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Transcript
Geography of Ancient Greece Mountains and Sea • Ancient Greece was made up of a part of southern European mainland and many islands. • The two largest islands are Crete and Rhodes, found in the Mediterranean Sea. • About 9 out of every 10 acres in Greece are mountainous. • Little farmable land exists; so shepherds kept herds of sheep and goats because they can live on the shrubs that grow on the rugged hillsides. • The peninsula of Attica, on the east coast of Greece, has some of the precious arable land. • A peninsula is an area of land surrounded by water on three sides. • Attica contains many harbors, sheltered places along the coast. • Peloponnesus is a large hand-shaped peninsula in the southern area of mainland Greece. • Peloponnesus is a mountainous region ringed by a thin band of fertile land. Early Economy in Greece • Greece is not as fertile as the river valleys of the Indus or Huang rivers; however, ancient Greeks figured out how to make a living from the few fertile valleys and the sea. • Summers were hot and dry, and winters in Greece were wet and windy making agriculture difficult. • Farmers grew wheat and barley to make bread, in addition to olives and grapes. • Sailing became an important part of life because farmers could not produce huge grain surpluses. • Sailors traveled as far as Ancient Egypt and Phoenicia, modern day Lebanon. • Olive oil was one of the most prized Greek exports because it was tasty to cook with, useful as lamp fuel, and body lotion. • This made it possible to trade for the much needed grain. The Rise of Greek Cities • Greek historian, Herodotus, is considered the “Father of History.” A Greek Polis • In Greece, a city-state was called a polis. It was a selfgoverning city ruled by a group of powerful men. • Most city-states were built around an acropolis, a large hill where city residents could seek shelter and safety in times of war. • Farmers and craftworkers sold their goods at an agora, a marketplace and meeting place in a clearing. • Each polis was ruled by leaders who were citizens of the polis. • In ancient Greece, only free men could be citizens. Women and slaves were not citizens and had few rights. • A small group of the richest, most powerful citizens called an oligarchy generally controlled decision making. • Early Greek polis were ruled by a king and queen, called a monarchy, which means ruled by one. • A modern day citizen is a person who was born in a country and has certain rights and responsibilities. Two Greek Cities • Athens and Sparta are two city-states whose artifacts were preserved and told archaeologists about life in these polis. • Sparta covered most of the southern Peloponnesus peninsula and the central city was located about 30 miles from the Mediterranean Sea. • A low mountain formed Sparta’s acropolis and a nearby agora where political decisions were made. • Most of Sparta’s farm workers were slaves. • Sparta had more slaves than any other polis. • Sparta’s leaders made Sparta the strongest military power in Greece after defeating a slave revolt. • Spartan boys started training to be soldiers by 7 years old. • Spartan girls trained in athletics to be strong mothers of strong children. • Athens lay on the peninsula of Attica, northeast of Sparta. • Athenian girls wove cloth and helped in fields at harvest. • Athenian boys worked with their fathers to learn their craft, or rich boys went to school to learn reading and writing. • Like Sparta, Athens was ruled by an oligarchy around 600 B.C. • Average citizens demanded more of a say in government. • Large meetings were now held where all citizens could take part in making decisions about the polis. • This form of government is called a democracy. • Athens had the first known democracy in history. Shared Culture • The ancient Greeks worshipped many gods. The most powerful gods lived on Mount Olympus. • Mount Olympus was a mountain in northern Greece. • Each polis honored at least one god or goddess as its special protector and provider. • In Athens, people worshipped Athena, the goddess of wisdom. • Zeus, the most powerful god, was also worshipped by people all over Greece. • At huge festivals honoring the gods, people sang, danced, proceeded to the temple, sacrificed animals, and held athletic competitions like the Olympics. • Homer is a favorite Greek poet who wrote the Iliad and the Odyssey, stories of war and adventure. • The Greeks settled colonies throughout the Mediterranean Sea. • The colonies were made up of groups of people who lived apart from, but kept ties with, Greece. • Many colonies became important trading partners because they could grow grain and serve as stopping points on the long journey to trade with Egypt. Ancient Olympic Games • The first Olympic Games were held nearly 3,000 years ago. • They were started so that the Greeks could honor the gods on Mt. Olympus. • In ancient Greece, the Olympics were individual competitions, and women were not allowed to compete. Only free men from Greek city-states. • Today there are team events, and women can now compete. We also have Summer and Winter Games, and there are Olympics for disabled athletes