Download Greek City-States and Culture Notes

The Ancient Greeks - City-States and Greek Culture
During the Dark Age in the 1100s BCE, developments of the Aegean civilizations were lost.
_________________________ Greek civilization started when people in villages came together for
protection and formed ___________________________. Each city-state built walled forts on hilltops
called an ______________________________________, Greek for "high city". Below this hilltop,
houses, buildings, and open-air markets called _____________________________ were found.
~ The city-state of ____________________ was inland on the Peloponnesian Peninsula. Sparta had a
_________________________________ economy where people lived simple lives of hard work and
physical activity. It had a standing army led by two kings who were part of a governing council.
Sparta used a governing system known as an __________________________________, a system of a
few people from the ruling class making decisions for the entire society. Spartan citizens
____________________________ the lower classes, who outnumbered them more than 10 to 1. Fear of
_____________________________ from within and ______________________________ from outside led
the Spartans citizens to focus on their military.
~ The city-state of ____________________________ was located on Attica, a part of the Balkan
Peninsula northeast of the Peloponnesus. At first it was ruled by a small group of leaders from
wealthy, landowning families who inherit the right to rule. Members of this
________________________________ often struggled with each other for control of Athens. Because
people asked for government reforms, Athens became a ______________________________________, a
system of government in which the people rule, in 508B.C. Government was opened by Cleisthenes
to all ________________ men 18 years of age or older. Each year a new council was selected who
suggested laws for the assembly and voted on government ________________________________, or
plans of action.
~ Although the city-states were independent, according to their mythology, the people of all the citystates shared a common ____________________________ whose name was
__________________________. Over time, the people began to think of themselves as Hellenes, or
Greek. Their mythology, religion, activities, and language united them. The Greeks were also united
by activities such as the ______________________________, which were held every four years to
honor Zeus. Their writing was based on the alphabet used by the
_____________________________________ traders. Anyone who could not speak Greek was referred
to as a ________________________________. Today, a barbarian is a person who is considered
uncivilized, or rough-mannered.