The Rise of Greek Cities Lesson 2

Vocabulary Places Athens Sparta Mount Olympus Polis Acropolis Agora Citizen Oligarchy Monarchy Democracy colony Athens Sparta Mount Olympus

The Big Picture Each community usually revolved around one city. The Greek word for this kind of city- state was polis

A Greek Polis Most city- states were built around an acropolis Acropolis- was a large hill where city residents could seek shelter and safety in times of war In a near by clearing farmers would gather to trade with craft workers. The clearing, called an agora often served as a marketplace and meeting place

Acropolis

Agora

Developing Governments Each city- state had a different type of government In each type, the leaders had to be citizens of their polis Citizen- is a person who has certain rights and responsibilities in his country or community In ancient Greece, only men could be citizens Women and slaves were not citizens- they have few rights Slaves (helots) were usually conquered neighbors.

Being a citizen did not make men automatically a part of the government In many city- states a small group of the richest, most powerful citizens controlled decision making (oligarchy) The city- state Athens was governed by an oligarchy Before the oligarchy, Athens was a monarchy ( government ruled by one ruler or king). The word monarchy comes from the Greek words “rule by one”

Sparta

Sparta In 700 B.C Sparta covered much of the southern Peloponnesus and was Greece’s largest city- state In the Agora was where Sparta’s leaders made decisions that shaped the polis Most of Sparta’s farmers were slaves Sparta had many more slaves than other city- states 7slaves to 1 Spartan

The Spartan Military Around 600 B.C Spartan slaves revolted. Spartans managed to over power them. Spartans wanted the strongest military They wanted to make sure that neither slaves nor another polis could ever gain control of Sparta

Spartan's wanted to make their polis strong Spartan children played a role in the polis Age 7- boys and girls began training (boys had more training) Girls practiced running, throwing spears (javelins), and playing ball games Girls trained not to become solders but strong mothers of strong children Some time was spent learning to read and write

Athens

“See little, hear little, and ask no more questions than are absolutely necessary”

Athens Athens lay on the peninsula of Attica, northeast of Sparta Athenian girls did not practice sports Girls stayed home to help their mother They carried out such duties as weaving cloth from sheep’s wool Farm girls helped harvest the fields Many Athenian boys worked each days in the fields or in pottery or stone shops If parents could afford school- boys learned to read and write After classes they would practice wrestling or boxing at a local gymnasium

Government in Athens Athenians did not spend as much time and energy building a strong army 600 B.C Athens’ government was a oligarchy Leaders families belonged to noble families (they were rich and powerful) the poor demanded to have more say in the government and how it was run Noble’s were forced to share some power

Historians trace our own ideas of democracy back to Greece They had to form a new government where all of the citizens could take part in decision making. This became known as a democracy Democracy- Greek word meaning “rule by the people”. It means that citizens vote to make government decisions Historians trace our own ideas of democracy back to Greece

Beyond Greece After Greek festivals and Olympics were started, athletes from far away Greek colonies came to participate Colonies were made up of groups of people who lived apart from, but kept ties with, Greece Colonies became important trading partners with Greece. They grew grains that were in demand Greek ships sailed down Egypt’s Nile Delta

Shared Culture

Shared Culture Every month there were a few days that were saved to honor their gods Ancient Greeks believed in many gods and goddesses The most powerful gods and goddesses were said to live on Mount Olympus

Special Festivals Each polis honored at least one special god or goddess as its special protector In Athens, people worshiped Athena (goddess of wisdom) Every summer a festival is held in her honor They would walk to the top of the Acropolis, where a priest would kill cattle in her name/ honor All people from Greece worshiped Zeus (most powerful god) City- states came together in competition in athletic competitions

A Greek Poet People in all city- states loved to hear stories of the poet Homer Many stories described Greece’s past Most famous poems- The Iliad and the Odyssey. Tell stories of war and adventure The Iliad describes what happened when a prince from Troy, an ancient city, kidnapped Helen a Greek Queen. It also tells how the gods created Greek cities