Greek and Persian Empires

Era of Greek City-States

750 BCE

Allowed varying degrees of popular participation in social life.
Each city-state was independent.
Frequently in conflict with neighbors.

Zoroaster/Zarathustra

700 BCE

Was a Persian prophet.
He reformed the traditional Persian polytheism into a vision of a single god named Ahura Mazda. This religion being named Zoroastrianism.

Emergence of Greek rationalism

600 BCE

Coinciding with the flourishing of Greek city-states (Athens).
Growth of its artistic, literary, and theatrical traditions.
Emphasis on argument, logic, questioning, and confidence in human reason without much reference to the gods.
Socrates helped kick-start it.

Achaemenid dynasty in Persia; state support for Zoroastrianism

558 BCE

Zoroastrianism had many supporters throughout Persia as a whole and had some influence in Mesopotamia, Egypt, and Anatolia.
The religion didn’t spread out after that since Alexander the Great invaded Persia to plunder the temple, priests were killed, and certain writings that were sacred were burned.
According to their religion their god, Ahura Mazda, gave the power to rule to the kings of Persia.

Persian Achaemenid

553 BCE

Constructed an imperial system based on Babylonian and Assyrian empires.
Monarchy.
Cyrus and Darius are Monarchs.
35-50 million people under their single state.
Because so many people it was diverse containing different people, languages,and cultural traditions along with states.

Aristotle

500 BCE

Aristotle was the student of Plato and also one of the teachers of Alexander the Great.
He wrote almost everything he saw and was able to document the constitutions of 158 Greek city-states, classified hundreds of species of animals, and wrote about logic, physics, astronomy, weather, and many other things.
He wanted a government that combined the principles of monarchy, aristocracy, and democracy.
He was famous for talking about reflections on ethics.

Major Battles between Persians and the Greeks

490 BCE

The Greco-Persian Wars.
Confrontation came from their respective patterns of expansion
Many Greek settlements came under Persian control. In 499, some of the cities revolted and found support from Athens.
Twice in 10 years, the Persians launched major military expeditions to punish the Greeks.
The Greeks beat the Persians at the Battle of Marathon in 490 B.C.E.

Golden age of Athens

479 BCE

The beginning of the Greek empire.
In the Greco-Persian wars athen led more than 30 Greek city-states because of its naval power.
Athenian leadership in the struggle of Persians aggression created an imperialism of its own.
In the end Athens effort to solidify control led to a civil war where the spartans took control this was known as the Peloponnesian war.
Magnified distrust between the Greeks.

Socrates

469 BCE

Was a Athenian philosopher who asked questions that challenged conventional ideas about the importance of wealth and power in living well, And urged them to pursue wisdom and virtue.
He was critical of the Athenian democracy and on occasion had positive things to say about Sparta, the enemy of his city.
Because of the previous statement, he was in conflict with city authorities, where he was sentenced to death.

Plato

469 BCE

Sketched out in The Republic a good design for society. Being it will be ruled by a class of highly educated “guardians” led by a “philosopher-king.” Such people being able to penetrate the many illusions of the material world and were the only people fit to rule according to Plato.

Peloponnesian War

431 BCE

Civil war between the Greek city-states of Athens and Sparta.
Sparta won taking control defending the traditional independence of Greek city-states.
This war led to more distrust between the different Greeks.

Reign of Alexander the Great

336 BCE

Alexander united greek city-states by making a proposal of taking vengeance against Persians.
10 year expedition accomplished while he was in his twenties.
Among the greatest military feats of the ancient world.
Created a Greek empire that spanned from Egypt and Anatolia to India and Afghanistan.
Persian empire was thoroughly defeated its capital Persepolis was looted and burned.
He was hailed as the “King of Asia” & anointed as a pharaoh.
Declared to be “the son of the gods”.
Died in 323 B.C.E.