Discovering
Ancient
Greece
1500-100 B.C.
catalog # 2547
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DISCOVERING ANCIENT GREECE
1500-100 B.C.
Viewing Time: 35 minutes
Program Summary
This two-part video program provides 6-9th grade students with
glimpses of both the culture and the history of Ancient Greece.
The program was filmed entirely on location in Greece and Italy and
employs ancient art, animations, and simple reenactments to bring this
very important period of history to life.
In Part One students visit ancient Mycenae, the capital of one of the
oldest empires in Greece and the source of much of Greek culture. Next,
Greek colonial expansion is described, and we tour the ruins of Corinth
so that students can understand how cities in ancient Greece were laid
out. In the final section of Part One we visit Delphi and discover the
role of the Delphic Oracle in the religion of ancient Greece.
In Part Two students visit the ruins of the great sanctuary of Zeus at
Olympia and learn about the earliest Olympic games. Then we travel
to the ancient center of healing at Epidauros and discover not only
how the medical treatments were carried out back then, but also how
the theater functioned as a temple to the god Dionysus. In Athens we
visit the Temples of Athena, Hephaestus, and Neptune and discover
how democracy was born. Then the conquests of Alexander the Great
are explained; and finally, students learn what happened to Greece’s
culture after it was conquered by Rome.
Student Objectives
After viewing the video and participating in the lesson activities, students should be able to...
•Contrast the religious practices of ancient Greece with those of today.
•Name and tell about several principal gods and goddesses of ancient
Greece.
•Describe some of the various ways that people of today still employ
ideas and artistic forms that were born in ancient Greece.
•Compare and contrast the ancient Olympic Games with the Olympic
games of today.
•Explain how Greek culture was spread by her Roman conquerors.
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Teacher Preparation
Before presenting this program to your students, we suggest that you
preview the video and review this guide and the blackline masters
that accompany it.
You may decide to duplicate and distribute some of the blackline masters you have chosen to use so that students can reference them during
the video presentation. ( A descriptive list of the blackline masters can
be found on page 4 of this guide. The answer key for the blackline
masters can be found on pages 4 and 5.)
As you review the instructional program outlined in this guide and
the blackline masters that accompany it, you may find it necessary to
make certain changes to fit your specific needs. We encourage you to
do so, for only by tailoring this program to fit the needs of your students will they obtain the maximum benefits afforded by the materials.
Introducing the Video
Use maps to help introduce both parts of this program pointing out
important historical sites.
Part One:
Introduce this part of the program by describing the rise of the
Mycenaean kingdoms and their conquest of the Minoan civilization of
Crete. Relate some of the tales from the Iliad pertaining to the life and
times of King Agamemnon. Talk briefly about the collapse of the
Mycenae, the Greek "Dark Ages," Greek colonial expansion, and the
rise of the powerful city-states of ancient Greece. The role of the Oracle
of Delphi in the lives of the ancient Greeks should also be introduced.
(For example, the oracle was always consulted before the ancient Greeks
would attempt to establish a new colony.)
Part Two:
Introduce this part of the program by talking about the role of public
festivals and competitions in the lives of the ancient Greeks. Examples
should include the Pythian Games at Delphi, the Olympian Games at
Olympia, and the Panathenaic Festival of Athens.
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Follow-Up Activities
Part One: Discussion
A general discussion of the topics covered in the first part of the program would be appropriate. In particular, a discussion of the Olympian gods and goddesses and forms of ancient Greek religious practice
should be brought up here.
Part Two: Discussion
A general discussion of topics covered in the entire program should
take place now. Point out that as a result of the Roman conquest of
Greece, not only were Greek ideas spread throughout the Roman world,
Roman culture was also brought to Greece. The Greek city of Byzantium
became the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire...and because the Romans had converted to Christianity, they eventually closed all the ancient shrines, stopped the Olympic games, and destroyed or defaced
the fine sculptures and temples of ancient Greece as expressions of
new-found Christian piety. Discuss the ancient Greek polytheistic view
of the world and compare it to contemporary religious views.
A discussion of the ancient Greek schools of philosophy would be very
useful. Talk about the Athenian democracy and how it was practiced.
Discuss slavery in ancient times. Mention and discuss some of the
Greek contributions to science and mathematics.
Museum Visit:
A very helpful follow-up activity would be to visit an art museum that
houses collections of ancient Greek art. Not only were the Greeks great
sculptors, they were also very famous for their pottery, which is well
worth seeing. Compare ancient Greek and Roman art.
Research Papers:
The following topics would make good subjects for research papers:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Religion in Ancient Greece
The Golden Age of Athens
Science and Mathematics in Ancient Greece
Greek Myths, Legends and Heroes
The Conquests of Alexander the Great
The Olympic Games: Past and Present
The Ancient Greek Philosophers
The Theater in Ancient Greece
Healing and Medicine in Ancient Greece
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10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
The Oracle of Delphi
Warfare in Ancient Greece
The Greek City-States and Their Colonies
Daily Life in Ancient Greece
Commerce and Trade in Ancient Greece
Extended Activity
Perform a Greek Play
A small group of students (or even the whole class) might want to
perform a traditional Greek play...or at least one act from the play. Students could make the masks, the costumes, and the sets for the performance. Every attempt should be made to keep all aspects of the performance historically accurate.
Blackline Masters
The following Blackline Masters are included with this guide:
Blackline Master 1a and 1b: Timeline
Blackline Master 2a, 2b and 2c: Vocabulary List
Blackline Master 3: The Principal Gods and Goddesses of Ancient
Greece
Blackline Master 4: The Greek Alphabet and Writing in Greek
Blackline Master 5: Crossword Puzzle
Blackline Master 6: Quiz
Answer Key
The answers are provided here for the Blackline Masters that require
answers.
Blackline Master 4, The Greek Alphabet and Writing in Greek
ATHENE:
DEMOS:
AREA:
STOA:
PARTHENON:
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Blackline Master 5, Crossword Puzzle
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Across
ALEXANDER
CORINTH
MYCENAE
GOLDEN
SPARTA
HERMES
ACROPOLIS
OLYMPIA
ZEUS
AGAMEMNON
Down
MEDICINE
ORACLE
FIRE
DIONYSUS
HERA
ATHENA
OLIGARCHY
POSEIDON
Blackline Master 6, Quiz
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
G
F
D
J
I
H
B
A
C
E
F: King Agamemnon ruled Mycenae.
