Active Reading Note-Taking Guide
Chapter 4 The Ancient Greeks
Chapter 4, Section 1
The Early Greeks
(Pages 116–123)
Main Idea
Setting a Purpose for Reading
Think about these questions
as you read:
• How did early Greek
kingdoms develop?
• What ideas developed in
Greek city-states?
p. 65
Geography of Greece
• Mainland Greece is a
mountainous peninsula – a
body of land surrounded by
water.*
• The Aegean Sea, the Ionian
Sea, and the Sea of Crete
• Ancient Greeks made a living
from the sea. They became
fishers, traders, and sailors.
Chapter 4, Section 1
The Early Greeks: The Geography of Greece
(Page 117))
Terms to Know
Peninsula: a body of land with
water on three sides
Academic Vocabulary
community: a group of people
living in the same place
p. 66
Chapter 4, Section 1
The Early Greeks: The Minoans
(Pages 118)
The Minoans
• Were not Greek , but they were
the first civilization in the
region that became Greece.
• They made their wealth from
trade*
• Around 1450 BC, the Minoan
civilization collapsed.
Minoans
Palace of Knossos
The First Greek Kingdoms
• The Mycenaeans invaded the Greek mainland
around 1900 BC and conquered the people
living there.*
• The center of each Mycenaean kingdoms was a
fortified palace on a hill.**
• They traded with the Minoans and replaced
them as the major power on the Mediterranean
in 1400 BC.
• They were even greater warriors, and their most
famous victory is the Trojan War.
• King Agamemnon used trickery to win that
war.
The Trojan Horse
Chapter 4, Section 1
The Early Greeks: The First Greek Kingdoms
(Pages 119-120)
People To Meet
Agamemnon: Mycenaean king who
won the Trojan War.
Places To Locate
Mycenae: the city in which a walled palace
was discovered by Heinrich Schliemann;
Peloponnesus: peninsula in southwest
Greece
p. 69
Dark Age of the Early
Greek Kingdoms
• Mycenaean civilizations collapsed by 1100
BC. Earthquakes and fighting among the
kingdoms had destroyed their hilltop forts.
• 1100 B.C. – 750 B.C. was a difficult time for
the Greek kingdoms.**
• It was not all bad though – a population shift
occurred that helped expand the Greek
culture.
• Dorians also invaded, bringing iron weapons
and farm tools that were stronger.***
A Move to Colonize
• The population rose quickly as
Greece recovered from its Dark
Ages.*
• Cities began sending people outside
of Greece to start colonies – a colony
is a settlement in a new territory that
keeps close ties to its homeland.**
• Colonies traded regularly with their
parent cities – shipping them grains,
metals, fish, timber, and enslaved
people.
• In return, the colonists received
pottery, wine, & olive oil from the
mainland.
Chapter 4, Section 1
The Early Greeks: A Move to Colonize
(Page 121)
Sum It Up
How did the new Greek colonies affect
industry?
The growth of trade between colonies
and parent cities led to a growth in
industry.
p. 71
Chapter 4, Section 1
The Early Greeks: A Move to Colonize
(Page 121)
Previewing
Skip
Terms To Know
polis: Greek city-state;
agora: open area in a polis that served as a
market and a place to meet and debate
Academic Vocabulary
vary: to show change;
debate: to argue or discus
p. 71
The Polis
• *By the end of the Dark Age,
many nobles who owned large
estates had overthrown the
kings.**
• Each city-state was known as a
polis and was like a small,
independent country.***
• Below the acropolis was as an
open area called the agora,
which was used for a market
area and a place to meet for a
debate.
What was Greek citizenship?
• Citizens are members of a
political community who treat
each other as equals and who
have rights & responsibilities.*
• Athens dropped the land
owning requirement, but slaves
& foreign-born residents were
still excluded.
