4. The Olympic Games
The Olympic Games (Greek:
Ολυμπιακοί αγώνες, "Olympiakoi
Agones") were held in the region of
Olympia.
They were a series of athletic
competitions among representatives
of city-states and one of the
Panhellenic Games of Ancient Greece.
They were held in honor of God Zeus.
The first Olympics is traditionally
dated to 776 BC.
During the celebration of the games,
an Olympic Truce was enacted so that
athletes could travel from their
countries to the games in safety.
The "Discobolus" is a copy of a Greek statue c.
5th century BC. It represents an ancient
Olympic discus thrower.
6. City of Athens, the birth of
Democracy (5th c. B.C.)
The political, social and
economic rise of Athens
during the Classical period
reflected the development of
an important civilization, the
main expression of which
was the birth and
consolidation of the
constitution and democracy.
7. Protection of Democracy. The system of
“Ostracism”
• The Athenians were much
concerned with reinforcing and
maintaining their democracy.
• In order to deal with aspiring
tyrans, the systems of
“ostracism” and “graphe
paranomon” (the law against
unconstitutional proposals)
were instituted.
• Councillors swore an oath to
denounce anyone who tried to
undermine democracy, or who
was implicated in any attempt to
promote tyranny.
Shards used at ostracisms, 5th
century B.C.
Athens, Museum of Kerameikos
8. Alexander the Great expands Greece
and the greek language and civilisation
• Alexander the Great, (356 BC -
323BC), king of Macedonia (336–323
BC).
• After succeeding his father Philip II to
the Macedonian throne succeeded in
only a few years in conquering the
cities of central Greece.
• Gradually, he abolished the Persian
state, occupying each country until
the African deserts in the south and
the Jaxartes and Indus rivers in the
east.
9. Alexander the Great expands Greece
and the greek language and civilisation
• The greek became the official written and spoken language
in the areas of eastern Mediterranean, ( the Hellenistic or
Alexadrian Koine (common), circa 300 Β.C. - 300 A.D.).
10. Greece , as part of the Byzantine Empire (circa 330 A.D. -
1453 A.D.) offered to it an important and predominant
feature, the greek language and the greek culture.
11. The foundation of the modern Greek
state (1830)
• After the Greek National
Revolution against Ottoman
Empire from 1821, Greece
was recognized as
independent state (1830).
• Ioannis Kapodistrias was the
first head of state (Governor)
of independent Greece. After
Kapodistrias' assassination,
the London Conference
(1832) established the
Kingdom of Greece.
• The greek state initially small,
regained gradually its national
territories until 1947.
13. 2nd World War
(1940-1944)
Greece was attacked by
the Italians in 1940 and
then by the Germans
1941. Despite the fact of
the resistance of the
Greek army, Greece was
occupied until 1944.
During the German
Occupation(Κατοχή=Katochi)
many acts of resistance
took place.
14. Dictatorship
(1967-1974)
• On April 21, 1967 conspirators
officers of the Army
overthrew the democratic
regime imposing dictatorship.
• Peak power of the resistance
of the greek people were the
student uprisings of the Law
School in Athens in February
1973, and the Technical
University in November of the
same year. The Polytechnic
uprising was suppressed by
military forces on the night of
November 17, 1973: many
people were killed, while
others were arrested and
subjected to torture.
17. Creta, Knossos,
The Palace
Knossos is the site of the most
important and better known palace of
Minoan civilization. According to
tradition, it was the seat of the
legendary king Minos. The Palace is
also connected with thrilling legends,
such as the myth of the Labyrinth with
the Minotaur, and the story of Daidalos
and Icaros.
The palace is the largest of the
preserved Minoan palatial centres.
Four wings are arranged around a
central courtyard, containing the royal
quarters, workshops, shrines,
storerooms, repositories, the throne
room and banquet halls. Dated to
2000-1350 B.C
18. Mycenae
• The archaeological site of Mycenae
comprises the fortified acropolis and
surrounding funerary and habitation
sites.
• It is the most important and richest
palatial centre of the Late Bronze Age in
Greece.
• Its name was given to one of the
greatest civilizations of Greek
prehistory, the Mycenaean civilization,
while the myths related to its history
have inspired poets and writers over
many centuries, from the Homeric epics
and the great tragedies of the Classical
period to contemporary literary and
artistic creation.
• Most of the visible monuments date to
the centre's great floruit, from 1350 to
1200 BC.
19. • Acropolis is the highest
point of a city. Over there
used to be the most
important buildings.
• The sacred rock was
dedicated to the goddess
Athena.
• Through the Propylaia one
enters the sanctuary
proper with its great
masterpieces of ancient
Greek architecture built
primarily in the fifth (5th)
century BC under Pericles.
Acropolis of Athens
20. Parthenon
• The Parthenon, dedicated by
the Athenians to Athena
Parthenos, (Virgin) the patron
of their city, is the most
magnificent creation of
Athenian democracy at the
height of its power. It is also
the finest monument on the
Acropolis in terms of both
conception and execution.
