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Early Greeks
THE ALPHABET
(FROM ALPHA
TO OMEGA)
POSEIDON’S
ADVENTURES
Meet the Minoans,
the Mycenaeans,
and the Minotaur
Early_Greeks_FC.indd 1
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH
3/8/17 4:55 PM
Reykjavik
2
Mountains
and Seas
It is thousands of years ago.
You’re sitting on a beach
looking out at a crystal-blue
sea. Suddenly, in the distance, you see your father’s
ship returning home. Your
heart skips a beat. You can’t
wait to see how many fish
he’s caught. Or maybe he’s
bringing back goods from a
faraway land.
You see islands on the
horizon. Your father says
there are thousands more you
cannot even see. Maybe on
one of the islands is a child
looking your way, wondering
what life is like for you on the
ICELAND
mainland. And what about
FINLAND
the mountains behind you?
Torshavn
Beyond
the jagged peaks
NORWAY are
Helsinki
deep valleys that are home
to
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Stockholm
kids and their families, living
St. Petersburg
on farms. Chances are you’ll
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but you’re
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all Greek. You’re
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Early_Greeks_2-3.indd 16
SENEGAL
SAUDI ARABIA
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YEMEN
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3
u GREECE IS ALSO
made up of thousands of islands
and islets. The
early Greeks who
settled on the
islands and along
the coast of the
mainland became
great seafarers and
fishers. Traveling
on the sea inspired
What would you
have liked to be in
ancient Greece?
Fisher? Potter?
Storyteller?
Shepherd? Actor?
Early_Greeks_2-3.indd 17
trade, migration,
and the sharing of
ideas, beliefs, and
customs.
r HARBORS, WHICH
are places along
the coast where
ships can dock
safely, became very
important – and
busy – in early
Greece. By the fifth
century BCE, the
harbor of Piraeus,
near Athens,
became the busiest
trading center in
the Mediterranean.
Merchants from all
the Greek islands
– plus Egypt, other
u ON
THE MOUN-
mainland
of Greece, people
built communities
in the valleys
and plains. They
cultivated olives,
TAINOUS
figs, grapes, and
grain in the rocky
soil. They also
raised goats and
other livestock.
Communication,
travel, and trade
between mountain
villages was very
difficult. This gave
rise to individual
city-states instead
of a unified empire.
d AS GREEK SOCIETY
developed and the
economy grew, so
did job specialization. Instead of
making everything
they needed to
survive, many early
Greeks specialized
in one job – like
fishing, selling
goods, making
pottery, or acting –
to earn a living.
parts of Africa,
Asia, and parts of
Europe – traded
goods there. It was
said that anything
could be bought in
Piraeus, including
food, pottery, gold,
spices, marble,
and more.
3/8/17 4:56 PM
4
Early Civilization in Greece
Crete is the largest of the Greek islands. In
ancient times, it was home to two civilizations,
the Minoans and the Mycenaeans. Imagine living on Crete so many years ago. . . .
If you’re a Minoan, you might live near a
palace with so many rooms and passageways,
it’s like a maze. According to legend, King
Minos built the labyrinth, or maze, to house
the Minotaur. (That’s a mythical beast with the
head and tail of a bull and the body of a man.)
But that’s just a legend. Your life centers on the
palace. It’s where your mom goes to the market, your dad discusses the news with friends,
and your family attends sporting events. Like
most Minoans, you love theater, art, and music.
You dream of becoming an actor, or maybe
you’ll be a great sailor, like your dad.
Perhaps you’re a Mycenaean, whose family
moved south to Crete from the Peloponnesus.
Your family may be poor, but you’re happy
living on your farm. You love to hear stories
about great warrior kings like Agamemnon
who, according to legend, fought in the
Trojan War.
u ANCIENT CRETE
bustled with cities
but it also had rich
farmland. In The
Odyssey, the great
blind Greek poet
Homer said Crete
was a “handsome
country, fertile,
thronged [crowded]
with people. . . .”*
THE MINOANS BUILT
cities around
lavish palaces.
