The document provides background information on early Greece and its city-states. It describes the geography of Greece, including its location on the Balkan Peninsula with a coastline along the Aegean Sea. The mountains made farming difficult so the Greeks relied on fishing, sailing, and trade. This geography also led to the development of separate city-states rather than a large kingdom. Each city-state had its own government, laws, and identity. Democracy first developed in Athens, where only landowning men could vote. The document also summarizes aspects of religion, mythology, and daily life in ancient Greece.

1. The birthplace of Western Civilization

2. Geography
 The southern part of the
Balkan Peninsula
 Aegean Sea
 Coastline= natural
harbors
 Mountains make the
land very hard to farm>
Therefore, they are
fishers, sailors, and
traders
 Geography led Greeks to
find colonies

3. Geography
 Mountains & Valleys
 Kept villages apart
 Instead of a large
kingdom/empire they
formed separate citystates
 People felt loyalty
towards their city-state
instead of Greece
(I’m not Greek, I’m an
Athenian)

4. Climate
 Very mild climate
 Spent much time
outdoors
 They attended public
events & conducted
government outside

5. Early Greece
Minoans- 2500 BCE
 Crete (island southern Greece)
 Palace in Knossos ! Amazeing.
 Named after King Minos
 Walls covered in colorful
Frescoes: paintings
Minoans curled their
hair and wore gold
belts around their
waists
 Poor soil on Crete- Trade for




food
Wrote in Linear B
Bull Jumping! (religion)
No evidence of fighting
1620 BCE Volcano causes tidal
waves that weaken the city!
Labyrinth= maze

6. Early Greece
Mycenaens
 Migrated from Europe/Asia
 Intermarried with the locals
 controlled mainland Greece
 Adopted Minoan culture
( through trade)
 Writing (Lin.B) and some
religious beliefs
 They were ruled by powerful
warrior kings
 Built fort-like cities on the
Peloponnesus (hand-shaped)
 1100BCE earthquakes weakened>
then warfare

7. Early Greece
Dorians
 They eventually move back
 Entered through the North
 300 years
 Known as the Greek “Dark
Ages!”
 Overseas trade stops,
poverty, skills diminish,
people move to Ionia
and bring culture with them
 New civilization emerged
with early Greek elements
called Hellenic!
 After the original settlers of
mainland Greece

8. Polis=Greek City-State
 Represented the
center of Greek
identity
 Citizens were intensely
loyal to their polis
 Fight and die for it!
 Greece was a civilization,
not an empire.

9. The Greek City-States…
How were the city-states
different?
 Each had its own…
 Government
 Laws
 Calendar
 Money
 Weights/ measures
How were they the same?
 They shared …
 The Greek language
 Religious ideas
 Festivals

10.  Each city-state consisted of the city and the land
around it.
 Free, adult males had citizenship rights
 Each polis was built around an acropolis, a
fortified hill with a temple on it.
 Near the acropolis was the agora, public square!
 Markets
 Political Center

11. We have decisions to make…
 IF, I was to bring in a small snack for the class, which
type of snack would you like me to bring in???
A. Candy
1.
2.
3.
Chocolate
Something Sweet
Something Sour
B. Cookies
1.
2.
Chocolate Chip
Sugar

12. Government
The first type of government in Ancient Greece was a
Monarchy
1.
 ….landowners who had money for armies and weapons gained
power
These wealthy nobles (Aristocrats) take power from
chiefs/ kings and control Greek society and an Oligarchy
is formed.
2.
•
3.
Oligarchy= rule by few
Tyrants have the support of the people and take power
illegally.
 In some cases, the tyrant became unjust. Tyrant become
known as ruling cruelly and with absolute power .

13.  Some city-states overthrew their tyrants.
4. Democracy  1st in Athens! People take part in
the government.
 Only men who owned land could vote
 No women or non-citizens

14. Religion
 Polytheism
 Looks to explain
To explain these Greeks
 Nature
used Myths (Greek
 Human emotions
Mythology)
 To bring benefits
 Afterlife: souls go to the underworld with Hades
 Main gods lived on Mount Olympus
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyT3A4vi6cw
 Oracles: The way in which gods to speak to humans.
 People would travel to hear messages and predictions

15. Homer
 Homer: blind poet c. 700 BCE
 Wrote two epics
 Iliad and the Odyssey
 Iliad: Trojan War/Trojan horse: Trojan Prince take Mycenaean
King’s wife
 Odyssey: Mycenaean King Odysseus is on the way home from
war to see his wife Penelope. It takes him 10 years to return.
During that time he faces many adventures and interferences
from the gods. Is gets home and is reunited with Penelope!.





Shipwrecks- Poseidon
One-eyed giant- Cyclops
Sea-monsters
Trip to the underworld-Hades
Temptations by sea nymphs
You’ll read this in
English! Yay! 
 Schools in Ancient Greece used this epics to teach Hellenic
(Greek) values!

16. Daily life in Athens
Army
 Phalanx- rows of soldiers using their shields to form a wall
Economy= Trade
 Imports: goods being brought in
 Export: goods being sent out
 Colonies- supplied city-state with wheat and barley
 Terrace Farming: cutting flat layers into hills for
farming
 Main crops: Olives (olive oil), Grapes (wine)
Education- Young boys were taught grammar, music, gov’t,
math, ethics, rhetoric