F: Pericles fostered the growth of democracy in Athens.
T
F: The Romans admired Greek culture and often tried to copy it.
F: Alexander the Great died of malaria in Babylon.
T
F: The ancient Greeks were very good mathematicians.
F: Spartans were very highly disciplined in the arts of war and
disliked the "softness" of a life of luxury.
19. T
20. F: Slavery was commonplace in ancient Greece.
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DISCOVERING ANCIENT GREECE
Script of Recorded Narration
Over three thousand five hundred years ago, the Greek-speaking people
who lived here among the mountains, bays, and islands of the northeastern Mediterranean began to shape a truly remarkable culture.
The new ideas that took root in this rugged land became so important
that ancient Greece is said to be “the birthplace of western civilization," and the influence of that civilization can be found almost everywhere we look in the world today.
Ancient Greece gave birth to the world's first democracy and the original Olympic Games.
Ancient Greece also made long-lasting contributions to art, architecture, science, and mathematics, as well as to literature, drama, and even
to the study of history itself.
And the religion of the ancient Greeks has provided us with a rich
tradition of myth and legend.
In order to better understand this tremendously important period of
history, let us now visit some of the fascinating places where this marvelous civilization developed in the far distant past.
Mycenae
The origins of Greek civilization can be traced back to the ruins of this
hilltop city called Mycenae that was first settled about 4500 years ago,
and that was once the center of a rich and powerful empire.
Legend says that Mycenae was founded by Perseus, who was a son of
Zeus, the King of all the Greek gods, whose magnificent statue is seen
here.
The Greek people of long ago believed that to build the walls of the
city, Perseus had ordered one-eyed giants, whose job it was to make
weapons for the gods, to carve these enormous stones and then lift
them into place.
As early as thirteen centuries before the birth of Christ, the kings of
Mycenae rode out through this gate built from these huge stones to
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lead their troops into battle...and above the gate the figures of two lions, carved in stone, still remind us of the great power these kings
once held.
The golden death masks of several different kings were discovered in
deep circular tombs, like this one, that were built next to the lion's gate.
Near the royal tombs and overlooking the fields where the farmers of
Mycenae once grew crops to feed their citizens are the remains of a
many-roomed house where the high priest lived; and this painting of a
young Mycenaean woman once adorned a wall of a religious building
that stood nearby.
Up above the priest's house, crowning the hill, we can still see the rampart walls that surrounded the royal palace where long ago decisions
were made that shaped the course of Greek history.
It was probably in the throne room of this palace that the most famous
of all the kings of Mycenae, Agamemnon, decided to sacrifice his daughter to the gods so that his ships might have good weather as they set
off to attack the city of Troy.
The hatred and violence that beset the family of Agamemnon has become legendary, mostly because it is described in such detail in the
Iliad, the most famous of all the books written in ancient Greece.
For countless centuries the people living in the village near the ruins of
Mycenae believed that Agamemnon was buried here in this massive
tomb that lies outside the gates of the city. However, archeologists now
think that this tomb probably belonged to some other Mycenaean king.
The Collapse of Mycenae: Colonial Expansion
By 1100 B.C. Mycenae’s power had collapsed; and, following years of
invasions from the north, other cities grew in strength.
Starting around 800 B.C. some of these cities began to bring Greek customs and religion to far distant lands by establishing colonies.
Sparta, for example, founded the colony of Taras in southern Italy;
Greeks from Rhodes in Asia Minor founded Massilla in the south of
France where today's city of Marseilles stands; Corinth established colonies in northern and western Greece, but her biggest colony was Syracuse in Sicily.
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And by the year 600 B.C., the Greek city-states had founded over thirty
different colonies in distant regions of both the Mediterranean and the
Black Seas.
Corinth
Corinth, whose ruins are seen here, was not only a major Greek colonizer of the Mediterranean, it was also one of the three most powerful
city-states in Greece for several centuries.
Corinth grew up not far from Mycenae on a narrow isthmus where
important land and sea routes came together....routes that could be
monitored by soldiers on duty in Corinth's ancient acropolis that
loomed high above the city.
Today it is hard to imagine just from looking at these ruins what a rich
and powerful place Corinth once was, but archeologists have carefully
studied these stones and they are fairly certain the city once looked
something like this.
At its center stood the great temple of Apollo, who was the god of the
sun, music, healing and prophecy. Here we can see all that remains of
that beautiful building.
Ancient Greek temples, such as this one in Athens, were never entered
for worship by ordinary people; instead, temples were considered to
be the houses of the gods, and sacrificial offerings were always made
on altars that stood outside.
Not far from the Temple of Apollo was the center of all of Corinth’s
commercial and governmental activities. This was a huge open marketplace or "agora" that was lined on two sides with shops where such
items as wine, pottery, and olives could be purchased.
Opposite the central shops on the far side of the market square was a
long covered area called a "stoa" which was attached to the main building of Corinthian government, the senate house.
By looking at this reconstructed stoa in Athens, we can get a good idea
of what the stoa in the market of Corinth once looked like. Under its
huge roof, citizens of the city-state could either sell things or simply
meet and talk, shaded from the intense sunlight and protected from
stormy weather.
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Just below the marketplace in Corinth was the fountain that at one
time supplied the city's water. By passing through stone archways,
slaves were able to fill jugs with cool, fresh water which they then carried back to their master’s houses.
Just within sight of the houses where the Corinthians lived, there once
stood a large theater, whose ruins are seen here, where citizens enjoyed performances that were very often of a religious nature.
The theater may have used pillars like these in its construction that are
decorated in the “Corinthian” style–that is, carved to look like the leaves
of the acanthus plants that grew wild all around the city.
One final feature of ancient Corinth was a sacred spring that has long
since vanished but was at one time reached by climbing down a stairway located near the gates of the marketplace.
This spring was linked by a secret underground passageway to the
special sanctuary of a woman called an oracle, a prophetess who was
the human voice of the god Apollo.
Delphi
To better understand the ancient Greek religion and the role that oracles
played in that religion, let us now travel to Delphi, located high in the
mountains about 100 miles northwest of Corinth to the great sanctuary of Apollo, where for over 1000 years, the most famous of the Greek
oracles performed her mystical duties.
Delphi, unlike Corinth, was simply a religious center and never served
any commercial or military purpose.
The ancient Greeks believed that Delphi had been founded by Zeus.
