Kangas

Greek notes [|Link] The Trojan War was a major part of Mycenaean history and myth. It was a war over the king’s wife who was stolen from him by the Prince of Troy. The area of Troy was discovered, and archaeologists believe there was a war. They think this because that would be a very good reason on why it was ruined and so hard to find. The myth parts mostly include gods and heroes, such as Achilles. The Greek gods naturally make it a myth, since there is no scientific fact of them existing. Achilles is considered the greatest hero, but the fact of him being indestructible except for his ankle. This really doesn’t make much sense. The Trojan war most likely did happen, but the story of it was made up for many parts of it. Athens and Sparta Government

Athens and Sparta are very different in government ideas, and how their city state should be run. Athens had lesser voting restrictions than Sparta, so laws seemed fairer. Sparta then decided to have an oligarchy, and Athens a democracy, where everyone could vote. The overall leaders of the governments of the two states were different in that Sparta had kings, but yet Athens had elected officials.

Sparta and Athens had very different ideas on how the people should vote, and if they would be heard. Athens allowed most of its population to vote at one time or another. This allowed for much more freedom in politics and made the laws fairer and much more agreeable. Athens also had a council that had the job of enforcing new laws made by the people of Athens. Sparta decided to have much more restrictions on government. They only allowed a select few vote and make laws. There were class restrictions on the voting. One had to be a man, over thirty, and own land, but even then, a higher rank in the government could veto your opinion. These restrictions didn’t allow all the peoples votes to be heard.

The Spartans decided to have an oligarchy while Athens had a democracy. The oligarchy meant that Sparta was ruled by a group of people instead of one. There were two kings that ruled the armies and the government of Sparta. Below them were five overseers and the senate, which made and enforced most of the laws. This allowed more opinions than a monarchy, but didn’t make it a democracy. In Athens, the democracy did have a senate, but it still allowed the people to vote and voice their political opinions. This made the laws affect more people and be more general.

Athens and Sparta had their government ruled by two different groups of people. The Athenians were ruled by ten elected officials, which made and enforced laws voted on by the people. These ten would represent the people and their political opinions. They also were supported by the council of 500, which would also support the people’s opinion. Sparta, on the other hand, had the two kings that would rule the government. They would be the final say in the laws and ideas of what should rule. The two kings were supported by the five overseers that would assist in the laws and political ideas.

Athenian military strategy and technology

The Athenians used a combination of military strategy and technology to defend Athens from invading Persians. The most famous strategy was the phalanx. It was a group of heavily armed hoplite warriors arranged into a box formation meant to charge at the enemy. They used this strategy to charge the Persians and try to catch them off guard at the Battle of Marathon. Another major strategy of the Greeks was to use a sort of Venus Fly trap formation. The Athenians at the Battle of Marathon took advantage of the strategy by placing the Hoplite Phalanx’s at the flanks, and the weaker soldiers in the middle. The Persians would naturally attack the middle, so the really strong flanks would proceed to close around the Persians in a sort of Venus Fly trap. The Phalanx and the Venus Fly trap formation is what won the Battle of Marathon for the Athenians. A technology that got rid of the returning Persians, out for revenge for Marathon, was the Trireme, a Greek warship. The Trireme was a short, fast ramming boat that would strike hard and quickly. It was extremely maneuverable and was the Athenians greatest asset. During the Battle of Salamis, the Greek’s lured the Persian navy into the Strait of Salamis and then quickly rammed them and destroyed about two hundred Persian Ships. All three technologies and strategies is the major reason that the Athenians were able to drive out the Persian armies.

Sources "Battle of Marathon: Greeks Versus the Persians." //HistoryNet From the Worlds Largest History Magazine Publisher//. Web. 11 Nov. 2009. .

"The Ancient Greek Trireme and its Modern Equivalent." Web. 11 Nov. 2009. .

"Phalanx and Hoplites." //Livius. Articles on Ancient History//. Web. 11 Nov. 2009. 