The Ancient Greeks
EQ 1: How did the geography
of ancient Greece affect the
development of the Greek
civilization?
Key Terms: Mediterranean
Sea, polis, mythology,
Olympics
Geographic Features—
The Sea
Made up of islands &
peninsulas surrounded by
Mediterranean, Black, &
Ionian Seas
Effects economy relied
on sea travel and trade;
early cities less than 50
miles from coast
Geographic Features—
The Mountains
Divided the people; long
travel time by land
Effect nearly impossible
to unite under one
country
Effect development of
the polis—city-state,
city that operates as an
independent nation
Geographic Features—
The Climate
Moderate temperatures,
rainfall only in the
winter
Effects public
discussions held outside,
leading to
democracy=Rule by the
People
Early Settlers—
1. Minoans
c.2000 B.C. – 1400 B.C.
SignificanceSettled
island of Crete; named
after mythical king
Minos
Wealthy, advanced
civilization w/ beautiful
homes and indoor
plumbing; disappeared w/o
explanation
Early Settlers—
2. Mycenaeans
c.2000 B.C. – 1200 B.C.
Strong military, wellfortified city
Significance believed to
have fought Trojan War
SignificanceGreek poet
Homer wrote epics—the
Iliad and The Odyssey,
describing the Trojan
War
Epic—Poem describing the
adventures and deeds of
a hero
Mythology—stories of
the Greek gods; had very
human-like
characteristics
Arête—perfection,
excellence
Greek Mythology
http://streaming.factsonfile.com/Portal
ViewVideo.aspx?xtid=32802&psid=0
&sid=0&State=&title=Zeus:%20King%
20of%20the%20Gods&IsSearch=Y&p
arentSeriesID=&loid=77934#
Early Settlers—
3. Dorians
c.1150 B.C. – 750 B.C.
Little known about them
Artifacts show less
advanced tools, pottery
Significance b/c writing
disappeared, brought Dark
Ages of Greece
Significance were the first
to record Olympic games,
competitions honoring
Athletic Heroes
EQ 2: What contributions
were made by Sparta &
Athens?
Key Terms: Code of
Lycurgus, philosophy,
Socrates, Plato, Aristotle,
Parthenon, Pythagoras,
Hippocrates, Archimedes,
drama, tragedy, comedy
Sparta—Perfection in
Body
Spartans focused on
strength, discipline
Government was considered
an oligarchy—govt. is
controlled by a small group
of people
slave rebellion caused
adoption of strict policy of
military buildup
Code of Lycurgus—named
after legendary king who
gave Sparta first laws, then
starved himself during
famine to save food
Spartan Males
All babies examined by city
elders at birth, weak ones
were abandoned
Age 7, boys sent to live with
army, begin training; little
food, clothing, were
encouraged to steal
Age 20, allowed to marry
but had to live with army
until 30; remained on
active duty until age 60
Spartan Boot Camp
http://www.history.com/videos/spartan
-boot-camp-killing-machines#spartanboot-camp-killing-machines
Spartan Females
Girls encouraged to live
active lives; not allowed
to marry until 19;
resulted in healthier
babies
Worked in fields and
home
people less educated,
advanced
Modern word Spartan—
extremely disciplined,
focusing on the most
basic of necessities
Battle of Thermopylae
http://www.history.com/videos/spartan
-boot-camp-killing-machines#laststand-of-the300-the-kill-zone
Athens—Perfection in
Mind
Athens focused on
intellectual and artistic
pursuits
Philosophy philo-love,
sophis-wisdom
Socrates, 470 B.C.
Taught students, not facts
but how to think & reason
using questions
399 B.C. arrested, charged
with corrupting Athens’
youth & neglecting the
gods; found guilty, forced
to drink hemlock poison
Plato, a student of
Socrates
Est. Academy (aka School
of Athens), lasted 900
years
Wrote The Republic,
describing perfect govt.
run by philosopher-king
Aristotle, a student of
Plato for 20 yrs.
Developed syllogisms,
statements of reasoning
Stated earth was center
of universe
Science
Pythagoras
Hippocrates
Archimedes
Art
Parthenon—temple atop
the Acropolis, mountain
overlooking Athens
Designed imperfectly so
that perspective would
cause stairs and
columns to appear
perfect
Winged Victory
Drama
Comedy—story with
happy ending
Tragedy—story where
someone attempts to
avoid fate with
disastrous results (Oedipus
Rex)
E.Q. 3: How did Alexander
help spread Greek culture
over the world?
Key Terms: Hellenistic
Background
Son of king of Macedon,
Philip
Taught to be warrior by
his father, how to think,
reason, strategize by
Aristotle
Philip assassinated at
dAughter’s wedding (by
own wife?)
Alexander became king, 336
B.C. at age 20
Conquest
Felt he was descendant of
Achilles, kept copy of The
Iliad
First united Greek city-states,
then went after Persia
Outnumbered on several
occasions, victorious every
time
Conquered most of known
world
Cultural Diffusion
Est. hundreds of cities like
Greek ones
Most important was
Alexandria, Egypt
Saw Persian culture had
something to offer,
combined best of both
Married daughter of Persian
king, encouraged soldiers to
intermarry
Wore Persian clothing
Hellenistic—combination of,
Egyptian, Persian, Indian and
Greek (east and west) culture
Alexandria, Egypt became
center of Hellenistic culture
Death & Legacy
Contracted malaria, died
of fever 323 B.C. at age 33
Empire fell apart, three
generals took over three
parts & ruled
B/c of conquest, Greek
culture survived &
impacted the world