The legend says that one day Zeus, who lived with the other immortal
gods on far distant Mount Olympus, decided to locate the center of the
universe. And so he sent out a pair of his sacred eagles to find it for
him.
Eventually the eagles met above the mountainous site of Delphi, thus
identifying it as the hub around which the entire universe rotated.
Beneath the spot where the eagles met, an open crack in the ground
released mysterious vapors that were said to have “an odor like the
rarest and most beautiful perfume," and nearby pure sweet water
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flowed from a sacred spring where Zeus’s son Apollo is said to have
killed a giant snake named Python that guarded the spring.
Because Apollo felt regret for killing Python, the god punished himself; and for eight long years lived the life of a simple shepherd–a way
of life that is still pursued around Delphi today.
The myth of Apollo and Python formed the basis of many of the religious rites at Delphi–rites that involved acts of ritual purification, especially in cases where an unjust death had occurred.
The temple to Apollo at Delphi, whose ruins we see here, once contained inscriptions that read: "Nothing in excess" and "Know thyself."
The Temple was built on a site marked by this strange sculpture that
stood at the exact center of the universe and that was decorated with
patterns of crisscrossing thunderbolts which were the weapons favored
by Zeus.
Near the spot where the thunderbolt sculpture stood, but hidden deep
beneath the temple, was the sanctuary of the oracle, the woman chosen to be the human voice of the god Apollo.
To prepare herself for the questions that were put to her, the oracle
took her seat on a three-legged cauldron, drank water from the sacred
spring , breathed smoke from the leaves of Apollo's tree, the laurel,
and then entered a trance.
The priests of the temple interpreted the sounds made by the oracle as
well as the movements of her body, and their interpretations were
passed on to those who had come seeking her advice.
Only men were allowed to consult the oracle, and they usually had to
travel great distances, almost always by sea. And not only were they
required to sacrifice animals to the god, they also had to pay a fee that
helped to maintain the sanctuary.
During the winter months, which could be quite snowy at Delphi, the
sanctuary remained open, but the oracle did not answer questions because it was believed that Apollo, the sun god, was not present during
winter, the darkest season of the year.
Instead, another god, Dionysus, took his place. And being the god of
wine and pleasure, wild festivals occurred which stood in stark con11
trast to the more subdued rites that were held during the warmer
months of the year.
All of the Greek city-states built treasuries within the temple enclosure
at Delphi...something they did at all of their great religious shrines.
These treasuries were used to store the special offerings their citizens
had made to the gods.
The building seen here is the treasury of the Athenians. It was constructed between 490 and 480 B.C. Alongside this treasury were once
displayed the shields, spears and other items captured when a huge
force of Persian invaders were defeated by the Athenians following
the famous battle of Marathon.
Every four years, a very special religious festival, called the Pythian
Games, was held at Delphi. During this time a great procession passed
by the treasuries on its way to the temple where sacrifices were made
to Apollo on an altar that stood outside.
And in this huge theater next to the temple, up to 5000 people would
listen to the priests sing hymns honoring the gods or watch “mystery
plays” which portrayed the struggle between Apollo and Python.
High up the mountainside, above the theater, this stadium once echoed to the sounds of the crowds that watched the athletic competitions
that took place here, for in ancient Greece the cultivation of the body
went hand-in-hand with the cultivation of the soul.
But in ancient Greece, the largest athletic competitions were the Olympic Games. In part two of this program we will visit the great sanctuary of Zeus at Olympia where these famous games were first held over
2700 years ago.
End of Part One: Time 14:30
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Part Two
Olympia
The first Olympic Games were held at the great religious sanctuary of
Olympia, whose ruins are seen here, in the year 776 B.C. And to this
day, the Olympic torch is still lit here and carried by hand to ignite the
Olympic flame wherever the games are being held.
Olympia was built to honor Zeus, the ruler of all the gods, and also to
honor Zeus’s wife Hera...sometimes called the "mother of the gods."
To better understand how the Olympic Games first came to be, let us
have a look around ancient Olympia.
At the very center of Olympia, in a sacred grove of wild olive trees,
once stood the magnificent temple of Zeus, which contained one of the
seven wonders of the ancient world, a gold and ivory statue of the
king of the gods that stood over 44 feet high and that always produced
a deep sense of reverence among those who saw it.
Today no trace remains of Zeus’s great statue. His temple lies in ruins,
and the stone sections that formed its huge pillars lie where they crashed
to the earth over 1500 years ago following a powerful earthquake.
But still standing, not far from the temple ruins and up a short flight of
steps, we can see the workshop where the famous sculptor, Phidias,
labored for several years creating that enormous work of art, and the
delicate marble carving seen here serves to remind us of the fantastic
skill it took to carry out this remarkable task.
A long time ago, the temple of Zeus was ringed with altars, and on
some sacred sacrificial fires burned that were never allowed to be go
out. Sprinkled among the altars were the statues of the victors of past
Olympic Games, and everywhere grew the wild olive trees that were
sacred to Zeus.
A few hundred yards from Zeus’s temple stood the temple of his wife,
Hera. Although it can’t be seen here, inside her temple there was a
statue of the goddess seated on a throne with Zeus standing next to
her, and this statue of Hermes, the messenger of the gods who was
honored for his great speed and agility, stood nearby.
Outside the boundaries of the sacred grove, flowers now cover the floors
of the buildings where the Olympic athletes once trained. These are
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the gymnasium and the "palestra," that was a wrestling and boxing
school. But even though their floors lie buried, many of the pillars that
once supported the roofs of these fine buildings still stand today.
On the opposite side of the sacred grove from the gymnasium, the ancient Olympic stadium can be entered by passing through this high
stone archway.
The Olympic Games were held here every four years at midsummer,
and tens of thousands of men came from all over Greece either to participate in them or just to view them. Women, however, were not allowed to attend.
Because the games were in honor of Zeus, a sacred truce was declared
out of respect for the god, and all wars between the city-states stopped
for an entire month.
The Olympic Games became so important in ancient Greece that, for
nearly all of the 1200 years they were held, even the passing of time
came to be measured in four-year units called Olympiads.
The Olympic Games always possessed a strong spiritual message–that
men should abandon destructive warfare and turn instead to healthy,
physical competitions, and that they should extend themselves to the
limits of their human abilities and, as a result, become more godlike.
