Ancient Greece I can recognize how government (beginning of democracy), mythology, art, architecture, and the Olympics in Ancient Greece contributed to the development of their own and later civilizations.

Where was the most important city in Greece? Athens

What is a city-state? Ancient Greece was divided into many small areas called city-states. Since the land was very mountainous, city- states were separated from each other, and it was very difficult to travel from one to another. Although Greeks within the city-states had similar traditions and trusted the same gods, they often fought with one another. Everyone was stubborn and believed that their city-state was better than all other city-states.

Who ruled the city-states? Since city-states were separated from each other, each had its own government. When city-states were first formed, they were ruled by a few wealthy men. However, they moved toward democracy.

What is democracy? Democracy is the form of government that we have in the United States. The word means rule by the people. In a democracy, the people vote on who they want to be their leaders. In Athens, the people were divided into three groups: 1. Upper class - male citizens of Athens since birth 2. Middle class - males who were not born in Athens 3. Lower class - slaves

Democracy

How did they make the laws? Only men who were born in Athens were allowed to vote. They did this at public assemblies where upper class citizens discussed laws that might benefit Athens. These assembly meeting often got very noisy and led to many arguments between the men who were there.

Roles of Men, Women, and Children Men, women, and children in ancient Greece had different roles and responsibilities. Let's look at the roles you and your friends and family would have had if you had lived in ancient Greece.

What would the men in your family have done in ancient Greece? Men in Greece wore special clothes. Every Greek man owned several chitons, long, rectangular pieces of cloth with holes for the head and arms. The chitons were decorated based on the man's status in society. The richest men had the fanciest chitons, made out of the most expensive cloth and with the most decorations.

What would the women in your family have done in ancient Greece? Women dressed in clothes much like those worn by the men. If you were married to a rich man, your chiton would have been made of brightly colored wool or linen. On special occasions women wore wigs and makeup. Women didn't have as many privileges as men in ancient Greece. For example, they were not allowed to eat or sleep in the same room as men, go to the Olympics, or go into the marketplace or streets of the city. Since they spent a lot of time in the house, their most important tasks, aside from having children, were running the household and managing the slaves. Women in less wealthy households did not have slaves and had to do all the housework themselves. In peasant households, the women were in charge of working the fields.

What would you have done in ancient Greece? Boys and girls had different roles in ancient Greece. Girls grew up helping their mothers around the house. All girls were taught to cook, weave, and clean. Girls also learned ancient secret songs and dances so they could participate in the religious festivals. Some girls were taught to read and write by their mothers, but this was rare. At age 15, the girls of wealthy families were expected to throw away their toys and marry the man that their father chose for them. Peasant girls found their own husbands while working in the fields. Boys were considered to be more important than girls and were sent to school at age 6. At school they learned to read, write the alphabet, add on an abacus, and enjoy poetry and music. Boys were expected to have a healthy mind and body. They were taught to have healthy bodies by participating in gymnastics -- this included wrestling, running, jumping, and throwing the javelin. At age 16, boys began to train for their future jobs. If they wanted to be in the army, they would have started training at age 7 and entered the army at age 20. Other popular jobs were those of businessmen and Olympic athletes.

Greek Sports The ancient Greeks were huge sports fans. Every four years, the Olympic Games were held in the stadium at Olympia. The best athletes in Greece competed in different events that were a part of religious life. Because the games were religious, anyone who was caught cheating during the games was never allowed to compete again because cheating was considered disrespectful to the gods.

What types of sports could I have played? Many of the games played in the Olympic Games of ancient Greece are still included in the Olympics of today. Three of these games are boxing, weightlifting, and the pentathlon. Boxing was much the same in ancient Greece as it is today. Boxers padded their hands in cloth and fought until one of them was knocked out. The pentathlon was made up of five different events: discus throwing, javelin throwing, wrestling, running, and long jumping. All of these events are still included in the Olympics today. One event from the ancient Greek Olympics that is too dangerous to be included in the games today is chariot racing.

Olympics

What happened if I won? The winners of events in the Olympic Games received a wreath of laurel or olive leaves to wear on their heads. When they received their wreaths, the winners would shout out their names, their family, and the city where they lived.

Mythology Myth: A traditional sacred story, typically revolving around the activities of gods and heroes, which purports to explain a natural phenomenon or cultural practice. Click the link below to read a few. http://www.starfall.com/n/level-c/greek-myths/play.htm?f

Greek Gods

Greek Architecture The Corinthian style is seldom used in the Greek world, but often seen on Roman temples. Its capital is very elaborate and decorated with acanthus leaves. The Doric style is rather sturdy and its top (the capital), is plain. This style was used in mainland Greece and the colonies in southern Italy and Sicily. The Ionic style is thinner and more elegant. Its capital is decorated with a scroll-like design (a volute). This style was found in eastern Greece and the islands.

Closure On the back of your graphic organizer write two ways the Greeks influenced how we live.