Everything happened at the
palace, from
religious worship
and trade to
government and
entertainment.
The largest was
built in 1700 BCE
in the city
of Knossos.
r THE MINOAN
civilization began
in 2000 BCE and
was named after
the mythical king
Minos. According
to Greek mythology, Minos was
the son of the god
Zeus and the
goddess Europa.
*Homer. The Odyssey. Robert
Fagles, trans. Penguin Group,
1996.
Early_Greeks_4-5.indd 16
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5
u THE MINOAN
civilization fell
in about 1450
BCE. Many say it
was because of a
Mycenaean invasion. Others blame
a volcanic eruption,
earthquake, or fire.
Some believe it
was a combination
of all these events.
d SOME SAY THE
Mycenaean civilization fell because
it was invaded by
the Dorians, a people from northern
Greece. Others
blame economic
troubles. There is a
theory that the Sea
Peoples, a mysterious band of naval
raiders, caused the
downfall. Whatever
caused it, that collapse started the
Greek Dark Ages.
u THE MINOANS
were great sailors
and successful
traders. They traded olive oil, wool,
and pottery for
things like copper,
tin, and gold from
the Egyptians and
Mesopotamians.
Early_Greeks_4-5.indd 17
They developed a
system of writing
to keep track of
their trading
activities. Examples
of Minoan writing
still exist, but no
one has been
able to translate
them – yet.
u FROM ABOUT
1450 BCE to 1100
BCE, the Mycenaean
civilization ruled
over Crete and
the Peloponnesus.
Named after the
city of Mycenae,
Mycenaeans were
mostly peasants,
or poor farmers,
who were ruled
over by warrior
kings. They were
greatly influenced
by the Minoans.
They adopted
many Minoan
customs as their
own. This cultural
borrowing included
sailing techniques,
a writing system,
and pottery styles.
Because they
spoke an early
form of Greek,
they’re called the
first Greeks.
Try This!
Greek myths are
filled with imaginary creatures
like the Minotaur.
Draw or describe
your own mythical beast. What is
its special power?
3/8/17 4:58 PM
6
Legends and Myths
A bard has come to town! You cheer when
you hear the news. Your friends gather
around to hear the traveling storyteller sing,
play music, and tell stories about gods, heroes,
and adventure.
Storytelling was a very important part of
early Greek life. Myths and legends were not
only entertaining, they were also the basis of
the Greek religion and taught valuable lessons.
They were passed down from generation to
generation by word of mouth. From myths
about the gods to fables and epic poems about
Greek history, these stories survived thousands
of years, through prosperity and the Dark Ages.
They greatly influenced world culture, language, and literature – and they still do today.
Early_Greeks_6-7.indd 16
r GREEK MYTHS,
which are stories
about gods and
heroes, explained
nature, history, and
humankind’s place
in the world. Put
together, all the
myths make up a
mythology. Each
god and goddess
in Greek mythology
ruled over
a different
domain
and had a unique
power. The most
powerful Greek
god was Zeus, the
god of thunder
and lightning. Zeus
ruled over all the
other gods.
3/8/17 5:00 PM
7
u HOMER WAS ONE OF
the ancient world’s
greatest poets.
The Iliad and The
Odyssey are two
of the best-known
epic poems, or long
poems about heroic
deeds. Yet we know
almost nothing
about Homer. We
think he was blind,
because the bard in
The Odyssey cannot
see. Many believe
Homer was born in
Ionia, in Asia Minor,
between 1200 BCE
and 700 BCE. Some
think he’s just a
legend; they believe
the works were created by a group of
poets. Whatever the
truth is, thousands
of verses of poetry
that we call Homer’s
were passed down
by word of mouth
after he died. These
epic poems helped
define Greek identity, and they have
influenced literature
through the ages.
