1. Ancient Greece

2. Mountains cover 75% of Greece which divided the early people and made unifying Greek civilizations nearly impossible.
Geography Shapes Greek Life
The Land Rugged mountains covered about three-fourths of ancient Greece. The mountain chains ran mainly from northwest to southeast along the Balkan Peninsula. Mountains divided the land into a number of different regions. This significantly influenced Greek political life. Instead of a single government, the Greeks developed small, independent communities within each little valley and its surrounding mountains. Most Greeks gave their loyalty to these local communities. In ancient times, the uneven terrain also made land transportation difficult. Of the few roads that existed, most were little more than dirt paths. It often took travelers several days to complete a journey that might take a few hours today. Much of the land itself was stony, and only a small part of it was arable, or suitable for farming. Tiny but fertile valleys covered about one-fourth of Greece. The small streams that watered these valleys were not suitable for large-scale irrigation projects. With so little fertile farmland or fresh water for irrigation, Greece was never able to support a large population. Historians estimate that no more than a few million people lived in ancient Greece at any given time. Even this small population could not expect the land to support a life of luxury. A desire for more living space, grassland for raising livestock, and adequate farmland may have been factors that motivated the Greeks to seek new sites for colonies

3. Earliest Greek Civilization – The Minoans
Located on the island of Crete, the Minoans reached their greatest success from 1750 BCE to 1500 BCE.

4. Earliest Greek Civilization – The Mycenaeans
Located on the mainland of Greece, the Mycenaeans reached their greatest success from 1400 BCE to 1200 BCE.

5. Earliest Greek Civilization – Homer
After the fall of the Mycenaeans, what is known about the earliest Greeks comes from the poet Homer who lived in 750 BCE.

6. After the ancient civilizations collapsed in the region, a new period emerged – Classical Greece.
Classic cultures created high levels of achievement in art, science, and technology. Look at the map and think about the classical cultures of the Gupta Empire and the Han Dynasty.

7. The Greeks developed independent city-states, called polis, within each valley & its surrounding mountains
Geography Shapes Greek Life
The Land Rugged mountains covered about three-fourths of ancient Greece. The mountain chains ran mainly from northwest to southeast along the Balkan Peninsula. Mountains divided the land into a number of different regions. This significantly influenced Greek political life. Instead of a single government, the Greeks developed small, independent communities within each little valley and its surrounding mountains. Most Greeks gave their loyalty to these local communities. In ancient times, the uneven terrain also made land transportation difficult. Of the few roads that existed, most were little more than dirt paths. It often took travelers several days to complete a journey that might take a few hours today. Much of the land itself was stony, and only a small part of it was arable, or suitable for farming. Tiny but fertile valleys covered about one-fourth of Greece. The small streams that watered these valleys were not suitable for large-scale irrigation projects. With so little fertile farmland or fresh water for irrigation, Greece was never able to support a large population. Historians estimate that no more than a few million people lived in ancient Greece at any given time. Even this small population could not expect the land to support a life of luxury. A desire for more living space, grassland for raising livestock, and adequate farmland may have been factors that motivated the Greeks to seek new sites for colonies

8. City-states had an agora that was the center for trade and government
City-states had an acropolis, a temple on a hill dedicated to a sacred god
City-states had an agora that was the center for trade and government
Most Greek city-states had an agora that was the center for trade & government
the gods

9. Differences Among Greek City-States
Some polis had a monarchy, a gov’t ruled by a king

10. Differences Among Greek City-States
Some polis had an aristocracy, a gov’t ruled by elite nobles
Practiced in Corinth

11. Differences Among Greek City-States
Some polis like Sparta had an oligarchy, a gov’t ruled by a small group of citizens

12. Differences Among Greek City-States
Some polis like Athens had a direct democracy, a gov’t ruled by citizens who vote on decisions

