ANCIENT GREECE
I. GEOGRAPHY
Describe the geography of Greece.

Mountainous terrain

Over 1000 islands
II. THE MINOANS – The first Greek civilization
Where were they located? Island of Crete
What famous palace was discovered by archaeologists? Knossos
What happened to the Minoans? Earthquake
III. THE MYCENAEANS – The second Greek civilization
What was their main occupation? Sea Traders
What parts of Greece did they conquer? Crete and mainland Greece
What caused them to fight in the Trojan War against Troy?

Myth – To win back Helen, princess of Mycenae, who had been
kidnapped by the Trojans.

Disputes over trade routes (the straits that led to the Black Sea)
How did the Mycenaeans defeat Troy? Trojan Horse
What happened to the Mycenaeans? Earthquake? Invasion? Volcano?
IV. THE DORIANS – The third Greek civilization
Why do we know so little about them? They forgot how to read and write
Who was Homer? A blind poet who told us much about the values of the Greeks
What was the Iliad about? Achilles helps the Mycenaeans defeat Troy before
dying
What was the Odyssey about? Odysseus journeys home after the war and
encounters many obstacles along the way
How do we know these stories if everyone was illiterate? They were passed
down orally
V. CITY-STATES OF ANCIENT GREECE
Why did Greece form city-states? Mountains separated the cities, making it
difficult to unite
The acropolis is the high-city where you would find temples to the gods
What is the polis? The walled part of the city-state where you would find homes
and markets
VI. ATHENS
Where did Athens get its name? From the goddess Athena
What temple was dedicated to her? The Parthenon
Rule by one person is called a monarchy
If a person takes power illegally, this is called tyranny
Rule by a small group of wealthy landowners is called aristocracy
Rule by a small group of people (not necessarily wealthy) is called oligarchy
Rule by the people is called democracy
Who were the citizens of Athens? Free males over 30 years old
VII. ATHENS v. UNITED STATES
1. One way in which Athens’ democracy was different from ours is that Athens
had a direct democracy where all citizens could meet in the Assembly and vote
on laws.
The United States has a representative democracy where we elect officials to
make decisions for us.
2. Another way in which they are different is that Athens’ democracy was more
limited than ours.
Who couldn’t vote in Athens? Slaves, women, men under 30, and many
immigrants
VIII. ATHENIAN SOCIETY
What was the main occupation of the people of Athens? Traders and sailors
Give a few examples of subjects that males were taught? drama, public speaking
(rhetoric), government, art, reading, writing, math, military training
What is rhetoric? The art of speaking and writing skillfully
Why was education so important to Athenians? To train their men to make good
decisions when they eventually become citizens and participate in the direct
democracy
Did females receive an education? Not for a long time
IX. SPARTA
What was the main occupation of the Spartans? Soldiers
At what age would Spartan boys begin military training? 7
Why were Spartan women expected to exercise? Produce healthy children
Why was the military so important to Sparta?

To maintain control of the helots (slaves)

To learn the complex phalanx system in which the soldiers fought
together in 8x8 groupings
What form of government did Sparta have? oligarchy
X. PERSIAN WARS
Athens first defeated the Persians at the Battle of Marathon
Sparta showed its power when 300 soldiers helped to hold off a Persian invasion
at the Battle of Thermopylae
Why were they trying to delay the Persians? So that Athens could build a navy
Athens eventually destroyed the Persian fleet at the Battle of Salamis
Why was this war considered to be the turning point in Western Civilization?
If the Greeks had lost, democracy would have been eradicated
XI. PELOPONNESIAN WAR
Athens formed an alliance to protect city-states against further attacks, it was
called the Delian League
Sparta formed its own alliance called the Peloponnesian League
Both sides fought and, in the end, Sparta’s side won.
However, everyone was so weakened that all the city-states were taken over by
Alexander the Great
XII. ALEXANDER THE GREAT
He conquered land all the way to India and never was defeated.
After his death his empire was split up and was later conquered by the Romans
His greatest contribution was the creation of Hellenistic culture.
Alexander blended all the cultures of the lands he conquered.
XIII. FAMOUS GREEKS AND THEIR ACHIEVEMENTS
Socrates – Philosopher.
Taught people to question in order to seek truth
Why was he sentenced to death? For corrupting the youth of Athens
Name 2 other philosophers Plato and Aristotle
Pythagoras – Calculated the sides of a right triangle
Ptolemy – Believed that the earth was the center of the universe.
Drama – Greeks created both comedy and tragedy