“No man or woman born, coward or
brave, can shun his destiny.”*
— Homer, The Iliad
*From Myths of Greece and Rome by H. A. Guerber. American Book Company, 1921.
u MANY GREEK
legends, or stories
about heroes or
events passed
down through the
ages, were based
on real events. The
Trojan War was
an actual war in
1200 BCE. It inspired
Homer to write his
epic poems. The
Odyssey tells the
adventures a man
named Odysseus
has on his ten-year
journey home from
the war. It includes
the tale of the
Trojan Horse, a trick
the Greeks used to
get into the walled
city of Troy.
r THE TROJAN WAR
ended around the
time the Greek
Dark Ages began.
From about 1100
BCE to 750 BCE,
trade and the arts
in Greece declined.
Poverty increased,
and cities were
abandoned. Greeks
began migrating
from the mainland
to the islands in
search of a better
life. Writing all but
disappeared. Greek
myths and legends
survived, thanks
to storytellers.
d IF THERE WAS A
bright spot in the
Dark Ages, it was
the introduction
of iron. Iron is
stronger and hard-
er than bronze,
which is made of
copper, tin, and
other metals. Most
likely, iron was first
brought to Greece
from Cyprus or the
Near East. Iron led
to great changes in
Greece, including
the beginning of
the Iron Age.
Homer’s The
Odyssey
and The Iliad are
great adventures
filled with heroes
and mythical
beasts. Write your
own adventure. It’s
going to be epic!
Early_Greeks_6-7.indd 17
3/8/17 5:00 PM
8
d SOME OF THE
greatest city-states
included Sparta,
Argos, and Corinth.
As home to more
than 20,000
people, Athens
was the largest.
Most city-states
centered around
an acropolis, or
“city on a hill.” An
acropolis housed
temples and gave
citizens a place to
take shelter in case
of attack. Beyond
the acropolis were
houses, farms, and
an agora, or openair market. The
agora was
the city-state’s
center of trading
and government.
The Rise of Greek
City-States
The myths and legends of ancient Greece
survived through a dark time that began
after the Trojan War. Cities became
empty, art almost disappeared, and there
were no books for hundreds of years.
Then, around 750 BCE, the Greek Dark
Ages finally ended. It was the dawn of a
Early_Greeks_8-9.indd 16
r IN THE EIGHTH
century BCE, each
city-state was
ruled by an oligarchy, or small
group of wealthy
aristocrats. Many
oligarchies found it
hard to share power. Some ambitious
aristocrats wanted
to be the sole leader. By the seventh
century BCE, many
city-states were
under the rule of
tyrants, or sole
leaders who rule
by force. In the fifth
century BCE, some
city-states, like
Athens, overthrew
tyrants and created
democracy, or rule
by the people.
new time – the age of the Greek polis,
or city-state.
If you’d been alive in Greece back
then, you might have lived on a farm
on the mainland. Or perhaps you’d
have dwelt in a fishing village along the
coast. Maybe you’d have been at home
in a city on an island. Wherever you
lived, your community would have
been part of a city-state. All city-states
were independent and separated by
geography from other city-states.
3/8/17 5:02 PM
“Man is made by nature to
live in a polis.”*
*Aristotle. Politics. Ernest Barker, trans. Oxford University Press, 1995.
l THE GREEK
philosopher
Aristotle thought
it was natural for
people to live in
a polis, where
free people were
citizens.
u COMMERCE, OR
large-scale trade,
flourished among
the city-states.
They traded goods
such as olive oil,
grain, wood, and
pottery. They also
traded weapons
and tools made
of iron.
Early_Greeks_8-9.indd 17
r THE INTRODUCTION
of iron in the 700s
BCE helped change
Greece forever.
Tools and weapons
made of iron were
stronger than those
made of bronze.
Strong iron tools
helped Greek farmers produce more
food. More food
meant more people.
More people meant
there was more
competition for
resources and land.
9
l IN A GREEK
democracy, citizens
were not subjects
of a monarchy or
oligarchy. Male citizens over the age
of 18 could vote
for their leaders,
serve on juries, and
help make laws.
