Notes on Ancient Greece
Greece Land
 Greece is a peninsula in the Mediterranean Sea.
 Greece has a hot and dry climate with many high mountains
and deep valleys. Because of this, Greece was broken into
many city-states.
 City-states (also known as a polis) were one city and all the
farms, villages and houses around it.
 Acropolis means high city. The Parthenon was built on the
Acropolis.
 There were few roads so many people walked.
Athens and Sparta
 Athens and Sparta were two famous city-states.
 Athens was known for education and learning. They had
many great artists and philosophers.
 Sparta was known had a strong army and valued physical
strength.
Citizens and Slaves
 Citizens were only males. They had the right to own
property and participate in politics.
 Slaves had no rights. They were owned and treated as
property which could be bought, sold and traded.
 You could become a slave by being born to a slave, being
kidnapped, criminals who were sentenced to slavery, being
sold into slavery or by being a prisoner captured in war.
 Women and foreigners were not citizens or slaves. They
were free but had no rights.
Government
 Athens was known for its democracy.
 Decisions were made by citizens.
 All citizens voted on how the city would be run, paying
taxes, and decisions on war.
 There were no politicians.
 Citizens served on juries.
Olympics
 The Greeks believed that being physically fit was a way of
honoring the gods.
 The Olympics ere held every four years to honor Zeus.
 The events included boxing, wrestling, discus, javelin, long
jumping, running and chariot races.
Gods and Goddesses
 Zeus was the king of the gods.
 Athens was named for the goddess Athena.
Art and Architecture
 Greeks put on plays of both comedy and tragedy. The
actors wore masks and all the actors were male.
 The Greeks were well known for poetry.
 Columns were common in most Greek architecture. The
three types were Ionic, Doric, and Corinthinian.
 The pottery had pictures of great events and often told
stories.
 Greeks also made many statues.
 The Parthenon in Athens was made from marble and was
built to honor Athena.
Greek People
 There were separate sections in the home for men and
women.
 Women stayed at home to mind the house and care for the
children.
 Men ran the family business or worked outside of the home.
 Greeks wore tunics with chiton’s over them.
 Women wore longer tunics than men.
 The Greeks ate many fruits and vegetables but little meat.
They did eat a lot of fish and sea food.
 Dinner was the largest meal of the day.