More Notes on Greece

508 b.c. in a town called Athens. The ordinary people turned on their rulers demanding to be freed from their opression. At this moment one man looked on a man named Clysthenies a Greek nobleman. He had been brought up as an aristocrat to rule over the people. He was born around 570 b.c. From his earliest days he was taught to be an aristocrat. Aristocrats ruled over everything in Athens. The town was built around the acropolis a large thing of rock. Life expectancy was to become 15 years. Life was extremely tough. The common Athenians was ruled over by the Aristocrats. Greece was unlikely to thrive because of the land. They had mountainous regions, and not really any arable lands. They were surrounded by Persians, and Egypt. It was impossible for one ruler to rule over top of them. Greece was split into city states. Argos was the best. Corinthians were the best in trade with their ships. Sparta was the best fighters because they were brought up for war and to fight. In Spartans had to be able to put up with anything. Sparta took up 4000 miles. They were always a threat right over the mountains. One thing that kept them at ease were the people who would tell stories to them. The Iliad said by Homer was about the Trojan War. Homer also spoke the Odyssey about a man named Odysseius trying to get home to his wife Penelope. At the heart of these stories were called heroes. The poems about the heroes were called epics. Tyrant or ruler. Was written by Herodotus. Pysistrotus he was made ruler because he was protected by Athena and Athena helped him to get rule. The lady was really a woman from the neighboring  village. He was the brother in law of Clysthenies. He needed support or of his people were going to thrive. He went to the Athenians for help. He started to change in his city by giving them money and loans to build up their farms and dropping taxes. The eastern Mediteranian was the best place in the world for trade. The Athenians highest trade came from Olive Oil. Athens first great artistry cam from the vase. It wasn't expensive at first now a days they are worth millions. If you were a potter you were the lowest possible people. They lived in the Red District were people would get prostitutes. They used to paint in Egyptian and Persian symbols. Soon after they picked up a new style of painting. In 527 b.c. Pysistroties died. His son Hippyas took over at first he took over just like his father. Soon he turned into a true tyrant. Hippyas's brother was murdered when he found the men he killed the men and brutally tortured the women. He then became suspicious on everybody. Clysthenies then would try to take over Hippyas and take control over everything with his family and himself. It was time to become a hero. The year was 510 b.c. Olympia was the place were the people from all of the surrounding city states competed in boxing, track, and more. The Athenians began the revolution against Hippyas.  Isagorous and the Spartans barricaded themselves. They fought for 2 days. Clysthenies was brought out of exile to rule and change the government. The year was 508 b.c. for the first time in recorded history the people of Athens revolted. Clysthenies had a great meeting at the Agora (a great rock). There they would talk about the new government to be made. Clysthenies created a way to vote. White Rock for yes and Black for no. Every week they would have a vote on anything. It is called a democracy where the people became the government not the leaders. The Athenians faced troubles that their ancestors couldn't fight against. 490 b.c. a local figure runs across the mountains (Pheidippidies) ran 146 miles. To tell the Spartans about the Persians coming to attack the Athenians. The Spartans would not help them. 5th century b.c. the Persians were the strongest nation. Darius the great king was the ruler over them. They had to fight the Persians by themselves being out numbered 1 to 2. The Athenians attacked on a Phead long charge and the Persians scattered on their assault. The Athenians had won. The first democracy had passed their first test. Themistocleis. a Greek General. He was not brought up like an aristocrat but he knew how to run a city. He learned how to become a leader by going to the democratic meetings. The tryrines best ship of that day. It had 145 oarsmen and beak for crushing other ships. The Athenians found a great amount of silver worth 100 talons. Thermisticlies wanted to sell them for the tryrines but he had to tell them that he wanted to use them against neighboring city states. The Athenians agreed and the built the greatest fleet of all time with 200 ships. When Darius died his son Xerxes took over. Xerxes wanted to destroy Athens. He gathered all of his fighting men and he gathered 2 million warriors to fight against the Athenians. They were so scared they relied on the God's for protection. So they went to see the Oracle at Delphi so she could find out their fate. They would ask the Oracle Epythia who had a voice of a God. She told them to run for their lives because the God's wouldn't help them. Themisticlies went back and she said that your wooden wall wouldn't fall. He took it that the people should evacuate and that they will attack on boat. He said that the tryines should meet at Salamis outside of the Athenian coast. He sent out scouts with the other people from other city states. They tell them that the Persians were three times their size.He wanted to fight them at sea. He told them that the Geeks would run away. So the Persians followed them out to the boundary between Salamis and Athens and the Persians were destroyed. Their navy was destroyed. So then he made Athens able to create their own Empire. Delian League was the new Empire and Athens was at the Capital. They grew an economy and in trade with other countries. After the Battle of Salamis they became an Empire before a century. Even as an empire they kept the same way of Democracy. Soon they started to carve in a name to a piece of pottery. The people of Delian League had him kicked out of the kingdom. He spent the rest of his days finally dying in Persia. Pericles was the new leader of Athens at the highest point of the Empire. Pericles was born into one of Athens highest family. He knew that the Greeks wanted to be pushed well into the future. Pericles wanted to make the greatest city in the world he wanted to have the best anything. He could do it because of all of the cash flow they were getting from their trade. He looked at the Acropolis he wanted to build a new Parthenon that worshiped Athena. He wanted to spend 10,000 talons in one year which would be 10 billions dollars. He was going to build the most architecturally designed building of all time. It was the most glorious symbol of Athens. It took the 15 years to build it. In the middle of the Parthenon was 40 foot sculpture of Athena with jewels on it. The most popular part of the temple was the frieze it was 50 foot long part of the Parthenon with sculptures going out only in 2 inches in width. The Parthenon still stands today. It represents the worlds first democracy. Isagorus figured out that the moon was lit by the son. They had the first Historian Herodotus, great poets, and writers Isagorous and Periclies. Aspasia was Pericles's partner. Pericles divorced his wife for this woman. He actually allowed this woman to be with him during talks with some of the most elite people. In the middle of the Parthenon there would be the first theater. Two times a  year they would have a play. The most popular plays were the tragedies and comedies. Tragedies are like contemporary scary movies. Odipus was a king who married his mother and killed his father. When he figured out that he married his mom he gouged out his eyes. He was raised by someone else. He solved the riddle of the Sphinx. Hubirous had a fatal flaw that he was too prideful and when people told him to not to figure out about his parents you won't like what will happen he did anyways and he killed himself. The Greeks created drama. The good qualities that he had ended up killing Athens. Periclies wanted to take over all of the Mediterranean. He went to the democratic meeting to talk about going to war with Sparta. Victory over Sparta he would rule over all of the Mediterranean. Pericles convinced the Athenians to retreat to another city in Athens. He used his Navy to wear down the Spartans. Even though the Spartans never give up.