Summary of LA ANTIGUA GRECIA II | La Grecia Clásica, Atenas y Esparta

00:00:00 - 00:15:00

The classical Greece period saw the emergence of independent cities in Greece around 800 BC, each with their own government, laws, armies, and unique economic systems. Athens and Sparta were the largest and most powerful cities, with the former being governed by democracy while the latter was an association of five villages that valued strength, discipline, and military prowess. The Athens-Sparta rivalry eventually led to the Peloponnesian Wars from 431 to 404 BC, resulting in the decline of Athens and a regression in social, political, and economic advancements.

• 00:00:00 In this section, we will examine the characteristics of the classical Greece period when cities like Athens and Sparta became the most powerful in the Greek world. But first, we need to understand the concept of polis, which is a geographical framework where independent cities emerged in Greece around 800 BC. These independent cities all had their own government, laws, armies, and unique economic systems. Athene's acropolis, with its impressive Parthenon, was the most famous in Greece, and each city typically had a fortified acropolis, an agora (a public square where citizens could meet to make important decisions), fields, and a port. The classic period was the culmination of several centuries of Greek colonization in the Mediterranean, and Athens, and Sparta emerged as the two largest cities.
• 00:05:00 In this section, we learn about the characteristics of Athens and how it was governed by democracy. The democracy that emerged in ancient Athens is the basis for the democracy we have today. The Athenian democracy was not without its limitations, however, since only men born in Athens over the age of 20 were considered citizens and had political rights. The main institution of the Athenian democracy was the Popular Assembly, where any male citizen over the age of 20 could participate in decision-making. Other institutions included the Boule (a council of 500 people), magistrates (in charge of various aspects of governance), and the courts (which consisted of 600 citizens over the age of 30). In contrast to Athens, Sparta was not a city, but rather an association of five villages. It was a society that valued strength, discipline, and military prowess over individuality.
• 00:10:00 In this section, we learn about Sparta, which was a strongly militarized society that was governed through an oligarchic system, where political power was vested in the hands of a few. The society had a division into various groups, including the esparcia tass, pericos extranjeros, and the slaves. Women in Sparta had greater freedom and decision-making capacity compared to other polis in ancient Greece because men were primarily focused on warfare. Sparta's education was heavily based on values tied to military expertise, making the warriors the most feared of all of Greece. The leading polis in ancient Greece was Athens, primarily due to its powerful navy, commercial, and mercantile capabilities during the fifth century, which allowed it to lead and unite the entire Hélade.
• 00:15:00 In this section, the video discusses how Sparta and Corinth began to challenge Athens for power and leadership in the Delian League, which eventually led to the Peloponnesian Wars from 431 to 404 BC. Sparta emerged as the victor and the wars resulted in the decline of Athens and the cities that depended on it, leading to a period of regression in social, political, and economic advancements. The video concludes and invites the viewers to continue this wonderful journey to ancient Greece in the next video.