Greece

Architecture

• The Greeks developed three architectural systems, called orders

• Each with their own distinctive proportions and detailing.

• The Greek orders are: Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian.

Climate• Greece has a Mediterranean climate

• Hot and Dry summers • Cold and wet winters

• Etesians are local winds in Greece that blow from may-October

Agriculture• Agriculture in Greece is based on small-sized, family-owned

dispersed units

• Most farms are small because there are no major valleys in Greece

• Greek agriculture employs 528,000 farmers, 12% of the total labor force

• It only produces 3.6% of the national GDP

• Greece produces a wide variety of crops and livestock products

Agriculture (continued) • Wheat is Greece's main crop

• Other major crops include Corn, Grapes, & Olives

• Cotton, figs, olives, oranges, peaches, potatoes, sugar beets, tobacco and tomatoes are also grown

• Greece is one of the world's leading producers of olive oil and raisins

The Greek Orders• Doric: Doric columns stood directly on the flat pavement of a

temple without a base

• their vertical shafts were fluted with 20 parallel concave grooves

• they were topped by a smooth capital that flared from the column to meet a square abacus at the intersection with the horizontal beam

• The Parthenon has the Doric design columns.

The Greek Orders• The Ionic Order is characterized by the use of volutes(spiral,

scroll-like ornament)• The Ionic columns normally stand on a base which separates the

shaft of the column from the base

• The cap is usually enriched with egg-and-dart

• Egg-&-Dart ornamental device often carved in wood, stone, consisting of an egg-shaped object alternating with an element shaped like an arrow, anchor or dart

The Greek Orders• Corinthian is stated to be the most ornate of the

orders

• Characterized by slender fluted columns and elaborate capitals

• Decorated with acanthus leaves and scrolls

Greek Culture Greek history spans centuries. It is usually

divided into two stages, (The history of ancient Greece and The history of modern Greece)

Ancient Greek Culture: Achievements in art, literature, science and philosophy mark the history of ancient Greece.

Modern Greek Culture: Roughly half of the Greek population live in urban areas.

The people of Greece share a common language and a common religion. Most belong to the Greek Orthodox Church.

Greece is a relatively poor country.

Greek History• The history of Greece can be traced back to Stone Age hunters

• This was followed by a period of wars and invasions, known as the Dark Ages

• In the period from 500-336 BC Greece was divided into small city states

• There were only a few historians in the time of Ancient Greece

Greek “Time Periods”1. NEOLITHIC PERIOD (6000 - 2900 BC)

2. EARLY BRONZE AGE (2900 - 2000BC)

3. Minoan Age(2000 - 1400 BC )

4. Mycenaean Age (600 - 1100 BC)

5. The Dark Ages (1100 - 750 BC)

6. Archaic Period (750 - 500 BC)

7. Classical Period (500-336 BC)

8. Hellenistic Period (336-146 BC)

Government • Greece operates under a Parliamentary republic:• A Parliamentary type of republic operates under a

parliamentary system of government • Its legitimacy is derived from the executive branch of

the government• Which then is accountable to the legislature

History of Greek Cuisine

• Early records show that the Greeks cooked food, while the rest of the world ate raw foods

• Early Greek foods include: Roast Lamb with capers, wild rice with saffron, & honey cakes

• As Greek civilization spread through the Mediterranean, As did the cuisine

• They taught the Romans how to cook

• A Greek man named Hesiod wrote one of the first cookbooks

Greek Staple Foods• Greek cooks makes liberal use of lemon juice,

tomatoes, eggplant, & green peppers

• Avgolemono, is a mix of lemon juice and egg yolk, is one of the most popular Greek sauces

• They stuff tomatoes and peppers with meat and other veggies

Popular Ingredients• Lamb : Greeks use the meat of the lamb for soups, stews, filling veggies, or roast

it whole over fire

• Honey : Greek Honey is world famous

• It’s a basic sweetener in most recipes

• Olives : Olives grow in abundance in Greece

• The flavor of olive oil dominates Greek Cuisine

Recreation• The people of Greece have pretty similar recreational

activities with us• Spending time at a café•Playing sports• Spending time outdoors: Hiking, camping.• In the summer months, water sports are very popular

Geography• Mainland Greece is a mountainous land

• Almost completely surrounded by the Mediterranean Sea

• Greece has more than 1400 islands

Greek Main Dishes

A spicy Greek dish made with lamb

and feta cheese in a phyllo pastry

Kreatopita Argostoli

A yummy and low-fat Greek salad recipe

Good for You Greek Salad

Here is a great recipe for moussaka, a Greek dish. It includes sliced eggplant baked in a ground beef sauce and then smothered in a thin white sauce

Moussaka

Greek Holidays• According to Greek Law every Sunday of the year is a public holiday

• In addition, there are four obligatory, official public holidays: March 25, Easter Monday, August 15 and December 25

• March 25th has two reasons for the Holiday ; Annunciation & Independence

Day

• Annunciation is when the Incarnation of Logos was announced to the Virgin Mary

Traditional Meals• Tiropites - Phyllo Cheese Triangles

• Horta Vrasta - Boiled Leafy Greens

• Chicken Soup Avgolemono