1. Ancient Greece The ancient Greeks developed a complex society, with remarkable achievements in the arts, sciences, and government.

2. The Land/History of Greece ► Greece is mountainous which made it hard for early settlers to travel by land ► The “Greek Peninsula” is part of the Balkan Peninsula ► The rocky land contains poor soil and few large trees ► Olives and grapes are the most important crops grown in this area ► Water is the greatest natural resource in Greece ► The Aegean Sea, Ionian Sea and the Mediterranean Sea are all close to Greece.

3. ► The Greek Peninsula is surrounded by water on three sides ► The Greeks depended on water for trade, fishing and sailing. Olive tree and a map showing Greece

4. Government of Ancient Greece ► City-states began to develop as the Greek population grew ► City-state: An area/state that has its own language, religion, military, and way of life ► A city-state contained a polis ► Polis: Central city ► City-states could either be oligarchies, democracies or some were ruled by a tyrant ► Democracy means “rule by the people”

5. Athens ► The city-state of Athens is one of the largest and most important city-states ► Democratic form of government ► The citizens of Athens voted and debated ► Only free men whose fathers had been citizens of Athens were able to vote ► Women, slaves and foreign residents could not vote or take part in government

6. Sparta ► Had the best military around. They lost few battles in their time. Best soldiers in the world. ► All citizens were trained in physical aspects because they admired strong bodies ► Boys were sent at age 7 to become Spartan Soldiers ► Oligarchy ► Located in the southernmost part of Greece so it was an important trading center

7. Proud to be Greek! ► Sparta and Athens were not the only city- states…there were many more. The Corinth, Persia, Troy, Macedon and Argive. ► Though they were different…they were all proud of their heritage. They were proud to be Greek & they were proud of their Greek backgrounds. ► Greeks all spoke the same language, believed in the same Gods and had a common heritage.

9. Words to know: ► Oligarchy: rule by a small elite group ► Democracy: rule by the people ► Tyranny (tyrant): one harsh or cruel leader ► Myth: traditional or legendary story, usually concerning some being or hero or event. Trys to explain some aspect of the world.

10. Learning and the Arts ► The Greeks made remarkable achievements in literature, learning and architecture. ► The Greeks wrote myths, poems and plays to honor their gods and goddesses. ► Some famous playwrights of this time were: Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides. ► Playwrights in this time focused on writing tragedies and comedies.

11. Philosophy ► A philosopher is a person who studies and thinks about why the world is the way it is. ► Two important philosophers from ancient Greece were Socrates, Plato and Aristotle. Socrates was a teacher to Plato. ► Aristotle taught Alexander the Great.

12. Sophocles on the left and Plato on the right

13. Alexander the Great ► Excellent military leader whose armies were able to conquer many places. ► As Alexander the Great began conquering in Greece, the Greek culture, language and ideas spread all over Europe. People as far as India were starting to live like the Greeks. ► Alexander died at age 33 to an unknown cause. Some say he may have been poisoned. ► When he died the areas that he conquered were divided up along the generals in his army.