Common Core Standard: Reading Informational Texts R.I.8.2, Key Ideas and Details. Determine a central idea of a text and analyze its
development over the course of the text, including its relationship to supporting ideas; provide an objective summary of the text.
Section 1: Geography
Essential Question:
What factors shaped
government in Greece?
and the Early Greeks
The Big Idea:
Greece’s geography and its nearness to the
sea strongly influenced the development of
trade and the growth of city-states.
If you were there…You live on the rocky coast on a bright blue sea.
Across from the water you see dozens of islands and points of land jutting
into the sea. Rugged mountains rise steeply behind your village. It is hard to
travel across the mountains in order to visit other villages or towns. Near your
home is a sheltered cove where its easy to anchor a boat.
What could you do to make a living here?
Common Core Standard: Reading Informational Texts R.I.8.2, Key Ideas and Details. Determine a central idea of a text and analyze its
development over the course of the text, including its relationship to supporting ideas; provide an objective summary of the text.
Main Ideas
 Geography helped shape early Greek civilization.
 Trading cultures develop in the Minoan and
Mycenaean civilizations.
 The Greeks created city-states for protection and
security.
Common Core Standard: Reading Informational Texts R.I.8.2, Key Ideas and Details. Determine a central idea of a text and analyze its
development over the course of the text, including its relationship to supporting ideas; provide an objective summary of the text.
Greece Physical Map
What bodies of water surround Greece?
Common Core Standard: Reading Informational Texts R.I.8.2, Key Ideas and Details. Determine a central idea of a text and analyze its
development over the course of the text, including its relationship to supporting ideas; provide an objective summary of the text.
Geography Shapes and Greek Up Civilization
The Greeks lived on rocky, mountainous land surrounded by water. The
mainland of Greece is a peninsula, and the area of land that is surrounded by
three sides of water.
Mountains and Settlements
Because of the mountains farming was very difficult. Travel across the mountains was
also very difficult. People in ancient Greece created their own governments in the
mountains. They spoke the same language.
Sea and Ships
Because travel was very difficult in ancient Greece, the early Greek turned to the seas.
To the west was the Ionian (eye-OH-nee-uhn) Sea and to the east was the Aegean (eeJEE-uhn) Sea.
Common Core Standard: Reading Informational Texts R.I.8.2, Key Ideas and Details. Determine a central idea of a text and analyze its
development over the course of the text, including its relationship to supporting ideas; provide an objective summary of the text.
The Minoans
The Minoans traded olive oil, wood, pottery all around the eastern
Mediterranean for gold, silver, and jewels. Sometime in the mid 1600s
BC a huge volcano erupted and created a huge wave that flooded much
of Crete. This eruption might have led to the end of the Minoan
civilization.
The Mycenaeans
The Mycenaeans were the first culture to speak the Greek language. They built great
fortresses and set up colonies in northern Greece and Italy. The Mycenaeans did not always
conduct trade peacefully. They often attacked other kingdoms. Some historians believe the
Mycenaeans attacked the city of Troy, possibly starting the legendary Trojan War. In the
1200s BC invaders from Europe swept into Greece. At a time when earthquakes were
destroying cities in Greece, the culture slid into a period of warfare and disorder called the
Dark Age.
Common Core Standard: Reading Informational Texts R.I.8.2, Key Ideas and Details. Determine a central idea of a text and analyze its
development over the course of the text, including its relationship to supporting ideas; provide an objective summary of the text.
Common Core Standard: Reading Informational Texts R.I.8.2, Key Ideas and Details. Determine a central idea of a text and analyze its
development over the course of the text, including its relationship to supporting ideas; provide an objective summary of the text.
Greeks Create City-States
After the Mycenaean's (my-suh-NEE-unhs) civilization crumbled in 300
years, the Greeks joined together in small groups for protection and stability.
These groups set up independent city-states.
The Greek word for city state is polis (PAH-luhs).
The creation of city-states marked the beginning
of the Greece’s classical age. A classical age is one
that is marked by great achievements.
