Ancient Greeks

The Ancient Greeks

The Early Greeks The Geography of Greece • Mainland Greece is a mountainous peninsula—a body of land with water on three sides. • The Ionian Sea is to the west of Greece, the Aegean Sea is to the east, and the Mediterranean Sea is to the south. • Ancient Greeks were fishers, sailors, traders, and farmers. (page 117)

The Early Greeks The Geography of Greece • Although Greece’s rocky soil made it difficult to farm, people could grow wheat, barley, olives, and grapes in the favorable climate.

(page 117)

The Early Greeks The Minoans • The ruins of the Minoan civilization, the first civilization to arise in Greece, are on the island of Crete. • Artifacts at the palace at Knossos reveal the riches of the Minoan people, such as wine, oil, jewelry, and statues. • The Minoan people were traders, traveling by ship to trade with other countries. (page 118)

The Early Greeks The Minoans (cont.) • The Minoan civilizations collapsed around 1450 B.C., although historians disagree on the cause of the Minoan destruction.

(page 118)

The Early Greeks The First Greek Kingdoms • The first Greek kings were Mycenaean leaders, whose people invaded the Greek mainland around 1900 B.C. • The center of the Mycenaean kingdom was a palace surrounded by large farms. • The Mycenaeans began trading with the Minoans and learned much about Minoan culture. (pages 119–120)

The Early Greeks The First Greek Kingdoms (cont.) • Before collapsing around 1100 B.C., the Mycenaean civilization was the most powerful on the Mediterranean. • The Dark Age occurred between 1100 B.C. and 150 B.C. and was a time of less trade and poverty among people. • The Dorians invaded Greece, bringing new weapons and farming technology to the Greek people. (pages 119–120)

The Early Greeks The First Greek Kingdoms (cont.) • The Greeks learned about an alphabet from the Phoenicians, one of their trading partners. • The Greek alphabet had 24 letters that stood for different sounds.

(pages 119–120)

The Early Greeks A Move to Colonize • After the Dark Age, Greek people began to set up colonies in other countries.

• This colonization spread Greek culture. • Trade between colonists and the parent cities grew, and soon merchants were trading goods for money instead of more goods.

(page 121)

The Early Greeks The Polis • A polis, or city-state, was like an independent country.

• City-states varied in size and population. • An acropolis, located at the top of a hill, was the main gathering place of the citystate. • An agora, or open area, served as a market and as a place for people to meet and debate issues. (pages 122–123)

The Early Greeks The Polis (cont.) • The Greeks were the first people to develop the idea of citizenship, in which citizens of a country are treated equally and have rights and responsibilities. • In Greek city-states, only free, nativeborn, land-owning men could be citizens. • Citizens could vote, hold office, own property, and defend themselves in court. (pages 122–123)

The Early Greeks The Polis (cont.) • The military of the city-states was made of ordinary citizens, not nobles. • These citizens were called hoplites and fought each battle on foot instead of on horses.

(pages 122–123)

The Early Greeks Discuss the following statement: “The geography of Greece influenced where people settled and what they did.”

Sparta and Athens Tyranny in the City-States • Nobles, who owned large farms, seized power from the Greek kings. • Farmers had to borrow money from nobles and often could not pay back the debt. • The farmers lost their land and had to work for the nobles or were sold into slavery. (pages 125–126)

Sparta and Athens Tyranny in the City-States (cont.) • Unhappy farmers demanded changes in the power structure of the city-states. • This unhappiness led to the rise of tyrants, or people who take power by force and rule with total authority. • Tyrants overthrew the nobles during the 600s B.C.

(pages 125–126)

Sparta and Athens Tyranny in the City-States (cont.) • Tyrants maintained their popularity by building marketplaces, temples, and walls. • The Greek people eventually tired of the tyrants and created oligarchies or democracies. • An oligarchy is a form of government in which a few people hold power. (pages 125–126)

Sparta and Athens Tyranny in the City-States (cont.) • A democracy is a form of government in which all citizens share power. • Sparta was an oligarchy; Athens was a democracy.

(pages 125–126)

Sparta and Athens Sparta • To obtain more land, Spartans conquered and enslaved their neighbors, calling them helots. • To keep the helots from rebelling, the Spartans created a strong military of boys and men. • Boys entered the military at age seven. • At age 20, men entered the regular army and lived in the barracks for 10 years. (pages 126–127)

Sparta and Athens Sparta (cont.) • They returned home at age 30 but served in the army until age 60. • Spartan girls were trained in sports to become healthy mothers and were freer than other Greek women. • The Spartan government was an oligarchy containing two branches, a council of elders, and an assembly. (pages 126–127)

Sparta and Athens Sparta (cont.) • The Spartan government kept foreign travelers out and discouraged its own citizens from traveling in order to maintain control of the country.

(pages 126–127)

Sparta and Athens Athens • Boys in Athens attended school to learn reading, writing, and arithmetic. • Athenian girls learned household duties from their mothers. • Some wealthy girls learned reading, writing, and playing the lyre.

• The government of early Athens was an oligarchy. (pages 128–130)

The Ancient Greeks Section 1: The Early Greeks Focusing on the Main Ideas

• Colonies and trade spread Greek culture and spurred industry. • The idea of citizenship developed in Greek city-states.

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