• Citizens could choose officials &
pass laws. They had the right to
vote, hold office, own property,
& defend themselves in court.**
Chapter 4, Section 1
The Early Greeks
(Pages 116–123)
As you read pages 122–123 in your textbook, complete this
diagram by filling in details about the polis.
made up of a
town or city and
the surrounding
countryside;
created by
nobles
Polis
like a tiny
independent
country
p.65
Main gathering
place was the
acropolis
The Acropolis
Chapter 4, Section 1
The Early Greeks: The First Greek Kingdoms
(Pages 119-120)
Outlining
I. What were the Mycenaean
Kingdoms like?
A. The center was a protected palace
on a hill surrounded by farms.
B. Artisans, workers, and government
officials all worked in the palaces.
p. 68
Chapter 4, Section 1
The Early Greeks: The First Greek Kingdoms
(Pages 119-120)
Outlining
II. Power From trade and War
A. Mycenaeans learned from the
Minoan culture.
B. The Mycenaeans replaced the
Minoans as the major power in the
Mediterranean.
p. 68
Chapter 4, Section 1
The Early Greeks: The First Greek Kingdoms
(Pages 119-120)
Outlining
III. What Was the Dark Age?
A. The Mycenaean civilization
collapsed by 110 B.C., and the Dark Age
began.
B. The Dorians invaded Greece,
bringing more advanced technology,
resulting in farming, trade, and a new
p. 68
alphabet.
Chapter 4, Section 1
The Early Greeks: The Polis
(Pages 122-123)
Determining The Main Idea
Skip
Terms To Know
colony: group that settles in a distant land
Academic Vocabulary
culture: traits, beliefs, and behaviors
shared by a group of people
overseas: located across the sea
p. 70
Section 2 – Athens and Sparta
Chapter 4, Section 2
Sparta and Athens
(Pages 124–130)
Main Idea
Setting a Purpose for Reading Think
about these questions as you read:
Why did Spartans conquer and control
groups of people?
How were the people of Athens
different from the people of Sparta?
p. 73
Compare & Contrast
Sparta and Athens
Both
Sparta
Athens
Chapter 4, Section 2
Sparta and Athens (Pages 124–130)
Reading Strategy
As you read pages 125–130 in your textbook, complete this graphic organizer
comparing and contrasting life in Sparta and Athens.
conquered and enslaved
neighbors; controlling
government; trained
boys and men for
war; girls were trained played key roles in
defending Greece
in sports; oligarchy;
discouraged foreign
visitors and travel;
frowned upon study;
fell behind in trade
set up colonies; valued
education for boys;
girls learned
household duties;
reforms lead to
democratic ideas;
allowed male citizens
to vote; included a
council and assembly
p. 73
Chapter 4, Section 2
Sparta and Athens: Tyranny in the City-States
(Pages 125–126)
Summarizing
Small farmers
merchants
1. ______________,
______________,
and
artisans
_____________
all wanted a part in Greek
government. Their unhappiness led to the
tyrants
rise of ______________,
men who took power
by force. These tyrants took power away from
nobles
the ______________.
citizens
2. Most Greeks wanted all ______________
to be
a part of the government. So most city-states
became either ______________
or
oligarchies
democracies
______________.
p. 74
Chapter 4, Section 2
Sparta and Athens: Tyranny in the City-States
(Pages 125–126)
Academic Vocabulary
Structure: the way parts are put
together to form a whole
participate: to take part in
something
p. 74
Chapter 4, Section 2
Sparta and Athens: Tyranny in the City-States
(Pages 125–126)
Terms To Know
Tyrant: someone who takes power by
force
Oligarchy: government in which a small
group of people holds power
Democracy: government in which all
citizens share in running the
government
p. 74
Chapter 4, Section 2
Sparta and Athens: Tyranny in the City-States
(Pages 125–126)
Sum It Up
Why were tyrants so popular in the
city-states?
Small farmers, merchants, and artisans
wanted change. The tyrants could
overthrow the nobles with the backing of
the common people. They built new
marketplaces, temples, and walls.
p. 75
Chapter 4, Section 2
Sparta and Athens: Sparta
(Pages 126–127)
Terms To Review
Oligarchy( Ch.4): In an oligarchy, the
government is run by just a few people
Sum It Up
Why did the Spartans stress military training?
