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The Geography of Greece
Mountains divided the Balkan Peninsula into small valleys. Each valley and each
island was an independent state.
As such, the ancient Greeks never developed a unified system of government.
The ancient Greeks developed the polis or city-state.
A polis was an
independent city and its
surrounding farmland.
Every polis had its own
government and laws but
the Greeks shared a
common language and
religion.
The most important polis
were Athens and Sparta.
Polis
Each polis was built around
an acropolis, a fortified
hill with the temple of the
local god at the top.
At the foot of the
acropolis was the
agora, an open
area used as a
marketplace.
The History of Greece
There are three main periods : Archaic Period, Classical Period and Hellenistic Period.
s. VIII-VI B.C.
s. V-IV B.C.
s. IV-I B.C.
The History of Greece
Archaic Period
During the Archaic Age, the Greeks started to live together in city-states.
Later, in some polis, democracy replaced aristocracy. Citizens met regularly at
The rulerstowere
usually
rich people,
which
means
best’. This
form of
assemblies
make
decisions.
Athens or
is aaristoi,
famous
example
of ‘the
democratic
government.
government was called ‘aristocracy’. Sparta is a famous example of aristocratic
government.
The History of Greece
Archaic Period
Between the 8th and the 6th centuries BC, Greece went through a period of crisis. The
population increased and there were many poor, hungry people.
Many Greeks migrated and founded colonies around the Mediterranean Sea.
Colonization had important consequences. Greeks mixed with other peoples, such
as the Phoenicians, the Etruscans and the Egyptians. Colonization spread Greek
influence beyond its frontiers.
This war confronted Athens against Sparta.
The most important battles were
Battle of Marathon
Sparta won the war and became the
most powerful polis.
Battle of Thermopilas
Battle of Salamis
Greeks won and, after the Persian
Wars, Athens became the richest and
most influential polis.
Classical Period
Sparta
Athens
The 5th century BC and the first half of the 4th century BC are known as the
Classical period.
There were two important wars during this period.
The History of Greece
The History of Greece
Hellenistic Period
Alexander conquered the Persian empire and controlled
the largest empire theMacedonia
world has
seen.
was aever
very large
kingdom in the
north of Greece. The wars between the
poleis had weakened Greece, and the king
Philip II of Macedonia took advantage of this
situation.
He conquered the Greek territories and
his son Alexander the Great continued
the conquest.