The Ancient Greeks
The Early Greeks
The Geography of Greece
• Mainland Greece is a mountainous
peninsula—a body of land with water
on three sides.
• The Ionian Sea is to the west of Greece,
the Aegean Sea is to the east, and the
Mediterranean Sea is to the south.
• Ancient Greeks were fishers, sailors,
traders, and farmers.
(page 117)
The Early Greeks
The Geography of Greece
• Although Greece’s rocky soil made it
difficult to farm, people could grow
wheat, barley, olives, and grapes in the
favorable climate.
(page 117)
The Early Greeks
The Minoans
• The ruins of the Minoan civilization, the
first civilization to arise in Greece, are
on the island of Crete.
• Artifacts at the palace at Knossos reveal
the riches of the Minoan people, such
as wine, oil, jewelry, and statues.
• The Minoan people were traders,
traveling by ship to trade with other
countries.
(page 118)
The Early Greeks
The Minoans (cont.)
• The Minoan civilizations collapsed
around 1450 B.C., although historians
disagree on the cause of the Minoan
destruction.
(page 118)
The Early Greeks
The First Greek Kingdoms
• The first Greek kings were Mycenaean
leaders, whose people invaded the
Greek mainland around 1900 B.C.
• The center of the Mycenaean kingdom
was a palace surrounded by large
farms.
• The Mycenaeans began trading with the
Minoans and learned much about
Minoan culture.
(pages 119–120)
The Early Greeks
The First Greek Kingdoms (cont.)
• Before collapsing around 1100 B.C., the
Mycenaean civilization was the most
powerful on the Mediterranean.
• The Dark Age occurred between 1100
B.C. and 150 B.C. and was a time of less
trade and poverty among people.
• The Dorians invaded Greece, bringing
new weapons and farming technology to
the Greek people.
(pages 119–120)
The Early Greeks
The First Greek Kingdoms (cont.)
• The Greeks learned about an alphabet
from the Phoenicians, one of their
trading partners.
• The Greek alphabet had 24 letters that
stood for different sounds.
(pages 119–120)
The Early Greeks
A Move to Colonize
• After the Dark Age, Greek people began
to set up colonies in other countries.
• This colonization spread Greek culture.
• Trade between colonists and the parent
cities grew, and soon merchants were
trading goods for money instead of more
goods.
(page 121)
The Early Greeks
The Polis
• A polis, or city-state, was like an
independent country.
• City-states varied in size and population.
• An acropolis, located at the top of a hill,
was the main gathering place of the citystate.
• An agora, or open area, served as a
market and as a place for people to
meet and debate issues.
(pages 122–123)
The Early Greeks
The Polis (cont.)
• The Greeks were the first people to
develop the idea of citizenship, in which
citizens of a country are treated equally
and have rights and responsibilities.
• In Greek city-states, only free, nativeborn, land-owning men could be
citizens.
• Citizens could vote, hold office, own
property, and defend themselves in
court.
(pages 122–123)
The Early Greeks
The Polis (cont.)
• The military of the city-states was made
of ordinary citizens, not nobles.
• These citizens were called hoplites and
fought each battle on foot instead of on
horses.
(pages 122–123)
The Early Greeks
Discuss the following statement:
“The geography of Greece influenced
where people settled and what they did.”
Sparta and Athens
Tyranny in the City-States
• Nobles, who owned large farms, seized
power from the Greek kings.
• Farmers had to borrow money from
nobles and often could not pay back the
debt.
• The farmers lost their land and had to
work for the nobles or were sold into
slavery.
(pages 125–126)
Sparta and Athens
Tyranny in the City-States (cont.)
• Unhappy farmers demanded changes in
the power structure of the city-states.
• This unhappiness led to the rise of
tyrants, or people who take power by
force and rule with total authority.
• Tyrants overthrew the nobles during the
600s B.C.
(pages 125–126)
Sparta and Athens
Tyranny in the City-States (cont.)
• Tyrants maintained their popularity by
building marketplaces, temples, and
walls.
• The Greek people eventually tired of the
tyrants and created oligarchies or
democracies.
• An oligarchy is a form of government in
which a few people hold power.
(pages 125–126)
Sparta and Athens
Tyranny in the City-States (cont.)
• A democracy is a form of government
in which all citizens share power.
• Sparta was an oligarchy; Athens was a
democracy.
(pages 125–126)
Sparta and Athens
Sparta
• To obtain more land, Spartans
conquered and enslaved their
neighbors, calling them helots.
• To keep the helots from rebelling, the
Spartans created a strong military of
boys and men.
• Boys entered the military at age seven.
• At age 20, men entered the regular army
and lived in the barracks for 10 years.
(pages 126–127)
Sparta and Athens
Sparta (cont.)
• They returned home at age 30 but
served in the army until age 60.
• Spartan girls were trained in sports to
become healthy mothers and were freer
than other Greek women.
• The Spartan government was an
oligarchy containing two branches, a
council of elders, and an assembly.
(pages 126–127)
Sparta and Athens
Sparta (cont.)
• The Spartan government kept foreign
travelers out and discouraged its own
citizens from traveling in order to
maintain control of the country.
(pages 126–127)
Sparta and Athens
Athens
• Boys in Athens attended school to learn
reading, writing, and arithmetic.
• Athenian girls learned household duties
from their mothers.
• Some wealthy girls learned reading,
writing, and playing the lyre.
• The government of early Athens was an
oligarchy.
(pages 128–130)
The Ancient Greeks
Section 1: The Early Greeks
Focusing on the Main Ideas
• Colonies and trade spread Greek
culture and spurred industry.
• The idea of citizenship developed
in Greek city-states.
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