Ancient Greece The ancient Greeks developed a complex society, with remarkable achievements in the arts, sciences, and government.

The Land/History of Greece Greece is mountainous which made it hard for early settlers to travel by land The “Greek Peninsula” is part of the Balkan Peninsula The rocky land contains poor soil and few large trees Olives are grapes are the most important crops grown in this area Water is the greatest natural resource in Greece The Aegean Sea, Ionian Sea and the Mediterranean Sea are all close to Greece.

The Greek Peninsula is surrounded by water on three sides The Greeks depended on water for trade, fishing and sailing. Olive tree and a map showing Greece

Government of Ancient Greece City-states began to develop as the Greek population grew City-state: An area/state that has its own language, religion, military, religion and way of life A city-state contained a polis Polis: Central city City-states could either be oligarchies, democracies or some were ruled by a tyrant Democracy means “rule by the people”

Athens The city-state of Athens is one of the largest and most important city-states Democratic form of government The citizens of Athens voted and debated Only free men whose fathers had been citizens of Athens were able to vote Women, slaves and foreign residents could not vote or take part in government

Sparta Had the best military around. They lost few battles in their time. Best soldiers in the world. All citizens were trained in physical aspects because they admired strong bodies Boys were sent at age 7 to become Spartan Soldiers Oligarchy Located in the southernmost part of Greece so it was an important trading center

Proud to be Greek! Sparta and Athens were not the only city-states…their were many more. The Corinth, Persia, Troy, Macedon and Argive. Though they were different…they were all proud of their heritage. They were proud to be Greek & they were proud of their Greek backgrounds. Greeks all spoke the same language, believed in the same Gods and had a common heritage.

Words to know: Oligarchy: rule by a small elite group Democracy: rule by the people Tyranny (tyrant): one harsh or cruel leader Myth: traditional or legendary story, usually concerning some being or hero or event. Trys to explain some aspect of the world.

Learning and the Arts The Greeks made remarkable achievements in literature, learning and architecture. The Greeks wrote myths, poems and plays to honor their gods and goddesses. Some famous playwrights of this time were: Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides. Playwrights in this time focused on writing tragedies and comedies.

Philosophy A philosopher is a person who studies and thinks about why the world is the way it is. Two important philosophers from ancient Greece were Socrates, Plato and Aristotle. Socrates was a teacher to Plato. Aristotle taught Alexander the Great.

Sophocles on the left and Plato on the right

Alexander the Great Excellent military leader whose armies were able to conquer many places. As Alexander the Great began conquering in Greece, the Greek culture, language and ideas spread all over Europe. People as far as India were starting to live like the Greeks. Alexander died at age 33 to an unknown cause. Some say he may have been poisoned. When he died the areas that he conquered were divided up along the generals in his army.