ABSTRACT
The chapter will entirely be devoted to dominant themes related to the ancient Greek Civilisation. The initial section of the chapter will deal with the geographical features of the Greek peninsula, which largely determined the political and economic structure of ancient Greece. The political, social, and economic developments of the ‘Dark Age’ (1200–1000 BCE) and the ‘Age of Recovery’ (1000–800 BCE) will be analysed as the background before taking up a detailed description of the developments during the historical periods of Archaic (800–500 BCE) and Classical (500–398 BCE) Greece. This will be followed by the analysis of the growth of city-states (polies) in different parts of the peninsula (with special emphasis on Athens and Sparta) in different historical periods along with a critical examination of evolution, growth, and nature of Athenian democracy, the earliest democratic institution in the world. This will also incorporate political developments such as the Persian and Peloponnesian wars which had direct implications on the growth of democracy and the eventual downfall of both the warring city-states – Athens and Sparta.
The second section of the chapter will describe an important and much-debated theme related to the ancient Greek Civilisation, that is, slavery. Unlike the ancient civilisations where slavery was practised, slavery in Greece will be analysed as a mode of production in the background of the existence of a large slave population. By distinguishing the two types of slavery that existed in Athens and Sparta, an attempt will be made to examine the role of slavery in the economy, polity, and society of ancient Greece.
The concluding section of the chapter will be devoted to the description of the growth of religion and culture in Greece during the Archaic and Classical phases. Discussion on cultural development will include such themes as art and architecture, literature and drama, Greek thought, philosophy, history writing, and science and technology. The Greek religion will be analysed in the background of polytheistic beliefs of the people and the functional role of the deities.
