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Early Greece
Geography & Climate of Greece
While the earliest civilizations developed on fertile river valleys, a very
different set of geographic conditions influenced the rise of Greece.
Greece is a small country located on a peninsula in
Southern Europe with 2,000 islands.
Peninsula - area of land
surrounded by water on
three sides (like Florida).
Greece is surrounded by the
Ionian sea, Mediterranean
Sea, and Aegean Sea.
Geography & Climate of Greece
Mountains divide the peninsula into isolated valleys that separate the Greek
city-states.
The Sea was very important to Ancient Greeks – most people used the sea
to make a living.
Most Greeks were fisherman
and sea-traders who
exported olive oil and wine.
Geography & Climate of Greece
¾
Rugged mountains covered about
of ancient Greece.
Mountain ran from Northwest to Southeast along the Balkan Peninsula.
Mountains divided the land into a number of different regions.
Instead of a single government, Greeks developed small, independent
communities.
Geography & Climate of Greece
The rugged terrain made transportation between regions difficult.
Most of the land was rocky, and only small areas were suitable for
farming.
Only
¼ of the land area was fertile.
Geography & Climate of Greece
The Greek climate was another important environment influence on the
development of Greek civilization.
Greece had a varied climate.
Temperatures range from 48 degrees in the winter to 80 in the summer.
Moderate temperatures supported outdoor life.
People spent much of their leisure time at outdoor public events.
They met often to discuss public issues, exchange news, and take an
active part in civic life.
Early People of the Aegean
The earliest civilization to
settle in Greece were the
Minoans.
The Minoans were
successful sea-traders
who lived on the Island
of Crete.
The rulers of this trading empire built the palace
of Knossos with elaborate frescoes (water color
paintings) on the walls.
The Minoans suddenly vanished around 1400 B.C. – probably a volcano or
earthquake.
Around 1400 B.C., the Mycenaeans conquered
mainland Greece and established a sea-trading empire.
The Mycenaeans lived in separate city-states with a
warrior-King.
The Trojan War
In 1250 B.C., the Mycenaeans fought the Trojan War
against the economic rival Troy (in Turkey).
According to legend, the war began when the Trojan
Prince, Paris, kidnapped Helen, the wife of a Greek
King.
The Greeks supposedly used a
wooden horse to sneak into the
City of Troy.
The war lasted 10 years, until
the Greeks seized Troy and
burned the city to the ground.
The Trojan War
Most of what we know about the Trojan War comes from two great epic
poems written by Homer, the Iliad and the Odyssey.
The Iliad ~ story of the
Trojan War with a
talking horse.
The Odyssey ~ tells the story
of Odysseus on his way home
after the Trojan War to his
wife.
Governing the City States
As the Greek world expanded after 750 B.C., the Greeks developed a new
version of a city state called a polis and new forms of government.
Polis - a city and its surrounding countryside.
Each polis had an acropolis, or high city, with a
large marble temple.
Governing the City States
New Forms of Government
#1 Monarchy
The earliest form of government in Greece was
monarchy. A monarch is a king or queen who
has supreme power. A monarchy is a
government that is ruled by a king or queen.
Most Greek city-states started out as monarchies
but changed over time to other forms of
government.
Governing the City States
#2 Oligarchy
Sparta and other city-states developed a political system
called oligarchy. Oligarchy means “rule by the few”. In an
oligarchy, people rule because of wealth or land ownership.
Governing the City States
#3 Tyranny
Poor people were not part of government in monarchies or
oligarchies. Poor people came to resent this, and began rebellions.
A wealthy person who wanted to seize power made use of that
anger. He would ask poor people to support him in becoming a
leader. Such leaders were called tyrants. In Greece, a tyrant was
someone who took power in an illegal way.
Governing the City States
#4 Direct Democracy
Athens and some other city-states began to develop a
democratic form of government, in which citizens had a more
active role in the government.
Direct Democracy is a government in which the citizens work
together to decide on the laws, vote in elections, and sit on
juries
Governing the City States
#5 Indirect Democracy
Indirect Democracy is a type of government in which the
citizens make political decisions through elected
representatives.
In an Indirect Democracy, people elect representatives to make
laws. The United States is an example of an indirect or
representative democracy.
Athens and Sparta
Athens: Birth Place of Democracy
Athenian government began as a monarchy and evolved into an aristocracy.
However, people were not happy and Athens moved towards a democracy.
The first direct democracy was developed in Athens.
Athens & Sparta
In 507 B.C., Cleisthenes created the Council of 500 a legislature
(law making body) made up of any male citizen over 30 years old.
50 Members from each of the 10 tribes of Athens.
Served for 1 year.
This allowed citizens to play a role in
law-making. However, women and
slaves were not considered citizens and
could not vote and had no rights.
Athenians valued government,
philosophy, art, and education.
In Athens, boys attended school, but
girls did not.
Athens & Sparta
Two very different city-states came to dominate Greece: Athens and Sparta.
Sparta: The Military Ideal
Unlike Athens, Sparta developed a powerful military city-state ruled by
two kings and a council of elders.
The government of Sparta was an oligarchy ruled by a few elite people.
Spartans had MANY slaves, called Helots, who
outnumbered the rulers. Therefore, Sparta set up
a brutal system of strict control over the Helots.
Sparta: The Military Ideal
A Spartan’s life revolved around the military and
discipline.
Every newborn was “inspected” and sickly children
were abandoned to die.
At the age of 7, boys began very difficult training for
the military and continued to serve in the military
until they were 60 years old!
Spartan women could inherit property, but had few other
rights. Their main duty was to produce strong warriors.