Name: ____________________________________
Date: _______________
Chapter 8 – Lesson 1 - The Geography of Ancient Greece
The Big Picture
In 1500 BC the Shang dynasty ruled much of the land along the Huang River. In Egypt
the pharaohs of the New Kingdom were building an empire along the southeastern shores of the
Mediterranean Sea. Along the Mediterranean’s northeastern shores, meanwhile, another
civilization was growing. It was that of ancient Greece, a civilization that had been developing
for more than 1,000 years. No great river carrying thick layers of silt flowed through this land.
Rather than being located in a fertile river valley, ancient Greek civilization was rooted in a
rocky landscape surrounded by the sea.
Mountains and Sea
The land of ancient Greece was made up
of a part of the southern European
mainland along with over 400 islands.
This is the same area that makes up
Greece today. As you can see on the
map, the biggest of the islands is Crete.
Crete lies about one day’s sail south of
the Greek mainland. East of Crete lies
Rhodes, an island near what is today
Turkey. Rhodes provides an ideal rest
stop for ships sailing between Greece
and western Asia. Mountains and hills
cover about nine out of ten acres in
Greece. The most mountainous region,
however, is located in western Greece.
There, travel by land is difficult, and
little farmable land exists. Herds of
sheep and goats live on wild plants that
grow on the rugged hillsides.
Land Along the Coast
Larger plains suitable for farming lie in eastern Greece near the coast. A few of these
plains are on Attica, a wedge-shaped peninsula that juts into the Mediterranean Sea. A
peninsula is an area of land nearly surrounded by water. Attica also contains excellent natural
harbors for ships. A harbor is a sheltered place along a coast. A large peninsula called the
Peloponnesus lies to the southwest of Attica. Shaped like a giant hand reaching toward Crete,
the Peloponnesus is a mountainous region ringed by a thin band of fertile land. Like the rest of
Greece, the Peloponnesus contains several rivers. Many of the region’s rivers, however, dry up
in the summertime, unlike rivers in Egypt or Mesopotamia.
Question Time: Answer the following questions based on what you just read above.
1. Along what major sea did
Greece develop?
2. How long ago did its
civilization begin to develop?
3. What are the land shapes
like Attica and the
Peloponnesus called?
4. What do the many
indentations along Greece’s long
coastline help to create?
Early Economy in Greece
Greece is not as fertile as the valleys of the Indus or Huang rivers. However, ancient
Greeks figured out how to make a living from the few fertile valleys as well as from the sea.
Agriculture in Ancient Greece
Besides having little fertile land, Greece has a climate that presents special challenges
for farmers. Summers are hot and dry. Winters can be wet and fiercely windy. Fields can
become parched in the summer but soaked with rain in the winter. Ancient Greek farmers
raised crops and animals that were well suited to this environment. They grew some wheat and
barley to make bread, which was important to the Greek diet. Olives and grapes became
Greece’s other major crops. Both grew well in rocky and hilly areas. Shrubs on Greece’s many
hills and mountains provided food for herds of sheep, goats, and cattle. Timing was important
to successful farming in Greece. The Greek poet Hesiod, who wrote during the 700s BC, urged
farmers:
Take careful note of the time when you hear the voice of the crane uttering high in the
clouds her yearly trumpeting cry (in the fall). She announces the signal for plowing and points
to the time of winter and rain.
If farmers waited until winter to plow their land, Hesiod warned, they would “gather only
a small little handful” of grain in the spring.
Like their ancestors in ancient times,
many farmers in Greece today herd
sheep.
They also raise olives and
produce olive oil.
The ancient Greeks sailed in ships with
oars, as shown on this ancient pottery
bowl.
Crossing the Seas
Because farmers could not produce huge grain surpluses, and because travel on the hilly
land was difficult, sailing became an important part of life in Greece. Sailors traveled as far as
ancient Egypt to trade. Greek merchants competed with traders from Phoenicia, in what is
today Lebanon. Phoenician sailors were as skilled as the Greeks and traveled to ports all across
the Mediterranean Sea. For many years olive oil was one of the most prized of Greek exports.
People loved the flavor it gave food as well as its usefulness as lamp fuel and body lotion. The
sale of olive oil made it possible for Greeks to buy much-needed grain for their markets at
home.
Why it Matters
In the lessons to come, you will read the story of Greek civilization. Beginning around
800 BC, great changes would take place on these rocky islands and peninsulas. Some things,
however, would never change. Farming and sailing would always be lifelines for the people of
ancient Greece.
Main Ideas:

Unlike the Nile or Huang River valleys, Greece has land that is hilly and rocky, making
farming difficult in most areas.

Ancient Greeks used the Mediterranean Sea as a “highway” to trade for goods they could
not produce themselves.

Olive oil – a product of a crop that grows well in Greece’s rocky soil – became valuable to
trade for grain.
Question Time: Answer the following questions based on what you just read above.
5. In addition to having little
land to farm, how were Greek
farmers challenged by climate?
6. What are some ways that
Greek farmers adapted to the
environment?
7. How did Greece’s
agricultural limitations help
cause it to become a sea
trader?
8. How did ancient Greeks use
the sea to spread their
products and culture to other
regions?
9. Why did olive oil become
important to the ancient
Greeks?
10. Contrast the geography of
Greece with that of an ancient
river civilization such as
Mesopotamia or the Indus
Valley.
Final Lesson 1 Activities: (pick 1)
 Draw a diagram of a harbor in an indentation in a coastline. Your diagram should show how
the land around the harbor shelters it and protects anchored ships from heavy wind and
waves.
 Picture yourself as a Greek farmer’s child who would like to be a sailor. Write a paragraph in
which you explain to your parents why you are interested in the sea.