Ancient Greece

3 Major Periods of Ancient Greece Civilizations 1. Early Civilizations:  Minoans (Crete) and Mycenae  2. Classical Greece: flourishing of arts, literature, philosophy; domination by Sparta and Athens 3. Hellenistic Age: Macedonian Empire and Alexander the Great

What are the characteristics of Ancient Greece’s geography?

Geographic Features Sea:  heavy influence on physical environment of Greece  (Aegean Sea, Ionian Sea) Mountains:  cover more than ¾ of Greece’s surface area and islands, more than 2000 islands No major rivers on Greek mainland but fertile soil

Effects of Geography Emphasis on sea trades like the Navy and fishing. Isolated from the outside world Mountains and seas lead to separations and independent city states Emergence of dominant city states (Athens, Sparta)

Daily Life in Athens

Gender Roles Girls Boys Stayed at home, learned to weave and take care of the house, did not go to school Boys Went to school from age 7-18 Started physical training at the gymnasium at 14 Trained for army for 2 years at age 18

Army Every man under 60 must fight Boys train for the military from age 18-20 Most used weapons are bows, arrows, and catapults

Government Only citizens could vote Citizens = free males who were born and raised in Athens Assembly = the place where government discussions took place

Religion Polytheistic Goddess of Athens = Athena Goddess of Wisdom and War

Home Life Houses were made of dried mud bricks Had a central courtyard that connected all of the rooms No indoor plumbing

Fashion Dresses or tunics of different lengths Leather sandals Length depended on job and gender Leather sandals More often than not they didn’t wear shoes