Citizenship meant
that ordinary people
helped make the
decisions for their
city-state. Greek
democratic values
have survived
over the centuries
and greatly influenced modern
democracies.
l IN SEARCH OF
more land and
resources, Greece
founded colonies
in Europe, North
Africa, and Asia
Minor. (A colony is
a country, or area
of a country, that is
under the political
control of another
country.) Greek
control over the
colonies did not
last, but the influence of Greek art,
customs, goods,
and ideas is still
with us today.
3/8/17 5:02 PM
10
Athena and
Poseidon
According to Greek mythology, gods and
goddesses competed to be the patrons,
or protectors, of cities. Zeus’s daughter
Athena was the goddess of wisdom, justice,
and war, among other things. Poseidon,
Zeus’s brother, was the god of the sea,
storms, earthquakes, destruction, and
horses. In one myth, Athena and Poseidon
both had their eyes on the same town.
Poseidon tapped his trident, or threepronged staff, against the ground and a
spring appeared. The people of the town
rejoiced and named him the winner. But
when they tasted the water, they found that
it was salt water. Then, Athena created an
olive tree. People could harvest its wood for
building or burning, and they could use its
olives for food – or to make oil for cooking
or for lighting lamps. The people rejoiced
and chose Athena as their guardian. They
named their city Athens in her honor.
On the Acropolis in Athens stands the
Parthenon, a temple to Athena. Long ago, a
huge statue of the goddess stood inside this
impressive building.
Early_Greeks_10-11.indd 16
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11
Early_Greeks_10-11.indd 17
3/8/17 5:03 PM
12
Greek Culture
Although it was divided by
mountains and seas, Greece
was united in many ways. All
Greeks used the same alphabet
and loved hearing the same
myths and legends. They had
similar forms of government
and customs. They worshipped
Zeus, Poseidon, and all the
same gods and goddesses.
In 776 BCE, an amazing event
happened that would help bring
the city-states together – if
only for a little while. It was the
first Olympic Games, held in
Olympia. Athletes from different city-states all over Greece
gathered to compete. A Greek
cheered for his or her hometown athletes, hoping they
would bring honor to the polis.
u IN THE 700S
BCE, the Greeks
developed their
own alphabet. It
was inspired by
the Phoenician
alphabet, which
used symbols to
represent different sounds. The
Early_Greeks_12-13.indd 16
alphabet was first
developed to help
keep records of
trades, laws, and
taxes. Having a
common written
language helped
bring the citystates closer
together.
l FOR THE FIRST
time, works like
Homer’s epic
poems, which had
been kept alive
by word of mouth,
were finally written
down. The Odyssey
and The Iliad are
considered the
very first examples
of Western literature. They are
still taught in
schools today.
THE GREEKS
were united by a
common religion,
which they learned
through myths.
Stories about gods
and goddesses
explained history
and nature, and
they were used to
teach important
lessons.
3/8/17 5:06 PM
13
r THE FIRST OLYMPIC
Games were dedicated to Zeus.
According to some
myths, the games
were his idea. Other
stories suggest
the games were
held in memory of
Zeus’s battle with
Kronos, his father.
The games celebrated the physical
abilities of male
athletes, since only
men were allowed
to compete. The
games also promoted good feelings
between the competing city-states.
Even in ancient
times, the Olympics
were held every four
years. The Greeks
loved these big contests, and they held
other, similar events
all around Greece.
u WITH THE RISE
of the city-states
came the development of city
militia, or part-time
soldiers. These citizen soldiers were
known as hoplites.
They fought on
foot with swords
and spears and
wore heavy bronze
helmets and armor.
Many city-states
like Athens had
mandatory military
service for men
between the ages
of 18 and 20.
During wartime,
men up to age 60
Early_Greeks_12-13.indd 17
d FEMALE ATHLETES
competed in their
own version of the
Olympics, which
were called the
Heraean Games.
Named for Hera,
Zeus’s wife, these
games included
were called on
to fight. Places
like Sparta and
Thebes prided
themselves on
having mighty,
well-trained
militias.
athletic, equestrian
(horseback riding),
musical, and dramatic contests.
r CHILDREN IN
ancient Greece
learned their “Alpha,
Beta, Gamma’s.”