The first day of the Olympic games was always devoted to religious
ceremonies as a great procession of priests, officials, and participants
made its way into the sanctuary, stopping to make offerings at three
different altars outside the temples.
The next day, here in the stadium, the competitions began and these
consisted of a variety of events; among them were foot races, wrestling
contests, and boxing matches. Besides these events, horse races and
chariot races were held in the Olympic racecourse located just beyond
the stadium.
On the last day, the awards were given. First, branches were removed
from a wild olive tree that grew in Zeus’s sacred grove. Then these
branches were woven into simple wreaths having no material value
but possessing immense spiritual value. And it was these wreaths that
were used to crown the victors of the Olympic games.
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Epidauros
Approximately one hundred miles east of Olympia, at Epidauros, this
huge theater was constructed in about the 81st Olympiad. It was designed to hold 14,000 spectators, and unlike the Olympic games, women
were allowed to attend the events held here.
The ancient Greeks thronged here to watch the all-day plays that were
performed in the circular area at the foot of the grandstands, called the
orchestra, where, at its exact center, an altar to the god Dionysus was
placed...for theaters were, in fact, temples to this god.
Perhaps because Dionysus was the god of pleasure, the events that
took place in the theaters were greatly enjoyed by the spectators, not
just for their religious merit, but for their entertainment value as well.
The Greeks were very famous for their plays, and all of them were
based on legends and myths. Many Greek plays are still performed to
this day; but whether tragedy or comedy, the actors in ancient times,
who were always men, wore masks that had strange exaggerated expressions.
The row of seats nearest to the altar of Dionysus was always reserved
for the priests and teachers from the sanctuary of the god of medicine
that stood among the trees and meadows of a nearby valley. For, more
than anything else, Epidauros was the greatest center of healing in
ancient Greece, and people came here to be cured of their illnesses by
seeking the help of this god, who they called Asclepius.
Asclepius was the son of Apollo, and legend said he had learned the
healing arts from a very wise being–half man and half horse–called a
centaur.
The temple of Asclepius, whose ruins are seen here, was at one time
protected by thousands of sacred snakes that were symbols both of the
god and of the healing profession. And it was outside this temple that
animals were sacrified and the offerings burned by those seeking to be
cured.
After making their offerings, sick people took a path through the woods
to a kind of hospital building where they would spend the night sleeping on the skin of the animal they had just sacrificed. And while they
slept, Asclepius sometimes appeared to them in their dreams.
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In the morning the patients would tell the priests their dreams and,
just like doctors today, the priests would prescribe various treatments
to cure their illnesses.
Treatments might involve physical excercises or special baths that were
given in nearby buildings, and oftentimes treatments included mental
excercises as well, such as studying certain books or writing poetry.
Athens
Many of the people treated at the sanctuary of Asclepius travelled there
from the magnificent city-state of Athens, which lay about 150 miles to
the northeast of Epidauros.
Athens was named for the goddess of wisdom, Athena, and her fantastic temple, called the Parthenon, which is seen here, looms above
the city from where it stands in the ancient acropolis.
Inside the Parthenon there once was an enormous gold and ivory statue
of Athena made by the same sculptor who fashioned the statue of Zeus
at Olympia, and during religious festivals this statue was draped in a
special garment woven by the women of the city.
Next to the Parthenon, this temple called the Erechtheum with its famous porch supported by statues of greek maidens, was built on the
spot where the royal palace of the kings of ancient Athens once stood.
The last king of Athens to live on this site was named Codrus. After
Codrus died in 1066 B.C. fighting to save the city from the invading
Dorians, the Athenians decided that no one person could ever take the
place of such a great king, and so the monarchy was replaced by an
oligarchy–rule by a small group of men from noble families.
Then, in 594 B.C., a great statesman named Solon founded a parliament, a peoples law court and a council of the people, changing the
way the oligarchy governed Athens so that power was more equally
shared by all her citizens.
However, it was this man, Pericles, who was responsible for developing, for the first time in history, a government “by the people” starting
in the year 461 B.C. following Athens' great victory over the invading
armies of Persia.
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Under democracy and the guidance of Pericles, Athens flourished; and
with the help of some of the greatest artists and scholars in human
history, the city grew both in wealth and in beauty....and so Athens
entered her brief but magnificent "Golden Age."
Most of the spiritual life of Athens centered on the temples located
high above the city in the Acropolis. And the sight of these temples
always served to remind the citizens of the great goodness and wisdom of Athena, their protector.
Located far below the Acropolis was the marketplace, whose ruins are
seen here, that was once ringed with government buildings, a library,
and a gymnasium.
And on a low hill overlooking the marketplace, they built this fine
temple to the god of fire and metalworking, Hephaestus; for very near
this temple there were, in ancient times, a large number of workshops
where gifted craftsmen labored who sought the guidance and protection of this god.
And looking across the marketplace from the temple of the god of fire
is the Great Stoa of Attalos where citizens congregated to discuss such
things as politics, prices, their families, and the weather.
As city-states went, Athens was quite large and it encompassed much
of the lower end of the Attica peninsula. And here, at the extreme
southern end of the city-state and overlooking an important sea route,
this marvelous temple was constructed at just about the same time the
Parthenon was being built–around 444 B.C.
This temple honored one of the three greatest of the Olympian gods,
Poseidon, the God of the Sea…and it is his statue we see here.
Sailors returning to Athens after a long voyage to the East could see
this temple from far out on the water, and seeing it always meant that
they would be home soon, and for this they always gave thanks to
Poseidon.
As we have learned, Athens during it’s Golden Age was quite a fantastic place, and yet there were certain flaws in the Athenian democracy...
the same flaws that were to be found the next time people tried to
institute this form of government 2200 years later during the early years
of the United States. Namely, only men were allowed to vote, and
women had no legal voice in decision-making at all.
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And the slaves, who were bought and sold like animals, had no rights
whatsoever, even though they made up a large part of the population.
The Golden Age ended mostly because of an outbreak of war in 431
B.C. between Athens and her powerful enemy, Sparta–a highly militaristic city-state a few hundred miles to the south–a war that ended 27
years later with the defeat of Athens.
And although Athenian civilization was not completely destroyed by
this war, it never fully regained the glory that it possessed during its
"Golden Age."
Alexander the Great
Just forty-two years after Athens fell to Sparta, it fell again to the forces
of Greek Macedonia, which lay to the north of Athens.
