Ancient Greece Unit Pregame

Archipelago A group of many islands

Peloponnesus The southern part of Greece, connected to the main land by a strip of land.

Isthmus A narrow strip of land surrounded by water on both sides, connecting two larger areas of land. (Land Bridge)

City-State (Polis) An independent area organized around and including a city. It is called “Polis” in Greek. This is a picture of Athens – one of the best known city-states in Greece.

Acropolis An elevated (raised) fortress built at the center of Greek city-states.

Agora Market place near the center of a Greek City State. It served as an important gathering place, similar to a town square.

Democracy Form of government developed by the Ancient Greeks in which power is controlled by the people.

What peninsula is Greece on? Mainland Greece is on the southern end of the Balkan Peninsula, also known as the Peninsula of Haemus. A peninsula is a large strip of land surrounded by water on three sides. Florida is an example of a peninsula here in the United States.

What are the three seas around Greece? There are three Seas that surround Greece – The Adriatic Sea, The Aegean Sea & The Mediterranean Sea.

How did geography influence the development of city-states? Greece was well blessed with mines and agricultural areas so the local economy could support a large population and this helped to create a trading culture. This was a good combination to allow city formation and pretty soon Athens was built. It was built in a good defensive location with a local water supply. Not far off Piraeus was developed as the city’s port and these were made defensible with the construction of “long walls”. The shelter of the harbor and bay area made it a good location to build and shelter a large fleet of vessels that were used to import and export goods. The wooded hills of the surrounding areas provided enough wood for the materials. Being near the south end of the Greek Peninsula meant that they has easy access to the Aegean Sea and beyond so the geography of this location allowed it to become a major trading nation using its large navy to back this up.