• It was built between 447 and
438 BC, as part of the greater
Periklean building project
after the Persian wars and the
victory of Athenians.
• It is a double peripteral Doric
temple with several unique
and innovative architectural
features.
It was designed by architects Iktinos and
Kallikrates, while the sculptor Pheidias
supervised the entire building program
and conceived the temple's sculptural
decoration and chryselephantine statue
of Athena.
21. Parthenon.
The frieze
In contrast to the mythological
subjects of the metopes and
pediments, on the Parthenon
frieze, Pheidias chose to depict the
Great Panathenaia, the greatest
festival of the city in honor of the
Goddess Athena.
From the entire frieze that
survives today, 50 meters are in
the Acropolis Museum, 80 meters
in the British Museum, one block
in the Louvre, whilst other
fragments are scattered in the
museums of Palermo, the Vatican,
Würzburg, Vienna, Munich and
Copenhagen…
22. The theatre
of Epidaurus
• Among all the
ancient theatres,
Epidaurus theatre is
the most beautiful
and best preserved.
• It was constructed in
the beginnings of
the 3rd c. B.C.
• It had a capacity of
13.000 spectators.
23. Monastery of Osios
Loukas.
The smaller church, dedicated to
the Theotocos (Virgin Mary) , was
built in the 10th century.
The catholicon(the main church)
is the earliest preserved
specimen of the octagonal cross-
in-square type of church, built in
the first half of the 11th century.
The walls are veneered with
marble slabs on the lower section
and decorated with superb
mosaics on the upper part and
the upper floor.
The mosaics represent the more
severe and abstracted style of
the Middle Byzantine decorative
art and date from the first half of
the 11th century
25. Classical period
The island was inhabited as early as the
late Neolithic period (4000 B.C.).
In 408 B.C. the three major cities of the
island - Ialyssos, Kamiros and Lindos -
founded the city of Rhodes. The three
centuries that followed were the
golden age of Rhodes.
In the same period, Rhodes produced
excellent artistic work. The most
celebrated of all was the Colossus, one
of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient
World, made between 304 and 293 B.C.
by the Lyndian sculptor Hares. The
construction of the Colossus took 12
years and was finished in 282 BC. For
years, the statue, representing their
sun god Helios, stood at the harbour
entrance, until a strong earthquake hit
Rhodes about 226 BC. The city was
badly damaged, and the Colossus was
demolished.
26. Roman period
Byzantine period
Roman Period
The independence of the city came to an
end in 164 B.C. when Rhodes became a
Province of the Roman Empire. But even
as late as the 1st century A.D. Rhodes
preserved much of its splendor and
developed into one of the greatest centrs
of learning, science and the arts.
Byzantine Period
During the early Christian period (330-
650 A.D.) Rhodes belonged to the
eastern part of the christianised Roman
Empire, which is known in history as the
Byzantine Empire.
27. Knights' Period
In 1309 the island was sold
to the Order of the Knights
Hospitaliers of Saint John
of Jerusalem
During the Knights' era the
fortifications were
extended, modernized and
continuously reinforced. Α
hospital, a palace and
several churches were
among the many public
buildings constructed at
that time, offering
interesting examples of
Gothic and Renaissance
architecture
28. Ottoman Period
In 1522 the Ottoman Turks
conquered the city after a
second long siege. New
buildings were constructed:
mosques, public baths and
mansions for the new patrons.
The Greeks were forced to
abandon the fortified city and
move to new suburbs outside
its walls.
In the Ottoman era Rhodes
lost its international character.
The city maintained its main
economic function as a market
for the agricultural products of
the interior of the island and
the surrounding small islands.
29. Italian Period
Italian troops took over the
island and the rest of the
Dodecanese in 1912 and in
1923 Italy established a
colony Isole Italiane del Egeo.
The Italians undertook
extensive infrastructure works
(roads, electricity, port, etc.)
and radically transformed the
town of Rhodes, which was
supplied with a new urban
plan, building regulations and
many new public and private
buildings.
30. Modern Period
After Word War II, in
1947, Rhodes, together
with the other islands
of the Dodecanese, was
reunited with Greece
In 1988, the old town of
Rhodes was designated
as a World Heritage City
by UNESCO.
31. Sources
• School books of history : Junior High School and
Upper High School.
• Ministry of Culture and Sports
• The Acropolis Museum
• Foundation of the Hellenic World: Hellenic
History on the Internet.
• Municipality of Rhodes: The history of Rhodes.
32. Thanks for watching!
A presentation created by the students :
Dimitris Antonoglou, Giota Emmanouilidi, Andreas Christofakis,
Jordan Forbes, Panagiotis Iliopoulos, Maria Kalliga, Rafaela
Katsikantai, Maria Kenenouni, Nefeli Kotretsou, Stefania
Tourkodimitri, Rafailia Volitaki, Dimitris Vargiamidis, Vaggelis
Voulgaridis.