The Geography and Early People of Ancient Greece

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The Geography and Early People of Ancient Greece
The Geography and Early People of Ancient Greece
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The Geography of Greece

• Greece is very mountainous
• Separated the different city-states from one
  another
• Had many peninsulas
• 2 main ones
• Peloponnesus
• Balkan
• Had many different waterways
• Seas
• Straits
• Islands
• Harbors

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The Geography of Greece
Europe
Black Sea

• Dardanelles
• Strait that connects Aegean Sea to the Black Sea
• Strait- thin area of water connecting two other
  waterways

Macedonia
Asia Minor/ Anatolia
Mediterranean Sea
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Greek Geography Information
Greek Geography Information

• Greece was ¾ covered in mountains
• Left little land for regular farming
• Forced to grow/harvest other products
• Olives, grapes, seafood, etc.
• Mountains force Greeks to use seas
• Increased their sailing abilities
• Increased their necessity to trade by sea
• Travel to areas like Italy, Egypt, Phoenicia

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Effect of Geography on Greece
Effect of Geography on Greece

• Effected Greece economically
• Limited farmable (arable) land for crops
• Forces them to depend on the seas
• Also forces them to colonize other lands to farm
• Effected Greece socially
• All were Greek, but they were not unified
• Saw themselves as separate peoples
• Spartans, Athenians, Ionians, Mycenaeans
• Mountains separated each different group
• Effected Greece politically
• Each area created its own rules, govt and
  citizenship
• Government styles of the time include
• Monarchy, Tyranny, Democracy, Oligarchy

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Early People of Greece

• Indo-Europeans spread into Greece
• Mycenaeans settled around 2000BC
• Name came from city- Mycenae
• Mycenae included city of Athens
• Ruled by kings (known as a monarchy)
• Mycenaeans fight Troy in Trojan War
• Fought over Helen of Troy
• Mycenaeans win when they use the Trojan Horse
• Dorians move into area after Mycenaeans
• Far less advanced than earlier groups
• Following the Dorians, Greek broke into
  city-states

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Homer and the Illiad Odyssey
Homer and the Illiad Odyssey

• Homer famous writer of epic poems
• Thought to have been blind
• One of the most famous writers in history
• Writes the Illiad and the Odyssey
• Tells the stories of the travels of characters to
  and from the Trojan War
• Incorporates numerous gods and goddesses
• Showed the incorporation of Greek mythology into
  the daily lives of the Greek people

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Greek Religion and Mythology
Greek Religion and Mythology

• Greek religion was polytheistic and practiced by
  all Greeks
• Believed in many different gods/goddesses
• Greek mythology had 3 purposes
• Explaining natural phenomena
• Storms, thunder, lightning etc. happening in
  nature
• Explaining human qualities
• Speed, knowledge, strength, sight, etc.
• Explaining life events
• Births, deaths, marriages, etc.
• Symbols and representations of gods spread to
  Rome and can still be seen today in everyday life
• Literature, art, monuments, politics and
  architecture

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Early Cities of Greece
Early Cities of Greece

• Early Greek cities focused on two ideas
• Promoting civic participation
• Getting people involved in the decisions of the
  city
• Promoting a commercial (business) life
• Getting people to trade products and ideas
• Greek city-states known as the polis
• Polis- was a city and surrounding countryside
• Example- Washington DC and its suburbs
• Agora- city center- like a business district
• Acropolis- fortified (protected) area of city
• Not all cities had these
• Some cities built their agora in their acropolis

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Uses of areas of the Greek Polis

• The Agora
• Used for discussion and trade
• Men would meet for food, clothes, ideas
• Women were rarely seen in the agora
• The Acropolis
• Used for protection and a sign of power
• Made it easy to see oncoming attackers
• Provided a place for royalty, women and children
  to hide during times of war

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Early City-states

• Examples of agoras
• Athens agora (L)
• Destroyed agora (R)

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Modern Example of a Polis
CITY CENTER (AGORA)
Could be acropolis AND agora, doesnt have to
though
All Blue area and Agora makes up POLIS
Surrounding Land (COUNTRYSIDE)
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Processing- Find the Polis

• Locate the 2 areas that would be considered a
  polis. How can you tell?

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The Famous Athenian Acropolis

• A fortified hilltop for protection
• Walls are actually the mountain its located on
  (marble)

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Ancient Greek Society

• Early Greek society was broken into two groups
• Free people
• Adult males usually wealthy and landowners
• Considered to be citizens w/ rights and
  responsibility for civic participation in the
  city-state
• Slaves
• Not based on race/color
• Had no political rights and were the property of
  the wealthy
• Women and foreigners have no political rights
• Women rarely seen in Greek public life

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Daily Life in Greece

• Daily life very different for men, women slaves
• For Men life based around the agora
• Expected to participate in conversation of the
  city
• Expected to serve in military and be educated
• For women life based in the home
• Not expected to be educated
• Expected to stay in the home and tend to children
• For Slaves life based on doing daily chores
• Expected to run the errands of the home
• Expected to protect the family while men are away

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Forms of Government

• Many different ways to govern a city-state
• Monarchy ruling by a king or queen (usually
  king)
• 1st way most Greek city states were ruled
• Aristocracy rule by small group of wealthy land
  owners
• Usually gained power and land from a former king
• Oligarchy rule by a few powerful people
• Usually military leaders or a person with a
  strong army
• Tyranny rule by one very powerful person
• Usually came to power by appealing to the poor
  and starting a revolution against the rich