Spartans wanted to conquer their neighbors
and control the large helot population.
p. 75-76
Chapter 4, Section 2
Sparta and Athens: Sparta
(Pages 126–127)
p. 75-76
Sparta
• Sparta’s government was
an oligarchy. Two kings
headed a council of elders,
who presented laws to an
assembly. All Spartan men
over the age of 30 belonged
to an assembly. They voted
on council’s laws and chose
five people to be ephors
each year. Ephors enforced
the laws and managed tax
collection.
• Spartans focused more
on military training
than government or
other education for their
people, so they fell
behind in Science and
other subjects, but their
soldiers were far
stronger and swifter
than many in the area.
Athens
Athens
• Unlike Spartans,
Athenians were more
interested in building a
democracy than
building a military force.
Athenian teachers
taught boys to read,
write, and do arithmetic.
Another teacher taught
them sports. A third
teacher taught them to
sing and to play a
stringed instrument
called the lyre.
• This encouraged a
well-rounded
society, where boys
became citizens at
age 18 and finished
school. Girls stayed
at home and learned
spinning, weaving,
and other household
duties. It was only in
wealthy families that
girls learned to read,
write and play the
lyre.
Chapter 4, Section 2
Sparta and Athens: Athens
(Pages 128–130)
Connecting
Skip
*People To Meet
Solon: a noble, trusted by both farmers and
nobles, who canceled farmers debts and
freed enslaved people
Peisistratus: a tyrant who seized power in 560
B.C.; he provided for the poor
Cleisthenes: the most important leader of
Athens following Peisistratus; he gave the
people more power in government
p. 76
Athens
• Early Athens was ruled by landowning
nobles during the 600s BC.
• Around 600 BC, the Athenians began
to rebel against the nobles.*
• To help with the situation, nobles
turned to the one man both sides
trusted: a noble named Solon.**
• A tyrant named Peisistratus seized
power in 560 B.C.***
• The most important leader after
Peisistratus died was Cleisthenes****
Chapter 4, Section 2
Sparta and Athens: Athens
(Pages 126–127)
Academic Vocabulary
nonetheless: however
process: a series of actions leading to
an end result
Terms To Review
democracy( Ch.4): In an democracy, many
people can vote and have a vote in their
government
p. 77
Chapter 4, Section 2
Sparta and Athens: Sparta
(Pages 126–127)
Sum It Up
How did Cleisthenes build a democracy in
Athens?
He reorganized the assembly to play the
central role in governing and created a new
council to help the assembly carry out daily
business.
p. 77
Chapter 4, Section 2
Sparta and Athens
(Pages 124–130)
Section Wrap Up
Why did Spartans conquer and control
groups of people?
The Spartans needed more land to
grow, so they conquered and enslaved
their neighbors. They used military
force to keep the people they had
conquered from rebelling.
p. 77
Chapter 4, Section 2
Sparta and Athens
(Pages 124–130)
Section Wrap Up
How were the people of Athens
different from the people of Sparta?
The Athenians valued learning as well as
sport. Boys were educated. Girls learned
household duties. Athenians also allowed
citizens a voice in government.
p. 77
Chapter 4, Section 2
Sparta and Athens: Guided Reading 4-2
(Pages 124–130)
I.
II.
Tyrants
oligarchies; democracies
A. Few
B. citizens
III. Sparta
A. Helots
1. seven
2. sports
B. Government
1. Kings; elders
1.
2.
2.
28; 60
assembly
30
1.
2.
Voted
ephors
IV. Democracy
A. Solon; debts
B. Peistratus
C. Cleisthenes
1. Assembly
2. 500
Chapter 4, Section 3
Persia Attacks The Greeks
(Pages 131–137)
Main Idea
Setting a Purpose for Reading Think
about these questions as you read:
• How did the Persian Empire bring together
such a wide area?
