Ancient Greece Part 2 HIST 101 - History Of Western Europe #2305 - Spring 2021.pdf

2/20/2021 Ancient Greece Part 2: HIST 101 - History Of Western Europe #2305 - Spring 2021
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Ancient Greece Part 2
READING ASSIGNMENT FOR READING QUIZ
THE CLASSICAL AGE OF GREECE
Introduction
The most frequently studied period of Greek history is the “Classical Age,” the time between the
triumph of the Greek coalition against Persia in 479 BCE and the conquest of Greece by the
Macedonian king Philip II (the father of Alexander the Great) in 338 BCE. This was the era in which
the Greek poleis were at their most powerful economically and militarily and their most innovative and
productive artistically and intellectually. While opinions will vary, perhaps the single most memorable
achievement of the Classical Age was in philosophy, first and foremost because of the thought of the
most significant Greek philosophers of all time: Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. The Classical Age (like
the European Renaissance about two thousand years later) is best remembered for its artistic and
intellectual achievements rather than the political events of the time.
Athens and the Ironies of Democracy
Just as the Classical Age is nearly synonymous with “ancient Greece” itself, “ancient Greece” in the
Classical Age is often conflated with what happened in Athens specifically. Athens was the richest
and most influential of all of the Greek poleis during this period, although its power waned once it
plunged into the Peloponnesian War against Sparta starting in 431 BCE. The most famous Greek
philosophers – Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle – were either native Athenians (Socrates and Plato) or
studied and taught in Athens (Aristotle). Likewise, the Athenian democracy that had crystallized
under Cleisthenes, with about 10% of the overall population having a vote in public affairs, was at its
height during this period.
The irony was not just that Athens reached its peak during the period of the Delian League and the
wealth it extracted from other poleis, it was that Athenian democracy itself was at its strongest: even

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as it was forging an empire on top of the other city-states, Athens was becoming the first great
experiment in democratic government in world history. The Athenian leader in charge during the
transition to this phase was Pericles (495 – 429 BCE), an aristocrat who dominated Athenian politics
but did not actually seize power as had the earlier tyrants.
When Pericles rose to be a dominant voice in Athenian politics, the system remained in place that
had been set up by Cleisthenes. All adult male citizens had a vote in the public assembly, while a
smaller council handled day-to-day business. Athenian citizens continued to pride themselves on
their rhetorical skill, since everything hinged on the ability of public speakers to convince their fellows
through strength of argumentative skill.