The good Odysseus gladly spread his sail: seated, he steered.
Seventeen days he sailed across the sea; on the eighteenth he saw
that hed drawn close to shadowed peaks: he now was near the coast
of [an] island; in the mist that land took on the likeness of a
shield. About 2,700 years ago Greeks first began listening to the
exciting tales, like the one above, of a poet named Homer. Homers
stories about Odysseus helped the ancient Greeks imagine a distant
age much different from their own. They also expressed the strong
connection the people of ancient Greece felt with the sea.
Slide 3
Around 1500 BC, along the northeastern shores of the
Mediterranean sea, the civilization of Ancient Greece was growing.
It had been developing for more than 1,000 years. Unlike many
ancient civilizations, ancient Greece did NOT have a silt filled
river that flowed through it, instead it was located in a rocky
landscape surrounded by the sea. The Big Picture
Slide 4
Greece is made up of the southern part of Europe, along with
over 400 islands. The largest of the islands is Crete. To the east
of Crete is Rhodes, an island near present day Turkey. Rhodes is
the perfect rest stop between Greece and Asia. 9 out of every 10
acres are mountains and hills. Western Greece is the most
mountainous. It is difficult to travel and there is very little
farmable land. Wild plants live on the hillsides, which provide
herds of goats and sheep with food. Mountains and Sea
Slide 5
The eastern coast of Greece provides large plains that are
suitable for farming. The plain of Attica is a wedge shaped
peninsula that goes into the Mediterranean Sea. It contains
excellent natural harbors for ships. Peloponnesus is southwest of
Attica. It looks like a giant hand reaching towards Crete. It
contains several rivers, which dry up in the summer time.
Peninsula: an area of land nearly surrounded by water. Harbor:
sheltered place along a coast. Land Along the Coast
Slide 6
Early Economy in Greece
Slide 7
Summers in Greece are hot and dry. Fields can become parched in
the summer but soaked with rain in the winter. The winters are wet
and fiercely windy. Agriculture in Ancient Greece
Slide 8
Farmers grew wheat and barley to make bread, and olives and
grapes. Both grew well in the rocky and hilly areas. Timing was
important to the Greek farmers. Take careful note of the time when
you hear the voice of the crane uttering high in the clouds her
yearly trumpeting cry [in the fall]. She announces the signal for
plowing and points to the time of water and rain. Hesiod Hesiod
warned the farmers that if they waited for winter to plow the land,
they would only gather a small handful of grain in the spring.
Agriculture in Ancient Greece
Slide 9
Sailing was an important part of life in Greece. Sailors would
travel all over to trade. Phoenicia (today Lebanon) was Greeks
competitor in trading. Phoenician sailors were just as skilled as
the Greeks and traveled to ports all along the Mediterranean. Olive
oil was one of the most prized Greek exports. The sale of this
allowed Greeks to buy much-needed grain for their markets at home.
People used the olive oil for food, lamp fuel, and body lotion.
Crossing the Seas
Slide 10
Unlike the Nile or Huang River valleys, Greece has land that is
hilly and rocky, making farming difficult in most areas. Ancient
Greeks used the Mediterranean Sea as a highway to trade for goods
they could not produce themselves. Olive oil- a product of a crop
that grows very well in Greeces rocky soil became valuable to trade
for grain. Main Ideas