Ancient Greece

Joyce OrtegaPamela Garcia

Greece’s GeographyThe land of Greece looks as if the sea has smashed it

to pieces. Some pieces have drifted away to form small, rocky islands.

Greece is a country made up of peninsulas. Mountains are the major landform of Greece. Greece’s islands are mostly mountain peaks. Only about one fifth of Greece is good for growing crops.

Parthenon was created in Athens. In the center of town are two hills, the Acropolis with the monuments from the Age of Pericles, and Lycabettus with the picturesque chapel of Ai Giorgis. Sparta is known in Greek as Sparti.

Greece’s PeoplePlaywrights Philosophers Aeschylus Aristotle Aristophanes Epicurus Euripides Plato Sophocles Socrates

Historians Mythical Creatures Herodotus Antigone Thucydides Electra Xenophon Orpheus

Epic Poets SculptorsHesiod PhidiasHomer Praxiteles

Leaders MathematiciansPericles ArchimedesAlexander the Great

Greece’s LocationGreece is located in Southern Europe, its

mainland is located at the southern end of the Balkan Peninsula. Greece is surrounded on:

• The north by Bulgaria, the Republic of Macedonia and Albania.

• To the west by the Ionian Sea.• To the south by the Mediterranean Sea. • To the east by the Aegean Sea and Turkey.

Greece’s Climate The climate in Greece is predominantly Mediterranean.

However, due to the country’s unique geography, Greece has a remarkable range of micro-climates and local variations.

To the west of the Pindus mountain range, the climate is generally wetter and has some maritime features.

The east of the Pindus mountain range is generally drier and windier in summer.

The north areas of Greece have a transitional climate between the continental and the Mediterranean climate. There are mountains that have an alpine climate.

Mediterranean (dry and wet) Alpine Mediterranean Transitional-Continental-Mediterranean Temperature Abs. minimum temperature: -27.8 °C (-18.0 °F), Ptolemaida. Abs. maximum temperature: 48.0 °C (118.4 °F ), Elefsina and

Tatoi.

Greece’s ReligionReligion in Greece is dominated by the

Church of Greece, which is part of the wider Greek Orthodox Church.

It represents the majority of the population and Greek Orthodoxy is constitutionally recognized as the “prevailing religion” of Greece (making it one of the few European countries with a state religion). Other major religions include Catholicism, Hellenic Neopaganism, Judaism, Protestantism, and Islam.

The Golden Age of AthensThe years from 479 B.C. to 431 B.C. are called the

Golden Age of Athens. During the Golden Age, Athens grew rich from trade

and from silver mined by slaves in regions around the city. Athenians also made important achievements in the arts, philosophy, and literature, and democracy reached its high point. For about 30 years during the Golden Age, Pericles was the most powerful man in Athenian politics.

Pericles was a member of an aristocratic family, but he supported democracy. One of the greatest accomplishments under the rule of Pericles was the construction of the Parthenon.

Ancient Greek Religious BeliefsGreeks worshiped a family of gods and goddesses

called the Twelve Olympians. Each ruled different areas of human life and the natural world.

The Greeks took great care when honoring their gods. They wished to give thanks and to receive blessings. They also tried to avoid angering the gods. Wherever the Greeks lived, they built temples to the gods.

Because the gods had human forms, they also had many human characteristics. The main difference between gods and humans was that the gods were immortal and also had great powers. Although the Greeks worshiped all their gods, each city-state honored one of the twelve gods.

A Family of Gods

Zeus Ruler of all gods and humanity

Hera Goddess of marriage and childbirth

Apollo God of music, poetry

Artemis Goddess of hunting

Athena Goddess of wisdom and war

Ares God of war

Aphrodite Goddess of love

Hermes Messenger of the gods

Poseidon God of earthquakes and the ocean

Demeter Goddess of fertility

Greek Science and PhilosophyPhilosophers believed that people could use the

powers of the mind and reason to understand natural events. One of the first philosophers, Thales, believed that water was the basic material of the world.