The Macedonian king, named Philip, died just shortly after his great
victory over Athens; but the new king, Philip’s son Alexander, decided
to follow in his father's footsteps and set off to conquer the lands that
had, a few centuries before, made up the great Persian Empire.
In the year 334 B.C., when he was just 22, Alexander rode out from his
capital of Pella in Macedonia with an army of 35,000 troops. He won
battle after battle as he zig-zagged across the countryside, finally completing his conquests nine years later when he reached the western
borders of India…and by now he was known as "Alexander the Great."
In western India, as well as everywhere else he conquered, Alexander
set up his own local governments that were required to use Greek
money.
He promoted Greek ideas and laws and even required that he be worshipped as a god.
However, only three years after returning to his new capital of Babylon
in Persia, Alexander, the man who wanted to be a god, died of malaria
at the age of 33 , and his enormous empire soon fell apart.
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The Roman Conquest of Greece
About one-and-a-half centuries after Alexander's death, various parts
of Greece started to be attacked by forces from the great Italian city of
Rome.
In 146 B.C., orders were sent out from the buildings that once stood
here in the Roman Forum to add Greek Macedonia to a growing list of
provinces that made up the Roman Empire and to subdue, at any cost,
the wealthy city-state of Corinth. And after these difficult feats were
accomplished, it was not long until all of Greece belonged to Rome.
The Romans sincerely admired all that the Greeks had achieved; so
instead of completely destroying her unique civilization, the Romans
simply absorbed most of it into their own culture.
They took over all of Greece’s holy places. They turned the Olympian
gods into Roman gods and gave them new Latin names. Athena, for
example, was now worshipped as Minerva, whose image is seen here
adorning the wall of her temple in Rome.
The Romans constructed buildings inspired by Greek architecture all
across their expanding empire and decorated them with marble statues carved in the Greek style.
And they tried hard to match the greatness of the Greek writers, scientists and philosophers as well.
And so it was that the culture and ideas of ancient Greece were spread
by the Romans to even the remotest corners of their vast empire.
End of Part Two: Time 17:00
19
1a
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DISCOVERING ANCIENT GREECE (1500-100 B.C.)
Timeline
2600-2000 B.C.
2000-1700 B.C.
1650-1450 B.C.
1450 B.C.
1189 B.C.
1150-900
900-750 B.C.
800 B.C.
800-700 B.C.
776 B.C.
720 B.C.
700-600 B.C.
594 B.C.
585-571 B.C.
560-541 B.C.
546 B.C.
540-531 B.C.
510 B.C.
507 B.C.
490-479 B.C.
470 B.C.
461-429 B.C.
431 B.C.
443 B.C.
404 B.C
390-381 B.C.
380-371 B.C.
371 B.C.
358-338 B.C.
350-340 B.C
Growth of a pre-Greek civilization on the island of Crete.
Greek speaking tribes arrive in Greece. The first palaces are built on Crete.
Mycenaean Greeks grow in power and and construct fortified cities on mainland
Greece.
Palaces on Crete are destroyed by an earthquake and the Mycenaean Greeks
capture Crete.
Force of Mycenaean Greeks attack and destroy the city of Troy in Asia Minor.
Warloving, Greek-speaking Dorians invade Greece. Mycenaean civilization collapses. Refugees from the Dorians establish cities on the eastern Aegean islands
and on the coast of Asia Minor.
Greek cities develop. Massive growth of trade between the Asiatic Greeks and
mainland cities, especially Corinth. As the populations of the cities grow, new
Greek colonies are founded in Sicily, the Black Sea, Asia Minor, southern France,
Italy and Spain as well as North Africa.
Homer begins to write the Iliad and the Odyssey.
Writing, introduced from the East, quickly spreads across Greece.
The first Olympic games are held.
Spartans expand into the southern peninsula of Greece called the Peloponnesus.
Tyrants rule the city-states of Megara, Corinth, and Sicyon. Sparta has two kings.
Solon improves the lives of the Athenians by devising better ways of sharing power
among the citizens, making it more democratic.
Ancient Greek scientist Thales correctly predicts a solar eclipse that occured on
May 28, 585 B.C. This is considered to be the first accurately known date in human
history.
Greek playwrights Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides flourish.
The Persian empire conquers cities in eastern Greece.
A group of mathematicians and philosophers led by Pythagoras develop arithmetic
and geometry.
With the aid of Sparta the tyrants are driven out of Athens.
The very earliest Athenian democracy is tried out.
The Athenians defeat the invading forces of Persia.
The philosopher Socrates teaches in Athens.
Age of Pericles and Athenian democracy; The Golden Age of Athens.
Start of the Peloponnesian War between Athens and Sparta.
Herodotus begins to write the first book on history.
Sparta defeats Athens and controls Greece.
Greek philosopher Plato founds a school in a grove on the outskirts of Athens he
calls “The Academy."
Democritus recognizes that the Milky Way is made up of numerous stars, that the
moon is similar to the Earth, and that all matter is composed of “atoms."
The city-state of Thebes defeats Sparta.
Philip, the king of Macedonia, rises up to become ruler of Greece.
Aristotle develops a method of animal classification in which 500 known species
are divided into eight classes. He defines chemical elements and teaches that space
is always filled with matter.
(Continued on 1b)
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DISCOVERING ANCIENT GREECE (1500-100 B.C.)
Timeline (cont.)
343 B.C
340 B.C
336 B.C.
334-323 B.C.
323 B.C.
323-280 B.C.
311 B.C.
306 B.C
300 B.C.
300-291 B.C.
291 B.C.
280 B.C.
229-219 B.C.
220-211 B.C.
214 B.C
197 B.C.
146 B.C.
145 B.C.
33 A.D.
50 A.D.
325 A.D.
330 A.D.
379-395 A.D.
410 A.D.
476 A.D.
Aristotle becomes the tutor of Alexander, the son of Philip of Macedonia who will
later be known as “Alexander the Great."
Aristotle founds the Lyceum in Athens: a school of Philosophy where teaching was
given as the students walked about in the neighborhood of the temple of Apollo.
Philip of Macedonia is assassinated.
Alexander the Great establishes a vast empire extending from Greece to Egypt and
east all the way to India.
Alexander the Great dies at his capital of Babylon at the age of 33.
Struggles between Alexander's generals result in a breakup of his empire into three
parts: Macedonia, Asia Minor, and Egypt.
Zeno of Cyprus establishes his Philosophical School of Stoics teaching in the Stoa
Poecile in Athens.