The Greek alphabet
has 24 letters, from
alpha to omega. The
word “alphabet”
comes from the first
two Greek letters:
alpha and beta. The
alphabet began
as a way to help
record trades and
create other official
documents. It also
enabled people to
write down myths
and stories. Without
written versions of
great works like
Homer’s Odyssey,
the fables of Aesop
(Ee-sop), or the
Greek myths, these
stories might have
been lost forever.
Using the Greek
alphabet shown
above, write the
names of some
Greek cities or
people mentioned
in this issue.
3/8/17 5:06 PM
14
Sparta
Imagine living in Sparta
during the 400s BCE. Life is
not easy. You’re expected
to be a great athlete, a brave
fighter, and a good citizen.
You don’t have any luxuries. (In fact, today the word
“spartan” means “having no
comforts.”) Your father is a
warrior, and your mother is
just as strong. Legend has it
that Spartans were descendants of powerful Heracles,
son of Zeus. That’s what it
means to be from Sparta,
and you could not be
more proud.
Located inland on a fertile plain, Sparta was the
most powerful city-state on
the Peloponnesus. History
tells us that Spartans were
descendants of the Dorians,
who came from northern Greece and invaded
southern Greece and the
Peloponnesus in about
1100 BCE.
l THE SPARTANS
overtook much of
the Peloponnesus.
They turned the
people they conquered into helots,
or enslaved people
owned by the citystate. There were
so many helots,
they outnumbered
Spartan citizens by
Early_Greeks_14-15.indd 16
almost four to one.
Sparta was always
afraid that its helots would revolt,
or that other citystates or nations
might invade. That
helps explain why
it made the military
central to everyone’s life.
u SPARTA WAS RULED
by two kings whose
powers were limited by a council of
elders. The elders
were recruited
from Sparta’s highest class, which
was called the
Spartiates. They
proposed laws
that could then
be approved by
an assembly, or
lawmaking group,
made up of male
citizens. The assembly elected five
ephors, or wealthy
landowners who
handled the daily
job of governing.
The assembly was
important, but the
elders and ephors
held the real power.
3/8/17 5:43 PM
15
u THE MAIN
purpose of education in Sparta was
teaching girls and
boys to be strong,
loyal citizens of
Sparta. Training
to be in Sparta’s
military began at
age seven for boys.
All children were
taught to read and
ari
ALBANIA
write, but most
of their time was
spent wrestling,
boxing, running,
and doing gymnastics. When they
had time to play,
Spartan children
enjoyed board
games, ball games,
dolls, and toy
animals.
Thessaloniki
d ATHENS AND
Sparta weren’t
that far apart geographically, but
they were very far
apart in their ideas.
In Athens, thought
and discussion
were important.
Meanwhile, Sparta
was all about physical strength and
pride in the military.
GREECE
Ioannina
Larisa
Would you have
liked to live in
ancient Sparta?
Why or why not?
How does Spartan
life compare to a
modern life like
yours?
Aegean Sea
Lesbos
Thermopylae
Agrinion
DORIS
AETOLIA
PHOCIS
LOCRIS
N
EUBOEA
W
BOEOTIA
Athens
Thebes
ACHAEA
Pat rai
ARCADIA
S
ATTICA
Athens
Corinth
AEGINA
Argos
ARGOLIS
Peloponnesus
MESSENIA
Messene
u WOMEN WERE NOT
allowed to take
part in the assembly or council, but
Spartan women
had more power and freedom
than women in
other city-states.
Because Spartan
men spent most of
their time fighting
or preparing for
war, much of the
daily business of
life fell to women.
They were also
expected to be
strong and healthy
so they could raise
powerful Spartan
boys.
M y r t o u m
S e a
Sparta
LACONIA
0
0
E
50 mi.
50 km.
Kh a n ia
Early_Greeks_14-15.indd 17
3/8/17 5:43 PM
16
Athens
Your days are spent playing in an olive
orchard and learning to read and write.