• What role did Athens and Sparta play in
defeating the Persians?
p. 78
Chapter 4, Section 3
Persia Attacks The Greeks
(Pages 131–137)
Reading Strategy
Ruler
Accomplishment
Cyrus
united Persians into powerful kingdom;
captured Babylon; treated all subjects well
Darius
reorganized government to make it
work better; divided the empire into
states; defeated the Persians in the Battle
of Marathon
launched invasion of Greece to avenge his
father
p. 78
Xerxes
Cyrus the
Great
• Liberator of the
Jews
• P. 132
Darius
• Which would be more
beneficial: having paid
soldiers or copying the
Greek method of
citizens fighting?
Xerxes
• Darius’ son who vowed revenge on the
Greeks for defeating them at the Battle of
Marathon.
Chapter 4, Section 3
Persia Attacks The Greeks: The Persian Empire
(Pages 132–133)
Outlining
I. The Rise of the Persian Empire
A. Cyrus’s armies conquered many lands
to build an empire.
B. Other leaders added territory and
built miles of roads to connect their
holdings.
p. 79
Chapter 4, Section 3
Persia Attacks The Greeks: The Persian Empire
(Pages 132–133)
Outlining
II. What Was Persian Government Like?
A. Darius reorganized the government
to make it work better.
B. The government paid full-time
soldiers to protect the king’s power.
p. 79
Chapter 4, Section 3
Persia Attacks The Greeks: The Persian Empire
(Pages 132–133)
Outlining
III. The Persian Religion
A. The Persian religion was called
Zoroastrianism.
B. Zoroaster believed in one god and
taught that humans had the freedom
to choose between good and evil.
p. 79
Chapter 4, Section 3
Persia Attacks The Greeks: The Persian Empire
(Pages 132–133)
Terms To Know
Satrapies: states that formed the empire.
Satrap: an official that ran a Satrapy
Zoroastrianism: the religion of Persia
People To Meet
Cyrus the Great: leader who united the
Persians into the largest empire in the world
p. 79
Chapter 4, Section 3
Persia Attacks The Greeks: The Persian Empire
(Pages 132–133)
Academic Vocabulary
vision: mystical experience of seeing the
supernatural
dominate: to control or rule by superior power
Terms To Review
Nomads (Ch. 1): Hunters and gatherers were
nomads because they had to move from
place to place to find food.
Empire (Ch. 1): Persia conquered many lands
to build its great empire.
p. 80
Chapter 4, Section 3
Persia Attacks The Greeks: The Persian Empire
(Pages 132–133)
Sum It Up
Why did Darius create
Satrapies?
The empire was very big and
difficult to manage.
Dividing it into smaller
states made the government
work better.
p. 80
Chapter 4, Section 3
Persia Attacks The Greeks: The Persian Wars
(Pages 134–137)
Sequencing
5 Greek army crushed the Persian army at Plataea
1. ____
2 Persian fleet landed 20,000 soldiers on the plain
2. ____
of Marathon
1 Athenian army helped the Greeks in Asia Minor
3. ____
rebel against Persian rulers
4 Xerxes launches invasion of Greece
4. ____
6 Alexander invades the Persian Empire
5. ____
3 Darius dies
6. ____
p. 81
Chapter 4, Section 3
Persia Attacks The Greeks: The Persian Wars
(Pages 134–137)
Places To Locate
Marathon: plain where the Persian army was
defeated by the Greeks;
Thermopylae: a narrow pass through the
mountains where the Greeks fought bravely
against the Persia.
Salamis: a narrow strip of water where the
Greeks destroyed almost the entire Persian
fleet.
Platea: location of the battle where the Greeks
crushed the Persian army, convincing the
Persians to retreat.
p. 81
Chapter 4, Section 3
Persia Attacks The Greeks: The Persian Wars
(Pages 134–137)
People To Meet
Xerxes: son of Darius who vowed revenge
against the Athenians and launched a new
invasion of Greece
Themistocles: Athenian general
Academic Vocabulary
Internal: located inside
p. 81-82
Chapter 4, Section 3
Persia Attacks The Greeks: The Persian Wars
(Pages 134–137)
p. 81-82
Chapter 4, Section 3
Persia Attacks The Greeks: The Persian Wars
(Pages 134–137)
Sum It Up
What led to the Persian Wars?
