Greek Empire
The Rise, The Fall, and The Collapse
The Rise, The Fall, and The Collapse
The earliest inhabitants of Greece were probably Mousterian hunter-gatherers who roamed the region during the Middle Palaeolithic period. By 4000 BC Neolithic villages were established in most fertile lowland regions. The earliest cities date from about 2000 BC. People from the north are said to have invaded Greece several times, especially in the centuries immediately preceding 2000 BC, but precise dates and evidence for these invasions are lacking. In the period 2000-1000 BC major advances in Aegean civilization occurred on the island of Crete and on the Greek mainland; the two civilizations that developed were the Minoan in Crete and the Mycenaean on the mainland.
Ancient Greece relied heavily on imported goods. Their economy was defined by that dependence. Agricultural trade was of great importance because the soil in Greece was of poor quality which limited crop production. However, some food items could be produced in the Mediterranean climate such as olives, olive oil, figs, honey, meat, cheeses, and wine. These items were traded domestically among the various city-states in Ancient Greece. These could also be exchanged for other necessary items from other countries. In addition to food, Greek pottery was also valued. Ancient Greece’s position in the Mediterranean allowed them to control some crucial trade routes and seaports. Some popular imports at the time were salt fish, wheat, papyrus, wood, glass, and metals such as tin, copper and silver.
In addition to trade with products, the Greek’s also used currency. The drachma was a silver coin used by the ancient Greeks. The drachma dates back to the mid-6th century BC and is one of the world’s earliest coins. One drachma was valued to be equal to a handful of arrows. By the 5th century BC, the Athenian drachma became the preferred version of the coin and the monetary unit used throughout the Hellenistic world. Eventually, the drachma evolved into other types of coins and currency types.
The government was not heavily involved in the trade business of ancient Greece except when it came to grain. Grain was vital to the survival of the Greek people and was controlled by purchasers known as sitones. Officials ensured the quality of the grain that went to the markets to be sold and prices were regulated.
Taxes were a part of the ancient Greek business system. They were imposed on the movement of goods through road and transit taxes. Levies were placed on imports and exports at the seaports. Special courts were established and private banks were able to perform currency exchanges and protect deposits.
Taxes in Ancient Greece were progressive. This means the taxes were imposed on the wealthy who were the most able to pay them. They thought of taxation as a matter of ethics. They believed that a society’s liberty or oppression was expressed through their system of taxation. Income was not taxed. Taxes were, for the most part, voluntary. They were considered “liturgy” which in ancient Greek literally translated to “the work of the people.”
This idea had its roots in mythology. Prometheus created humanity and was its greatest benefactor. The Goddess Athena gave the olive tree to be a symbol of prosperity and peace. The idea was that the rich should absorb the expenses of the city such as improvements to infrastructure or for military spending. Those that gave the funds for a project received honor and prestige. Sometimes, they competed to be the most honorable, resulting in many new buildings constructed while the wealthy sought these accolades.
The liturgy with the highest prestige was donating funds for the navy. The seaports were a crucial part of the business of ancient Greece and they had to be protected. The benefactor to the navy was known as a trierarch. They were responsible for building and maintaining warships. These warships kept the ports and waterways safe from pirates. In some cases, the trierarch was also responsible for the operation of the warship. He could, however, hire a specialist do that type of work.
Another thing funded by the wealthy were festivals and events. The Panathenaic Games were a theatrical festival paid for by these funds. The benefactor had to select a team and fund its training to prepare to participate in athletic, dramatic, or musical contests during festivals held primarily in Athens. The trophies won would often be shared with the contestants and some of them survive today to be viewed and enjoyed by modern people.
The Greco-Persian Wars are a sequence of wars fought between the great empire of Persia and the coalition of Greek city-states. It lasted for about half a decade from 499 BC to 488 BC. Even as we say Greco-Persian Wars its not always that all of Greece fought against Persian as their strength and authority was much greater.
The Ionian Revolt initiated the First Major Persian War. During 539 BC Cyrus The Great ruled Persia and most of West Asia. During his reign his first captured Lydia, which lay along the coast of Anatolia. The cities that were dependent of Lydia automatically became helpless and Cyrus next move was to capture those cities. The residents of these were then called Ionians. Ionia is today based in Modern Turkey. Cyrus was cruel ruler. He increased the taxes and appointed tyrants in these regions.
His son Cambyses supported Cyrus and he too captured Egypt and some Greek islands between Anatolia and Greece, the most important one being the island of Samos.
Later Darius, Cambyses son who became the king, attacked the Scythians, but he lost. He along with his army returned back to Persia.
Darius move proved useful to him, as the other Greek states thought that they were next in line to be attacked. Macedon sought a peace treaty with Persia in 510 BC. When Persia decided to attack Naxos, Aristagoras was appointed to lead the battle. Aristagoras was a tyrant of Miletus known to be close to King of Persia. But the Persians lost. Seeing that strong rulers like Persia could lose two consecutive times the Persian occupied Greek city-states decided to revolt. This is known as the Ionian revolt. But the Ionians were defeated in the Battle of Lade in 494 BC. The Ionian revolt lasted for about half a decade.
Rome continued its conquest of Greece. The Greeks were finally defeated at the Battle of Corinth in 146 BC. Rome completely destroyed and plundered the city of Corinth as an example to other Greek cities. From this point on Greece was ruled by Rome. Despite being ruled by Rome, much of the Greek culture remained the same and had a heavy influence on Roman culture.
Primary Causes
There were many factors that went into the decline and fall of Ancient Greece. Here are some of the primary causes: