GREECE

Bordering countries are Albania, Macedonia, Bulgaria, Turkey

Bordering bodies of water are Mediterranean Sea, Aegean Sea, Ionian Sea, Sea of Crete

Capital is Athens

Mountains cover most of Greece, land is rocky with little fertile soil, summers are hot and dry

Winter – ¾ of rain falls, mild and wet

Summer – hot, dry, very sunny

Greece is a seafaring country because you are never far from the sea, 1/5 of Greece is islands, land is not very good for farming

A city-state is the city/town and the surrounding villages and farmland

Greek city-states were independent, small in size, quarreled among themselves

The Ancient Greeks were:

patriotic

shared a common language, religion, and culture

prized their freedom and way of life

creative thinkers

Greece became independent in 1829

What happened in Olympia, Greece in 776 BCE?

What is Greece’s capital city called?

How many letters make up the Greek alphabet?

What is Greece’s national cheese?

What is the currency used in Greece?

How many Greeks work in agriculture?

What two major geographic features shape Greece?

How many islands are apart of Greece?

What religion do ninety-eight percent of Greeks belong to?

What is a major holiday in Greece?

First Olympics

Athens

24

feta

Euro

One in five

Mountains and Seas

2000

Greek Orthodox Church ~ Christian

Easter and Christmas

Passport to Ancient Greece

GREECE’S GEOGRAPHY

1)Peloponnesus Peninsula and numerous islands in the Aegean Sea

2)They were separated from one another by rugged mountains, bays and inlets, and by being on an island3) Most Ancient Greeks were farmers

4) A Mediterranean climate – mild winters with hot, sunny summers . . . you can grow crops all year round . . . similar to southern California

5) Mainly grow grapes and olives

Grow small amounts of wheat and barley

6) Main disadvantage is that only ¼ of the land is level so they could only grow small amounts of grain crops and, therefore, they had to trade with others to get more grain

7) Main advantage is the sea – it connected all Greeks to one another and Greece to other civilizations so that they could trade and get what they needed

LOCATION

Greece is located in southern Europe between Albania and Turkey. It borders the Aegean Sea, Ionian Sea, and the Mediterranean Sea. It has a population of 10,964,020. Athens is its capital.

AREA

Greece has a total area of 131,940 sq km. That means it is slightly smaller than Alabama

CLIMATE

Greece has a Mediterranean climate with plenty of sunshine, mild temperatures and a limited amount of rainfall.

SUMMER

In summer, the dry hot days are cooled by seasonal winds called the meltemi, while mountainous regions have generally lower temperatures.

WINTER

The winters are mild in lowland areas, with a minimum amount of snow and ice, yet, mountains are usually snow-covered.

TERRAINGreece consists of a mountainous and craggy mainland jutting out into the sea. Four-fifths of Greece consist of mountains or hills, making the country one of the most mountainous in Europe. Greece has the tenth longest coastline in the world.

LAND USE

About 20% of Greece is farmable. Farmers grow olives, figs, fruit, grapes, and very little grain.

GREECE’S ORIGINS

MINOAN AGE• Minoans

• Crete ~ Knosses

• 2000 – 1400 BCE

had a system of writing, fine artwork, great sailors, traded with Mesopotamia, Egypt, and Phoenicia, master builders of palaces that were maze like with plumbing and decorated with colorful murals

MYCENAEAN AGE• Mycenaeans• Greek mainland/

Mycenae• 1400 – 1100 BCE• Built cities on top of hills,

very similar to the Minoans – sailors, trade, palaces, and writing, conquered the Minoans

MINOANS MYCENAEANS

First navy

Named after King Minos

Had minitar and bull fighting

Known for pottery cups

On Crete

Weakened by fire, earthquakes, tidal waves

Linear A – cannot read

On Greek mainland

Had walls that were 40 ft. high and 20 ft. thick

Known for bronze weapons

Linear B – can read

Tall people

Fell to outsiders

Writing for record keeping

Had palaces

Were into trade

Seafarers - sailors

DARK AGE• Dorians• Invaders from northern

Greece who came to middle and southern Greece

• 1100 – 800 BCE• Trade came to a stop,

written language disappeared, people lived in isolated villages, oral traditions kept Greek history alive, population increases

AGE of EXPANSION• 800ish – 500 BCE• Villages grow and

develop back into cities, trade comes back and increases, leaders emerge in each city, city-states {an independent, self governing city and the land around it} develop and begin to fight one and compete against one another

The Greek City-State

Ruins of the agora at Corinth, Greece. Most Greek cities had an agora, which acted as the city center, housing marketplaces, civic centers, and forums.

Map of major Greek City-States in 500 BCE

GREEK CITY-STATE

• Had over 100 city-states• Known as a polis• All Greeks belonged to one• It is the city and its surrounding countryside• Athens was the biggest• Some had walls, some had natural barriers

around them, some had nothing• All had their own culture and identity – coins,

laws, calendars

GREECE’S RELIGION

1) The gods controlled the world of nature and the human world.

2) Purpose of Myths and Legends:

celebrate the gods

explain the gods’ role in creating the world and causing natural events

to tell of the gods’ powers

3) All Greek gods were part of a family and Zeus was the supreme god.

4) Zeus – justice and weather

Poseidon – sea

Hera – marriage

Ares – war

Dionysus – wine

Apollo – light (sun), health, herding, prophecy

5) Ways the Greeks worshipped their gods:

prayed to them for things they wanted

thanked the gods with animal sacrifices

built sanctuaries where they could worship and honor the gods

religious festivals and competing in the Olympics