Ptolemy, one of Alexander's generals, begins his reign as ruler of Egypt.
A museum (a place where the minor goddesses called muses lived) was built in
Alexandria, Egypt. It was a home for scholars, artists, and mathematicians.
Euclid’s 13 books, called the “Elements of Geometry,” organize the mathematical
knowledge developed in ancient Greece during the three preceding centuries. The
first six of these books provide the subject matter for most of the geometry taught in
schools today . “Elements of Geometry” was the basic textbook of mathematics for
over 2000 years.
Greek physicians flourish at Alexandria, Egypt where they perform public dissections of the human body, describing the spleen, liver and retina.
Greek city-states try to throw off the control of Macedonia. The Romans back the
Greeks as a way of conquering Macedonia.
Romans penetrate into Illyria on the border of Macedonia.
The famous mathematician Archimedes dies at the Greek colony of Syracuse in
Sicily.
Macedonian wars begin as Rome invades Macedonia.
Romans conquer Macedonia.
Greeks rise up against Roman domination and are defeated at Corinth.
Rome combines the Greek city-states into their province of Macedonia; Greece is
firmly under Roman control.
The death of Christ.
Christian apostle Paul teaches in Greece.
The Emperor Constantine declares that Christianity will be the official religion of
the Roman Empire.
Because of it’s vast, unmanageable size, the Roman empire is divided into two
parts. The capital of the Eastern Roman Empire is established at the Greek city of
Byzantium which is renamed Constantinople in honor of Rome’s first Christian
emperor.
The Christian Roman Emperor Theodosius the First outlaws the religion of the
ancient Greeks and orders that all the shrines be closed and dismantled. The
Olympic games are ordered stopped in 393 A.D. after having been held every four
years for 1169 years.
Barbarian Visigoths plunder Rome.
The collapse of the western Roman empire. Rome is occupied by Barbarian tribes.
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DISCOVERING ANCIENT GREECE (1500-100 B.C.)
Vocabulary List
ACROPOLIS: A word that means “acro” high, “polis” city: high city.
ADYTON: The holiest place inside a temple
AGAMEMNON: Famous King of ancient Mycenae who sacrificed his daughter Iphigenia to the gods to ensure a
safe journey to Troy.
AGORA: A large open marketplace found in all ancient Greek cities.
AGORAPHOBIA: Fear of open spaces
ALEXANDER THE GREAT (356- 323 B.C.) : Son of Philip II of Macedonia and a great conqueror.
ALTIS: In the ancient Greek religion, a sacred grove of trees
ATOM: A Greek word meaning “A," cannot “tomos,” be cut: cannot be cut, indivisible.
APOLLO: Greek god of the sun, healing, music and prophecy.
ARISTOTLE: 384-322 B.C Famous Greek scientist and philosopher. Student of Plato.
ARCHIMEDES 287-212 B.C.: Famous Greek mathematician and physicist who described the concept of density and
invented a device called “the Archimedean Screw” for lifting water and other materials from a lower to a higher
level.
ASCLEPIUS: Ancient Greek god of medicine (Roman god Aesculapius): Son of Apollo.
ASCLEPION: A building for excercising, another name for gymnasium.
ATHENA: Greek goddesss of wisdom, skills and warfare. Roman goddess Minerva.
BOULEUTERION: Ancient Greek Senate building.
CENTAUR: In Greek mythology a beast with the head and chest of a man and the body of a horse.
CHITON: A woolen shirt worn next to the body in ancient Greece.
CODRUS: Brave king of ancient Athens (died 1066 B.C.).
CORINTH: A rich and powerful Greek city-state known for its extensive trading network.
CORINTHIAN CAPITAL: A design based on acanthus leaves found decorating certain ancient Greek pillars.
CYCLOPES: One-eyed giants whose job it was to make weapons for the gods. The Cyclopes were believed to have
built the walls of most of Greece’s most ancient cities including Mycenae.
DELPHI: A mountainous religious sanctuary dedicated to the god Apollo. Site of the famous prophetess known as
the “Oracle of Delphi” who acted as the human voice of Apollo.
DEMOS: Greek word for “the people.”
DEMOCRACY: Rule by the people.
DEMOCRITUS 460-370 B.C.: Ancient Greek philosopher who first suggested that all matter is composed of small
indivisible particles called atoms.
DIONYSUS: Ancient Greek god of wine, vegetation, and pleasure; in Rome he was known as Bacchus.
DORIAN: A native of Doris, one of the four main regions of ancient Greece.
DORIC ORDER: The oldest and simplest of the three styles of classical Greek architecture.
ECCELISIA: An assembly of the people at which all free male citizens could vote.
EPIDAUROS: The greatest center of healing in ancient Greece. The location of the Temple of Asclepius, the god of
medicine and site of a 14,000 seat theater.
EUCLID (c.300 B.C.): Greek mathematician who wrote the “Elements of Geometry” that became the standard textbook on mathematics for the next 2000 years.
EPICUREANISM: A school of ancient Greek philosophy founded by Epicurus which believed that happiness through
pleasure was the ultimate goal of life.
ERECHTHEUM: A temple in the Acropolis of Athens built on the site where the palaces of the ancient kings of
Athens once stood.
GIANTS: A race of huge beings that waged war on the Olympian Gods.
GOLDEN AGE OF ATHENS: A period of peace, prosperity and great achievements in art and knowledge that
occured in Athens from about 470-422 B.C
GOLDEN MEAN: A special mathematical ratio used in designing the perfectly proportioned temples constructed in
ancient Greece.
HEPHAESTUS: The ancient Greek god of fire, metal, and metalworking. Same as the Roman god Vulcan.
HERMES: Messenger to all the gods from Zeus, the god of science, boundaries and commerce and guide of the
departed souls in the underworld. Same as the Roman god Mercury.
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Vocabulary List (cont.)
HADES: The god of the underworld and ruler of the dead. Same as the Roman god Pluto. Also the home of the dead
itself.
HELLENISM: The character and thought of ancient Greece. The adoption of the Greek culture by the Romans.
HERA: Wife of Zeus; greatest of all the Greek goddesses.
HERAKLES(HERCULES): A mythical Hero of ancient Greece who carried out the 12 labors imposed on him by
Hera. He is known for his great strength and his name means “Heras glory”. He was said to be the child of Zeus and
Alcmene, the daughter of the Mycenaean king Electryon.