Common Core Standard: Reading Informational Texts R.I.8.2, Key Ideas and Details. Determine a central idea of a text and analyze its
development over the course of the text, including its relationship to supporting ideas; provide an objective summary of the text.
Common Core Standard: Reading Informational Texts R.I.8.2, Key Ideas and Details. Determine a central idea of a text and analyze its
development over the course of the text, including its relationship to supporting ideas; provide an objective summary of the text.
Life in a City-State
Greek cities were built high hills surrounded by a
great fortress, or fort. The fortress stood high on a hill
called the acropolis.
The acropolis was surrounded by walls for protection. Life in the city often focused on the
Greek marketplace. Farmers brought their crops to the market place to trade for goods
made by craftsman. The market place also acted as a meeting place. The city-state became
the foundation of Greek civilization. As years passes life in Greece became more settled.
People no longer had to fear raiders swooping down on their cities. The population grew
the Greeks established colonies in distant lands. These colonies set up their own
independent polis. Among these city-states were Istanbul in Turkey, Naples in Italy, and
Marseille in France. Although the city-states were independent they often traded with one
another. They would trade metals such as iron and copper for olive oil and wine.
Reading Check-did the Greeks develop city-states?
Common Core Standard: Reading Informational Texts R.I.8.2, Key Ideas and Details. Determine a central idea of a text and analyze its
development over the course of the text, including its relationship to supporting ideas; provide an objective summary of the text.
Section 2: Government
Essential Question:
What factors shaped
government in Greece?
in Athens
The Big Idea:
The people of Athens tried many different
forms of government before creating a
democracy.
If you were there…For many years your city has been ruled by a
small group of rich men. The have generally been good leaders. They have
built new buildings and protected the city from enemies. But now a new
leader wants to let all free men run the government. It won’t matter whether
they are rich or poor. Some people worry about giving power to ordinary
people.
What do you think of this new government?
Common Core Standard: Reading Informational Texts R.I.8.2, Key Ideas and Details. Determine a central idea of a text and analyze its
development over the course of the text, including its relationship to supporting ideas; provide an objective summary of the text.
Main Ideas
 Aristocrats and tyrants ruled early Athens.
 Athens created the world’s first democracy.
 Ancient democracy was different than
modern democracy.
Common Core Standard: Reading Informational Texts R.I.8.2, Key Ideas and Details. Determine a central idea of a text and analyze its
development over the course of the text, including its relationship to supporting ideas; provide an objective summary of the text.
Aristocrats and Tyrants Rule
Greece is the birthplace of democracy, a type of government in which
people rule themselves.
The word democracy comes from the Greek words, rule of the people.
Rule by a Few People
The Athens, the city where democracy was born, started with a different kind of
government.
A rich group of land owners, called, took power and ran the government. aristocrats
A government in which only a few people have power is called an oligarchy (AH-luhgar-kee).
Reading Check-did the Greeks develop city-states?
Common Core Standard: Reading Informational Texts R.I.8.2, Key Ideas and Details. Determine a central idea of a text and analyze its
development over the course of the text, including its relationship to supporting ideas; provide an objective summary of the text.
Aristocrats and Tyrants Rule
The aristocrats dominated Athenian society. They ran the city. They served as judges
and generals.
In the 600’s BC a group or rebels tried to overthrow the government and
failed. A man named Draco created a new set of laws that very harsh. For
example, minor crimes such as loitering became punishable by death.
In the 590’s BC a man named Solon created laws that were much fairer. He gave rights
to non aristocrats.
Men living in Athens became citizens, or people that had the right to participate in
government.
Reading Check-Did the Greeks develop city-states?
Common Core Standard: Reading Informational Texts R.I.8.2, Key Ideas and Details. Determine a central idea of a text and analyze its
development over the course of the text, including its relationship to supporting ideas; provide an objective summary of the text.
The Rise of Tyrants
In 546 BC, a man named Peisistratus (py-sis-truth-uhs) overthrew the oligarchy. He
became the ruler of Athens.