too. Athens’ Age of Glory • The Athenians understood the importance of sea power and built a mighty naval fleet. • During the war against Persia, Athens and Sparta joined together to defeat the Persians. • Many Greek colonies continued to be threatened by Persia and paid the Athenian navy to protect them. • Some of this payment expanded the navy and the rest developed the city of Athens into a rich cultural center. Golden Age of Athens • Athens’ “Golden Age” was a time of great achievement. • Athens’ large Acropolis was the religious center of the city. • Buildings such as the temple to Athena, the Parthenon, showed the cities wealth and power. • At this time, Athens was the largest city in Greece. • Many people came to do business in the agora. • In the agora, shopkeepers traded their goods; students studied their lessons; and lawyers conducted government. Athenian Government • In the early 400s B.C., a small council of powerful citizens made the cities important decisions. • Later, the council’s powers were taken over by an assembly. • An assembly is a lawmaking body of government. • Pericles, an Athenian leader around 450 B.C., made sure that poor citizens as well as rich citizens could take part in government decisions. • Citizens served on the assembly and sat on juries. • A jury is a group of citizens chosen to hear evidence and make decisions in a court of law. • Pericles arranged for citizens to be paid when they held office or served on a jury. • Socrates taught philosophy, or the search for wisdom and the right way to live. • The philosophers and students discussed what makes the best government, what it means to love, or what it means to be a good citizen. • Shortly before 400 B.C., Socrates began questioning Athenian values, such as laws, customs, and religion. • Socrates was brought to trial and found guilty of “urging Athens’ young people to revolt”. • Plato, a student of Socrates, wrote down all of Socrates’ teachings. War and Conflict • The Peloponnesian Wars began because Sparta and other Greek citystates became jealous of Athens’ wealth and power. • Sparta attacked Athens. Pericles knew that the Athens army was no match for the Spartans, so he called for all Athenians to move within the city walls. • The Spartan army destroyed the fields surrounding the city, but Athens continued to have food because their army could bring grain from elsewhere. • Not all deaths occurred on the battlefield. A terrible disease killed one-third of the population in the crowded city. • Sparta won most land battles, while Athens won most of the sea battles. • The Athenians did not surrender until their people were starving because Sparta cut off the grain supply from the Black Sea. • After the Peloponnesian War, Sparta became a leading polis once again. • No city-state could maintain control for long before others challenged it. • This made Greece vulnerable to outside threats. The Greek Empire • At the end of the Peloponnesian Wars, Persia was the most powerful remaining empire. • The Persians controlled lands in Egypt, Phoenicia, Babylon, India, Persia, and Jewish lands. Alexander of Macedonia • Alexander, king of Macedonia, was educated by Aristotle, a Greek philosopher. • Alexander had grown to respect the Greek culture and traditions because of Aristotle’s teachings. • Alexander’s army conquered Greece after the city-states had been weakened by the Peloponnesian Wars. • In 334 B.C., Alexander and his armies set off to conquer Persia. • His conquest continued through Persia and into the Indus valley. Alexander’s army never lost a battle, and he helped to spread Greek culture from Egypt to India. • Alexander died after becoming ill in 323 B.C. A City in the Empire • Alexandria was founded as a capital for the newly conquered Egyptian kingdom. • Alexandria’s basic layout mirrored a Greek polis. • The city had an agora, a theater, several temples, a stadium, and a gymnasium. • At the mouth of the harbor stood one of the world’s first lighthouses. • This lighthouse was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. • These wonders include the Pyramids of Giza, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the Lighthouse of Alexandria, the Colossus of Rhodes, the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, and the Statue of Zeus at Olympia. • These structures were built as tombs to honor gods, goddesses, deceased spouses, or to serve as a beacon (light) for ships. New Seven Wonders of the World • Chichen Itza (Yucatán, Mexico), Great Wall of China (China), Christ the Redeemer (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil), Machu Picchu (Cuzco Region, Peru), Taj Mahal (Agra, India), Colosseum (Rome, Italy), Petra (Ma'an Governorate, Jordan) • Scholars studied in a museum and referenced books from a nearby library. • The Alexandria library was one of the largest of the time partially due to the practice of searching trader’s ships for books and making copies of the books from all over the known world. • The Greeks used a simple 24 letter alphabet to simplify learning to read and write. • Greek mathematicians learned from the Egyptian mathematicians and created the basic principles now used in mathematics and geometry.