Ancient Greece

Grade 6 Social Studies

Why We Remember

• Ancient Greece is the birthplace of Western Civilization.

• Greek civilization made great advances in art and science.

• Greeks believed in the freedom and worth of each citizen.

• This became the basis for DEMOCRACY.

Geography of Greece

• Greece is a peninsula, which means that it is surrounded on three sides by water. Greece has a lot of smaller peninsulas sticking out from it, which means Greece enjoys many natural harbors.

•Greece is also covered with mountains. They are not huge mountains but if you are trying to go from place to place in Greece, you'll find the mountains a bit of a hindrance.

•What do you think hindrance means?

•Three thousand years ago, it was very difficult to get from place to place in ancient Greece by walking. But it was easy to get from place to place in Greece by boat.

•In the ancient world that grew up around the Mediterranean Sea, the Greeks became known as great sailors. They sailed about the Mediterranean, setting up colonies and outposts where they could.

How did the mountains affect the Greek way of life?

River View: There are not large many rivers in Greece that flooded like in Egypt.

The Mediterranean Sea, the Ionian Sea and the Aegean Sea had a big effect on the Grecian economy and way of life.

•Fishermen•Sailors•Traders

Greece had rich soil for farming.They raised grapes, cotton, olives, vegetables and fruits and grains.The climate was good for farming and fishing.Food was plentiful and was easily traded for other goods with other nations.

Agora: an outdoor area with markets and public buildings. It was the center of a community.

What influences would a warm climate have on a community?

Two Early Greek CivilizationsThe Minoan civilization that arose on the island of Crete, flourished from approximately the 27th century BC to the 15th century BC.[

It was named for King Minos.

The Mycenae city-state developed on the Greek mainland and became the center of civilization in the Mediterranean in about 1400 B.C.

Fresco painting: painting on fresh plaster while it is

still wet.

Timeline:•3000 BC Minoan civilization arose on the Isle of Crete

•1600 BC Minoan civilization reached its height

•1400 BC City of Mycenae grew powerful on the mainland

The physical geography of Greece was a strong influence on Greek civilization.

Greece had only a few rivers that overflowed their banks during the

spring. Plains had good soil for

farming.

Greece was surrounded by seas on three

sides.Good for

fishing and trading.

Northern Greece was very

mountainous. There was not

much fertile soil in the

mountains, but it was good for raising sheep.

details

Main idea:

Greek City-States (Sec. 2)Myths and Legends

Myths:

Legends:

Traditional stories that may include gods and goddesses and often explain events in nature.

Stories about heroes and their great deeds.

Trojan WarFought between the people of Troy (Asia Minor) and the Greeks.

The Trojan Horse is a tale from the Trojan War about the strategy that allowed the Greeks finally to enter the city of Troy and end the conflict. The Greeks constructed a huge wooden horse, and hid a select force of soldiers inside. The Greeks pretended to sail away, and the Trojans pulled the horse into their city as a victory trophy. That night the Greek force crept out of the horse and opened the gates for the rest of the Greek army, which had sailed back under cover of night. The Greeks entered and destroyed the city of Troy, winning the war.The main ancient source for the story is the Aeneid of Virgil.

The Gods of Mt. OlympusThe Greeks believed in many gods and goddesses, who were immortal.They lived on Mt. Olympus.The myths helped explain the forces of nature.

Zeus: king of all gods

Hera: wife and sister of

Zeus

Ares: god of war

Athena: goddess of

wisdom

Apollo: god of truth, intelligence, poetry and music

Poseidon: god of the sea

Aphrodite: goddess of love and beauty

Artemis: goddess of the

hunt, the moon,

expectant mothers and their young

Hermes: god of good luck and

wealth

To honor their gods, every four years, the Greeks held games of sport and strength.

These contests were held in the city of Olympia.

Boxing, wrestling, running races and other games were held.

Athletes came from all over Greece to compete.

Our modern Olympic games are based on these original games.

Brain Pop

Word Power:

Aristos: The BEST

Demos: The PEOPLE

Democracy Begins in GreeceAristocracy is a form of government where a king or wealthy family rules.

Democracy is a form of government where the people or citizens govern.

Democracy in Ancient Greece had a different meaning than it does today. Women, slaves and workers born outside of Athens were not considered citizens!