He was called a tyrant, which meant a leader that held power through the use of
force.
Peisistratus brought peace and prosperity to Athens.
He built temples and began new policies that unified
the city. He built temples and large monuments.
Many aristocrats attacked the tyrants and took
power back from the city.
Reading Check- What is a tyrant?
Common Core Standard: Reading Informational Texts R.I.8.2, Key Ideas and Details. Determine a central idea of a text and analyze its
development over the course of the text, including its relationship to supporting ideas; provide an objective summary of the text.
Athens Creates Democracy
Cleisthenes (KLYS-thuh-neez), a new leader, did not want the
aristocrats to dominate Athenian society. He thought they had too
much power and influence. He called upon the support of the people to
overthrow the government and establish a new form of government. He
developed the first democracy, so he became known as the father of
democracy.
Democracy Under Cleisthenes
Under Cleisthenes, all citizens of Athens could participate in the assembly, gathering
of citizens, and the creation of laws. The new government encouraged speeches and
debates by the people. Voting was done by a show of hands or sometimes they held
secret votes. Because the assembly was so large, it sometimes made it hard to make
decisions. In this case sometimes a special council was set up to make decisions.
Common Core Standard: Reading Informational Texts R.I.8.2, Key Ideas and Details. Determine a central idea of a text and analyze its
development over the course of the text, including its relationship to supporting ideas; provide an objective summary of the text.
Common Core Standard: Reading Informational Texts R.I.8.2, Key Ideas and Details. Determine a central idea of a text and analyze its
development over the course of the text, including its relationship to supporting ideas; provide an objective summary of the text.
Common Core Standard: Reading Informational Texts R.I.8.2, Key Ideas and Details. Determine a central idea of a text and analyze its
development over the course of the text, including its relationship to supporting ideas; provide an objective summary of the text.
Changes in Athenian Democracy
As time passed, citizens gained more power, they served on juries to decide on
cases. Most juries had from 200 to 6,000 people. Most juries had an odd number
of members to prevent ties. Today our modern juries have only twelve people.
Athens remained a democracy for 170 years. It reached
its height under Pericles (PER-uh-kleez). Pericles led the
government from 460 BC until his death in 429 BC.
Pericles believed participating in government was just as
important as defending the Athens in war. He began to
pay people who served on juries and he introduced
democracy into other parts of Greece.
Common Core Standard: Reading Informational Texts R.I.8.2, Key Ideas and Details. Determine a central idea of a text and analyze its
development over the course of the text, including its relationship to supporting ideas; provide an objective summary of the text.
Representative Democracy
The democracy created by the founders of the United States is a representative
democracy or a republic.
In a republic, citizens elect officials to represent them in government.
These elected officials make decisions and laws for the country and
enforce them.
For example, Americans elect senators and
representatives to Congress, a body that makes our
county’s laws. Americans don’t vote on each law
that Congress passes but trust their chosen
representative to vote for them.
Reading Check- How are direct democracy and representative democracy different?
Common Core Standard: Reading Informational Texts R.I.8.2, Key Ideas and Details. Determine a central idea of a text and analyze its
development over the course of the text, including its relationship to supporting ideas; provide an objective summary of the text.
Common Core Standard: Reading Informational Texts R.I.8.2, Key Ideas and Details. Determine a central idea of a text and analyze its
development over the course of the text, including its relationship to supporting ideas; provide an objective summary of the text.
Section 3: Greek
Essential Question:
What factors shaped
government in Greece?
Mythology and Literature
The Big Idea:
The ancient Greeks created myths and works of
literature that influence the way we speak and
write today.
If you were there… As a farmer in ancient Greece, your way of
life depends of events in nature. The crops you grow the sunshine and rain,
though thunder and lightning scare you. When you look up at the night sky,
you wonder about the twinkling lights you see there. You know that at certain
times of the year, the weather will turn cold and gray of plants will die. Then,
a few months later, green plants will grow again.
