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The Geography and Early Cultures of Ancient Greece Crucible of Civilization Geography • Greece has several peninsulas – Peloponnesus and Balkan the major ones • Mainland Greece was 75% mountains – Separated different city-states from each other • Helped city-states gain individuality (different governments) • BUT, it hurt their ability to work together • Each city-state thought it was better than the others – Greece lacked enough agricultural output to support its population • BECAUSE: Only 20% of the land was arable (farmable) due to the mountains – overpopulation led to the Greeks colonizing new lands for farming AND the expansion of trade • Greece had MANY waterways – seas, straits, islands, harbors • Dardanelles – Strait that connects the Aegean Sea to the Black Sea • Strait: thin area of water connecting two other waterways • The large amount of water affected Greece – Caused them to trade primarily by water • Profitable trade through the Mediterranean, Aegean, and Ionian Seas • Early on, Greeks shifted from an economy based on barter to one based on money, making trade even easier. Processing • How did the water in and around Greece affect the lives of the people living there? Give at least two examples. • How did the mountains affect the people of Ancient Greece? Give at least two examples. Rise of the Greek City-State • Mycenaeans form the first major citystate, or polis • Dorians come later and Greece declines • Around 750 BCE, the polis reforms and people are more connected to their community than their country Early Cities • Early cities focused on two ideas: – Promoting civic participation • Getting citizens (free-born men) involved in decisions of city • Women, foreigners, and slaves had no political rights – Promoting commercial/business life • Getting people to trade products/ideas • A city-state is known as a polis – Polis: city and surrounding countryside • Ex—Washington DC and its suburbs – Agora: city center—like business district – Acropolis: fortified (protected) area of city • Not all had one • Some cities put agora in acropolis • Agora: – Place for discussion and trade – Men met for food, clothes, ideas – Women rarely seen • Acropolis: – Used for protection and as a sign of power – Made it easy to see oncoming attackers – Place for royalty, women, and children to hide during war The Polis • Made up of the main city and its surrounding countrysides (villages) – Usual size ranged from 50-500 square feet – Usually had less than 20,000 people Ways to Rule the Greek Polis • Different Government Options – Monarchy- ruled by a King – Aristocracy- ruled by a small group of landowning people – Oligarchy- ruled by a few powerful people • Was created when merchants/artisans disliked the rule of the aristocracy • They decided to rule together instead – Representative governments began in a few cities Early polis in Ancient Greece • Athens • Sparta • Corinth Athenian Acropolis • Fortified hilltop for protection – Walls are the mountain its built on—marble Protecting the Polis • Armies used to protect the polis, citizens were expected to make up the army • Weapons of the Greek armies – Early armies used bronze weapons, only the rich could afford them – Iron weapons were then invented, iron was cheaper and stronger • Footsoldiers become the new style of fighting instead of chariots etc. – Equipped with an iron spear and long shield • Footsoldiers would standing next to each other – Phalanx- long lines of soldiers line up for battle – Considered to be the most powerful fighting force in the ancient world The Early People of Greece • Indo-Europeans – Mycenaeans ruled from 2000 BCE-1200 BCE • Name came from city: Mycenae • Cities included Athens and were ruled by kings (monarchy) – Trojan War weakens Mycenaens and causes collapse Trojan War • 1200 BCE: Mycenaean Kings fought 10 year war against Troy (located in Anatolia) • According to legend, Paris, a Prince of Troy, stole Helen, the wife of a Mycenaean King , away starting the war • Dorians move in after Mycenaeans – Less advanced--little writing – After Dorians, Greeks split into city-states Epics of Homer • Because the Dorians lost the skill of writing, the Greeks learned about the Trojan War through oral traditions • Homer: blind storyteller who wrote epic poems of the Trojan War – The Iliad: The Trojan War Scenes from “Troy” The Fight Scene Priam and Burial rites – The Odyssey: Odysseus’ 10 year journey home