A Little History of the World (Little Histories)

by E.H. Gombrich

Athenians learning from Greeks (other sub categories and Phoenicians) to Trade and write and conquer, with success yet to come.

Something very strange happened between 550 and 500 BC. I don’t really understand it myself, but perhaps that’s what makes it so interesting. In the high mountain chain that runs north of Mesopotamia a wild mountain tribe had long been living. They had a beautiful religion: they worshipped light and the sun and believed it to be in a state of constant warfare with the dark – that is, with the dark powers of evil.

These mountain people were the Persians. For hundreds of years they had been dominated, first by the Assyrians, and then

Persians. 500 BC. Mountain people with beautiful religion

Persians fight back, beat Babylonians and free jews, who then return to Jerusalem Greeks vs Persians fight is to come

the vast Persian empire – which now stretched

Story of Athenians and Greece vs Persians — fight first at marathon, and then Greeks + Athenians had miltiades ask runner to run to Athens — while Persians sailed there — to warn of attack while soldiers followed fast. Persians saw Athenians move to Athens and gave up. 490 BC.

All three hundred Spartans

300 spartans

480

Athenians win against persians again

But, as I said before, the Greeks were different. For,

say.

Athenians and greeks are different they change, look ahead and reinvent. They never stle like other cultures like persians or other empires

the Dorians in the south and the Ionians and the Aeolians in the north.

But one thing united the Greeks: their religion and their sport.

and all the Greeks – the Dorians, Ionians, Spartans and Athenians

‘oracular’.

Delphi & oracle

in around 1100 BC,

‘Draconian’

Athenian leader names Draco = Draconian harsh leader with tough rules