Download The Early Greeks

The Early Greeks
Chapter 4-1 Notes
Did You Know???
• In early Greece, roads were
bumpy dirt trails of little use to
most travelers. Because of
this, ships became very
important. To be near ships,
most Greek communities
settled within 60 miles of the
sea.
I.
A.
B.
The Geography of Greece
(page 117)
Mainland Greece is a
mountainous
peninsula—a body of
land with water on three
sides.
The Ionian Sea is to the
west of Greece, the
Aegean Sea is to the
east, and the
Mediterranean Sea is to
the South.
C.
D.
The Ancient Greeks were
fishers, sailors, traders, and
farmers.
Although Greece’s rocky soil
made it difficult to farm,
people could grow wheat,
barley, olives, and grapes in
the favorable climate.
Polenta- a dish made from boiled
corn meal.
Couscous- a type of pasta usually
served with meat or vegetables
spooned over it.
Bulgur- A cereal food made from
several different wheat species.
II. The Minoans (page 118)
A.
B.
The ruins of the Minoan
civilization, the first
civilization to arise in Greece,
are on the island of Crete.
Artifacts at the palace at
Knossos reveal the riches of
the Minoan people, such as
wine, oil, jewelry, and
statues.
C.
D.
The Minoan people were
traders, traveling by ship to
trade with other countries.
The Minoan civilization
collapsed around 1450 B.C.,
although historians disagree
on the cause of the Minoan
destruction.
III.
A.
B.
The First Greek Kingdoms
(pages 119-120)
The first Greek kings were
Mycenaean leaders, whose
people invaded the Greek
mainland around 1900 B.C.
The center of the Mycenaean
kingdom was a palace
surrounded by large farms.
The Mycenaeans began
trading with the Minoans and
learned much about Minoan
culture. Before collapsing
around 1100 B.C., the
Mycenaean civilization was
the most powerful on the
Mediterranean,
C.
D.
The Dark Age occurred between 1100 B.C. and 150 B.C. and was
a time of less trade and poverty among people.
The Dorians invaded Greece, bringing new weapons and farming
technology to the Greek people.
E.
The Greeks learned about an
alphabet from the
Phoenicians, one of their
trading partners. The Greek
alphabet had 24 letters that
stood for different sounds.
IV. A Move to Colonize (page 121)
A.
B.
After the Dark Age, Greek people began to set up colonies in
other countries. This colonization spread Greek culture.
Trade between colonies and the parent cities grew, and soon
merchants were trading goods for money instead of more goods.
Bell Ringer
• What were the four
main jobs of ancient
Greeks?
• What is a peninsula
and what three seas
surround Greece?
• Who were the first
people to settle
Greece and where?
• Write questions.
• Also get Vocabulary from
stool.
• 5 minutes from the bell
we will go over these.
V. The Polis (pages 122-123)
A.
B.
A polis, or city-state, was
like an independent country.
City-states varied in size and
population.
An acropolis, located at the
top of a hill, was the main
gathering place of the citystate.
Do not write below this
On top of hill in case of attack,
also sometimes a religious center.
C.
An agora, or open area,
served as a market and as a
place for people to meet and
debate issues.
D.
The Greeks were the first
people to develop the idea of
citizenship, in which citizens
of a country are treated
equally and have rights and
responsibilities.
Much different than Egypt or
Mesopotamia.
E.
In Greek city-states, only
free, native born, land-owning
men could be citizens.
F.
Citizens could vote, hold
office, own property, and
defend themselves in court.
Not women or slaves.
F. The military of the city-states
was made up of ordinary
citizens, not nobles. These
citizens were called hoplites
and fought each battle on
foot instead of on horses.
Quiz Tomorrow
• For Homework
create two
questions with
answers that you
think would be
good for a test.
• Also study notes
and Vocabulary for
quiz.