Ascent to Empire

Politics was shifting in Greece. Important thing was that, the system of slavery & due to which all this wealth was rallying up, in the result of all that wealth a new faction was born. Which was quite different from the old tribal values. These (new faction) were people with money & the others (tribal) were influential but weren’t rich.  

This new Faction was also known as Oligarchy (Olgos means “Few” & Arkho “To Rule”). There was a political conflict between them. Moreover in this period, People who supported “Demos” were born as well, meaning the people who represented people who didn’t had any slaves & were not slaves themselves & due to representing demos, these people were known as “Demagogue” (Gog meaning Language, so people who pointed out demos as well). 

 Periander, Tyrant of Corinth 625-587 BCE 

Tyrant wasn’t from Demos nor from the slaves. (Slaves weren’t allowed to take part in political systems). Tyrant was from aristocracy, but the difference was that his policies were that the demos & wealthy come to some sort of agreement. 

It was a period when differences between different social classes were pretty open. 

Miletus a city where the philosophy basically started 

Miletus: Ancient Greek City: One of the Wealthiest Greek cities near Anatolia dating back to 3500 BCE. Western philosophy begins with Thales of Miletus 625-546 BCE 

Miletus a city where the philosophy basically born.

In Miletus there were pretty wild conflict between factions. Miletus demos or common public who weren’t slaves they killed aristocracy women & children. Aristocracy then not just the Damos leaders, but almost all of them were burnt alive in city’s public square. So These kinds of sever clashes between factions were constantly seen in Greece. 

In Greeks value system, there were just a few rights for women. Greeks actually thought that men were superior to women. (All this time is connected to patriarchal system).

Greeks had a concept of “Hero”. The Hero was basically an athlete, a fighter, a conqueror & He loved wars. & the views regarding women were that they are weak, they can’t fight so that’s why they are inferior. 

If there were any influential women in Greece it was because of her family, or her relationship with someone who was powerful. 

From Outside the main challenge for Greeks was the Persian Empire. They fought for about 50 years. 

Darius the great, after that his sons, Xerxes 1st 486-465 BCE, Xerxes 2nd they all tried to conquer Greece. Greece survived just because Athens & Sparta fought together against the Persians (300 Movie was based it).

Athens & Sparta combined defended Greece, but soon after they started a war among themselves & they fought from 441-404 BCE.This is known as Peloponnesian wars. In the end Sparta won this war.  

There was a huge political difference between Sparta & Athens. In Athens the Damos they had an important role in Athens Navy. Due to which the superior faction of Athens, which were owners of slaves & the Damos had an agreement which paints a picture of Athens ancient democratic system, in which the women & slaves has no place in it (Which was majority of population). 

Against this all the systems were under Aristocracy’s control in Sparta, So in this war where 2 states were fighting, there was a conflict between aristocratic faction & democratic faction as well. In this war we see their loyalty to the state, we find them loyal to their factions as well. & these wars I guess this faction system paid an important role than the states. 

Although Greeks have defended themselves but when Alexander came out with his forces he not only defended Greece, but also defeated the whole Persia & conquered everything in his way, & by crossing Afghanistan he entered Asia. Conquering everything I his way he rode till River Sindh & down he goes towards Multan. In Multan he was injured by an arrow as well & went till the Ocean & via Makran Coast he went to Iran, where he died later on.   

One important point one need to understand is that Greece’s own thoughts & Views were made because of their clash with Persia as well. 

This is all the background in which Philosophy Started. Philosophy takes place when people are born, who differentiate themselves from their times Religion & look for all the questions they see nature, life & solve it by observing laws of nature. 

The first philosophers school of thought was that everything that we see in the form of matter have one basic substance in all of them, which on one side forms a form of leaves or trees or even nature, on the other hand it forms as mountains, sky and cloud, & another way it’s in the form of ground & even in the forms of Humans. 

Philosophers were the people who asked the core basic questions, who are we, what is existence, who’re we, where we are from, what’s the aim of life, how things change, what are thoughts, what is matter & what is life.