<aside> <img src="/icons/drafts_gray.svg" alt="/icons/drafts_gray.svg" width="40px" />

Notes derived from: Hillsdale College Kenneth R. Calvert, Associate Professor of History Western Heritage: From the Book of Genesis to John Locke—The Golden Age of Greece

</aside>

Introduction

The Greeks pioneered groundbreaking innovations in science, literature, writing, philosophy, and political science.
The U.S. Founders—Jefferson, Madison, and Adams—examined the Greeks as a model of both desirable and undesirable elements in government.

Mycenaean Civilization (1400 to 1200 BC)

established trade, city-states, art, and architecture throughout the Aegean region
1200 BC — the Dorians or “sea peoples” destroyed Mycenaean Civilization through invasion——ultimately stopped by the Egyptian pharaoh Rameses III
out of this catastrophe a good result was produced—the Golden Age of Greece

Emergent Feature Activity of the Golden Age of Greece (800—500 BC)

trade, invention of coinage — flexible currency
shipbuilding
science and philosophy — Pythagoras

alphabet / introduced originally by Phoenicians

Α	Β	Γ	Δ	Ε	Ζ	Η	Θ	Ι	Κ	Λ	Μ	Ν	Ξ	Ο	Π	Ρ	Σ	Τ	Υ	Φ	Χ	Ψ	Ω
α	β	γ	δ	ε	ζ	η	θ	ι	κ	λ	μ	ν	ξ	ο	π	ρ	σ / ς	τ	υ	φ	χ	ψ	ω

Homer (800—500 BC)
Hesiod
polis — the city state
Acropolis / Agora
focus on citizenship, local allegiances, patriotism, and also focus on the greater good of the Greek world