Download Unit 6 (Greece) - Warren County Schools

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Please turn in your Extended Response to
your class period’s tray if you did not turn in
on Friday.
Define section 1 terms in your new packet
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Polis- the Greek word for city-state
Classical- an age marked by great
achievements
Acropolis- a high hill upon which a Greek
fortress was built
Section 1: Geography and the Early Greeks
Burnette/Davis - 2016
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The Greeks live on rocky, mountainous lands
surrounded by water.
Mainland Greece is a peninsula, surrounded
by water on three sides.
In addition, there are many islands that make
up Greece.
Greece also has a very rugged coastline.
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Peninsulas and islands are dominated by
mountains.
Mountains run almost to the sea.
Very few small coastal plains and valleys
allow for farming.
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Because of the mountains, there is little area to
farm.
People settled on coastal plains and in river
valleys.
Communities were separated by mountains and
seas.
Travel across mountains and seas was difficult.
Communities were isolated.
People created their own governments and ways
of life.
Each community saw themselves as a separate
country.
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Since inland travel was difficult, Greeks
turned to the seas.
Greece was surrounded by three seas:
Mediterranean (to the south), Ionian (to the
east), and Aegean (to the west)
The sea was a source of both food and trade.
Greeks became expert shipbuilders and
sailors and sailed all around the
Mediterranean exchanging goods and ideas.
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1. How did geography impact settlement in
Greece?
2. Why did the Greeks have to depend on the
sea?
3. Since the Greeks turned to the sea, what
did they become experts in doing?
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Two of the earliest cultures that developed in
Greece were the Minoans and the
Mycenaeans.
The Minoans settled on the island of Crete in
the Mediterranean.
The Mycenaeans settled on the Greek
mainland.
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Minoans spent much of their time at sea. They
were among the best shipbuilders of their time.
They traded wood, olive oil, and pottery.
They imported (brought in) copper, gold, silver,
and jewels.
Around 1600 BC, a volcano erupted north of
Crete.
The eruption caused a giant wave to flood the
island.
Clouds of ash ruined crops and buried cities.
This most likely led to the end of the Minoans.
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Even though they live in what is now Greece
and influenced Greek culture, historians do
not consider the Minoans to be Greek!
This is because they did not speak the Greek
language.
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First people to speak Greek, and therefore
considered to be Greek.
Built powerful fortresses all along the Greek
mainland.
When the Minoans declined, the Mycenaeans
took over Crete.
They colonized all over the Mediterranean
and shipped goods across the seas.
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The Myceneans didn’t think trade had to be
done peacefully.
Some historians think they attacked the city
of Troy, leading to the legendary Trojan War.
Mycenean culture declined with invaders from
Europe and a series of earthquakes.
After the fall of the Myceneans, Greek culture
declined into a Dark Age.
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Facts about the minoans
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Facts about the
mycenaeans
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After 300 years from the Mycenaean collapse,
Greeks started to join together for protection
and stability.
POLIS = The Greek word for city-state
The creation of Greek city-states marks the
beginning of the Classical Age.
CLASSICAL = An age marked by great
achievement.
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The city-states were built around a strong
fortress.
ACROPOLIS = a high hill in Greece where a
fortress was built
The town was surrounded by walls for added
protection
Farmers lived outside the walls near the fields
In times of war, women and children were
gathered into the walls while the men fought.
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Life in a city-state centered on the agora, or
marketplace
Trade and business were conducted here, but
it was also a meeting place.
People held religious or political assemblies
in the market.
Shops were located there as well.
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City-states gave people stability.
People identified with their city-state, not as
Greek.
People were expected to contribute to the
city-state’s economy and government.
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1. Describe what a Greek polis might look
like.
2. What is an agora?
3. What were the purposes of the agora?
4. Were all ancient Greeks united under a
“Greek culture” or identity? Why or why not?
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Over time, Greeks did not have to worry
about raiders or invasions.
People agreed Greece should establish
colonies so they could grow and prosper.
City-states created colonies that over time
became independent.
Many large cities around the Mediterranean
today began as Greek city-states as far as
Turkey, France, and Italy.
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Greek colonies sent metals such as copper
and iron to mainland Greece.
Greek city-states sent wine, olive oil, and
other products out to the colonies.
Trade made the city-states wealthy.
Greek ships sailed all the way to Egypt and
the Black Sea.