You enjoy listening to stories about clever
animals and powerful gods. Your father is a
wealthy merchant who sails the seas. Your
mother takes care of you and your brothers
and sisters, and she runs a busy household.
You are a child of Athens.
A powerful city-state and trading center,
ancient Athens was located on the Aegean
Sea, at the crossroads of Europe, Asia
Minor, and Africa. In the 600s BCE, Athens
was also at a crossroads historically. Life
would soon change for all Athenians, and
the changes would influence the whole
world for thousands of years to come.
l IN 683 BCE,
Athens’s monarchy
(rule by a single
monarch) was
replaced by an
oligarchy. In 621
BCE, a lawmaker
named Draco
instituted Athens’s
first written laws,
which were very
harsh. (Today, the
word “draconian”
l A LEADER NAMED
Solon came to
power in 594 BCE.
He made many
reforms, or changes, to the laws of
Athens. He canceled all debts and
freed all Athenian
citizens who had
sold themselves
into slavery.
Early_Greeks_16-17_v2.indd 16
means “cruel” or
“severe.”) In 600
BCE, many Athenian
farmers were in
such deep debt
that they lost their
farms. They had
to sell themselves
into slavery to survive. This caused
great civil unrest
among the poor.
Solon, the Athenian
leader and poet, is
believed to have
said, “[Lawfulness]
makes all things
well ordered and
fitted and often
puts chains on the
unjust.”
*From Egypt, Greece, and
Rome: Civilizations of the
Ancient Mediterranean by
Charles Freeman. Oxford
University Press, 2014.
3/8/17 5:45 PM
17
r SOLON’S REFORMS
allowed all male
citizens to attend
the assemblies,
which elected
leaders, passed
laws, and served
as juries. The richer a man was, the
higher the position
in government he
could hold. Every
man had one vote.
Decisions were
made by majority
rule. That means
that if more than
50 percent of the
voters approved an
idea, it would win.
Many of Solon’s
reforms laid the
foundation for
democracy.
u EDUCATION WAS
very important
in Athens. Boys
and girls studied
writing, reading,
arithmetic, phys-
ical education,
and the arts. A
boy learned his
father’s trade.
Girls learned
how to manage a
u IN THE 500S
Athens and
other Greek citystates faced a
growing threat
from the Persian
Empire, which
was centered in
Mesopotamia.
By 539 BCE, the
Persian king Cyrus
the Great (above)
had conquered
much of Asia Minor
and the Babylonian
Empire. Next, King
Cambyses II conquered all of Egypt.
Later, King Darius
I set his sights
on conquering
all of Greece and
its valuable trade
routes, but his
attempts failed.
BCE,
Early_Greeks_16-17_v2.indd 17
household. Many
enslaved people
were educated,
too; some became
doctors and
teachers.
r THE CHILDREN
of Athens learned
valuable lessons
from Aesop’s
Fables. Aesop was
a storyteller whose
fables about animals taught morals
like “never give
up” and “kindness
is king.” Aesop’s
Fables influenced
world literature,
and people today
still enjoy the wisdom they offer.
u THE PERSIANS
even caused concern in Sparta,
the most powerful
city-state on the
Peloponnesus.
In the 500s BCE,
Sparta created a
league, or a group
of allies, called
the Peloponnesian
League. At first,
the league’s goal
was to protect its
member city-states
against Athens.
Under Sparta’s
leadership, the
Peloponnesian
League became
a major fighting
force that would
help hold back
the Persians.
3/8/17 5:45 PM
18
Activities
MAKE
A VENN
DIAGRAM
Think about life in Athens and Sparta. How were these citystates similar? How were they different? A Venn diagram,
consisting of two overlapping circles, is a way to show the
comparison. Use the information in this magazine to complete the diagram. Write Athens in the partial circle on the
left and Sparta in the partial circle on the right. In the area
where the circles overlap, list the ways Athens and Sparta
were alike. Then, describe unique characteristics of each
city-state in the corresponding partial circle. These descriptions will show ways Athens and Sparta were different.