IONIA: A district of Asia Minor settled by the ancient Greeks.
IONIC ORDER: One of the three styles of ancient Greek architecture characterized by fluted tapered columns with
scrolled capitals.
ILLYRIA: Ancient land to the northwest of Macedonia where Albania is located today.
IRENE: Daughter of Zeus and goddess of peace.
MACEDONIA: A kingdom lying to the northeast of Athens that grew to be a great power in the ancient world and
that was strongly influenced by Greece.
MINERVA: The Roman goddess of wisdom and war; same as Athena.
MOUNT OLYMPUS: The home of the Olympian gods.
MUSE: Any one of the nine nymphs or lesser divinities who presided over the fine arts and sciences. They were all
the daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne. They were: 1. Clio, the muse of history; 2. Euterpe, the muse of lyric poetry;
3. Thalia, the muse of comedy and idyllic poetry; 4. Melpomene, muse of tragedy; 5.Terpsichore, muse of music and
dancing; 6. Erato, muse of romantic poetry; 7. Calliope, muse of epic poetry and rhetoric; 8. Urania, muse of astronomy; and 9. Polyhymnia, muse of harmony and hymns.
MUSEUM: A place for the muses.
MYCENAE: The city that was the center of the the ancient Mycenaean Culture.
ODYSSEUS: Also called Ulysses: King of Ithaca who fought in the Trojan War and whose adventures are described
in Homer's ancient book the “Odyssey.”
OLIGARCHY: Rule by a small group of noblemen
OLYMPIA: Site of the great sanctuary of Zeus and location of the Olympic games.
OLYMPIAD: The passing of time was recorded in ancient Greece in these four year units based on the number of the
previous Olympic game. The first Olympiad began in 776 B.C., The second Olympiad began in 772 B.C. etc.
OLYMPIAN GODS: The twelve major deities of the ancient Greek religion: these were Zeus, Hera, Athena, Apollo,
Hermes Hephaestus, Hestia, Poseidon, Ares, Aphrodite, Artemis and Demeter.
OMPHALOS: The name given to the sculpture placed at the center of the ancient universe at Delphi. The word
“Omphalos” means navel or bellybutton.
ORACLE OF DELPHI: A woman of high moral character over the age of 50 chosen to be the human voice of the god
Apollo. Oracles were found at many temples of Apollo in ancient Greece.
ORGY: From the Greek word “Orgia” meaning “secret rites”or “secret worship” which usually included feasting,
wine-drinking and wild celebration as a form of worship of certain gods; in particular the god Dionysus.
PALESTRA: At Olympia this was a school for wrestling and boxing; a type of gymnasium.
PAN: A rural demi-god, part man and part goat, who played a seven-tubed musical instrument called the pan-pipes
and dwelt in caves and forests.
PANCRATIUM: An athletic contest that combined wrestling and boxing.
PARTHENON: Temple to Athena in the Acropolis of Athens. The word “Parthenos” means virgin in Greek and
refers to the goddess Athena.
PELOPONNESE: The southernmost peninsula of the Greek mainland lying to the south of Athens.
PEPLOS: Outer garment worn by women in ancient Greece.
PERICLES (495-425B.C.): Leader of Athens during its Golden Age.
PERSEUS : Son of Zeus who is said to have founded Mycenae. He beheaded the snake-haired Medusa, one of the
three Gorgons.
PHIDIAS: Great sculptor who fashioned the enormous gold and ivory statues of Zeus at Olympia and of Athena at
the Parthenon in Athens.
PHILIP II OF MACEDONIA (382-336B.C.): The king of Macedonia and father of Alexander the Great.
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Vocabulary List (cont.)
PHILOSOPHY: A word which means “philos” loving “sophos” wisdom; loving wisdom. Philosophers were people
who studied the processes that governed thought, perception, and morality in an attempt to understand the principles and laws that regulate the universe and the underlie reality. The earliest scientists were philosophers.
PLATO (427-347 B.C.): A famous Greek philosopher who was a student of Socrates and lived in Athens. He wrote a
book called the “Republic” and founded a school called the Academy that was a center for advanced scientific study
in the ancient world up until 529 A.D.
PLATONIC: Refers to following the ideals of Plato and generally is taken to mean purely spiritual as opposed to
sensual.
POSEIDON: The god of the sea in ancient Greece. In Rome he was worshipped as Neptune.
PTOLEMY: The name of a dynasty of fourteen Macedonian kings who ruled Egypt from the time of the death of
Alexander the Great in 323B.C. up until 30 B.C. when the Romans took control of Egypt.
PTOLEMY (100-170 A.D.): A Greek-Egyptian astronomer who developed an astronomical system called the Ptolemaic System which visualized the Earth as the center of the universe with the sun and planets revolving around it.
This system was disproved by Copernicus and Galileo about 1400 years later.
PYTHON: A giant snake (or dragon) that had the job of guarding the sacred spring at Delphi but that terrorized the
neighborhood. Apollo slew Python and to cleanse himself, took up the life of a shepherd for many years. The Pythian
games held at Delphi celebrated the purification of Apollo.
PYTHAGORUS (580-500 B.C.): A well known Greek philosopher, mathematician and religious mystic. He re-discovered the ancient Egyptian mathematical theorem now called the Pythagorean theorem. His followers called the
Pythagoreans helped to develop arithmetic and geometry.
POLIS: A Greek word which means city. The word “Politikos," from whence we get the English word political,
means “relating to the citizen.”
SANCTUARY: A holy place
SOCRATES (469-399B.C.): A famous Greek philosopher who taught that it was more important to study the soul and
the mind than the external world. Socrates also taught that government should be entrusted to “wise” men who
know what good is.
SOLON (638-559 B.C.): Athenian poet and statesman who carried out important economic, legal, and political reforms in Athens when he served as its Archon or magistrate.
SOPHOCLES (495-406 B.C.) : Athenian tragic poet and dramatist. His two most famous plays are “Antigone” and
“Oedipus Rex”. The plays of Sophocles are still performed today.
SPARTA: A highly militaristic Greek city-state and chief rival of Athens.
SPARTAN: Literally means a citizen of Sparta but in today's English has come to mean a person who is warlike,
hardy, brave, severe, frugal and highly disciplined.
STOA: A Greek word meaning “porch”: a covered collonade having a wall or building on one side and pillars on the
the other side, usually quite large, and next to a public place. Stoas were found in every city of ancient Greece.
