THE GEOGRAPHY AND CITY-STATES OF ANCIENT GREECE

Essential Question: What role did geography play in the development of Ancient Greece?

The first major classical civilization was ancient Greece After the river valley era, a number of classical civilizations developed in the Mediterranean and in Asia The first major classical civilization was ancient Greece Classic cultures created high levels of achievement in art, science, and technology that impacted future ages

Impact of Geography on Greece: How might Greece being located on the Mediterranean Sea impact Greek culture?

Impact of Geography on Greece: How might Greece’s mountainous terrain affect Greek culture?

Greece’s lack of natural resources and location on the Mediterranean Sea encouraged Greek trade with neighboring societies Geography Shapes Greek Life The Sea The sea shaped Greek civilization just as rivers shaped the ancient civilizations of Egypt, the Fertile Crescent, India, and China. In one sense, the Greeks did not live on a land but around a sea. Greeks rarely had to travel more than 85 miles to reach the coastline. The Aegean Sea, the Ionian Sea, and the neighboring Black Sea were important transportation routes for the Greek people. These seaways linked most parts of Greece. As the Greeks became skilled sailors, sea travel connected Greece with other societies. Sea travel and trade were also important because Greece lacked natural resources, such as timber, precious metals, and usable farmland. The Land Rugged mountains covered about three-fourths of ancient Greece. The mountain chains ran mainly from northwest to southeast along the Balkan Peninsula. Mountains divided the land into a number of different regions. This significantly influenced Greek political life. Instead of a single government, the Greeks developed small, independent communities within each little valley and its surrounding mountains. Most Greeks gave their loyalty to these local communities. In ancient times, the uneven terrain also made land transportation difficult. Of the few roads that existed, most were little more than dirt paths. It often took travelers several days to complete a journey that might take a few hours today. Much of the land itself was stony, and only a small part of it was arable, or suitable for farming. Tiny but fertile valleys covered about one-fourth of Greece. The small streams that watered these valleys were not suitable for large-scale irrigation projects. With so little fertile farmland or fresh water for irrigation, Greece was never able to support a large population. Historians estimate that no more than a few million people lived in ancient Greece at any given time. Even this small population could not expect the land to support a life of luxury. A desire for more living space, grassland for raising livestock, and adequate farmland may have been factors that motivated the Greeks to seek new sites for colonies The Greeks were skilled sailors, which linked the various Greek states with neighboring countries

Mountains covered about 75% of Greece; these barriers divided the Greek people into separate mountain valleys and made unifying Greece nearly impossible Geography Shapes Greek Life The Land Rugged mountains covered about three-fourths of ancient Greece. The mountain chains ran mainly from northwest to southeast along the Balkan Peninsula. Mountains divided the land into a number of different regions. This significantly influenced Greek political life. Instead of a single government, the Greeks developed small, independent communities within each little valley and its surrounding mountains. Most Greeks gave their loyalty to these local communities. In ancient times, the uneven terrain also made land transportation difficult. Of the few roads that existed, most were little more than dirt paths. It often took travelers several days to complete a journey that might take a few hours today. Much of the land itself was stony, and only a small part of it was arable, or suitable for farming. Tiny but fertile valleys covered about one-fourth of Greece. The small streams that watered these valleys were not suitable for large-scale irrigation projects. With so little fertile farmland or fresh water for irrigation, Greece was never able to support a large population. Historians estimate that no more than a few million people lived in ancient Greece at any given time. Even this small population could not expect the land to support a life of luxury. A desire for more living space, grassland for raising livestock, and adequate farmland may have been factors that motivated the Greeks to seek new sites for colonies