CREATE A NEWSPAPER PAGE
Suppose you’re a newspaper writer in Greece
at the time of one of the transitions between
forms of government. Your job is to write the
front page of the newspaper, including an
article announcing the governmental transition, an article about one of Homer’s epics or
an Aesop fable, and a weather report. Use the
information in this magazine to pick the particular governmental transition you will write
about and the epic or fable. Draft your articles and the weather report. Then, exchange
with a classmate to give and receive feedback
before producing your final article.
Early_Greeks_18-19.indd 18
3/8/17 5:47 PM
19
MAKE CONNECTIONS WITH THESE RELATED TITLES
Greece’s Golden Age
Early Romans
Roman Empire
Long ago, the great thinkers, politicians,
and artists of ancient Greece came up
with many ideas and art forms we still
know today. From democracy to architecture to science and more, the Golden Age
of Greece left a lasting mark on Western
civilization. How did a culture from 2,500
years ago become so powerful?
It began as a collection of farming
villages and grew to become a city
that ruled over a vast empire. Along the
way, a king was overthrown, a republic
begun, and a government of checks
and balances created. Learn the details
behind Rome’s early people and the
empire’s extraordinary place in history.
Ancient Rome may be long gone, but its
legacy lives on in the Western world in
just about every area of life. From the
birth of law to major contributions in
engineering and language, the Roman
Empire’s influence endures today.
CALIFORNIA
STANDARDS
HSS 6.4 Students analyze the geographic, political,
economic, religious, and social structures of the
early civilizations of Ancient Greece.
LEARN
MORE
ONLINE!
• Greece borders the
Mediterranean Sea, which
is surrounded by Europe,
Asia Minor, and Africa. The
Mediterranean supplied an
abundance of fish to eat
and sell.
• Gods and goddesses were
very popular subjects of
Greek art. Pottery, sculpture, and frescoes (paintings
on walls) all show figures
and scenes from Greek
mythology.
• The Cyclades is a group
of islands in the Aegean
Sea. According to Greek
mythology, Poseidon, god of
the sea, was so angry at a
sisterhood of mermaids that
he turned them into islands.
• There were about 1,500
Greek city-states of all
sizes. Greece had 500
colonies, which were
home to almost 60,000
Greek colonists.
Early_Greeks_18-19.indd 19
6.4.1 Discuss the connections between geography
and the development of city-states in the region of
the Aegean Sea, including patterns of trade and commerce among Greek city-states and within the wider
Mediterranean region. 6.4.2 Trace the transition from
tyranny and oligarchy to early democratic forms of
government and back to dictatorship in ancient Greece,
including the significance of the invention of the idea of
citizenship (e.g., from Pericles’ Funeral Oration). 6.4.4
Explain the significance of Greek mythology to the everyday life of people in the region and how Greek literature
continues to permeate our literature and language
today, drawing from Greek mythology and epics, such
as Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey, and from Aesop’s Fables.
6.4.5 Outline the founding, expansion, and political
organization of the Persian Empire. 6.4.6 Compare and
contrast life in Athens and Sparta, with emphasis on
their roles in the Persian and Peloponnesian Wars. 6.4.8
Describe the enduring contributions of important Greek
figures in the arts and sciences (e.g., Hypatia, Socrates,
Plato, Aristotle, Euclid, Thucydides).
Historical and Social Sciences Analysis Skills:
