ANCIENT GREECE

Instructions

⦿Anything written in yellow (slow down and pay attention) is useful information. You should write it in your notes IN YOUR OWN WORDS.

⦿Anything in red (STOP and pay close attention) is critical information and should be copied exactly.

⦿Anything in green (go on to the next point) you do not have to write.

Ancient

Greece

is

located

in

modern

day -

GREECE

(and parts of surrounding

countries)

Greece is

made up of

land on the

Balkan

Peninsula as

well as

several

surrounding

islands.

Three quarters of the land is

covered by mountains,

leaving the soil thin and

rocky.

Climate

Winters are mild and wet.

Summers

are hot and

dry, which

leads to

drought!

⦿ The Pindus Mountains run north to south,

creating many narrow valleys with small plains.

⦿ People settled in the valleys between

mountains, which kept them from uniting.

Because Greece is very

mountainous,

cities were separated, and farming was difficult.

Athens

10 miles

Sparta

90 miles

The mountains

made trade and

travel difficult. As a result,

they did a lot

of sailing.

Economics

Agriculture

Cities relied on the farmland around them

for food supplies, cities with good trade

links could add to their local produce by

importing food. Grains (barley and wheat)

were the most important crops, along with

beans, vegetables, olives and grapes.

Terrace (step) farming was designed to

allow Greeks to grow crops on various

levels of the mountainside.

Terracing saves water and soil in

mountainous environments

Occupations

Ancient Greeks practiced many different

crafts including pottery, metalworking and

woodworking, shoemaking, weaving, tanning

(making leather).

These jobs could be carried out by free

citizens, who often have slaves to help, but

crafts were generally regarded as inferior

work and so were very

Frequently practiced by resident foreigners.

Economics

Greece does

not have the

land or climate

for farming.

Greece

couldn’t

grow

enough

food for all

of the

people, so

ECONOMICS

they had to trade to get wheat.

Eventually, they traded with

people as far away as Asia!

To meet their needs,

Greeks used

technology like terrace

farming. They also

traded and exchanged

goods and ideas!

ECONOMICS

Why didn’t I

think of that?

Greece was organized into separate

city-states; each had their own

laws, rulers, and money.

Two of the most famous city-states were

Athens & Sparta.

city-state

= polis

GOVERNMENT

One city-state, Athens,

developed a democracy;

Athens started

as a monarchy

(like most of their

neighbors!)

however,

The monarchy became an

oligarchy as wealthy

nobles gained power.

oligarchy -

a government ruled by a small

group, usually the rich and powerful

These rich

rulers treated

the poor

citizens badly

and had

stricter laws

for them than

for

themselves...

...so the poor

people began to

prefer a tyrant,

who would at

least stick up

for them (even

if he did it

selfishly to get

more power for

himself!)

tyranny -

a government with

one leader, who

does not have legal

authority to rule

Eventually tyranny

gave way to

democracy, at least for

a period of time!

GOVERNMENT

demos kratos demokratia

“people” “rule” democracy

democracy –

government in which the supreme

power is held by the people.

Using your notes and

vocabulary, complete

The Evolution of

Democracy in Athens

worksheet.

In your own words, describe each

type of government and infer the

reasons it didn’t last in Athens.

(Think about how you would want

to be ruled!)

A democracy by any other name...

direct democracy -

a form of government in which every

citizen votes for every single law!

...is still a democracy!

representative

democracy:

a form of

government in

which citizens

vote for

representative

s, who vote on

laws &

decisions!

Representative

DemocracyDirect

Democracy

✓All citizens vote

on all laws.

✓People rule

directly.

✓Best for

small groups.

✓Person is

chosen to

represent a

group.

✓Elected official

votes on laws.

✓Usually used for

large groups.

✓Citizens

can

vote.

✓Citizens

have the

power.

Comparing Democracies

Use the Venn Diagram to

predict which statements about

democracy are true for the

U.S., which are true for Ancient

Athens, and which are true for

both!

Ancient

Athens

United

States

C.

A.

B.

D.

E.

F. G.

H.

I.J.

K.

L.

M.

N.

O.

P.

Q.

R.

GO

VE

RN

ME

NT

Most city-states had

monarchies or

oligarchies, but

Athens developed a

direct democracy.

ATHENS

V.

SPARTA

Society &

Culture

SPARTAAn isolated

city-state ruled by

an oligarchy

Culturally and politically different from Athens

SPARTASpartan society was obsessed

with war.

AthensAthens was ruled by a

direct democracy.

Athenians were encouraged to

engage in activities like art,

philosophy, music.

Athens V. Sparta

⦿ ruled by direct

democracy

⦿ became wealthy from

trade and colonies

⦿ created a strong navy

⦿ created advanced

architecture, art,

drama, literature,

philosophy, science,

math, etc.

⦿ ruled by military

oligarchy

⦿ became wealthy from

work of slaves

⦿ created a strong army,

had the most feared

soldiers

⦿ created a simple,

military lifestyle

In Athens, boys were...✓announced to neighbors by hanging olive

leaves on the door.

