Greek Civilization

I. Greece’s Geography

1. Mountainous land in the Mediterranean Sea

2. 2 peninsulas

a. Attica – triangular-shaped peninsula with harbors

b. Peloponnesus – mountains and seas divide it

A. Farming1. Covered with mountains and rocky soil

a. made farming difficult

b. Solution – grew crops that grew well in the harsh environment

i. olives = staple crop in Greek life

2. Farmers raised

a. sheep

b. goats

3. Food was scarce.

a. relied on seas to survive

B. The Greek Economy1. Occupations (jobs)

a. farmers

b. sailors

c. shipbuilders

d. traders

i. bought grain from surrounding areas

ii. Traveled as far as Egypt and Spain

II. Trading Civilization

A. The Minoans

1. Lived on the island of Crete

2. controlled trade in the eastern Mediterranean Sea

3. Tsunami may have allowed Mycenaeans to take over

B. The Mycenaeans1. Came from central Asia

2. Captured Greek mainland and established kingdoms

3. Kingdoms were centered around a palace on a hill.

a. centers of trade and peace

b. provided protection during war

4. Conquered by the Dorians

a. made iron weapons; Mycenaeans only had bronze weapons

C. The Phoenicians1. present-day Lebanon

2. Looked to sea (survival)

a. sailed across the Mediterranean as traders

i. traded goods

1. cloth

2. metals

3. glass objects

4. purple dye (royalty)

b. established colonies

D. A Phoenician Invention

1. Spread culture and ideas

2. Greatest invention = alphabet

a. basis for the alphabet used today

b. The Greeks adapted it, and made reading and writing easier

c. able to record history and stories

III. Greek Religion and Culture1. Practiced polytheism

a. 12 main gods and goddesses

i. lived on Mount Olympus (Greece’s highest mountain)

ii. Played role in daily lives

iii. Controlled natural disasters

1. storms

2. earthquakes

iv. Festivals to honor them

1. Olympic Games

A. Philosophy1. Philosophers studied history, political science, science, and mathematics

2. Teachers

a. Socrates

i. Led discussions on how to live

ii. Questioned Athens’s laws, customs, and even religion

iii. Put on trial for “urging Athens’ young people to revolt”

iv. Sentenced to death

3. Plato was Socrates student, and became Aristotle’s teacher.

B. Greek Drama and Epics1. Plays

a. outdoor theaters

b. Actors wore masks, which represented the feelings of the characters.

i. still a symbol of acting and theater today

c. Comedy – ends happily

d. Tragedy – main character dies or is defeated

2. Poems described Greek history.

3. Famous poet = Homer (not Homer Simpson)

a. wrote 2 epic (long) poems

i. Iliad – described war between Greeks and Trojans

ii. Odyssey – described adventures of Odysseus (soldier in Trojan war)

Alexander’s Empire

I. The Growth of City States

1. Polis – city-state at the heart of the region

2. Built around an acropolis – walled hill where people could seek safety from attack (religious center too)

3. Agora – market and meeting area in the city-state

A. Governing City-States

1. city-state ruled by onea. monarchy – ruled by a kingb. tyrant – power taken by force

2. city-state ruled by groupsa. oligarchy – government of the

wealthy and powerfulb. democracy – all citizens participated

i. only menii. United States

II. Empires in the Mediterranean1. 2 most powerful city-states in Greece

a. Athens

b. Sparta

Sparta vs. Athens

Sparta

• Government – kings

• Education – • Boys – soldiers

• Girls – mothers of soldiers

• Women – had some rights

Athens

• Government - Democracy – men were citizens

• Education – • Wealthy boys – school

• Poor boys – trade school

• Girls – at home

• Women – few to no rights / rarely seen in public

A. War with Persia

1. Persians

a. present-day Iran

b. conquered land in Asia Minor (present-day Turkey)

c. Darius attacked Greece and failed.

d. enemies with Greece

B. The Peloponnesian War

1. Athens – rich and powerful2. Sparta became jealous3. 431 B.C. – Peloponnesian War began

a. Athenians hidb. plague broke out in Athens

i. disease or event that causes suffering for many people

ii. killed a 1/3 of the cityiii. Pericles died

4. Athens surrendered in 404 B.C.

III. A New Power

1. Macedon – country north of Greece

2. Used cavalry (horseback)

a. more effective than fighting on foot

3. Alexander the Great succeeded his father Philip.

A. Alexander the Great

1. Trained to be a general2. Conquered Egypt, Asia Minor, and Persia3. Age 32 – ruler of the largest empire in the world

a. Babylon was the capital.4. Died at age 32

a. began the Hellenistic erai. means “like the Greeks”ii. Greek language, culture, and

customs influenced the Mediterranean world for the next 700 years.