the Olympian gods and new elements of culture.
As a result, Mycenae significantly increased its influence and became the most powerful power in the entire Mediterranean. This was a truly legendary period, much about which became known thanks to the Homeric poems and numerous myths about the heroes and gods of ancient Greece.

The culminating moment in the history of the Achaean period was undoubtedly the Trojan War, which served as the first step towards its oblivion.
The story of Helena, described in detail by Homer, led to the collapse of the entire Greek world and the beginning of a many years of war.
The forces of the powerful Mycenaean civilization were so exhausted that it could not even withstand the attacks of the semi-savage northern tribes of the Dorians, or, as they were then called "round-headed". The era fell into decay around 1100.

Homeric period

The origin of the Dorians still remains a mystery of history. But according to legend, they were the descendants of Hercules.
This troubled period was one of the most difficult in the history of Greece. At first, after the invasion of the Dorian tribes, the country embarked on the path of degradation, but soon it gradually began to "gain momentum", synthesizing a completely new civilization from the remains of the Mycenaean, Cretan, Achaean, Asian and Dorian cultures.
During this period, the Greek language was formed. It was at this time that the great Homer creates his immortal poems, filling them with all the colors of his era.

Archaic period

This time was characterized by the intensive development of the country's economy, as well as its culture and art. City-states are growing throughout Greece, and Greek colonies throughout the Mediterranean. In addition, this era is associated with significant changes in the political system.
A striking event of that time was the Peloponnesian Union, which was headed by Sparta, famous for its strict laws of Spartan life, which, in fact, contributed to the strengthening of its position among other city-states.
The struggle for leadership between Athens and Sparta was further developed during the classical period.

Classical era

The classical period in the history of Greece begins with the war with the Persians in 500 BC, which lasted more than 20 years. Only thanks to Athens, who created a maritime alliance and assumed command in the fight against the Persians, Greece was able to win the final victory in this brutal war.

Gradually, Athens is strengthening its power, which allowed the inhabitants of the city to use substantial resources to create their great masterpieces. The best master painters, architects and sculptors are invited to Athens to implement Pericles' plan to transform the city into a "work of art". In addition, science, art and philosophy are developing rapidly. This time can rightfully be considered the "golden age" in the history of Athens.
Naturally, this situation did not suit Sparta, which was the reason for the beginning in 431 BC. Peloponnesian War, which ended 27 years later with the complete defeat of Athens.
As a result of the war, Sparta became the most powerful city in Greece, forcing other cities to comply with their military orders. It was only with the unification of Greece under the hegemony of Macedonia that internecine wars began to subside. So in 337 BC. Greece was united into the Macedonian Empire.

After the assassination of Philip II, the place of the ruler was taken by his son - Alexander, who created the most powerful empire in just 9 years. His main goal was to end forever the centuries-old war between Greece and Persia. Hoping for peace agreements, he married Persian princesses - the daughters of Greece's enemies. The successes of Alexander's numerous victories, about which legends were made, turned his head. He proclaimed himself the god Zeus-Amonn, and did not want to stop there. But the long years of battles depleted his army and caused a wave of misunderstanding, both among the soldiers and among his entourage. Alexander died at the age of 33 without leaving an heir.

Hellenistic period

Undoubtedly, the death of Alexander significantly accelerated the disintegration of the great state, which had already begun.
The commanders of the army of Alexander divided the empire among themselves: Greece and Macedonia went to Antiparus, Thrace to Lysimachus, Asia Minor to Antigonus, Babylonia to Selevek, Egypt to Ptolemy.
From a new threat - the Roman aggressor - the first in 148 BC. Macedonia and Greece fell, and the kingdom of Ptolemy in Egypt, which lasted until 30 BC, resisted the invader the longest.

Roman period

It is noteworthy that several decades before the arrival of the Roman conquerors, the Greek rulers themselves invited the Roman liberators.
Similar to the Russian princes who "used" the Golden Horde in internecine wars as military force, the Greeks were referring to the Roman legionaries. For which, in fact, they paid when the Roman troops occupied Greece and Macedonia, announcing the creation of a province on their territory, which should obey the Roman governor.
It was the Romans who became the successors of Greek culture, carrying it down to our days. Elements of Roman architecture, undoubtedly, bear the character of the masters of Ancient Greece. Like most great civilizations, Roman civilization was self-destructive due to idle lifestyles, corruption and self-interest.

Byzantine period can be characterized as a period of formation of the traditions of Christianity, with the construction of numerous churches and monasteries throughout the country. The influence of the church on public life and the political system.
Under Justinian I, the Byzantine Empire reached the apogee of its development, becoming the most powerful power in the Mediterranean. Having existed until 1453, the great civilization fell under the onslaught of the Turkish invaders, passing into the rule of the Ottoman Empire.

The Ottoman period of Greece is considered one of the most difficult in its history. Despite the fact that the Turks left the Greeks freedom of religion, the Greek people never stopped fighting for their independence.

The revolution

March 25, 1821 is considered the start date of the revolution. Orthodox Church when the revolutionary flag was raised by the patriarch. After a year of hard and bitter struggle, the National Assembly proclaimed the independence of Greece. However, internal disagreements in the country led to the beginning Civil War 1823 - 1825
2 years later, in 1827, the first president of Greece was elected by the National Assembly, and Russia, England and France became the guarantors of the autonomous status of Greece.
In 1830, in accordance with the Adrianople Peace Treaty, Turkey recognized the independence of the Greek State.

New time

The period from 1830 to 1922 in Greece is considered a time of unrest and political unrest.
Influenced by the leading world powers, who contributed to the acquisition of the long-awaited freedom, Greece was obliged to listen to their opinion. So, in 1862, George I, Prince of Denmark, became the president of Greece, thanks to which the Ionian Islands, Thessaly, and part of Epirus were returned to the country.
At the beginning of the 20th century, during the Balkan War of 1912-13, Greece was again expected to expand historical territory when the islands of the Aegean Sea, Crete, Epirus and Macedonia were annexed to it, and at the end of the First World War, Greece received Izmir and Thrace.
The year 1922 was marked by the so-called "Asia Minor catastrophe", when Greece had to forget about its imperial plans to liberate part of Asia Minor (along the coast) from Turkish rule and return to its former glory.

Modernity

One of the main problems of this period was the arrival of a huge number of refugees from Asia Minor, which reached truly incredible proportions.
In October 1940, the Italian fascists invaded Epirus, but were defeated. The victory over the German fascist invaders who occupied Greece in 1941 was a difficult one. Thanks to the People's Liberation Army led by the Communists, the mainland of Greece was liberated in 1944.
1946-1949 - the time of the civil war.

Since 1952, a new stage of development begins in Greece. Accession to NATO.
In 1967, a military coup took place, leading to the rule of the junta (military dictatorship). After 7 years, the time of the "black colonels" ended: a civilian government came to power again.
1922-1974 characterized by the aggravation of contradictions in society. During this period, 14 coups and coups took place. As a result, Greece was divided into several political camps: communists, military, monarchists and supporters of American politics.
And only by 1974 the country realized: only by uniting, Greece will be able to develop further as a full-fledged European state.

On December 8, the first truly democratic referendum took place, in which citizens voted against the monarchy. In Greece, the consolidation of democratic forces took place under the strict leadership of Kostas Karamanlis, who served as President of the Hellenic Republic from 1980 to 1995.
In 1981 Greece joins the European Economic Union, and on local elections wins socialist party... Its famous leader, Andreas Papandreou, becomes the country's prime minister, staying in power for the next 7 years.