Greeks setting up colonies in the
Mediterranean area often clashed with the
Persians. In 499 B.C., the Athenian army
helped the Greeks in Asia Minor rebel
against their Persian rulers. King Darius
decided that the mainland Greeks had to be
stopped from interfering in the Persian
Empire.
p. 82
Chapter 4, Section 3
Persia Attacks The Greeks
(Pages 131–137)
Section Wrap Up
How did the Persian Empire bring together
such a wide area?
Cyrus united the Persians into a powerful
kingdom and sent armies to take over
Mesopotamia, Asia Minor, Syria, Canaan,
and the Phoenician cities. Cyrus’s merciful
rule helped hold the empire together
p. 82
Chapter 4, Section 3
Persia Attacks The Greeks
(Pages 131–137)
Section Wrap Up
What role did Athens and Sparta play in
defeating the Persians?
The Athenians defeated the Persians at the
Battle of Marathon. Then the Athenians
and Spartans united to defeat the Persians
when Xerxes launched an invasion. Sparta
sent the most soldiers. Athens provided the
navy.
p. 82
Chapter 4, Section 4
The Age of Pericles (Pages 138–146)
Main Idea
Setting a Purpose for Reading Think about
these questions as you read:
• How did Athens change under the rule of
Pericles?
• What happened when Sparta and Athens
went to war for control of Greece?
p. 83
Chapter 4, Section 4
The Age of Pericles (Pages 138–146)
Reading
Strategy
As you read pages 139–144 in
your textbook, create a circle
graph showing how many
citizens, foreigners, and
enslaved people lived in
Athens in the 400s B.C.
Citizens
150,000
Foreigners
35,000
Enslaved
People
100,000
p. 83
Chapter 4, Section 4
The Age of Pericles: The Athenian Empire
(Pages 139–140)
RAP: copy these Terms to Know
Direct democracy: system of government in which
people vote firsthand to decide government matters
and make laws and policies
Representative democracy: system of government
in which people elect a smaller group of people to
make laws and decisions on their behalf
• Philosophers: people who pursue wisdom
Chapter 4, Section 4
The Age of Pericles: The Athenian Empire
(Pages 139–140)
Places To Locate
Delos: island serving as headquarters to the Delian
League
People To Meet
Pericles: leading figure in Athenian politics after the
Persian Wars
Academic Vocabulary
behalf: in the interest of
achieve: to carry out with success
p. 84-85
The Athenian Empire
• Athens and other city states (except
Sparta) joined together to form the
Delian League and join forces against
the threat of the Persian Empire.
• Athens was primarily in control of
the Delian League.
Democracy in Athens
• Athenians had a direct
democracy, where people
gather at mass meetings to
decide on government matters.
• In the United States, we have a
representative democracy,
where citizens choose a smaller
group to make laws and
governmental decisions on
their behalf.
Athenian Democracy
• Direct democracy worked for
Athenians because they were
pretty small compared to the
U.S.
• Only about 6,000 men were
involved and ten of them were
in charge of carrying out the
laws and policies.
Compare governments on p. 140
• Refer to the chart on p. 138 to compare
and contrast the governments of Athens
and Sparta. Then, raise your hand to
answer the questions you find at the
bottom of the chart.
The Achievement of Pericles
• Pericles was one of Athens greatest
generals. He helped manage the Delian
League, made Athens more democratic,
and supported the arts and culture.
• The Age of Pericles was a time of much
rebuilding and focus on creativity.
• Pericles supported artists, architects,
writers, and philosophers.
Summary
Section Wrap Up
How did Athens change under the rule of
Pericles?
.
Summary answer
How did Athens change under the rule of
Pericles?
• Athens dominated the Delian League. The
government became more democratic.
Culture blossomed. Artists, architects,
writers, and philosophers were supported
Daily Life in Athens
Daily Life in Athens
• Athens was the largest city
state with almost 300,000
residents.