The Greek people were divided into independent city-states (called polis) within each valley and its surrounding mountains Geography Shapes Greek Life The Land Rugged mountains covered about three-fourths of ancient Greece. The mountain chains ran mainly from northwest to southeast along the Balkan Peninsula. Mountains divided the land into a number of different regions. This significantly influenced Greek political life. Instead of a single government, the Greeks developed small, independent communities within each little valley and its surrounding mountains. Most Greeks gave their loyalty to these local communities. In ancient times, the uneven terrain also made land transportation difficult. Of the few roads that existed, most were little more than dirt paths. It often took travelers several days to complete a journey that might take a few hours today. Much of the land itself was stony, and only a small part of it was arable, or suitable for farming. Tiny but fertile valleys covered about one-fourth of Greece. The small streams that watered these valleys were not suitable for large-scale irrigation projects. With so little fertile farmland or fresh water for irrigation, Greece was never able to support a large population. Historians estimate that no more than a few million people lived in ancient Greece at any given time. Even this small population could not expect the land to support a life of luxury. A desire for more living space, grassland for raising livestock, and adequate farmland may have been factors that motivated the Greeks to seek new sites for colonies

Greek Culture Despite their lack of unity, the Greeks shared some common characteristics: Greeks shared the same language Greek writing was influenced by the Phoenician alphabet and later became the basis for Latin Greeks were polytheistic & believed that the gods

Greeks were polytheistic and believed that the gods were immortal, but also that they had human qualities; religion became the basis for Greek mythology Zeus King of the gods Athena Goddess of wisdom Aphrodite Goddess of love Apollo God of sun & music Ares God of war Hades God of underworld Hera Goddess of family Poseidon God of the seas Aphrodite The sensual goddess of Love and Beauty Apollo The youthful god of the Sun and the Music Ares The fierce god of War Artemis The wild goddess of the Hunt Athena The sophisticated goddess of Wisdom and Arts Demeter The natural goddess of the Harvest Dionysus The joyful god of the Wine Hades The gloomy god of the Underworld Hephaestus The ill-favored god of Metallurgy Hera The mature goddess of the Family Hermes The cunning god of the Trade Hestia The calm goddess of the Hearth Poseidon The moody god of the Seas Zeus The heavenly King of the Gods and ruler of mankind

Greek city-states had an agora (a massive marketplace) that was the center for trade and government Most Greek city-states had an agora that was the center for trade & government the gods City-states had an acropolis, a temple on a hill dedicated to one of the sacred gods or goddesses

Differences Among Greek City-States Despite similar language and religion, the Greek polis were very different from each other, especially in how they were governed Geography Shapes Greek Life The Land Rugged mountains covered about three-fourths of ancient Greece. The mountain chains ran mainly from northwest to southeast along the Balkan Peninsula. Mountains divided the land into a number of different regions. This significantly influenced Greek political life. Instead of a single government, the Greeks developed small, independent communities within each little valley and its surrounding mountains. Most Greeks gave their loyalty to these local communities. In ancient times, the uneven terrain also made land transportation difficult. Of the few roads that existed, most were little more than dirt paths. It often took travelers several days to complete a journey that might take a few hours today. Much of the land itself was stony, and only a small part of it was arable, or suitable for farming. Tiny but fertile valleys covered about one-fourth of Greece. The small streams that watered these valleys were not suitable for large-scale irrigation projects. With so little fertile farmland or fresh water for irrigation, Greece was never able to support a large population. Historians estimate that no more than a few million people lived in ancient Greece at any given time. Even this small population could not expect the land to support a life of luxury. A desire for more living space, grassland for raising livestock, and adequate farmland may have been factors that motivated the Greeks to seek new sites for colonies

Differences Among Greek City-States Some polis had a monarchy, a government ruled by a king

Differences Among Greek City-States Some polis had an aristocracy, a government ruled by elite nobles Practiced in Corinth

Differences Among Greek City-States Some polis like Sparta had an oligarchy, a government ruled by a small group of citizens

Differences Among Greek City-States Some polis like Athens had a direct democracy, a government ruled by citizens who vote on decisions

The powerful Greek city-states Athens and Sparta represented the greatest differences among polis Athenian society focused on wealth and culture: Athens had a direct democracy in which both rich and poor citizens could vote and hold public office

Athenian society focused on wealth & culture Architects built the Parthenon to honor the goddess Athena; the Greeks were known for beautiful buildings whose style can be seen in many modern buildings in several countries

Athenian society focused on wealth & culture Artists created realistic sculptures Theater had both comedies and tragedies

Athenian society focused on wealth & culture Philosophers Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle questioned assumptions, quested for knowledge, and used logic to find answers to questions

Socrates Socrates was a philosopher of Ancient Greece. A philosopher is someone who tries to explain the nature of life. Socrates taught by by asking questions. This method of questioning is still called the Socratic method.

