Highlands Ranch High School - Mr. Sedivy
Highlands Ranch, Colorado

World History
The Athenian Empire

The Golden Age

The empire was built because Persia was still somewhat of a threat. Sparta and Athens built alliances with other city-states. The Delian League met on the island of Delos. There were now over 150 city-states. Athens dominated and made others pay tributes of ships, soldiers, and money, and they wouldn't let anyone leave.

The Theater at Delphi was built in the 300s BC.
People sitting at the back could hear every word the actors spoke.

Education
Athenians thought education was important. They balanced intellectual aspects, athletics, and music.

Citizenship and Government
At 18 years of age, men had two years of military training. Then they became citizens and could take part in the government. Limitations

1. Only adult men were full citizens.

2. Athenians thought women were inferior. Aristotle wrote: "One rules, the other is ruled. Women couldn't participate in government, play sports, be in drama festivals, an got no formal education.

3. Foreigners could not take part.

4. Slaves could not take part.

Frieze on the Parthenon Showing a Boy Fastening his Master's belt.

Pericles
Pericles was a great Athenian leader, 460 BC - 429 BC. He was a strong believer in democracy - Everyone from all classes could serve. "Government in the hands of the many, not of the few." The Athenians had freedom of speech and thought. This was a true democracy where everyone voted for everything. Officials, picked by lot, served for one year and couldn't serve again. People who didn't participate were seen as worthless.

Aspasia
In the golden age of Athens, women had few rights. Wives didn't go with husbands to the theater or parties, and couldn't even eat at the same dinner table. The Hetarae were a class of unmarried female escorts that went with the men to plays, studied with them and debated with them. Aspasia was a member of this class. As a foreigner, she couldn't marry an Athenian. Aspasia opened a school of philosophy and rhetoric. Great artists, scholars and politicians came. Plato said she taught him the theory of love.

Pericles fell in love with her, divorced his wife, and moved in with Aspasia. She is the one who wrote most of his famous speeches. The people of Athens were mad, but Pericles was too powerful for the people to attack, so they went after Aspasia. She was the butt of jokes in plays and poems.

She was put on trial for blaspheming the gods. During the trial, she gave such an impassioned defense, that everyone, including Pericles, cried. She was set free, but this hurt Pericles' reputation. Aspasia was one of the first women to be run through the whole gauntlet because of her independence and her self-reliance.

The Peloponnesian War
The city-states began fighting. Other Poleis were becoming increasingly mad at Athens. In 431 BC Sparta invaded Athens. Pericles brought the Athenians inside the walls of the city, and Pericles sent the navy to attack Sparta. Disease swept through Athens in 429 BC, killing thousands, including Pericles.

Ruins in Persopolis

Sparta won when they destroyed the Athenian navy in 404 BC. Sparta had given Athens many chances at peace, but Athens refused. Being so accustomed to success, Athens didn't want to take the chance. The 27-Year War included many city-states. This led to fighting even between some city-states, over democracy versus aristocratic rule. This contributed to the take over - Sparta was taken over by Thebes.

Macedonia
King Philip of Macedonia built a strong army and got support from the city-states that didn't like Athens. Athenian General Demosthenes warned of the danger, but the fighting city-states wouldn't unite. In 359 BC Philip's army beat the Greek Alliance.