Page 255

Rival City-States: Athens and SpartaAthens:

• Governed by all citizens over 18 years

old called the Assembly

• When it got too big, lots were chosen for 500 citizens to serve

• Citizens were expected to defend the city-state, and serve on

juries.

Sparta:• Ruled by the military

• Very strict• Boys trained from 7 yrs. old to be soldiers• Invaded other city-states , taking people

as slaves.• Only healthy infants were allowed to live.

Page 255 Brain Pop: Athens

PericlesPericles wanted to beautify Athens .

He wanted to use the money that was set aside to defend Athens .

He began the building of the Parthenon.

Page 257

The Golden Age of AthensMarathon: •A plain in Greece northeast of Athens.

•A race of about 26 miles.

•The longest Olympic race.

After the defeat of the Persian Army by the

armies of Athens and Sparta, a warrior

named Pheidippides ran from Marathon to Athens with the news

of the victory!

p.261

Socrates: tried to teach people to think by asking them questions. Each question was designed to take a person step-by-step to a final conclusion.

The Greek Philosophers

p.262

The Greek Philosophers

Plato: He did not believe that democracy was the best kind of government. He thought that a small group of wise men should run the government.

He also believed that if humans applied reason, they could create a powerful world.

He was a student of Socrates.p.262

The Greek PhilosophersAristotle: He wrote 170 books on astronomy, physics, politics, art, and other subjects.

He formed a school in Athens for the study of all subjects. The school became a model for modern universities.

He was a student of Plato. p.262

The Greeks Fight Against Each OtherAthens became the most powerful city-state.

After they defeated Persia, they formed an alliance called the Delian League. But not all city-states were happy with the alliance.

Sparta became the strongest opponent of Athens.

In 431 BC a war broke out.

p.263

The Peloponnesian War broke out.

Sparta was better at land warfare, Athens was better at fighting on the seas.

Sparta tried to cut off food supplies, but Athens was able to get supplies by ship!

Then a plague broke out and killed many Athenians, including Pericles.

The governments became unstable and in 404 BC Athens surrendered.

p.263

Timeline

490 BC Greeks defeated the much larger Persian army at Marathon.

480 BC Athens fleet destroyed Persian fleet at Salamis, ending the Persian threat.

404 BC Sparta defeated Athens in the Peloponnesian War.

Athens entered the Golden Age

Athenian artists created beautiful

statues and monuments.

Athenian philosophers

extended human

knowledge..

Greek physicians

studied the causes of illnesses.

ART PHILOSOPHY SCIENCE

ALEXANDER the GREATFacts about Alexander:

•Son of King Phillip II of Macedonia.

•He studied in Athens under Aristotle.

•Was 20 years old when he became the ruler.

•334 BC invaded the Persian empire.

•Was a strong and fearless leader.

•He conquered Syria and Phoenicia.

•332 BC he invaded Egypt and was crowned Pharaoh.p. 266

Hellenistic AgeIn 331 BC Alexander had to fight the Persians again. He defeated them again!

Alexander moved eastward and conquered other lands, including western India, Africa and Asia.

He died when he was 33 yrs. Old. He reigned for about 13 years.

He spread Greek ideas to these conquered lands and brought Asian ideas back to Greece.

This time period in Greece’s history is known as the Hellenistic Age.

AlexandriaAlexandria, Egypt, a city founded by Alexander, became the center of learning.

It had a great harbor for trading, and had the greatest library in the world at that time.

The first known lighthouse was in the harbor at Alexandria.

Discovery and Invention

Hippocrates:•Doctor•Looked for causes of diseases•Father of medicine•Stressed good health and lifestyle•Hippocratic Oath

Archimedes:•Inventor•Used pulleys to move loads•Used a screw to carry water uphill•Mathematician

Discovery and Invention

Pythagoras:•Mathematician•Theories about numbers•Theories about music

Euclid:•Mathematician•Theories about plane geometry•Still studied today

Greek Columns and CapitalsThe ancient Greeks invented three types of columns. 

   

The Doric style is the most plain.  

The Ionic design is

famous for its scrolls. 

The Corinthian style is quite fancy. 

The Corinthian style is quite fancy.