3-17-11

Today we started off class with watching a video about the tsunami in Japan, and then continued taking notes on the second half of the movie again.

  In the year 527 B.C. the tyrant Pisistratus died and his son Hippias took over. Pisistratus made friends with the commoners and cut back taxes. In 514 B.C. Hippias' brother was murdered. Hippias ordered new executions and became a even more brutal tyrant because of the way his brother died. Cliesthenes tried to overthrow Hippias for himself and his family. He thought this would be a great achievement. He was successful and Hippias was banned from Greece. By 510 B.C. Cleisthenes was one of the greatest heroes.

  In 776 B.C. the Olympic games were created. It was a change for any Greek to show his heroic ability. Chariot racing, running, and wrestling were the common games. About 40,000 Greeks would gather to watch. At first, only the rich people could particiate, but soon after every male was allowed to play.

  Isagoris was another Athenin aristocrat. He knew he couldn't gain power on his own so he turned outside of Athens for support, to Sparta. He was an old friend of theirs. It was clear he was going to turn Athens into a Spartan state. He ruled from a high point in the city. The first targets were the other aristocrats, Cliesthenes most of all. Athens was rocked by a revolt from the people against Isagoris. He and the Spartans had to blockade themselves on the top of the Acropolis, but even then they couldn't escape the Athenians. It took him three days to finally surrender. This is the first time the common people overthrew their ruler. 508 B.C. was Athens first step to power and glory.

  When Cliesthenes returned to Athens, he had to create a government system that would be beneficial for the future of the Athenians. In the shadow of the Acropolis, the people of Athens could gather to discuss their government. Every 9 days the people would gather and discuss the changes to Athens. This varied from the price of figs and the building of roads. This was the first time democracy was done. When everybody voted, different colored rock would be put into a jar. A white rock is yes and a black rock is no.Every common person could now voice their opinion and make a difference.  

  Pheideppedes quest was not for glory, but survival. In the early 5th century, the Persians were the greatest Empire. Now Athens were gaining power and the Persians wanted to destroy them. For Pheideppedes and the Athens it would mean destruction of their entire way of life. News of the invasion of Greece by the Persians spread like wildfire. Greece didn't really have an army. The hop lites were the closest thing they had to an army. The rest of the warriors for Greece were common Athenian men. However, they were outnumbered 2 to 1.

  Pheideppedes ran 140 miles in just 2 days and the help he was seeking was denied from Sparta. This meant the Athenians would have to go into this alone. He never imagined that the Greeks would win against the Persians, but they did. The Athenins killed over 6,000 Persians in one day.