How might you explain these natural events?
Common Core Standard: Reading Informational Texts R.I.8.2, Key Ideas and Details. Determine a central idea of a text and analyze its
development over the course of the text, including its relationship to supporting ideas; provide an objective summary of the text.
Main Ideas
 The Greek myths explain the world.
 Ancient Greek literature provides some of the
world’s greatest poems and stories.
 Greek literature lives on in influences our world
even today.
Common Core Standard: Reading Informational Texts R.I.8.2, Key Ideas and Details. Determine a central idea of a text and analyze its
development over the course of the text, including its relationship to supporting ideas; provide an objective summary of the text.
Myths Explain the World
Ancient Greece believed in many gods.
These gods or the center of Greek mythology-a body of stories about gods
and heroes that tried to explain how the world works.
Greek Gods
People today have scientific explanations for
events like thunder and earthquakes. The ancient
Greeks did not. They believe their gods caused
these events to happen, and they created myths to
explain the gods’ actions.
Common Core Standard: Reading Informational Texts R.I.8.2, Key Ideas and Details. Determine a central idea of a text and analyze its
development over the course of the text, including its relationship to supporting ideas; provide an objective summary of the text.
The Greek Gods
The Olympian Gods
Zeus- king of the gods
Hera- queen of the gods
Poseidon- god of the sea
Hades-god of the underworld
Athena- goddess of wisdom
Apollo- god of the sun
Ares- god of war
Aphrodite-god of love
Demeter-goddess of agriculture
Hephaestus-god of craftsman and blacksmiths
Common Core Standard: Reading Informational Texts R.I.8.2, Key Ideas and Details. Determine a central idea of a text and analyze its
development over the course of the text, including its relationship to supporting ideas; provide an objective summary of the text.
The Greek Gods
Common Core Standard: Reading Informational Texts R.I.8.2, Key Ideas and Details. Determine a central idea of a text and analyze its
development over the course of the text, including its relationship to supporting ideas; provide an objective summary of the text.
Gods and Mythology
The Greeks saw of the work of the gods in all the events around them. For example, if
the Greek people had a volcano eruption they would tell stories about their gods to
explain the eruption. They would tell stories about the god, Hephaestus (hi-FES-tuhs),
who lived underground. The fire and lava that poured out of the volcanoes, the Greeks
said, came from huge fires in the god’s forge. At this forge he created weapons and
armor for other gods
Greek people believed the gods caused daily events. For example, they believed the
goddess of agriculture, Demeter (di-MEE-tuhr), created the seasons. Demeter had a
daughter who was kidnapped by another god. The desperate goddess begged the god to let
her daughter go, and eventually he agreed to let a return to her mother for six months
every year. During the winter, Demeter is separated from her daughter and misses her. In
her grief, she doesn’t let plants grow. When a guy comes home, if the goddess is happy,
and summer comes to Greece. To the Greeks this explains why winter comes every year.
Common Core Standard: Reading Informational Texts R.I.8.2, Key Ideas and Details. Determine a central idea of a text and analyze its
development over the course of the text, including its relationship to supporting ideas; provide an objective summary of the text.
Gods and
Mythology
Common Core Standard: Reading Informational Texts R.I.8.2, Key Ideas and Details. Determine a central idea of a text and analyze its
development over the course of the text, including its relationship to supporting ideas; provide an objective summary of the text.
Heroes and Mythology
Not all Greek myths were about gods. Many were about the adventures of great
heroes. Some of the heroes were real people, others were not. Geek people loved to tell
stories of heroes. Every city had their favorite hero.
For example, the people of Athens told stories about the hero, Theseus. According to
legend. He travel to Crete and killed the Minotaur, a terrible monster that was half
human and half bull. Greece told myths of the Jason and how we sailed across the seas
in search of great treasure, fighting enemies the whole way.
Reading Check-How did the Greeks use myths to explain the
world around them?
