Name: ___________________________________ Date: _____________ Per: _____ #_____
CHAPTER 25:
GEOGRAPHY AND THE SETTLEMENT OF GREECE
The Greeks settled in isolated communities because of their country’s mountainous geography. Most Greeks
survived by farming, but good farmland was scarce. So the Greeks took to the seas, creating new colonies
and trading with other people.
PENINSULA- land that is surrounded on three sides by water
25.2- ISOLATED COMMUNITIES AND THE DIFFICULTIES OF TRAVEL
Ancient Greek communities were
isolated from one another because…
The high mountains made it hard to
travel, so there was little
communication between the people in
different settlements.
Greeks treated the sea with great
respect…
Sailors kept close to the shore and
they sailed only during the daylight
hours. Captains also made a sacrifice
to the sea god Poseidon before sailing.
Travel was difficult because… roads were unpaved,
sharp rocks break wagon wheels and wheels can also
get stuck in the mud
Travel over land was dangerous because… with things
to carry, people had to travel in groups and move
slowly, which made them easy targets for robbers
Dangers of travelling by BOAT…
 Might be attacked by robbers or pirates

Ships might smash into the rocky shoreline

Sudden storms cause ships to sink
25.3- FARMING IN ANCIENT GREECE
Farming wasn’t easy in that
mountainous land. Even in the
plains and valleys, the land was
rocky and water was scarce. No
major rivers flow through Greece,
and it rains mostly during the
winter months.
2 plants that needed less land to grow
1. olive trees
2. grape vines
2 main animals raised
1. Sheep- supplied wool for clothing
2. Goats- provided milk and cheese
The shortage of good farmland = wars between the
settlements because each one wanted the land for
themselves. Some even started colonies because of this.
25.4- STARTING COLONIES
COLONIES – settlements in distant places
COLONIST- a person who lives in a colony
WHY START COLONIES?
Because of population growth, some
communities did not have enough farmland to
produce enough food to feed their people, so
they moved to colonies to grow more food in
new lands to send home.
WHAT DID COLONIES HELP TO DO? HOW?
They helped to spread Greek culture and many
colonists became wealthy through farming and
trade. They had the same rights as the
citizens back home.
STARTING A COLONY WASN’T EASY:
1. There was a long sea voyage to survive.
2. The settlers had to find a place for their
colony.
3. They looked for areas that had natural
harbors and good farmland.
4. They also tried to avoid places where the
local people might be strong enough to
prevent them from settling.
5. They had to establish their new community
and work hard to make it survive.
6.
25.5- TRADING FOR NEEDED GOODS
WHY TRADE?
You need to trade to get the goods you need.
Some settlements had too little farmland to grow
everything they needed, so they had to trade.
WHO DID THEY TRADE WITH?

Among the city-states

With Greek colonies

The wider Mediterranean region
WHAT ITEMS DID THEY TRADE?
 Olive oil


WHAT



pottery
wine
ITEMS DID THEY GET IN RETURN?
grain
timber
metal
NAVIGATING THE SHIPS WAS
DIFFICULT…
They did not have compasses and charts.
They only had the stars to guide them.
They didn’t have lighthouses to warn
sailors of dangerous coastlines.