Section 1
The Rise of Greek Civilization
Chapter 6
The Rise of Ancient Greece
The Parthenon in Athens
Objectives
 Understand
how Greece’s
geographic setting influenced the
development of Greek Civilization.
 Examine
 Examine
early Greek history.
the development of
democracy in Greece.
Temple of Didyma
Key Terms
 peninsula
an area of land nearly
surrounded by water
 epic
- a long poem that tells a story
 acropolis
- a high, rocky hill where
early people built cities
 city-state
a city with its own
traditions, government, and laws;
both a city and a separate
independent state.
 aristocrat
a member of a rich
and powerful family
 tyrant
a ruler who takes power
with the support of the middle
and working classes
 democracy
- a form of
government in which citizens
govern themselves
Where is Greece?
Greece’s Geographic Setting
 Greece
is a country made up of
peninsulas.
No part of Greece is far from the
sea.
 Mountains
are the major land forms of
Greece.
About 1/5th of Greece is good for
growing crops.
Greeks became traders and sailors.
 Some
of them lived on actual
islands almost totally surrounded
by water.
Others lived on land islands
where mountains separated
these small communities from
each other.
The geography in Greece made
it difficult for people from
different communities to get
together.
 Each
Greek community thought of
themselves as their own separate
country with their own customs
and beliefs.
They
were ready to go to war
with each other to protect
themselves.
Reading Check
What do we mean when we say the
ancient Greeks were all islanders?
Some Greeks lived on actual islands.
Others lived on land islands, or
peninsulas, that were surrounded by
water on all sides but the one that
connected it to the land.
These peninsulas gave the
people the same feeling of being
surrounded by water as the
islands did.
Greek Beginnings
Minoan Civilization
Greek Beginnings – Minoan
Civilization
 Earned
trade
power through
 Discovery
Crete
Streaming:
Greek Beginnings
Minoan Civilization
 The
Bronze Age from about 3000
to about 1100 B.C. is when they
lived on Crete.
 Crete
is located in the Aegean and
Mediterranean Seas which allowed
for trade with mainland Greece,
other Greek islands, Egypt and
Sicily.
 Archeological
finds show that the
Minoans had developed a vibrant
culture which found writings on
clay tablets.
A
palace in Knossos was covered
with fanciful wall paintings and
statues of goddesses.
 The
middle of 1400 B.C. it is
believed the Mycenaeans invaded
Crete.
The Mycenaeans
 Mainland
Greece – home
of Mycenaean
culture
 Height of power
around 1400 BC
 Earned power
through
conquest
The Trojan War
A
Greek myth tells of the Greeks
conquering Troy by using a Trojan
Horse.
They
hid inside of a huge
wooden horse and when the
Trojans brought it into their
city the Greeks climbed out
and defeated the Trojans.
 The
Iliad and the Odyssey are two
epic poems believed to be written by
Homer which tells about the Greek
gods and their heroes.
 Most
historians agree that the Trojan
War did not happen exactly as
Homer described it.
 Troy
was destroyed by a large fire in
the mid-1200 B.C.
Reading Check Page 171
 Contrast
how Minoans and
Mycenaeans spread their power.
Minoans
gained their power
through trade,
while Mycenaeans gained it
through conquest.
The Dark Ages of Greece
 Poverty
was everywhere; people no
longer traded for food and other goods.
 They
had to depend on what they
raised by themselves and forgot the
art of writing.
 These
years, from the early 1100s B.C.
to about 750 B.C., have been called
Greece’s Dark Ages.
 Old
traditions were remembered only
in the myths that were told and retold.
 Families
gradually began to resettle
in places where they could grow
crops and raise animals.
 They
built structures to protect them
from attack on fortified hills called an
acropolis.
 Eventually,
 It
they began writing again.
was during this period that Homer
is believed to have composed his
epic about the Trojan War.
Reading Check
What happened during Greece’s Dark Ages?
The people who remained in Greece during
the Dark Ages became more isolated and
poor and concentrated on survival.
Writing was lost and traditions and history
were passed down only by word of mouth.
Many people relocated to be able to farm
and eventually began to create villages
from farms.
Democracy in Greece
City-States Develop
 Around
750 B.C. city-states
started to develop; they included a
city, surrounding villages, and
farms.
 Each
one grew into its own
independent state.
Athens – Capital of Greece
Aristocracy: Nobles Rule
 Eventually,
after the Dark Ages,
they were ruled by aristocrats,
from rich and powerful families,
who owned most of the good lands
and could afford horses, chariots,
and the best weapons.
A New Type of Ruler
 As
the middle class of merchants
and artisans developed, they
wanted more say in the
government.
 They
were able to afford weapons
and started to grow in strength.
 Due
to these changes, aristocratic
governments were often
overthrown and replaced with
tyrants supported by the middle
and working classes.
 Today,
we think of tyrants as
being cruel and violent, but most
Greek tyrants were wise and just.
Athenian Acropolis
Reading Check
 What
kind of ruler often replaced
aristocratic governments?
Tyrants
often replaced
aristocratic governments.
 Discovery
Streaming Video: The
Democracy of Athens
City-States Develop
 Around
form
750 BC, city-states began to
– City-state: an independent state made
up of several villages grouped together
– There were hundreds of Greek citystates
 Respond:
What are the advantages
and disadvantages of having many
smaller independent states, as
opposed to one large central
Democracy in Greece
 Some
city-states adopted
a new form of
government
Democracy:
government where
citizens govern
themselves
 Athens
was the best example of a
city-state democracy
Solon
– Athenian leader whose
laws reformed economy and
government of Athens
Freed
anyone who was
enslaved for having debts
and cancelled debts
Allowed
any male citizen of
Athens aged 18 or older to
debate laws
 Restrictions
–Only 1 in 5 Athenians was a
citizen (had to have Athenian
mother and father)
–Women and non-citizen men did
not take part in democracy
 Discovery
Streaming Video: The
Democracy of Athens
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=
Xtn-BZH_xU0
Reading Check
 Why
did some Athenians benefit
more from democracy than others?
Democracy
did not apply to
enslaved people, women, and
foreigners.