Download Ancient Greece

Ancient Greece
Geography
not a country, but a collection of lands and islands,
many miles of coastline; inlets and bays
– Sea: Aegean, Ionian, and Black seas united them
• Poor resources on land meant increased sea travel, trade and
imports
– Land: ¾ mountains; highest Mt. Olympus
• Difficult to unite under one government; divided by mountains
• Broken into different city-states, called Polis (Poleis, pl.)
– Climate: moderate temps. Men led outdoor life, most
activity – shopping, civic meetings, athletic activities
Ancient Greece
Early Greeks
Crete (2000-1400 BCE)
– Minoans (after their king Minos)
– Wealthy traders; built large homes, had fancy clothes,
etc…
– Ended by volcano, undersea earthquake, tidal waves,
invasion, evidence exists for all these theories
Bronze Age (2000 BCE)
– Mycenae – mainland Greek city of Mycenae built on
steep ridge
• Fortified their cities with stone walls
• Wealthy from piracy
– Trojan War: 1200 BC
• Greek kings attack Troy, a trading city on the coast of Asia
Minor
• Greek king’s (Menelaus) wife (Helen) stolen by a Trojan
youth (Paris); archaeological evidence shows some proof
of this, prolonged wars
The Dark Ages
1200 BC (early iron age)
Dorians
– Greek speaking people from the north come
in with iron weapons
• Little skill, less advanced
• Trade at a standstill
• Skill of writing is lost for about 400 years
(1150-750 BC)
– Homer
Carving of Trojan Horse; 7th C. BCE
• The blind poet
• Depended on spoken words (bards)
• Wrote long epic poems, ideals of heroism,
Arête: heroic ideal: strive for excellence,
courage, fame and honor
• Interested in individuals, heroes compete for
glory
– The Iliad and The Odyssey around 750 BC
Bonds Uniting Greeks
Language and Literature
Religion: Polytheistic
– Gods Lived on Mt. Olympus,
immortal
– The were very “human” –
fought a lot, had human
weaknesses
– Religion linked to government
and civic pride
More Bonds
Olympics
– Began in 776 BC every 4 years
– All athletes from Aegean area traveled to Mt. Olympus, home of the gods, to honor
Zeus
– Pentathlon most important event (racing, jumping, discus, javelin, wrestling)
– Prize= honor and fame (arête)
Fear of Persia
– to the east, Greeks felt the Persians were Barbarians
Greek War Chart
Sides
Peloponnesian
War
Persian War
Dates
1. Describe a Hoplite.
2. Describe the Phalanx.
3. What was the Delian League?
Cause
Effect
Who Won?
Why?
Interesting
Stuff
Dailies: Ancient Greece
Describe Arete
Why is the peninsula of Greece broken into
different city states?
Describe how the Greek gods acted.
Where is Athens? Sparta?
What four things united the Greeks?