Video Summary
In 508 B.C., pandemonium ruled over Greece. Living in Greece at this time was a man named Cleisthenes, who would eventually lead his home of Athens to an empire. Cleisthenes had been brought up to defend his people. Cleisthenes was born in 570 B.C. and was brought up as an aristocrat. Aristocrats controlled most things that went on in Athens.
Athens was built on an acropolis. For Athenians, people who could read and write were rare things. Life was tough in Athens, because the aristocrats ruled over everything the people did.
Greece was divided into city-states. One of the city-states, Argos, had more power than Athens, but was not known for it. Another powerful city-state was Corinth. Corinthians were known as boat builders and sailors. Spartans were brought up and trained to fight in the military, but had few possessions. Spartans conquered many regions around them.
Cleisthenes was inspired by stories of power, such as the Odyssey and other stories of epic battles. He was brought up to become a hero himself.
One day, a man rode into Athens with “Athena” and convinced them that he was their ruler. This man’s name was Peisistratus, who became a tyrant of Athens. Peisistratus allowed people prosperity and freedom, which caused him to begin his rise to power.
Of the valuable things found in Athens, olives were among the highest. People were willing to trade many products for olives. Because olives were found in Athens, Athens began to rise in wealth. Another reason for this was because they had invented the vase. But although potters were one of the causes of the rise to wealth of Athenians, potters were very low in society. Potters and artists were inspired by the prospect of out-doing one another.
Cleisthenes knew how high Athenians were rising in power, but in 527 B.C., Peisistratus died and his son Hippias took over. Hippias was a cruel ruler, torturing citizens in order to gain power. After his brother died, he became suspicious of everyone, putting Cleisthenes in danger. After Cleisthenes saw what was happening to Athens, he took over the rule from Hippias and banished him from Athens. He inspired many Greeks by this heroic act.
In Olympia, Greeks gathered every 4 years for the Olympic Games. If you won at the Olympic Games, it was a great honor to you and your city-state. If you won, that would be the highlight of your entire life. People traveled very far to compete in the Olympic Games. Having so many competitive people gather in Athens, was not good for Cleisthenes and his rule over Athens. A man named Isagoras wanted Cleisthenes spot in power. To ensure that Isagoras got this spot, he traveled far to Sparta, where he entreated a supporting military force from them. The Spartans accepted, and Isagoras gained control of Athens. Under Spartan control, many Athenians were kicked out of their homes, including Cleisthenes. Out of their anger, the people rose up to overthrow Isagoras, and defeated him after three days. Cleisthenes was brought back into Athens and was asked to build a new government for Athenians. He made fair decisions and built the first democracy for Athens.
Later, Pheidippides ran from Athens to Sparta, to get the help of Sparta to defeat the Persians. The Persians were invading their homeland. He later died of exhaustion. What he didn’t know is that Athens had won the battle, because the Persian army was forced to fight against their will, while Athens fought to keep their home. The Persians wanted to make sure they weren’t defeated again, so they used a powerful weapon and the advantage of the sea. They would sometimes consult the oracle at Delphi to find out how to lead their people into battle.
But the Athenians were still gaining power, because they had found silver. Athens was the only Greek city-state with the ability to dig its own wealth straight from the ground. They were not sure whether to divide it amongst themselves, or give it all to the person who discovered it.
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