1. The Ancient Greeks By Caleb Phillips

2. The Cycladic Culture  The Cycladic culture was formed around 3000 B.C..  They lived on about 200 islands east of The Greek mainland  They made a living by fishing and trading. Some did farming were they grew grapes, olives, and other crops.  Around 2000 B.C. they started to weaken the people started to follow the customs of their neighboring cultures.

3. The Minoan Culture  The Minoan culture began on Crete a large island that lies about 60 miles southeast of the Greek mainland.  They started as an agricultural society. Over time villages grew into cities.  In about 2000 B.C. they started to build huge palaces. Historians can tell that they were also sailors from the pictures on the walls inside their palaces.  They had their own writing and counting system to keep track of their trading records. By 1100 B.C. their culture disappeared.

4. The Mycenaean Culture  The Mycenaean culture got their name from the city of Mycenae.  They did a lot of trading and while trading with different cultures they followed the Minoans ways.  That meant they built palaces.  Like the Minoans they sailed so they could trade goods.

6. The Trojans  The Trojan culture was located in a city called Troy.  They farmed, raised horses, and herded sheep.  A man named Homer tolled stories about battles in the Trojan culture.  Homer tolled a story were the Mycenaeans left a huge horse at their gates with soldiers in side.

7. Lesson 2 City-States  The development of classical Greece was the rise of the city-states.  Over time Villages grew into cities.  The city-states that neighbored each other fought over land in between them.  Out of all the most powerful city-states was Sparta and Athens.

8. Sparta  Most city-states were located in costal areas.  There city-state was made up of three classes the ruling class, slaves, and the travelers.  Out of all the city-states Sparta was the only one with a standing army.  Sparta’s governing system was an oligarchy.

9. Athens  Athens was located on Attica northeast of Peloponnesus.  they were ruled by an aristocracy, or a small group of wealthy men.  After a ruler named solon divided Them into groups.  After a while they became a democracy.  They were the first to have a democracy.

10. To Be Greek  Since the city-states were independent they didn’t see them selves as a country.  Historians say that they all had the same ancestor named Hellen.  For that reason they named them selves the Hellenes.  In addition to their language and mythology they had other activities together. For that reason they had the Olympic games.

11. Lesson 3 The Golden Age The Persian Wars  For hundreds of years the Greek city-states fought over land and trade. Then in the 500s B.C. one enemy brought them together.  Citizens and soldiers from Athens met Persian warriors on the plain of Marathon and defeated them.  In 485 B.C. the Persians tried to invade Balkan Peninsula again.  Before fighting them some city-states made plans of protections.

12. The Age of Pericles  The Athenians felt grate pride in their new leadership after defeating the Persians.  Through most of their time Pericles led them through most of their problems.  In 460 B.C. He became the leader.  In 457 B.C. he gave men of any class the right to have a government place.

13. Achievements of the Golden Age  Pericles was a patron, or a supporter of learning and arts.  He also supported writers such as Herodotus, Herodotus was an early historian that kept history of the Persian wars.  Today people still read his work and other writers from then.  During the Golden age scientists studied nature and human life.  One of the grate scientists was Hippocrates. He found out that getting sick was not a punishment from their gods.

14. The End of the Golden Age  Pericles wanted Athens to be more then the school of Greece. He wanted them to be the most powerful city-state of Greece.  For that he sent warriors out to defeat other countries.  In 431 B.C. Sparta and its allies went to war with Athens and its allies. In 430 B.C. the deadliest disease broke out and killed a lot of Athenians died Pericles did to.  In 404 B.C. Athens surrendered to the Spartans.

15. The Greek Philosophers  After the big war between Athens and Sparta there was still a lot of smart people around.  They were called Philosophers. One of them named Socrates called himself the cities gadfly after an insect bit his horse that made it jump.  He forced the government to think about life.  One of his students named Plato was disappointed in the leaders after Pericles.  He thought the ruler should be wise. should be wise.

16. Lesson 4 The Making of an Emperor   Alexander was born in 356 B.C. in Macedonia his father was Phillips ll.   Alexander had his own teacher Aristotle and like his teacher he was interested in many subjects.   Alexander learned about countries and people. He learned how to be a fearless warrior from his father.   In 338 B.C. he commanded the cavalry or soldiers who fought on horse back.

17.   Alexander's father wanted to defeat the Persian Empire in Asia before he could he was killed by one of his body guards.   Alexander was handed the thrown.

18. The Building of and Empire   With the Greek city-states under his control, Alexander decided to complete his fathers wish to defeat Persia.   His army had defeated the Persian Empire and one by one he stated to conquer along the coast of Asia Minor.   By 333 B.C. he had reached the coast of Syria and went to Phoenicia to get their port cities.   He conquered Egypt, Persian cities, and then he went to the Caspian sea to find Darius.   He Became the most powerful ruler in southwestern Asia.

19. The End of the Empire   Alexander the Great ruled a wide area but he wanted more.   In 326 B.C. were on the move they reached the upper Indus River Alexander wanted to push on but his army got tired and he ordered them to head home.   In 323 B.C. Alexander became ill. He died shortly after his thirty third birthday.