This is a brief introduction to the Classical Age in Greece, a period that followed the Archaic Age and lasted through the creation of a Greek empire, by Alexander the Great. It was characterized by most of the cultural wonders that we associate with ancient Greece.The Classical Age of Greece begins with the Persian War (490-479 B.C.) or with the fall of the Athenian tyrant Hippias, son of Peisistratos/Pisistratus [See Cleisthenes and the Rise of Democracy] (510 B.C.). and ends with the death of Alexander the Great (323 B.C.). Besides war and conquest, in this period the Greeks produced great literature, poetry, philosophy, drama, and art. This was the time when the genre of history was first established. It also produced the institution we know of as Athenian democracy.
During the preceding era, the Archaic Age, Athens and Sparta had followed different paths. Sparta had two kings and an oligarchic (rule by a few) government,
while Athens had instituted democracy.Etymology of Oligarchy
oligos 'few' + arche 'rule'
A Spartan woman had the right to own property, whereas in Athens, she had few freedoms. In Sparta, men and women served the state; in Athens, they served the oikos 'household/family'.Etymology of Democracy
demos 'the people of a country' + krateo 'rule'
Men were trained in Sparta to be laconic warriors and in Athens to be public speakers.Etymology of Economy
Economy = oikos 'home' + nomos 'custom, usage, ordinance'
Persian Wars
Despite an almost endless series of differences, the Hellenes from Sparta, Athens, and elsewhere fought together against the monarchical Persian Empire. In 479 they repelled the numerically mightier Persian force from the Greek mainland.Peloponnesian and Delian Alliances
For the next few decades, relations between the two city-states deteriorated as the Spartans (earlier, the unquestioned leaders of the Greeks), suspected the Athenians (a new naval power) of trying to take control of all of Greece. Most of the city-states on the Peloponnese allied with Sparta. Athens was at the head of the city-states in the Delian League whose members were along the coast of and in the Aegean Sea. The Delian League was initially formed against the Persian Empire, but finding it lucrative, Athens transformed it into its own empire.Pericles, foremost statesman of Athens from 461-429, introduced payment for public offices so more than just the rich could hold them, and initiated the building of the Parthenon, which was supervised by the famed Athenian sculptor Pheidias. Drama and philosophy flourished.
Peloponnesian War and Its Aftermath
Tensions between the Peloponnesian and Delian alliances mounted. The Peloponnesian War broke out in 431 and lasted for 27 years. Pericles, along with many others, died of plague early in the war.Even after the end of the Peloponnesian War, which Athens lost, Thebes, Sparta, and Athens continued to take turns as the dominant Greek power. Instead of one of them becoming the clear leader, their strength was dissipated and they fell prey to the empire-building Macedonian king Phillip II and his son Alexander the Great.
Related Articles
- The Age of Pericles
- Alexander the Great
Information on the life of Alexander, his military career, and scholarly articles. - The Persians and The Persian War
Information on the enemy of the Greeks. - Rise of Democracy: Cylon and Draco
Democracy evolved gradually. Some of the steps along the way were a bit... Draconian. - Sparta: A Military State
Not all the Greeks thought democracy desirable. Some, including the Spartans, preferred oligarchy. - Oikos
The household was more than a physical place inhabited by a family. -
Introduction to Classical Greece
Resources from this site on the Greek Classical period. - Greek Terms
Philosophical, literary, societal, medical, and miscellaneous Greek terms. - The Four Humors
Theories of Hippocratic medicine and their uses today. - Demosthenes
Orator who tried to keep Athens out of Macedonian hands. - Who Were the Greek Historians?
Herodotus, Thucydides and more.
Historians of the Archaic and Classical Period
- Herodotus
- Plutarch
- Strabo
- Pausanias
- Thucydides
- Dionorus Siculus
- Xenophon
- Demosthenes
- Aeschines
- Nepos
- Justin
Historians of the Period When Greece Was Dominated by the Macedonians
- Diodorus
- Justin
- Thucydides
- Arrian & fragments of Arrian found in Photius
- Demosthenes
- Aeschines
- Plutarch