Fill in this circle graph to show the
different groups who lived in Athens
Chapter 4, Section 4
The Age of Pericles (Pages 138–146)
Reading
Strategy
Citizens
150,000
Foreigners
35,000
Enslaved
People
100,000
p. 83
What Drove Athenian
Economy?
• Most Athenians were farmers
but could not grow enough to
support their people, so they
had to trade.
• Athens was the trading center
of the Greek world.
Roles of Men and Women
• Men usually worked in the
morning and exercised or
attended assembly meetings in
the evening.
• Women were more involved
with household duties, but
some poor women also had to
help work in the fields or sell
goods in the agora.
Roles of Men and Women
• Upper class women got to stay home,
supervised servants, and made
clothing. They were only allowed to
leave the house if a male was with
them.
• Wealthy Athenian women could not
attend school, but still knew how to
read and play music.
• Women were not considered to be
equal to men.
Role of Men and Women
• Aspasia was a unique woman.
She was well educated and
taught public speaking.
• Plato and Pericles credit her
with shaping their ideas and
helping them make their
decisions.
Chapter 4, Section 4
RAP: Answer the following
question
How did Athenian men and women
spend their time?
p. 85
Chapter 4, Section 4
The Age of Pericles: The Athenian Empire
(Pages 139–140)
How did Athenian men and women spend their
time?
Men worked in the morning, then exercised or
attended meetings of the assembly. Upper
class men enjoyed all-male gatherings in the
evenings. Women took care of household
duties and rarely went out. They could leave
the house only with a male relative. Women
had no political rights. Poor women might
also work.
p. 85
The Peloponnesian War
• Sparta and other city states became
suspicious of Athens as they grew more
powerful, so they joined forces to take
them down.
• Sparta and Athens had such different
societies that they didn’t trust or
understand each other, and Sparta
viewed Athens actions as Athenian
aggression.
Map p. 144 – The Peloponnesian War
The Peloponnesian War
• War finally broke out and
crushed any thought of
cooperation among the citystates.
• The war between Athens and
Sparta was called the
Peloponnesian War.
Pericles’ Funeral Oration
• Pericles spoke at a funeral to
honor those who had died in
battle.
• His Funeral Oration reminded
Athenians of their civic duty.
• Athenian citizens agreed to
pay taxes, defend the city, and
also earned the right to vote
and run for office.
Why was Athens defeated?
• Pericles believed Athenians should move
inside the city and let the walls protect them.
• The plague killed 1/3 of the population,
including Pericles.
• Sparta joined forces with Persia, so they
could have enough money to build a navy.
• Sparta defeated Athens by land and sea and
tore apart the Athenian Empire.
Why Was Athens defeated?
•
-
Results of the Peloponnesian War include:
Greek city states were weakened
Many deaths and farms destroyed
High unemployment
Greek city states warred against one
another
- Distracted them from seeing their
Macedonian neighbors power growing
Chapter 4, Section 4
The Age of Pericles: The Athenian Empire
(Pages 139–140)
Sum It Up
What is the difference between a direct
democracy and a representative
democracy?
In a direct democracy, individuals have
a direct voice in their government. In a
representative democracy, individuals
elect people to make decisions on their
behalf.
p. 85
Chapter 4, Section 4
The Age of Pericles: The Peloponnesian War
(pages 144–146)
Sum It Up
What effects did the Peloponnesian War have
on Greece?
The Spartans tore down the Athenian empire in
their victory. The long war weakened all the
major Greek city-states. Many were dead and
left without farms or jobs, and the Greeks
could no longer unite to fight together.
p. 88
Chapter 4, Section 4
The Age of Pericles (Pages 138–146)
Section Wrap Up
What happened when Sparta and Athens went
to war for control of Greece?
Ultimately, all of Greece was weakened by the
long war. The Spartans surrounded Athens
for more than 25 years. Many died, lost farms,
and lost jobs. Ultimately the victors, the
Spartans destroyed the Athenian empire. But
the city-states rebelled against Spartan
control.
p. 88