Greece

• • Its is a peninsula, land that has water on 3 sides. Greece also has thousands of islands
• • The southern tip forms another peninsula called the Peloponnesus
• • A narrow strip of land called an isthmus links the Peloponnesus to the rest of Greece
• • Mountains cover 70-80% of Greece
• • Greece has no large rivers
• • Has mild rainy winters and hot dry summers
• • They grew grains on open plains and olive trees grew on the edge of the plains
• • Greeks planted grapevines on lower slopes of hills
• • Sheep and goats grazed on land too rocky or infertile to grow crops
• • Greece had a long coastline, most places in Greece are less than 100 miles from the coast
• • Many other cities were built directly on harbors
• • The largest was the Mediterranean sea to the south
• • The Ionian and Aegean seas were branches of the Mediterranean. Ionian - west of Greece. Aegean - East of Greece
• • Great sailors and shipbuilders
• • Built rowing ships for fighting and sailing ships for trading
• • They did not produce much grain, but some regions produced surplus olive, oil, wine, wool, and fine pottery
• • They traded these items around the Black/Mediterranean see, including Egypt and Italy 
• First greeks

  • In the island of Crete lies Southeast of the greek mainland
  • Mioans were NOT GREEKS but their civilization was the first to arise in the region that later became 
  • The Minoan civilization developed from the local Neolithic culture around 3100 BC
• End of Minoans

   The Minoan civilization suddenly collapsed. Some historians believe undersea earthquakes caused giant waves
• Myceneans

  • were originally from central Asia
  • THey invaded the Greek mainland around 1900 BC and conquered the people living there 
  • The Mycenean leaders became the first Greek kings. 
  • Their warriors became novels who ruled the people they had conquered 
• What the Muceneans got from the Minoans

  • They copied the way of the Minoans. They worked with bronze and built ships

  learned how the Minoans used the sun and stars to find their way to sea

  Myceneans even started worshiping the Earth mother, the Minoan's chief goddess
• Dark Ages

  • Year 1100 BC and 750 BC were hard for the Greeks
  • Overseas slowed, and poverty took boldly
  • Farmers only grew enough for their family’s needs
  • They stopped teaching others how to write and do craftwork
• Phoenicians

  • After the downfall of the Myceneans and lack of written records
  • The greeks thrived again based on what they learned from other people such as the Phoenicians
  • Another important trading people, lived on the coast of the Eastern Mediterranean
• What the Greeks got from the Phoenicians

  • They invented the world’s first written alphabet
  • The greeks picked up the Phoenician alphabet and changed some letters to suit their language
  • The greek alphabet later evolved into our own alphabet of 26 letters
• Polis

  • Those in greeze were made up of a town or city known as a polis, was like a tiny independent country
  • The main gathering place in the polis was an acropolis
  • Temples and altars were built there to honor the many greek gods and goddesses
  • Polis is usually translaated as ‘city-state’ as a polis was generally an independent state, with its own laws, customs, political system, military force, and currency
• Greek citizenship

  • Each greek city-state was run by its citizen
  • The greeks were the first people to develop the idea of citizenship
  • However, in most Greek city-states, only free native-born men who owned land could be citizens
  • Citizens could vote, earn property, and protect themselves, during trials.
• Who ruled them?

  • Kings ruled the first Greek communities
  • However, by the end of the Dark Ages, the nobles and farmers would get into disagreements because of limited land
  • Tryant is someone who takes power by force and rules with TOTAL POWER
  • Tyrants manage to overthrow the nobles because they have the backing of the common people
• Tyranny didn't last long

  • Tyrants made themselves popular by building new marketplaces, temples, and walls
  • The Greeks didn't enjoy this rule by one person for a long period
  • This was the opposite of what Greeks wanted where all citizens were involved in the government decision
• Autocratic (Tyranny) - rule by ONE

  Oligarchic - rule by FEW

  Democratic - rule by ALL
• Sparta

  • Built a strong military
  • Every male Spartan had to join the military
• Location

  Peloponessus peninsula
• Government

  Ruled by 2 kings and an Oligarchy
• Basic rule

  Always put the city's needs above your own
• Spartans


  • Valued discipline and strength
  • From age 7, all children were trained to fight
  • Even girls received some military training
• Spartan conquest

  1. Conquered the lands around their city

  2. Turned conquered people into helots (slaves)
• Helots

  Slaves in charge of the framework so Spartans could focus on warfare
• Athens

  • Spartans did as they were told while Athens loved their freedom
  • Athenians placed a heavy emphasis on arts, architecture, and literature
  • In their democracy, Athenians had duties, they had to obey the laws, serve in the military, help run the city, pay taxes, and serve on juries
  • Athenians believed that producing good citizens was the main purpose of education
• What Athens were taught

  • Coaches taught sports such as wrestling and gymnastics to strengthen students muscles, boys also studied music
  • They learned to sing and play the lyre
  • Girls grew up helping their mothers around the house
• Notable Athens

  • Solon made important laws such as slaves may be granted freedom and no citizen can be turned into a slave
  • Cleisthenes - the father of Athenian democracy, created a constitution.
•  Was Athens truly a democracy?”

  • Athens had a limited democracy.  It did not include all of the people who lived in the city-state.
  • Only free adult males were citizens who could take part in the government