Research, Evidence, and Point of View
4. Students assess the credibility of primary and secondary sources and draw sound conclusions from them.
3/8/17 5:47 PM
hmhco.com
EDITOR: Jennifer Dixon
ART DIRECTION: Brobel Design
DESIGNERS: Ian Brown, Ed Gabel,
David Ricculli, Jeremy Rech
PHOTO RESEARCH: Ted Levine,
Elisabeth Morgan, Sheila Sarmiento
ACTIVITIES WRITER: Marjorie Frank
PROOFREADER: Margaret Mittelbach
FACT-CHECKER: David Stienecker
AUTHOR: Emily Dodi
AUTHOR TEAM LEAD: Barak Zimmerman
PRESIDENT AND CEO: Ted Levine
CHAIRMAN AND FOUNDER: Mark Levine
GRADE 6 TITLES
World’s Early People
Ancient India
Mesopotamia
Indian Empires
Ancient Egypt
Ancient China
Archaeology
Early Romans
Language
Roman Empire
Ancient Hebrews
Christianity and Rome’s Legacies
Early Greeks
Olmec and Maya
Greece’s Golden Age
Civil Rights
Image: p.17 middle left (school scene); Ivy Close Images: p.17 middle right (“The
Tortoise and the Hare”); ACTIVE MUSEUM: p.19 top center (Cincinnatus receiving the
ambassadors). Art Resource: Balage Balogh: pp.4–5 (Knossos Palace scene), p.5 middle
(Knossos Palace); © RMN-Grand Palais: pp.10–11 (Athena and Poseidon); Universal
Images Group: p.15 bottom left (Spartan women). Bridgeman: Weatherstone, A.C.:
p.17 top (men voting in assembly). Getty: ©CORBIS/Corbis p.4 middle left (Crete);
DEA / G. DAGLI ORTI: p.5 bottom right (ship procession); p.19 bottom (Akrotiri);
Print Collector: p.5 top right (volcano); Universal History Archive: p.7 top left (Homer);
Leemage: p.9 top left (Aristotle). Granger: Granger, NYC: p.13 bottom right (Hera);
DeA Picture Library / Granger, NYC: p.13 bottom left (hoplite). iStock: Starcevic: p.3
top right (Greek mountains and valley); BremecR: p.3 top left (Karpathos island); ZU_09:
p.7 middle (scene from The Odyssey); Grafissimo: p.7 top right (scene from The Iliad);
duncan1890: p.17 bottom right (Spartan army). Shutterstock: Pokomeda: p.18 bottom
(newspaper icon); vvoe: p.19 top right (Colosseum).
Ancient Persia
ORIGINAL ILLUSTRATIONS:
Brobel Design: Maps, p.2, p.15.
ON THE COVER: Trojan horse scene from The Iliad. iStock: Grafissimo.
PICTURE CREDITS: Alamy: North Wind Picture Archives: p.3 middle (Piraeus), p.6 bottom
(bard entertaining), p.12 (Athena); Lebrecht Music and Arts Photo Library: p.3 bottom
(Greek craftsmen); bilwissedition Ltd. & Co. KG: p.4 bottom right (King Minos);
Stefano Bianchetti: p.5 bottom right (sea peoples); Valery Voennyy: p.5 middle right
(Mycenaeans); Walker Art Library: p.6 top (Athena); PRISMA ARCHIVO: p.7 bottom
(iron tools), p.14 bottom (helots); FALKENSTEINFOTO: p.8 top (Acropolis), p.16
bottom right (Solon); INTERFOTO: p.9 top right (voting in assembly), p.9 middle right
(farmer), pp.14–15 (Spartans), p.16 bottom left (Draco), p.17 bottom left (Cyrus the
Great), p.19 top left (Aristotle teaching); Mary Evans Picture Library: p.9 bottom right
(Greek ship); Lanmas: p.13 top left (olympian); p.16 top (Athens landscape); Classic
Michael Kline Illustration: Cartoons, cover; Child Writing on Tablet, p.7; Oligarchy,
p.8; Sheep Herder Reading, p.12; Child Reading Tablet, p.12; Child Writing on Paper,
p.13; Spartan Kings, p.14; Spartan Boys Wrestling, p.15; Make a Venn Diagram, p.18.
Wood Ronsaville Harlin, Inc.: Rob Wood: Boy Looking Out to Sea, pp.2–3; Agora,
pp.8–9.
TEXT ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:
Excerpt from a translation of “Eunomia makes all things well ordered…” by Oswyn Murray
taken from Egypt, Greece and Rome by Charles Freeman. Text copyright ©2014 by
Charles Freeman. Reprinted by permission of Oxford University Press.
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