✓educated @ 5 years old until age 14 – 18,

depending on the wealth of the family.

✓taught reading, writing, math, music,

poetry, gymnastics, sports, philosophy, and

public speaking.

✓given preference over girls and received

more food and education.

In Sparta, boys were...

✓inspected @ birth to check health and

strength.

✓moved out of their homes @ 7 years old

to train and study.

✓taught reading, writing, music, dancing,

and physical training until age 12.

✓forced to go barefoot with only 1 piece

of clothing (to make them “tougher”).

✓encouraged to steal extra food because

they were not given enough to eat.

✓beginning military training @ age 12.

In Athens, girls were...

✓announced to neighbors by hanging

sheep’s wool on the door.

✓sometimes abandoned in public places

to die or be taken as slaves.

✓not usually educated formally.

✓taught to be good wives and mothers by

learning chores such as spinning and

weaving and helping care for siblings.

✓considered to be adults @ age 13 and

may be married any time after that.

In Sparta, girls were...

✓inspected @ birth to check health and

strength.

✓educated @ age 7 at home.

✓taught reading, writing, athletics,

gymnastics, and survival skills.

✓encouraged to participate in athletic

events, like races in honor of goddesses.

✓ready to be married and become

mothers by 18 years old.

In Athens, women were...✓married at early ages sometime after they

turned 13.

✓kept at home with no participation in

politics or athletics.

✓considered to be property of their

husbands and could not own any of their

own property.

✓responsible for household chores like

spinning and weaving, even if they were

very wealthy!

✓only able to work in public if they were

selected to serve in a temple of a goddess.

In Sparta, women were...

✓assigned a husband @ age 18.

✓expected to be strong and healthy

and to have strong, healthy babies.

✓free from domestic work because

helots (like slaves) and lower class

folks did chores like spinning and

weaving.

✓free to own their own property.

✓expected to oversee and protect the

property belonging to their husbands

during times of war.

In Athens, men were...

✓trained in a military camp from age

18 – 20.

✓considered full citizens @ age 18.

✓usually engaged in a trade (farming,

arts, etc.)

✓required to participate in the

government by voting and serving on

juries as selected.

In Sparta, men were...

✓considered soldiers (and men) @ age

20.

✓forced to continue living in military

barracks until age 30.

✓free to marry and live at home after

they turned 30.

✓dedicated to the state @ age 30, so

they would be required to serve in

battle any time after.

2. Write a five sentence

paragraph explaining what your

life was like on the back of your

page.

1. Using your, chart add THREE

illustrations or props for your

character. Include captions for

each drawing.

SOCIETY & CULTURE

Athens focused on

cultural improvements.

Sparta focused on

military development.

Alexander the Great

⦿ Alexander was not

from Athens, but

Macedonia.

⦿ Alexander was a

brilliant military

strategist.

⦿ His favorite book

was Homer’s Iliad

KEY PEOPLE - PHILOSOPHERS

a. Socrates

taught thinking through questioning.

Plato

tried to create the ideal community.

Aristotle

looked for truth by testing facts.

KEY PEOPLE – Pericles:

politician responsible for the Parthenon

KEY PEOPLE – Alexander the

Great⦿Alexander the Great was

the son of King Phillip II

of Macedonia.

⦿Alexander conquered

Persia, Egypt, the Middle

East and Northern

India.

⦿He died at age

33 from malaria.

spread Greek (Hellenistic) culture to the

world!

CONTRIBUTIONS &

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

CO

NT

RIB

UT

ION

S &

AC

CO

MP

LIS

HM

EN

T

S

aqueduct: brick water pipe

terracing

olympic games

SPRINTLONG JUMP

BOXING

JAVELI

N

DISCUS

WRESTLING CHARIOT

RACE

architecture

arches &

columns

written history,

math,

theater,

medicine,

literature

Alexander conquered the

Persian empire and controlled

the largest empire the world

has ever seen.

What happens when cultures collide?

Alexander spread Hellenistic

culture throughout Asia.

⦿ Hellenistic is a

fancy word for

Greek.

⦿ Alexander spread

Greek technology

and ideas

throughout his

empire

The Roman Coliseum has a

strong Hellenistic influence.

What buildings in the USA

have a Hellenistic influence?

Lincoln Memorial

Technology results from

necessity

⦿ Since Greek coastal

cities were sandwiched

between the ocean and

the sea, they

developed an

awesome navy for

trading and fighting.

Technology results from

scarcity

⦿ All cities need fresh

water. This is a

Greek aqueduct,

basically a brick

water pipe.

⦿ The first aqueduct

was Assyrian, but

most ancient

societies had them.

Greek Inventions

⦿ The Greeks

invented dice.

The Greeks were the original

Olympiads.

Their scientists studied the best

way to

perform sports

Greek Invention

⦿ The Greeks

invented the crane.

Greek Architecture

⦿ Greeks invented

arches and

columns.

⦿ This obviously took

advanced

mathematics.

More Greek Architecture

Greek religion was polytheistic.