Ancient Greece: The Land, the Polis, the Achievements
Global History and Geography I
Name: _____________________________
E. Napp
Date: _____________________________
List Three
Geographic
Features
Of Greece

List One
Effect
For
Each Feature


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
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“Greece is a peninsula and islands in southern Europe. The Aegean, Mediterranean,
Ionian Seas surround Greece. Many islands are part of Greece. Greece is mountainous.
There are many mountains in Greece. Mount Olympus is significant mountain. The ancient
Greeks thought that Mount Olympus was the home of the gods. The ancient Greeks
believed in many gods. They also believed that Zeus was the king of all the gods.”
Multiple-Choice Questions:
What effect did the geography of ancient Greece have on its early development?
(1) The mountainous terrain led to the creation of independent city-states.
(2) A lack of natural seaports limited communication.
(3) An inland location hindered trade and colonization.
(4) Abundant natural resources encouraged self-sufficiency.
One effect of rugged, mountainous geography on the civilization of ancient Greece was the
development of
(1) absolute monarchies
(2) separate, independent city-states
(3) extensive trade with the Persians
(4) belief in one God
The Polis:
The Polis was an ancient Greek city-state. It originated from the natural divisions of the
country by mountains and the sea. The polis centered on one town, usually walled, but
included the surrounding countryside.
What was the Greek Polis? ___________________________________________________
Athens
Sparta

Athens was the most famous of all
the city-states of ancient Greece.

Sparta- had the strongest military of
all ancient Greek city-states.

It was the birthplace of democracy
and home to great philosophers like
Plato and Socrates.

The focus of this city-state was
constantly on war.

Boys were expected to be trained as
soldiers, while girls were expected to
grow up and bear children who grew
up to be soldiers.

To make sure that the army got as
many Spartan soldiers as it needed,
Sparta depended on slaves from
nearby settlement to do their manual
labor.

When the Greeks were at war with
Persia, many people turned to the
Spartans to ensure their protection.

It was also home to historians,
scientists, mathematicians, and other
great thinkers.

Athens was famous for its giant fleet
or ships, which they used to help
defeat the Persians.

A great rivalry with another citystate, Sparta led to the Peloponnesian
War. This war eventually ended in a
victory for Sparta.
Questions:
1. What were two important Greek city-states?
a) _____________________ b) _____________________
2. What was the Greek word for city-state? ____________________
3. Athens was the birthplace of this important idea… ______________________
4. Who were two famous philosophers from Athens?
a) __________________, b) __________________
5. Who won the Peloponnesian War? _____________________
6. What were the Spartans famous for? ___________________________________________
7. What were boy in Sparta expected to be when they grew up?
______________________________
8. Who did the Spartans depend on to complete their manual labor?
_____________________
1. What was the Parthenon?
____________________________
2. Where is the Parthenon located?
____________________________
3. What surrounds the Parthenon
on all sides?
____________________________
4. What famous building in the
United States has a similar feature?
____________________________
5. Who was the patron goddess of
the city?
____________________________

The Parthenon was a temple of Athena
built on top of the highest hill in
Athens.

The goddess, Athena, was the
protectress of Athens. They even named
the city after her.

The Parthenon is the most important
surviving building of Classical Greece.

The ancient Greeks invented columns.

The Parthenon is regarded as an
enduring symbol of ancient Greece and
of Athenian democracy, and is one of
the world's greatest cultural
monuments.

Today Greece’s government spends a
lot of time and money protecting and
restoring the Parthenon to keep it
looking magnificent.
A Matching Exercise:
Greece’s Geography
Polis
Athens
Democracy in Athens
Parthenon
Sparta
Helots
Peloponnesian War
A. They were the slaves of Sparta. They
farmed.
B. Only free men born in Athens voted.
Women, slaves, and foreigners could
not vote.
C. This beautiful building is known for
its columns.
D. It was a militaristic city-state in
Ancient Greece.
E. Its mountainous terrain separated
cities. Seas were used for trade.
F. This city-state experienced a golden
age.
G. It was the Greek word for “citystate.”
H. It was a war between the Greek citystates.
Multiple-Choice Questions:
The Ancient Greek city-state of Sparta
(1) was primarily concerned with the health of their people
(2) was a powerful military state
(3) granted universal suffrage to their people
(4) placed great emphasis on literature and the arts
The Ancient Athenians are credited with
(1) inventing and using the wheel
(2) eliminating slavery
(3) establishing governments that had democratic elements
(4) inventing the printing press
Word Bank: Polis, Olympics, Helots, Sparta, Athens, Persian, Peloponnesian, Mountains,
Seas, Parthenon, Socrates, Women
An Introduction to Greek Mythology
A long time ago, when the world was much younger than it is now, people told and believed
a great many wonderful stories about incredible thing which neither you nor I have ever
seen. They often talked about a god called Zeus, who was king of the sky and the earth; and
they said that he sat most of the time amongst the clouds on the top of a very high
mountain where he could look down and see everything that was going on in the earth
beneath. He liked to ride on the storm-clouds and hurl burning thunderbolts right and left
among the trees and rocks, and he was so very, very mighty that when he nodded, the earth
quaked, the mountains trembled and smoked, the sky grew black, and the sun hid his face.
Question:
1- Who was Zeus?
________________________________________________________________________
2- What did Zeus like to do?
________________________________________________________________________
Zeus had two brothers, both of them terrible and great, but not nearly as great as Zeus
himself. The name of one of them was Poseidon, and he was the king of the sea. He had a
glittering, golden palace far down in the deep sea-caves where the fishes live and the red
coral grows, and whenever he was angry the waves would raise mountain high, and the
storm-winds would howl fearfully, and the sea would try to break over the land. The other
brother was a sad, pale-faced being, whose kingdom was underneath the earth, where the
sun never shone and where there was darkness and weeping and sorrow all the time. His
name was Hades, and his country was called the Lower World, or the Land of Shadows.
Men said that whenever any one died, Hades would send his messenger to carry him down
into his cheerless kingdom; and for that reason they never spoke well of Hades, but were
scared of him and thought of him as the enemy of life.
3- Who was Poseidon?
________________________________________________________________________
4- What would Poseidon do when he was angry?
________________________________________________________________________
5- Who was Hades?
________________________________________________________________________
6- Why were the people scared of him?
________________________________________________________________________
A great number of other gods lived with Zeus amid the clouds on the mountain top - so
many that I can name only a few. There was Aphrodite, the queen of love and beauty, who
was fairer by far than any woman that you or I have ever seen. There was Athena, the
queen of the air, who gave people wisdom and taught them how to do many useful things.
There was Hera, the queen of earth and sky, who sat at the right hand of Zeus and gave
him all kinds of advice.
7- Who was Aphrodite?
________________________________________________________________________
8- What did Athena give the people?
________________________________________________________________________
There was Ares, the great warrior, who delighted in battle. There was Hermes, the swift
messenger, who had wings on his cap and shoes, and who flew from place to place like the
summer clouds when they are driven before the wind. And besides these, there were many
others. They could look down and see what humans were doing, and often they were said
to leave their lofty homes and wander unknown across the land or over the sea. And of all
these mighty folk, Zeus was by far the mightiest.
9- What could the gods do?
_______________________________________________________________________
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