· The early Greeks (or Helens), like the Aryans in India, lived in tribes, each composed of a number of families under a leader. Agropur of tribes had a kind.
· The main occupations are agriculture and herding.
· The early Greeks had many gods whom they imagined to be like human beings, the ought more powerful and immortal. Zeus was the god of the sky and hence caused thunder. Poseidon, god of the sea, raised storms that sank ships.
· Appollo, the sun god, could reveal the future. Athena was the goddess of victory and patroness of the arts. Dionysus was the god of wine and there were many others. The g reeks thought their gods lived on mount Olympus.
· Around 800 BC, groups of Greek villages began joining into larger units to from city –states. At the highest point in city – state, an acropolis or citadel was built for defense and city spread out around the acropolis. Such cities were Sparta, Athens, Macedonia, Corinth, the best and others. Sparta and Athens were two most important city-states.
· The Spartans’ main concern was with militarism and war so much so that the word ‘ partan’ is often used to mean militaristic.
· Spartans were fine soldiers, but they contributed little else to creek culture.
· The city-state of Athens developed along lines quite different from Sparta. The territories it ruled had been occupied gradually and peacefully and militarism had not developed.athens had excellent harbors and mineral deposits. Athenians built a prosperous trade and culture. Percales (469BC- 429BC) were the most important ruler for Athens.
· The battle of marathon (490 BC): the Greek defeated the Iranian (Persian) king Darius I at marathon near Athens.
· The Peloponnesian war, between Sparta and Athens from 431 BC to 404 BC, ended in tragedy for Athens.
· Philip of Macedonia conquered most of states in the years following Athens’s defeat.
· Then his son, Alexander, set out at the age of 20-to conquer the world.
· During the 13 years (336 BC -323 BC), he compelled all Greece to accept his leadership and conquered the achaemened empire. This brought him to borders of India where he defeated king pours on the Jhelum in 326 BC. He sailed down the Indus and then returned to Mesopotamia where he died of fever in 323 BC at the age of 32.
· Alexander’s conquests brought many important changes to the world. Trade between Europe and Asia was developed. Many new cities were founded.
· In the 2nd century BC, the Roman Empire started expanding eastward. As a result of roman attacks, almost the entire territory of the Greeks and their empire became a part of the Roman Empire.