Common Core Standard: Reading Informational Texts R.I.8.2, Key Ideas and Details. Determine a central idea of a text and analyze its
development over the course of the text, including its relationship to supporting ideas; provide an objective summary of the text.
Ancient Greek Literature
Because the Greeks loved myths and stories, it was no surprise if they
created great works of literature.
Homer and a Epic Poetry
Among the earliest Greek writings are two great epic poems, the Iliad and the
Odyssey, by a poet named Homer.
The Iliad tells the story of the last years of the Trojan war. The Odyssey describe the
challenges that Greek hero Odysseus (oh-DI-sec-uhs) faced on his way home from the
war. For 10 years Odysseus tries to get home, but many obstacles stand in his way. He
has to fight his way past terrible monsters, powerful magicians, and even angry gods.
Both the Iliad and the Odyssey are great tales of adventure. They were both taught in
ancient Greek schools. Homer’s poems influence later writers. Homers poems are
considered some of the greatest literary works ever produced.
Common Core Standard: Reading Informational Texts R.I.8.2, Key Ideas and Details. Determine a central idea of a text and analyze its
development over the course of the text, including its relationship to supporting ideas; provide an objective summary of the text.
Lyric Poetry
Other poets wrote poems set to music. During a performance a
poet would play a stringed instrument called a lyre. These poets
were called lyric poets after the instrument they played.
Most poets were men.The most famous
lyric poet was a woman called Sappho
(SAF-oh). Most of her poems were about
love and relationships. They were
beautiful and emotional.
Common Core Standard: Reading Informational Texts R.I.8.2, Key Ideas and Details. Determine a central idea of a text and analyze its
development over the course of the text, including its relationship to supporting ideas; provide an objective summary of the text.
Fables
Other Greeks told stories to teach people important lessons.
Aesop (EE-sahp), was famous for his fables. Fables are short stories that
teach the reader lessons about life or give advice on how to live.
In most of Aesop’s fables animals are the main characters. A famous fable by
Aesop was “The Tortoise and the Hare,” teaches us that is better to work
slowly and carefully than to hurry and make mistakes. In “The Boy Who
Cried Wolf” Aesop warns the reader not to play pranks on people.
Reading Check- Why did the Greeks tell fables?
Common Core Standard: Reading Informational Texts R.I.8.2, Key Ideas and Details. Determine a central idea of a text and analyze its
development over the course of the text, including its relationship to supporting ideas; provide an objective summary of the text.
Common Core Standard: Reading Informational Texts R.I.8.2, Key Ideas and Details. Determine a central idea of a text and analyze its
development over the course of the text, including its relationship to supporting ideas; provide an objective summary of the text.
Greek Literature Lives
Greek literature has influenced modern language and literature. Some of the words
you use and some stories you hear come from ancient Greece.
Language
Many modern words and expressions come from ancient Greece. For example, we call
a long journey an “odyssey”. The word “titanic”, which means very large and
powerful, comes from ancient Greece.
Literature and the Arts
Greek myths have inspired artists for centuries. Artists and sculptors have used Greek
gods as subjects for their works. Hercules, for example, has been the subject of many
films ranging from classic to Disney cartoons.
Reading Check- How did the Greek myths influence later language and art?
Common Core Standard: Reading Informational Texts R.I.8.2, Key Ideas and Details. Determine a central idea of a text and analyze its
development over the course of the text, including its relationship to supporting ideas; provide an objective summary of the text.
Common Core Standard: Reading Informational Texts R.I.8.2, Key Ideas and Details. Determine a central idea of a text and analyze its
development over the course of the text, including its relationship to supporting ideas; provide an objective summary of the text.
Common Core Standard: Reading Informational Texts R.I.8.2, Key Ideas and Details. Determine a central idea of a text and analyze its
development over the course of the text, including its relationship to supporting ideas; provide an objective summary of the text.
Common Core Standard: Reading Informational Texts R.I.8.2, Key Ideas and Details. Determine a central idea of a text and analyze its
development over the course of the text, including its relationship to supporting ideas; provide an objective summary of the text.