The Ancient 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.

(pages 119–120)

• 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.

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.

The Early Greeks

(pages 119–120)

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.

The Early Greeks

(pages 119–120)

A Move to Colonize

• After the Dark Age, Greek people began to set up colonies in other countries.

(page 121)

• 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.

The Early Greeks

The Polis

• A polis, or city-state, was like an independent country.

(pages 122–123)

• City-states varied in size and population.

• An acropolis, located at the top of a hill, was the main gathering place of the city-state.

• An agora, or open area, served as a market and as a place for people to meet and debate issues.

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, native-born, land-owning men could be citizens.

• Citizens could vote, hold office, own property, and defend themselves in court.

The Early Greeks

(pages 122–123)

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.

The Early Greeks

(pages 122–123)

Discuss the following statement:

“The geography of Greece influenced where people settled and what they did.”

The Early Greeks

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.

• Nobles, who owned large farms, seized power from the Greek kings.

(pages 125–126)

Sparta and Athens

Tyranny in the City-States (cont.)

• 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.

• Unhappy farmers demanded changes in the power structure of the city-states.

Sparta and Athens

(pages 125–126)

Tyranny in the City-States (cont.)

• 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.

• Tyrants maintained their popularity by building marketplaces, temples, and walls.

Sparta and Athens

(pages 125–126)

Tyranny in the City-States (cont.)

• Sparta was an oligarchy; Athens was a democracy.

• A democracy is a form of government in which all citizens share power.

Sparta and Athens

(pages 125–126)

Sparta

• To keep the helots from rebelling, the Spartans created a strong military of boys and men.

• To obtain more land, Spartans conquered and enslaved their neighbors, calling them helots.

(pages 126–127)

• Boys entered the military at age seven.

• At age 20, men entered the regular army and lived in the barracks for 10 years.

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.

Sparta and Athens

(pages 126–127)

Sparta (cont.)

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

Sparta and Athens

(pages 126–127)

Athens

• Boys in Athens attended school to learn reading, writing, and arithmetic.

(pages 128–130)

• 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.

Sparta and Athens

Section 1: The Early GreeksFocusing on the Main Ideas

• Colonies and trade spread Greek culture and spurred industry.

• The idea of citizenship developed in Greek city-states.

The Ancient Greeks

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