It was in the 8th century BC that the Aegean civilization declined and ancient Greece, which had been in a slump for a long time, began to appear on the stage again.
In the 8th century BC, settlements centered on influential aristocratic leaders gathered in various parts of the country Acropolis . People gathered around Shiroyama called Shiroyama (=Shinoi Kismos) and began to create a city-state. Police these city-states Is called.
This police Was responsible for the defense and was finally able to put an end to the dark ages. This time, we will focus on the Greek society after such a police was established and escaped from the dark ages.
Police and Acropolis
In the dark ages that lasted nearly 400 years,
- Invasion of external forces (there is a theory that it is a sea people)
- Loss of characters
- Population decline
It was terrible enough. You will experience a period of turmoil painfully and feel the need to defend yourself more than ever.
Therefore, the Greeks decided to solidify the small hills with barriers and use the interior as a temple or emergency shelter. Acropolis on this small hill I call it. It seems that important rituals related to city administration were also held, and it became the religious and political center of the city.
Initially Acropolis = Police It seems like it was, but as the Acropolis evolved, police Is the whole country including the surrounding villages Will point to.
Around the Acropolis, there is a land owned and owned by the citizens (Kreros), where they were engaged in agriculture. The citizens of this farm will play a central role in the Police Citizens' Group.
Even if each police had a common enemy, the alliance would work together but never create a unified nation. However, culturally, it seems that they had a consciousness as the same ethnic group through myths, religions, and the Olympia festival once every four years in a common language. In fact, the ancient Greeks Helenes about themselves. , Barbaroi about other different races I called it and made a complete distinction.
What is the most famous Acropolis?
The Acropolis in Athens (old name:Athens) is the most famous Parthenon (Completed in B.C. 438) is inside. Parthenon Is a building that is often called the highest peak of Doric order (the style of the building changes from Doric order ⇒ Ionic order ⇒ Corinthian order in chronological order).
* Ancient Greeks are divided into Ionians, Dorians, and Aeolians by dialect. Athens is a city-state by the Ionians. I'm not a Dorian.
In Athens, it is built on a rocky hill 270m east-west, 156m north-south, 150m high, Acropolis . There is only a road to reach the west side, and the remaining three sides are cliffs. It is a fortress that makes the best use of the natural terrain, and has been used as a fortress and a headquarters over time.
Construction of colonial city
Police As the population grows and becomes crowded, land begins to run short. Therefore, from the middle of the 8th century BC, Greeks should actively engage in colonial activities.
Similar to the Greeks' range of movement so far, they travel by boat Black Sea coast And Mediterranean coast Colonial City in various places I started to make. Since this move, trading activities have become more active. Phoenicia , which had been the center of Mediterranean trade until then, was the time when Greek trade activity became active. Was being taken into Assyria.
The alphabet is based on the Phoenician alphabet that the Phoenicians began to use, saying that the Greeks are "trading and convenient". And start using it in commercial activities.
Thus, police Was often built in coastal areas where trade is easy, and continued to interact with developed areas such as the Orient.
People living in Police
Police Residents of
- Citizens (free people):Nobles / Commoners
- Slave (belonging to a citizen)
It was divided into. As in any country, aristocrats are well-bred and wealthy.
Police Was very military conscious, as it originally indicated a fortress. That's why the aristocrats also fight firmly. The aristocrats were the main force of national defense fighting with expensive armor and horses.
By the 7th century BC in ancient Greece, aristocrats politicized aristocracy police Will become mainstream.
However, the commoners were not subordinate, and the citizens were on an equal footing in principle. Agora Markets and gatherings are held in the plaza called, which is a place of relaxation for the citizens. Acropolis Inside is a concert hall For some reason, even today, theater and concerts are held in the summer.
On the other hand, slaves are separated from the rules and are subject to buying and selling, and there is a big difference in treatment. The slaves were those who lost themselves from the commoners due to debt, prisoners of war, and foreigners imported from abroad.
Among the police, Athens and Sparta used slavery, which should be noted, so I will introduce them a little.
Athenian residents
Athens People began to live in the area around 2000 BC. In the dark ages around 1200 BC, Dorians began to invade around Athens. The surrounding villages were being conquered one after another.
However, Athens is no match for Dorian glasses, both economically and as a food production base.
"It's not worth the trouble to attack"
It is said that it escaped destruction for the reason. Of course, we don't have our own currency. It was such Athens, but while taking advantage of the location as a basis for maritime trade
- Increase the value of commercial and industrial work
- Avoid competition with Greece's largest commercial city and move to another monetary sphere
With this reform, people will start to gather. As a result of the gathering of people, mining engineers from Macedonia started mining the silver mine. Dominate the Greek economy like.
Not only the engineers of the silver mine, but also scholars and arts from all over Greece gathered and the culture sprouted. Famous philosophers such as Socrates, Plato and Aristotle are produced from Athens.
As the number of people increases and the number of people bought and sold increases, the demand for slaves and the number of people supplied will increase.
In this way, slavery developed in Athens. Privately owned slaves have become the norm, and slaves are said to have become one-third of her total population in Athens. Not only did he engage in domestic work and agriculture, but he was also engaged in handicrafts and mining mines such as silver mines.
Spartan residents
Another famous Greek city Sparta Is a police that is said to have been established around the 10th century BC.
At times, there were less than 10,000 citizens (about 50,000 including families, but only adult males over the age of 18 were considered citizens), but there were 150,000 to 250,000 slaves. is.
The conquered people in Sparta were engaged in agriculture as slave peasants (Helots), and the surrounding people (Perioeci) were engaged in commerce and industry.
At the same time, if there are people who are rich and dissatisfied, it will lead to a rebellion, so the use of money is prohibited, and the stakes are distributed fairly to ensure equality.
What were the Spartans doing? Speaking of which, it is a thorough military training on a daily basis due to the introduction of the universal conscription principle (this is famous). Severe military training begins when a healthy boy turns seven. So-called Spartan Education is. In this way, Sparta followed the conquered people against the background of absolute military power.
The influence of this rigorous military training is not limited to the interior of Sparta, but is also reflected in its relations with neighboring countries.
Despite the lack of walls like Athens, Sparta was able to invade Sparta's territory until the Battle of Leuctra in 371 BC, when it had to fight weakened by the declining population and the collapse of the spirit of equality. There was no army. So much overwhelming military power I was proud of.
This contrasting ancient Greek city will have a major impact on later Greece, but I will write it in another article.