STOIC: A follower of the philosopher Zeno who taught under the roof of the Stoa Poecile in Athens. He taught that
people should be free of passion, unmoved by grief or joy and always submit to the divine will.
STOICISM: A word that in English has come to mean bearing up to pain without betraying feeling; a real or pretended indifference to pleasure or pain.
SYMPOSIUM: In ancient Greece this was an entertainment for men characterized by wine-drinking, music, and
intellectual discussion.
SYRACUSE: The large Sicilian colony of Corinth.
TEMENOS: The sacred enclosure of a temple surrounded by a wall that was entered by passing through a ceremonial gateway called a “propylaeum”
THEODOSIUS I (ruled 379-395A.D.): The Christian Roman Emperor who ordered the closure or all the ancient
religious shrines in Greece and halted the Olympic games in 393 A.D.
TROY: Also called Illion; ancient trading city near the Hellespont in northwest Turkey made famous in the Iliad of
Homer.
TROJAN WAR: War between Troy and the Greek city-state of Achaea 1194-1184 B.C. The Greek forces were led by
the famous Mycenaean king named Agamemnon.
TYRANT: In Greek “tyrannos” which means an absolute sovereign. Tyrants often ruled the Greek city-states.
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DISCOVERING ANCIENT GREECE (1500-100 B.C.)
The Principal Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Greece
Names
Identity
Symbols
ZEUS (JUPITER)
RULER OF THE GODS
AND THE WORLD
eagle, thunderbolt
ZEUS’ WIFE AND GODDESS
OF MARRIAGE
peacock, crown
GOD OF THE SUN, MUSIC,
PROPHECY AND BEAUTY
lyre, arrows, laurel tree
GOD OF WINE, VEGETATION,
AND PLEASURE
wine, grape vine, panther.
MESSENGER TO THE GODS FROM
ZEUS, HERALD OF THE GODS, GOD OF
COMMERCE AND BOUNDARIES
winged sandals, winged cap,
serpent rod(caduceus), the ram
GODDESS OF THE FAMILY AND
HEARTH
fire
GODDESS OF AGRICULTURE
AND MATERNAL LOVE
scepter, scythe, grain
APHRODITE (VENUS)
GODDESS OF LOVE, Mother of Eros(Cupid)
doves, seashell
ARES (MARS)
GOD OF WAR, lover of Aphrodite
helmet, arms, armor
ATHENA (MINERVA)
GODDESS OF WISDOM AND VICTORY
IN WAR
shield, helmet, owl, olive branch
HEPHAESTUS (VULCAN)
GOD OF FIRE, METAL, METALWORKING
anvil, hammer
POSEIDON (NEPTUNE)
GOD OF THE SEA AND STORMS
trident(a three-pronged pitchfork)
HADES (PLUTO)
RULER OF THE KINGDOM OF THE DEAD:
throne, beard
ARTEMIS (DIANA)
TWIN SISTER OF APOLLO:
GODDESS OF THE MOON, WILDLIFE,
HUNTING, AND CHASTITY
cresent moon, bow, quiver
HERA (JUNO)
APOLLO
DIONYSUS (BACCHUS)
HERMES (MERCURY)
HESTIA (VESTA)
DEMETER (CERES)
ASCLEPIUS (AESCULAPIUS) GOD OF MEDICINE, SON OF APOLLO
serpent, rod
PERSEPHONE(PROSERPINA)
GODDESS OF DEATH AND RENEWAL
DAUGHTER OF DEMETER,
plants, the rooster
(Names in parentheses are Roman)
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DISCOVERING ANCIENT GREECE (1500-100 B.C.)
1
Crossword Puzzle
2
1
4
3
2
3
4
6
5
5
6
8
7
7
8
9
10
ACROSS
1. Great conqueror from Macedonia, son of Philip II.
2. A powerful city-state that founded the colony of Syracuse in Sicily and that was located near important
land and sea routes south of Athens.
3. This city, one of the oldest in Greece, was the center of a powerful culture in 1500 B.C.
4. Athens in 450 B.C. reached a high point in its culture called the__________ Age of Athens.
5. Athens main rival; a powerful militaristic city-state.
6. Messenger to the gods from Zeus.
7. The greek word for “high city”; location of the Parthenon.
8. Location of the Olympian Games in ancient Greece.
9. Ruler of all gods and men in ancient Greece.
10.The ancient king that sacrificed his daughter to the gods so that his fleet would safely reach Troy.
DOWN
1. Asclepius was the ancient Greek god of______________.
2. A prophetess and human voice of Apollo was called an ___________.
3. Hephaestus was the god of_________, metal and metalworking.
4. God of wine and pleasure in ancient Greece.
5. The wife of Zeus and Goddess of the family.
6. The Greek goddess of wisdom and victory in war.
7. Rule by a small group of noble men.
8. Ancient Greek god of the sea and of storms.
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DISCOVERING ANCIENT GREECE (1500-100 B.C.)
Quiz
MATCHING: Put the correct letter from the column on the right below to match 1 through 10.
1. ____ Site of the most famous of the Greek Oracles.
A. Mount Olympus
2. ____ Main center of healing in ancient Greece.
B. Troy
3. ____ Theaters in ancient Greece were temples to this god.
C. Olympia
4. ____ This god slew a snake that guarded a sacred spring.
D. Dionysus
5. ____ This man wrote the Iliad and the Odysessy.
E. Hera
6. ____ Alexander the Great came from here.
F. Epidauros
7. ____ Agamemnon fought here.
G. Delphi
8. ____ The most important gods in ancient Greece lived here.
H. Macedonia
9. ____ The most important sanctuary to Zeus in ancient Greece.
I. Homer
10. ____ Zeus’ wife
J. Apollo
TRUE OR FALSE: Put a T in front the following true statements and an F in front of those which are false.
11. ____ King Agamemnon ruled Corinth.
12. ____ Pericles was a famous tyrant of Athens.
13. ____ Greek philosophers sometimes taught in stoas.
14. ____ The Romans despised Greek culture.
15. ____ Alexander the Great was finally defeated in Egypt.
16. ____ The ancient Greek city-states had colonies both in north Africa and in southern France.
17. ____ The ancient Greeks contributed little to mathematics.
18. ____ Most Spartans feared war and loved luxury.
19. ____ Democracy was born in Greece.
20. ____ Slavery was illegal in ancient Greece.
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