Greek Civilization

I. Greece’s Geography 1. Mountainous land in the Mediterranean Sea 2. 2 peninsulas a. Attica – triangular-shaped peninsula with harbors b. Peloponnesus – mountains and seas divide it

A. Farming 1. Covered with mountains and rocky soil a. made farming difficult b. Solution – grew crops that grew well in the harsh environment i. olives = staple crop in Greek life 2. Farmers raised a. sheep b. goats 3. Food was scarce. a. relied on seas to survive

B. The Greek Economy 1. Occupations (jobs) a. farmers b. sailors c. shipbuilders d. traders i. bought grain from surrounding areas ii. Traveled as far as Egypt and Spain

II. Trading Civilization A. The Minoans 1. Lived on the island of Crete 2. controlled trade in the eastern Mediterranean Sea 3. Tsunami may have allowed Mycenaeans to take over

B. The Mycenaeans 1. Came from central Asia 2. Captured Greek mainland and established kingdoms 3. Kingdoms were centered around a palace on a hill. a. centers of trade and peace b. provided protection during war 4. Conquered by the Dorians a. made iron weapons; Mycenaeans only had bronze weapons

C. The Phoenicians 1. present-day Lebanon 2. Looked to sea (survival) a. sailed across the Mediterranean as traders i. traded goods 1. cloth 2. metals 3. glass objects 4. purple dye (royalty) b. established colonies

D. A Phoenician Invention 1. Spread culture and ideas 2. Greatest invention = alphabet a. basis for the alphabet used today b. The Greeks adapted it, and made reading and writing easier c. able to record history and stories

III. Greek Religion and Culture 1. Practiced polytheism a. 12 main gods and goddesses i. lived on Mount Olympus (Greece’s highest mountain) ii. Played role in daily lives iii. Controlled natural disasters 1. storms 2. earthquakes iv. Festivals to honor them 1. Olympic Games

A. Philosophy 1. Philosophers studied history, political science, science, and mathematics 2. Teachers a. Socrates i. Led discussions on how to live ii. Questioned Athens’s laws, customs, and even religion iii. Put on trial for “urging Athens’ young people to revolt” iv. Sentenced to death 3. Plato was Socrates student, and became Aristotle’s teacher.

B. Greek Drama and Epics 1. Plays a. outdoor theaters b. Actors wore masks, which represented the feelings of the characters. i. still a symbol of acting and theater today c. Comedy – ends happily d. Tragedy – main character dies or is defeated 2. Poems described Greek history. 3. Famous poet = Homer (not Homer Simpson) a. wrote 2 epic (long) poems i. Iliad – described war between Greeks and Trojans ii. Odyssey – described adventures of Odysseus (soldier in Trojan war)

Alexander’s Empire

I. The Growth of City States 1. Polis – city-state at the heart of the region 2. Built around an acropolis – walled hill where people could seek safety from attack (religious center too) 3. Agora – market and meeting area in the city-state

A. Governing City-States 1. city-state ruled by one a. monarchy – ruled by a king b. tyrant – power taken by force 2. city-state ruled by groups a. oligarchy – government of the wealthy and powerful b. democracy – all citizens participated i. only men ii. United States

II. Empires in the Mediterranean 1. 2 most powerful city-states in Greece a. Athens b. Sparta

Sparta vs. Athens Sparta Government – kings Education – Boys – soldiers Girls – mothers of soldiers Women – had some rights Athens Government - Democracy – men were citizens Education – Wealthy boys – school Poor boys – trade school Girls – at home Women – few to no rights / rarely seen in public

A. War with Persia 1. Persians a. present-day Iran b. conquered land in Asia Minor (present-day Turkey) c. Darius attacked Greece and failed. d. enemies with Greece

B. The Peloponnesian War 1. Athens – rich and powerful 2. Sparta became jealous B.C. – Peloponnesian War began a. Athenians hid b. plague broke out in Athens i. disease or event that causes suffering for many people ii. killed a 1/3 of the city iii. Pericles died 4. Athens surrendered in 404 B.C.

III. A New Power 1. Macedon – country north of Greece 2. Used cavalry (horseback) a. more effective than fighting on foot 3. Alexander the Great succeeded his father Philip.

A. Alexander the Great 1. Trained to be a general 2. Conquered Egypt, Asia Minor, and Persia 3. Age 32 – ruler of the largest empire in the world a. Babylon was the capital. 4. Died at age 32 a. began the Hellenistic era i. means “like the Greeks” ii. Greek language, culture, and customs influenced the Mediterranean world for the next 700 years.