The Fourth Century: The Decline of the City-State (404-336)

• Greek Civilization in the Fourth Century
• Intro: what are the hallmarks of this age?
• Spartan Hegemony (404-371)
• Why did Sparta take over after Athen’s fall?
• How did Sparta change the internal structure of other Greek states?
• What was Sparta’s relations with Persia like?
• What happened to Sparta’s manpower?
• Second Athenian Confederacy (377-355)
• How was it organized?
• What was its aim?
• How was it different from the Delian League?
• Why did it come to an end?
• Theban Hegemony (371-362)
• What are the two main reasons for Theban success?
• What are the three important things to come from the Theban success?
• Philip of Macedonia (382-336)
• Why was his stay in Thebes in 367-365 as a hostage important?
• What were the two main aims of the League of Corinth?
• Military advances
• What are some of the changes in equipment and tactics at this time (e.g. mercenaries, peltasts, new Theban phalanx, Macedonian phalanx, Macedonian cavalry) and why are they important?
• Democracy at Athens
• How is the democracy at Athens similar to and different than that of the 5th century?
• Law courts:
• Who were jurors, how selected, how much were they paid, how did they vote, and how large were the juries?
• What types of cases did they hear?
• What is a graphe paranomon and how was it used?
• What is a water clock and how was it used?
• What rules of evidence did they have?
• Who brought cases to trial and enforced the verdicts?
• Alexander the Great
• Preparation for invasion (336-334)
• What did Alexander inherit at age 20 with his ascension to the throne?
• How did Alexander establish his mastery?
• How did Alexander keep Greece loyal after he invaded Persia?
• Whom did he bring along with him and his army?
• Conquest of Hither Asia (334-330)
• How did he defeat the Persian navy?
• Why did he visit Troy?
• What did he learn in Egypt from Zeus Ammon?
• Campaigns in Central Asia and India and events up to his death (330-323)
• What areas did Alexander conquer?
• Why did he finally turn back?
• What did he die of?
• Alexander’s Place in History
• What were the key elements of his military genius?
• What were his economic, political, and cultural visions for his empire?
• How did he promote Hellenism?

 
• Fourth Century Architecture
• What are the key changes in Architecture in the fourth century?
• How do such buildings as the Temple of Asklepios at Epidaurus, and the Mausoleion at Halikarnassos
• Fourth Century Art
• What are the key changes in Greek Art in the fourth century?
• How are they reflected in such sculptures as Peace and Wealth, the youth from Antikythera, the works of Praxiteles (Hermes w. Dionysos, the Marathon Boy(?), and Aphrodite of Knidos), the works of Scopas, the works of Lysippos (Apoxyomenos, the Farnase Herakles, the portrait bust of Alexander the Great), and the grave stelai?
• How are they reflected in the Pella mosaics and coinage?
• Fourth Century Literature and Philosophy
• Philosophy
• Socrates
• What change did Socrates make to philosophy?
• For more on Socrates, see the Apology
• Plato (428-348)
• What form of literature did he employ and what is the essence of this form?
• What are some of the topics he wrote about?
• What institution did Plato establish?
• The Apology of Plato (427-348 B.C.); Socrates (469-399 B.C.)
• Consider the manner in which Socrates (according to Plato) defended himself.  What were the various charges?  In particular, what were the slanderous charges (p.356-7) and what were the actual charges lodged against Socrates (p. 360-1)?  Who were the accusers? Which charges is Socrates most concerned with?
• Who was Chaerophon and how did he set Socrates on his mission in life?  In what way was Socrates the wisest?
• What was Socrates' daimon and how did it function somewhat like our conscience?  How was Socrates' arete similar to yet quite different from that of the Homeric heroes? In what way was Socrates the gadfly of Athens?
• After being convicted what penalty did Socrates propose himself?  Why did Socrates not go into exile?  Why did Socrates not fear death?  How can Socrates be described as a martyr?  How do the trial and execution of Socrates represent a radical change in the nature of Athens?
• Aristotle (384-322)
• Who was Aristotle a pupil of and why did he leave Athens in 348?
• Who was Aristotle’s most famous pupil?
• What school did he found in Athens in 335 and under whose protection
• What are some of the topics he wrote about and how long did their influence last?
• What was the essential method he used to discover things?
• Poetry and Drama
• What happened to tragedy?
• What happened to comedy?
• What happened to music?
• What were the key concepts of Isocrates in regard to education and Hellenism?

• Hellenistic States
• Wars of Alexander’s Successors (323-280)
• Who almost succeeded in reuniting Alexander’s conquests after Alexander’s death and why did he fail?
• What were the political results of these wars?
• The Hellenistic Kingdoms:
• What family ruled and what did they rule?
• How did they maintain their rule?
• How did they spread Greek culture?
• Trade
• Where did trade expand to?
• Hellenistic Literature, Philosophy, and Education
• Literature:
• What were some of the themes chosen for Hellenistic literature? Who was its audience?
• How did comedy change? What is the comedy of Menander like?
• What place did Alexandria have?
• Philosophy
• Cynics
• Who founded it?
• What are its essential points?
• Epicureanism
• Who founded it?
• What are its essential points?
• Stoicism
• Who founded it?
• What are its essential points?
• Education
• What is its aim?
• Who was taught?
• What was taught?
• Hellenistic Architecture
• How is this age an age of experimentation in Greek Architecture?
• Hellenistic Art
• What are the key trends in art and how are they reflective of the age?
• What are the three periods of art and how are they different?
• How is realism portrayed?
• How do examples from sculpture, painting, mosaics, pottery, terra cotta figurines, and coins exemplify the above?

• What are the five parts of a typical Greek dinner?
• What are some of the typical foods for each of these parts?
• The most common staples are? The most common protein foods are?
• When did people (men and women] eat and how did they eat?
• What is a symposium? Who attended, what happened, etc?

• Politics: You are a Greek historian specializing in Greek politics with a focus on the development and changes in the Greek federalism. Analyze the Second Athenian Confederacy with respect to the First Athenian Confederacy, i.e. the Delian League, with respect to their aim, organization, evolution over time, and their dissolution. In your conclusion you may also discuss how the above are similar or different that federalism today. Be sure to give relevant examples to support your theses.
• Politics II: You are a Greek historian specializing in the relationship between military advances and political entities, especially in the fourth and third centuries BC. Discuss how the military advances then had great consequences on the importance of the polis and contributed to the rise of new types of political entities. In your conclusion you should also address how the above resulted in the spread of Greek culture far beyond its previous confines. Be sure to give relevant examples to support your theses.
• Philosophy: You are a Classicist specializing on Greek philosophical thought and are especially interested in the relationship between philosophical thought and concurrent world events. With this relationship in mind, discuss the philosophies of three of the following: Plato, Aristotle, the Stoics, Epicurus, and the Cynics. Be sure to give relevant examples to support your theses.
• Art: You are an art historian and have noted that the themes portrayed on Greek art often mirror the current themes popular in Greek society at large. Discuss with respect to both the fourth century and the Hellenistic Age. Be sure to give relevant examples to support your theses.