Plato Plato was a student of Socrates. He started a school called The Academy. Plato’s writing took the form of a dialogue between teacher and student.

Aristotle Aristotle was another Greek philosopher and student of Plato. He wrote about science, art, law, poetry, and government.

The Greek cultural contributions (especially from Athens) to philosophy, art, entertainment, literature, architecture, science, education, and democracy formed the foundation of Western civilization

The society of Sparta focused on military strength, not freedom, art, and learning (like Athens) Spartan Daily Life From around 600 until 371 B.C., Sparta had the most powerful army in Greece. However, the Spartan people paid a high price for their military supremacy. All forms of individual expression were discouraged. As a result, Spartans did not value the arts, literature, or other artistic and intellectual pursuits. Spartans valued duty, strength, and discipline over freedom, individuality, beauty, and learning. Since men were expected to serve in the army until the age of 60, their daily life centered on military training. Boys left home when they were 7 and moved into army barracks, where they stayed until they reached the age of 30. They spent their days marching, exercising, and fighting. They undertook these activities in all weathers, wearing only light tunics and no shoes. At night, they slept without blankets on hard benches. Their daily diet consisted of little more than a bowl of coarse black porridge. Those who were not satisfied were encouraged to steal food. Such training produced tough, resourceful soldiers. Spartan girls also led hardy lives. They received some military training, and they also ran, wrestled, and played sports. Like boys, girls were taught to put service to Sparta above everything—even love of family. A legend says that Spartan women told husbands and sons going to war to “come back with your shield or on it.” As adults, Spartan women had considerable freedom, especially in running the family estates when their husbands were on active military service. Such freedom surprised men from other Greek city-states. This was particularly true of Athens, where women were expected to remain out of sight and quietly raise children.

Spartan boys left the home at age 7 and lived in an army barracks Until the age of 30, they trained, exercised, and fought Spartan men stayed involved with the military until age 60

This system produced tough, skilled soldiers; the Spartans were taught to put military service above everything, even family

Spartan women ran the family estates while the men were training or fighting This was different from other Greek city-states, where women had little role in society The women were also taught to value service to Sparta above family; they would often say to sons and husbands before they went off to war: “Come back WITH your shield… or ON it.”

The Spartans showed their strength during the wars with Persia

King Darius’ army was defeated by several Greek city-states when some Greeks living in the Persian Empire’s territory revolted Persia’s next king, Xerxes, never forgot this defeat and decided to teach Greece a lesson; he led his massive forces in an invasion of Greece

In the Battle of Thermopylae, a small Spartan force of only 300 soldiers (supported by some soldiers from other states) managed to hold off the Persian invaders and inflict terrible losses Even though the 300 soldiers were all killed, their actions inspired the various Greek city-states to work together and defeat Xerxes

This rivalry would lead to conflict Athens and Sparta worked well together against Persia, but after that war, they competed for influence in Greece This rivalry would lead to conflict

Sparta won, but the war left all of Greece weakened The war between Sparta and Athens was called the Peloponnesian War (named after the southern part of Greece, where Sparta was located) Sparta won, but the war left all of Greece weakened

The Peloponnesian War left the weakened Greece open to be conquered, which is what happened when Macedonia invaded

Alexander the Great Alexander the Great was the son of King Phillip II of Macedonia. Alexander conquered Greece, Persia, Egypt, the Middle East and Northern India. He was the greatest conquerer in history idolized by men like Julius Caesar, Napoleon Bonaparte, and Adolf Hitler. He died at age 33 from malaria.

Where would you rather live: Athens or Sparta? Why? Closure Activity Where would you rather live: Athens or Sparta? Why?