Crucible of Civilization

Today in class, we watched a documentary about Ancient Greece narrated by Liam Neeson.
The first episode began in 508 BC, centering the revolution in Athens.
Cleisthenes was born around 570 BC, and grew up in Athens. In the revolution, he saw that the people had a right to rule themselves.
We heard about Sparta next. Sparta conquered surrounding land, turning the conquered people into a slave class called helots. Every year, they'd kill many of the helots to reestablish themselves not only as their masters, but as a warrior civilization.
Everywhere in Greece, the heroic ideal seen in stories like the Iliad and the Odyssey was what everyone, especially men, was supposed to strive for.
Then, we learned about Pisistratus, a tyrant who went to the common people for support, since there were more commoners than there were aristocrats. This action upended the social hierarchy and led to successes for Pisistratus. He reduced taxes and offered free loans, so that people didn't have to pay interest on loans, and wouldn't become debt slaves.

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