Download Mediterranean Europe

Mediterranean Europe
The Countries of
Mediterranean Europe
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Spain
Portugal
Andorra
Italy
Vatican City
Malta
Greece
WOW!!!!!!!!
AFRICA’S ALMOST TOUCHING EUROPE!!!!!
EUROPE
AFRICA
You’ll find out the name of that spot later on…
EUROPE
AFRICA
The Mediterranean part of Europe
was home to the 2 great, ancient
civilizations. They were…
Ancient Greece
Ancient Rome
Two geographic advantages helped
this region develop
• Mild climate made survival easier and
societies had time to develop complex
institutions such as government
• The Mediterranean Sea encouraged
trade with different societies. New ideas
and knowledge were spread using the Sea.
Greece: Birthplace
of Democracy
“THIS IS SPARTA,
AND SPARTA IS
IN GREECE!!!”
Maps of Greece
“I BET YOU CAN’T FIND
SPARTA ON THIS MAP!”
• The city-state of Athens (CROSS-TOWN
RIVAL OF SPARTA) developed the 1st
democracy, a government in which the
people elect their rulers.
• Athenian democracy helped inspire the US
system of government
• Wars between the city-states of Greece
weakened them and they were eventually
conquered by Alexander the Great in the
4th Century B.C.
Greek science, philosophy, drama
and art helped shape modern culture.
A cool theater
built 2,500
years ago…
The Parthenon in Greece
Famous Greek Temple built in 450 BC near Athens
Typical Greek village and Greek money
City of Santorini in Greece
Just one of many famous Greek heroes…
The Roman Empire
The Coliseum in the year 208 AD
The Coliseum in Rome
(where Romans were
entertained in all sorts of
crazy ways)
The Coliseum
in 2008 AD
“All roads lead to Rome”
• As Greece was losing it’s
power, Rome was rising
• The Roman Empire was
founded in 753 BC
• It became huge by 100 AD
• Built a large network of
roads for communication
and to make it easy for
armies to march. The saying
is no joke – all roads really
did lead to Rome!
Facts about The Roman Empire
• Rome was a republic, a government in which
citizens elect representatives to rule in their name
• Rome conquered the Iberian and Balkan peninsulas
• Because of turmoil in the country, Rome
abandoned its republican principals and was ruled
by an emperor, or Caesar.
Who Destroyed The Roman Empire?
 Germanic Tribes invaded The Roman Empire
(you know that first scene in Gladiator??)
 Christianity became the official religion of Rome
around 300 A.D.
 The Empire soon collapsed and split into
pieces… Christians were blamed!
 (Don’t forget, Romans killed Jesus Christ!)
• The Germanic invaders who overthrew Rome
had no strong central government and so Italy
eventually became divided into many small citystates.
• In 1096, Christians launched the Crusades
against the Muslims that were controlling
Palestine.
• Italians earned large profits by supplying ships
for the Crusaders.
• Italian states became rich and they grew
powerful once again
What was the Renaissance?
• After Greece and Rome were destroyed, about 1,000
years passed before anything important
happened. Can you believe that?
Those are called “The Dark Ages.”
• Then the Renaissance came! It began in the Italian
city-states
• Basically, people started reading books again! People
started making art again! This started in the 1300’s all
the way to the 1500’s!
• Renaissance ideas spread north to the rest of Europe…
Renaissance
The
started in Italy in the 1300’s with famous
artists and inventors- such as: Leonardo, Michaelangelo, Donatelo, and
Rafael
Italian artist Michaelangelo’s
“Awakening Slave” &
“Holy Family”
Italian artist Michaelangelo’s “Creation of Man”
Painted on ceiling of the Sistine Chapel
Italian artist Rafael’s
“Madonna”
Leonardo DaVinci
He’s Italian, too!!!
Artist & inventor
One smelly city in Italy…
The City of Venice, where the streets are
made of water. Seriously.
Gee, where does all the sewage go?
The gondolas (boat taxis) in
Venice
The Iberian Peninsula
• Spain and Portugal established colonies
throughout the Americas and elsewhere
• They spread Catholicism (a type of
Christianity) throughout the world
• The also spread the Spanish and
Portuguese language… que bueno!
The Pyrenees Mountains
They separate the Iberian Peninsula from the rest of
Europe
SPAIN
Rock of Gibraltar
It’s on the southern tip of Spain!
The Rock of
Gibraltar is
famous for its
strategic
importance; it
holds an
underground
military
communicati
on center and
a naval base.
Seriously.
Rock of Gibraltar from a different angle…