Democritus, who lived in the 400s B.C., thought that everything was made of tiny particles he called atoms. More than 2,000 years later, modern science showed that he had been correct.

SocratesSocrates wanted to consider the true meaning of

qualities such as justice and courage. In 399 B.C., Socrates was brought to trial. The authorities accused him of dishonoring the gods and misleading young people. He was sentenced to death by forced suicide.

Plato and AristotleMuch of what is known about Socrates comes from

the writing of Plato, one of his students. Socrates’ death caused Plato to mistrust democracy.

Plato founded a school in Athens called the Academy, where he taught a student named Aristotle. Aristotle believed that reason should guide the pursuit of knowledge. He later founded his own school, the Lyceum.

Visual and Dramatic ArtsThe ancient Greeks devoted great attention to their

arts. The Greeks used visual arts, such as architecture and sculpture, to glorify and honor their gods. The ancient Greeks are also known as the first playwrights, or people who write plays.

The ParthenonThe temple was made of fine marble. Rows of

columns surrounded it on all four sides. Within the columns was a room that held the statue of Athena, made of wood, ivory, and gold. The statue rose 40 feet, as high as a four-story building.

DramasAthenians were the first people known to write

dramas. Some of the most famous Greek plays were tragedies. A Greek tragedy consisted of several scenes that featured the characters of the story.

Between the scenes a chorus chanted or sang poems. In most plays, the author used the chorus to give background information, comment on the events, or praise the gods.

ComediesDuring the 400s B.C. in Athens, poets wrote

comedies that made fun of well-known citizens and politicians and also made jokes about the customs of the day.

Because of the freedom in Athens, people accepted the humor and jokes. Athenian comedy is conventionally divided into three periods: Old Comedy, Middle Comedy, and New Comedy.

Slavery in Ancient GreeceSlaves did a great deal of work throughout the city-

states of Greece. Slavery was common in Athens. Historians estimate that as many as 100,000 slaves

may have lived in Athens. This would mean that almost one third of the city’s population were slaves.

Many people became enslaved when they were captured by armies during war or by pirates while traveling on ships. Slaves did not have any of the privilages taken for granted by the rest of Greek society.

Slaves could only become free if they bought their own freedom or if their master freed them.

Math and ScienceMathematics and science also flourished in Alexandria.

Around 300 B.C., a mathematician named Euclid developed the branch of mathematics called geometry.

He started with accepted mathematical laws. Then, he wrote step-by-step proofs of mathematical principles.

A scientist named Eratosthenes even calculated the distance around Earth. Eratosthenes used mathematics that were advanced for hid time. His result was very close to the correct distance as it is known today.

The equatorial circumference of the Earth is 24,901.55 miles. This is how many miles the Earth is around. But if you measure around the Earth, passing through the poles, it’s only 24,859.82 miles around.

Greek OlympicsThe Greeks invented athletic contests and held them

in honor of their gods. The Isthmos games were staged every two years at the Isthmos of Corinth.

The Pythian games took place every four years near Delphi. The most famous games held at Olympia, south-west of Greece, which took place every four years.

Greek Periods

Period

B.C.

Neolithics

6000-2900

Early Bronze

2900-2000

Minoan

2000-1400

Mycenaean

1600-1100

The Dark Ages

1100-750

Archaic

750-500

Classical

500-336

Hellenistic

336-146

Greek Temple Architecture Doric

The Doric style is rather sturdy and

its top (the capital), is plain. This style

was used in mainland Greece

and the colonies in southern Italy and

Sicily.

Ionic

The Ionic style is thinner and more elegant. Its capital is decorated with a scroll-like design (a volute). This style

was found in eastern Greece and

the islands.

Corinthian

The Corinthian style is seldom

used in the Greek world, but often seen on Roman

temples. Its capital is very elaborate

and decorated with acanthus leaves.