What comes to mind when you think of Ancient Greece?

SWBAT: Analyze how the rugged terrain (land) challenged the people of Greece

What is the land like in Greece? Ancient Greeks lived in southeastern Europe and on more than 400 neighboring islands. The biggest of the islands is Crete. It takes about a day to sail to Crete from mainland Greece. Most of Greece is rugged mountains and hills. These cover 90% of the land. Greece has little usable farmland, and traveling over land was difficult in ancient times.

What is it like along the coast? Some of Greece’s best farmlands are in Attica. Attica is a peninsula that sticks out into the Aegean Sea. Attica has harbors for ships and fishing boats. The southern end of the Greek mainland is a large peninsula called Peloponnesus. It is a mountainous region with some fertile land around it. It has some small rivers, but most of them dry up in the summer.

Turn and Talk: How is the geography of Ancient Greece different than other ancient civilizations? www.A6training.co.uk

What is the climate like? The soil is rocky not rich like the soil of the Nile and the climate is challenging for farmers. Summers are hot and dry. The fields are dusty and lifeless. Winters are windy and very rainy, so fields become soggy from the rain.

What is the economy like? Ancient Greeks learned to live in their tough environment by raising crops and animals that could adapt to the land. Barley and wheat were grown to make bread. They also grew grapes and olives because they grow well in rocky and hilly areas. Herds of sheep, goats and cattle ate the weeds and shrubs on Greece’s many hills and mountains.

Trade and Competition Sailing was an important part of life in Greece. Ancient Greek sailors traveled around the Mediterranean Sea to trade for grain. Greek merchants competed with traders from Phoenicia (present day Lebanon). Phoenician sailors were even more daring. They traveled to ports as far away as the British Isles.

The Riches of Ancient Greece The most valuable Greek product was olive oil! Olive oil was important for cooking and flavoring food. It was also used as a lamp fuel and a body lotion. The profits made from olive oil sales were used to purchase the extra grain the ancient Greeks could not grow themselves.

Putting It Together Without a major river to provide silt for fertile farmland, the ancient Greeks needed to find other ways to survive. They learned to grow specialized crops, such as olives and grapes. They also were experts at using the sea for travel and trade with other cultures. You will learn how the Greeks built one of the ancient world’s most powerful civilizations.

So…. How did the geography of Greece affect its development? Without a major a river to provide silt for fertile farmland, the Greeks grew specialized crops, such as grapes and olives. These crops were suited to the land. The Greeks that could not be farmers, became sailors. Sailors traded items with other countries like Egypt. The Greeks traded olives and grapes for the grain they could not grow themselves.

Let’s watch a video about the geography of Greece. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPslASvGd_U