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Greek Geography Made up of peninsulas: land with water on three sides Mountains are also present on the mainland and islands Transportation and farming were difficult due to mountains (only 1/5 th of the land could be farmed) Fighting took place among early Greek villages All people spoke the same language and worshipped the same gods and goddesses

Greek culture formed from two early groups of people 1.Minoans: lived on the island of Crete (3000 BCE – 1100 BCE)Crete - specialized in sea trade - capital city was KnossosKnossos - used frescos: Fresco:Fresco: wet plaster that is painted and dries to make image permanent 1.Mycenaeans: lived on the mainland - capital city was Mycenae - came to power in about 1400 BCE - specialized in takeover/conquest

 Greek myth: story passed down by word of mouth  Fight between Greece and Troy (a city in modern day Turkey)  As the fighting went on: ◦ The Greeks were losing so…  They gave the Trojans a wooden horse (known as the Trojan Horse) as a “gift”  At night, the Greeks snuck out of the horse and killed the Trojans

 Two epics are about the Trojan War ◦ Epic: long poem describing a hero  Iliad and Odyssey  Both are written by Homer: Greek poet ***Troy was destroyed by fire in about 1200 BCE***

 Started after the Trojan War  Greek civilization collapsed—poverty was everywhere  People stopped trading and many forgot how to read and write  By about 800 BCE, people started re-settling in villages and re-learned reading/writing

 City-state: city with its own government system  Hundreds of city-states formed in Greece in about 1500 BCE  City-states were ruled by aristocrats: people from rich and powerful families  Trade started again and power in city-states often shifted ◦ Tyrants: were people who took power by force – some tyrants were good rulers but most were violent

 Democracy: citizens govern themselves  Citizen: member of a town/city/country  The BEST democracy at the time was in the city of Athens  Solon: Athenian leader who reformed (changed) laws ◦ Examples of reform:  Cancelled all debts owed and freed the enslaved  Allowed Athenian men (18 and older) to debate laws

 Not everyone benefited from democracy ◦ Only 1 out of 5 Athenians were citizens  Others who were not citizens were:  Enslaved (slaves)  Foreigners  Women ◦ Men who were citizens were free and self-governing ◦ To be an Athenian citizen:  Your parents must be Athenian

 The Golden Age of Athens ( BCE) ◦ Athens grew rich from trade and silver mining ◦ Tribute: payment made by allies for protection – this helped Athens also become wealthy ◦ Achievements:  Arts  Philosophy  Literature  Democracy  All 4 reached their high points at this time in Athens

 Pericles: Athenian leader and skilled general Pericles ◦ His interests were in the city and its prosperity ◦ He was an aristocrat but also democratic ◦ What did he do?  Strengthened democracy in Athens  Introduced salaries to city officials and allowed the poor more rights (like holding office) ◦ Accomplishments?  Had Parthenon built ( BCE) – dedicated to Athena: goddess and patron of AthensParthenon  Had the Athenian acropolis reconstructedAthenian acropolis

 Greeks were polytheists: belief in more than one god/goddess  Believed in the “Twelve Olympians” and tried to please them – temples were built in their honor  Most gods took human form with human characteristics – some were immortal: could not die  Some of the gods/goddesses: ◦ Zeus: king of gods – ruled from Mt. Olympus ◦ Athena: goddess of war/wisdom ◦ Aphrodite: goddess of love ◦ Poseidon: god of earthquakes and the ocean ◦ Also worshipped other figures like Achilles: character in the Iliad

 How did the Greeks worship? ◦ Held festivals and offered sacrifice to the gods ◦ To honor Zeus, ever 4 years, city-states would hold the Olympian Festival (Olympics)  “The Oracles” ◦ People looked to the gods for advice ◦ Visited oracles: sacred sites where the gods supposedly spoke ◦ Most famous oracle:  Apollo Oracle at Delphi  Advice was often taken seriously and impacted history

 Many believed the gods were responsible for events that happened  New ways of discussing the world came about some 150 yrs. before the Golden Age of Greece  Greek Science and Literature: ◦ Philosophy: search for wisdom through knowledge/understanding ◦ Philosopher: people could use the power of the mind and reason to understand the world ◦ Thales: believed water was the basis of the world ◦ Democrates: says everything living is made of tiny particles called atoms

 Socrates: Athenian who questioned everything and used questioning for answers  Socratic Method: using “Why?” to gain knowledge (constant questioning)  Socrates most important lesson: “Know thyself.”  399 BCE: Socrates was brought to trial and forced to commit suicide ◦ Drank hemlock (a kind of poison) and died

 All of what we know about Socrates comes from Plato  Plato: student of Socrates who wrote the Republic: about 3 groups in society 1.Workers 2.Soldiers 3.Philosophers Plato started a school of learning called: Academy: Plato’s school of philosophy Aristotle: student of Plato who thinks reason should guide knowledge Lyceum: Aristotle’s school of philosophy

 Sculpture/architecture was used to honor gods/goddesses  Early architecture reached it height in Greece  Parthenon: symbol of premier architecture ◦ Inside stood a 40 ft. statue of Athena made of ivory, wood, and gold ◦ Greek sculpture portrayed human ideal human – strove for perfection

 Drama: Athenians were the first to write dramas ◦ Most written in 400 BCE  Tragedies: something bad happens to the main character ◦ Consisted of several scenes ◦ Chorus would sing between scenes  Comedies: made jokes about the customs of the day ◦ People accepted these jokes as humor because Athens was so free spoken as a city-state

 People valued freedom and had strong patriotism  New ideas developed in philosophy, religion, government, and art ◦ How?  Free thinking  Free education/trade  Athens was the largest and most powerful city state  Greeks from all city-states still called themselves Hellenes (Greek) – while different, they all considered themselves the same people  Other city-states competed against one another  Examples: Olympics (first held in 776BCE)