Ancient Greece

Geography of Greece • located in southern eastern Europe • on more than 400 neighboring islands

Geography of Greece

• Crete-The largest of the islands that make up of Greece

• Rhodes- An island near what is today Turkey

• Attica- a peninsula that sticks out into the Aegean Sea.

• Crete-The largest of the islands that make up of Greece

• Rhodes- An island near what is today Turkey

• Attica- a peninsula that sticks out into the Aegean Sea.

PeninsulaAn area of land

almost entirely surrounded by

water

Attica

• A peninsula in east-central Greece on the Aegean Sea on which Athens was built.

• Contained excellent harbors for ships and fishing boats

• A harbor is a sheltered place along a coast used to protect boats and ships

Peloponnesus• The southern tip of the Greek mainland

• A large peninsula

• Mountainous region ringed by a thin band of fertile land

Economy of Ancient Greece

• Barley & Wheat were grown to make bread

• Grapes and olives were easy to grow in rocky and hilly areas

• Sailing was popular way to trade

Olive Oil

• Most valuable Greek product was olive oil

• Good for cooking

• Good for flavoring food

• Used for lamp fuel

• Used for body lotion

• Greeks sold the Olive Oil to get other goods that they could not produce

Impact of Geography

• Protection• Easy to trade• Solid fishing industry• Specialized crops-

grapes, olives, etc.• Excellent for sailing

• Difficult for agriculture• Tough to travel

across land• Inconsistent climate• Very spread out• Few rivers

Role of bodies of water

• Main source of food through fishing industry

• Most important routes for trade and travel will be the seas

• Military will depend on sailing the seas to expand the Greek empire

• Communication

Your task

• You are a farmer in ancient Greece.

• Write a letter to your brother or sister who has moved to a Greek city.

• Explain the problems you have faced in raising this year’s crop.

***Use your social studies text book & your notes as a reference source for information