13. Similarities Among Greek City-States
Despite the Greek polis being politically different from each other, the Greeks did share a common language and religion.
Geography Shapes Greek Life
The Land Rugged mountains covered about three-fourths of ancient Greece. The mountain chains ran mainly from northwest to southeast along the Balkan Peninsula. Mountains divided the land into a number of different regions. This significantly influenced Greek political life. Instead of a single government, the Greeks developed small, independent communities within each little valley and its surrounding mountains. Most Greeks gave their loyalty to these local communities. In ancient times, the uneven terrain also made land transportation difficult. Of the few roads that existed, most were little more than dirt paths. It often took travelers several days to complete a journey that might take a few hours today. Much of the land itself was stony, and only a small part of it was arable, or suitable for farming. Tiny but fertile valleys covered about one-fourth of Greece. The small streams that watered these valleys were not suitable for large-scale irrigation projects. With so little fertile farmland or fresh water for irrigation, Greece was never able to support a large population. Historians estimate that no more than a few million people lived in ancient Greece at any given time. Even this small population could not expect the land to support a life of luxury. A desire for more living space, grassland for raising livestock, and adequate farmland may have been factors that motivated the Greeks to seek new sites for colonies

14. Greek Language
Despite their lack of unity, the Greeks shared some common characteristics:
Greeks shared the same language
Greek writing was influenced by the Phoenician alphabet
Greeks were polytheistic & believed that the gods

15. Greeks were polytheistic and believed that the gods were immortal but had human qualities; Religion became the basis for Greek mythology
Zeus King of the gods
Athena Goddess of wisdom
Aphrodite Goddess of love
Apollo God of sun & music
Ares God of war
Hades God of underworld
Hera Goddess of family
Poseidon God of the seas
Aphrodite The sensual goddess of Love and Beauty
Apollo The youthful god of the Sun and the Music
Ares The fierce god of War
Artemis The wild goddess of the Hunt
Athena The sophisticated goddess of Wisdom and Arts
Demeter The natural goddess of the Harvest
Dionysus The joyful god of the Wine
Hades The gloomy god of the Underworld
Hephaestus The ill-favored god of Metallurgy
Hera The mature goddess of the Family
Hermes The cunning god of the Trade
Hestia The calm goddess of the Hearth
Poseidon The moody god of the Seas
Zeus The heavenly King of the Gods and ruler of mankind

16. The Greek city-states Athens & Sparta represented the differences among polis
Athenian society focused on wealth & culture:
Athens had a direct democracy in which both rich & poor citizens could vote & hold public office

17. Athenian society focused on wealth & culture
Architects built the Parthenon to honor the goddess Athena

18. Athenian society focused on wealth & culture
Theater had both comedies & tragedies
Artists created realistic sculptures

19. The Greek city-states Athens & Sparta represented the differences among polis
Spartan society focused on military strength, not freedom & learning
Spartan men served in the military until 60 years old
Boys began military training at age 7
Women ran family estates while men trained or fought
Spartan Daily Life From around 600 until 371 B.C., Sparta had the most powerful army in Greece. However, the Spartan people paid a high price for their military supremacy. All forms of individual expression were discouraged. As a result, Spartans did not value the arts, literature, or other artistic and intellectual pursuits. Spartans valued duty, strength, and discipline over freedom, individuality, beauty, and learning. Since men were expected to serve in the army until the age of 60, their daily life centered on military training. Boys left home when they were 7 and moved into army barracks, where they stayed until they reached the age of 30. They spent their days marching, exercising, and fighting. They undertook these activities in all weathers, wearing only light tunics and no shoes. At night, they slept without blankets on hard benches. Their daily diet consisted of little more than a bowl of coarse black porridge. Those who were not satisfied were encouraged to steal food. Such training produced tough, resourceful soldiers. Spartan girls also led hardy lives. They received some military training, and they also ran, wrestled, and played sports. Like boys, girls were taught to put service to Sparta above everything—even love of family. A legend says that Spartan women told husbands and sons going to war to “come back with your shield or on it.” As adults, Spartan women had considerable freedom, especially in running the family estates when their husbands were on active military service. Such freedom surprised men from other Greek city-states. This was particularly true of Athens, where women were expected to remain out of sight and quietly raise children.

20. Spartans showed their strength during the Persian Wars

21. Athens & Sparta competed for influence in Greece & developed a strong rivalry that eventually led to the Peloponnesian War. On your map of Greece – label Sparta and Athens.

22. Classical Greek Culture from Athens
Socrates
Plato
Aristotle
Use Reason!
Wrote
The Republic
The Golden Mean!
Ask Questions!
Philosophers Socrates, Plato, & Aristotle questioned assumptions and used logic to find answers to questions

23. The “Classical” Greek city-states, especially Athens, developed cultural innovations that are still used today.