GREECE

Bordering countries are Albania, Macedonia, Bulgaria, Turkey Bordering bodies of water are Mediterranean Sea, Aegean Sea, Ionian Sea, Sea of Crete

Capital is Athens

Mountains cover most of Greece, land is rocky with little fertile soil, summers are hot and dry

Winter – ¾ of rain falls, mild and wet Summer – hot, dry, very sunny

Greece is a seafaring country because you are never far from the sea, 1/5 of Greece is islands, land is not very good for farming

A city-state is the city/town and the surrounding villages and farmland

Greek city-states were independent, small in size, quarreled among themselves

The Ancient Greeks were: patriotic shared a common language, religion, and culture prized their freedom and way of life creative thinkers

Greece became independent in 1829

What happened in Olympia, Greece in 776 BCE? What is Greece’s capital city called? How many letters make up the Greek alphabet? What is Greece’s national cheese? What is the currency used in Greece? How many Greeks work in agriculture? What two major geographic features shape Greece? How many islands are apart of Greece? What religion do ninety-eight percent of Greeks belong to? What is a major holiday in Greece? First Olympics Athens 24 feta Euro One in five Mountains and Seas Over 2000 Greek Orthodox Church ~ Christian Easter and Christmas

LOCATION Greece is located in southern Europe between Albania and Turkey. It borders the Aegean Sea, Ionian Sea, and the Mediterranean Sea. It has a population of 10,964,020. Athens is its capital.

AREA Greece has a total area of 131,940 sq km. That means it is slightly smaller than Alabama

CLIMATE Greece has a Mediterranean climate with plenty of sunshine, mild temperatures and a limited amount of rainfall.

SUMMER In summer, the dry hot days are cooled by seasonal winds called the meltemi, while mountainous regions have generally lower temperatures.

WINTER The winters are mild in lowland areas, with a minimum amount of snow and ice, yet, mountains are usually snow-covered.

TERRAIN Greece consists of a mountainous and craggy mainland jutting out into the sea. Four-fifths of Greece consist of mountains or hills, making the country one of the most mountainous in Europe. Greece has the tenth longest coastline in the world.

LAND USE About 20% of Greece is farmable. Farmers grow olives, figs, fruit, grapes, and very little grain.

GREECE’S GEOGRAPHY

1)Peloponnesus Peninsula and numerous islands in the Aegean Sea 2)They were separated from one another by rugged mountains, bays and inlets, and by being on an island 3) Most Ancient Greeks were farmers

4) A Mediterranean climate – mild winters with hot, sunny summers... you can grow crops all year round... similar to southern California 5) Mainly grow grapes and olives Grow small amounts of wheat and barley

6) Main disadvantage is that only ¼ of the land is level so they could only grow small amounts of grain crops and, therefore, they had to trade with others to get more grain

7) Main advantage is the sea – it connected all Greeks to one another and Greece to other civilizations so that they could trade and get what they needed

GREECE’S ORIGINS

MINOAN AGE Minoans Crete ~ Knosses 2000 – 1400 BCE had a system of writing, fine artwork, great sailors, traded with Mesopotamia, Egypt, and Phoenicia, master builders of palaces that were maze like with plumbing and decorated with colorful murals

MYCENAEAN AGE Mycenaeans Greek mainland/ Mycenae 1400 – 1100 BCE Built cities on top of hills, very similar to the Minoans – sailors, trade, palaces, and writing, conquered the Minoans, are the original Greeks

DARK AGE Dorians Invaders from northern Greece who came to middle and southern Greece 1100 – 800 BCE Trade came to a stop, written language disappeared, people lived in isolated villages, oral traditions kept Greek history alive, population increases

AGE of EXPANSION ish – 500 BCE Villages grow and develop back into cities, trade comes back and increases, leaders emerge in each city, city-states {an independent, self governing city and the land around it} develop and begin to fight one and compete against one another

Minoans of Crete The islands were stepping stones by which civilization spread from Egypt and Mesopotamia westward into Europe. The Minoans had running water, fresco paintings, women were equal to men, they had writing and artists, made ornaments and figures out of ivory, bronze, gold, and silver. The Minoans had colonies on the Aegean Islands, in Greece and in Asia Minor. That the Minoan culture was advanced and better than the Greeks and the Greeks were opened minded enough to realize this and change their ways to be like the Minoans

MINOANSMYCENAEANS First navy Named after King Minos Had minitar and bull fighting Known for pottery cups On Crete Weakened by fire, earthquakes, tidal waves Linear A – cannot read On Greek mainland Had walls that were 40 ft. high and 20 ft. thick Known for bronze weapons Linear B – can read Tall people Fell to outsiders Writing for record keeping Had palaces Were into trade Seafarers - sailors

The Greek City-State Ruins of the agora at Corinth, Greece. Most Greek cities had an agora, which acted as the city center, housing marketplaces, civic centers, and forums. Map of major Greek City- States in 500 BCE

GREEK CITY-STATE

Passport to Ancient Greece