Pump-Up
• What do you think is Greece most remembered for?
Greece & Democracy
• Homer
Today’s Vocabulary
– Oral poet who told the stories of The Iliad and The Odyssey.
• Athens
– The political, commercial, and cultural center of Greek
civilization.
• Sparta
– The military power of Greece.
• Persian War
– Greek nationalism surged after this victory.
Greek Geography
• The Sea
– Promoted trade with other
countries
• The Land
– Mountains covered most of
Greece
• Small, independent communities
– City-states
• Made travel hard
• Wasn’t good for farming
Mycenaean Civilization
• Trojan War
– 10 year war against Troy
– Led by Odysseus
• Trojan horse
– Huge wooden horse left
outside the gates of Troy
– At night, Greeks jumped out
and killed those in Troy
Oral Records
• After the Trojan War, Mycenaean
civilization collapsed
– No written record exist for 400
years
– Learned about their history through
the spoken word (oral stories)
• Homer
– Great story teller from which we get
the epics of The Iliad and The
Odyssey
• Myths
– Traditional stories about the gods
Homer’s The Odyssey
Blown off course by gusty winds, Odysseus’ ship
finally landed on the island of the Cyclops. Nearly
starving and dying of thirst, Odysseus and his men
saw with great relief the flocks of sheep and goats
that grazed on the land. Now, at last, the sailors
could eat, drink and rest before setting off again for
Ithaka.
Odysseus took 12 men with him to explore the island,
leaving the rest to guard the ship. Odysseus soon
discovered a cave filled with cheese and milk. As he
and his men rejoiced over their discovery, the
owner of the cave walked in.
The sight of the giant Cyclops silenced them. He was a
one-eyed giant with the strength of many men.
When he and his flocks were safely in the cave, he
rolled a boulder in front of its entrance. Odysseus
and his men were trapped.
“Greetings,” said Odysseus. “In the name of Zeus, I
have come to ask for your hospitality. My men and I
are hungry and thirsty.”
“No,” roared the giant. “I am Polyphemus, the
Cyclops. What do I care about the name of Zeus?”
Suddenly reaching out a massive hand, he grabbed
2 sailors and ate them.
Odysseus and his companions watched fearfully as
the giant fell asleep.
The next day, Polyphemus ate 4 more sailors.
Odysseus had a plan for escape, and it was now
time to act. He emptied his wine flask into a bowl
and offered it to the giant. The Cyclops drake it
happily.
“Tell me your name,” he roared. “You, who offer me
this delicious potion. What do others call you?”
“I am Noman,” replied Odysseus, offering the giant
more wine.
When the giant fell asleep, Odysseus directed his men
to sharpen one end of a wooden beam that help up
the cave’s ceiling. They charred one end of the
beam in the fire. Suddenly they dashed at
Polyphemus, puncturing his eye.
When the other Cyclops on the island heard
Polyphemus’s shouts of pin, they came to the
entrance of his cave and asked him what was
wrong.
“Noman has hurt me,” Polyphemus cried, so the other
Cyclops shrugged and left.
Then Polyphemus rolled the stone away from the
cave’s entrance. He began to feel around the floor
of his cave, hoping to catch the men in his giant
hand as they rushed to escape. But Odysseus
directed his men to tie themselves to the underside
of the giant’s sheep, so all Polyphemus felt was his
flock heading out to the pasture.
When Odysseus and his men were safely on their ship
again, Odysseus called back to the Cyclops.
“Cyclops, you should know that it was Odysseus
who punished you for refusing to show hospitality
as the gods demand.”
The giant roared a reply. “And you should know that
my father is Poseidon, who will curse your seaward
journey and keep you from your home as long as
the gods will permit.”
The Cyclops’s curse was heard by Poseidon. And
Odysseus’ return trip from Troy lasted 10 years, as
long as the war itself.
Types of Greek Gov’t
• Monarchy
– State ruled by a king
– Rule is hereditary
• Aristocracy
– State ruled by nobility
– Rule is hereditary and based on family ties,
social rank, wealth
• Oligarchy
– State ruled by a small group of citizens
– Rule is based on wealth or ability
• Democracy
– State ruled by all citizens
– Rule is based on citizenship
– Majority decides vote
Activity
• I will assign you to represent one of the four
Greek gov’ts.
• Look over what your type of gov’t, what it
believes in, who its ruled by, etc.
• Now, solve this dispute based on your gov’ts beliefs.
– There is a wealthy nobleman named Phil and his poor
neighbor named Eric.
– Eric claims the nobleman wants to take part of his land
to increase his own estate.
– Phil says his expenses have increased and he needs
additional land.
• Come up with a solution to this problem while
considering the following:
– Who in each group has the power to make a decision
and what is the basis of that power?
– Which side in the dispute are they likely to favor and
why?
Athens
• The political, commercial,
and cultural center of Greek
civilization.
– Promoted art and learning
• Democracy
– Gov’t in which all people
participate.
• Women were not given the
same opportunities as men.
Sparta
• The military leader of Greece
– Valued strength and discipline
over freedom and individuality.
• Men were expected to serve
in the army from the age of 7
to 60.
• Girls also received physical
training and taught to put
Sparta above everything else.
Persian War
• Greeks defeated Persians at
Battle of Marathon
– 6,000 Persians die vs 200
Athenians
• Thermopylae
– 300 Spartans fight and
sacrifice their lives to save
Greece.
• Xerxes was defeated at
Salamis when his warships
were sunk.
• Greek nationalism surged
– Love/pride for your country
Reflection
• How did Greece influence American politics?
Honors Homework
• After reading more about the Greek city-states of
Sparta and Athens, you will decided which city-state
you would rather live in and explain why. Think
about the different social roles in each city-state
and decide which city-state would best suit your
lifestyle.
– Example: What if you were a teenage citizen girl, a
teenage citizen boy, a slave, a soldier, or a very wealthy
citizen; in which city-state would you rather live? Why?
• Write a one page letter to a friend living in another
ancient civilization and explain your lifestyle and
why your glad to either live in Athens or Sparta.