The two most important cities of Ancient Greece are Athens and Sparta.
Many writers and artists from Athens produced work that has survived to
this day. Much less evidence has survived from Sparta but we do know that
it was a military state.
Facts about Ancient Greece
Only rich soldiers went to war riding horses and in full armour.
A favorite Minoan sport was bull- leaping. People did gymnastic vaults over
the backs of raging bulls.
Legend says that Crete was the home of the Minotaur, a man-eating monster.
Half -Bull Half –Man.
Greek Gods
The Greeks believed that gods were very important. There are 11 Greek
Gods. However the three main Gods were:
Zeus (God of the sky)
Hades (God of death)
Poseidon (God of the sea)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/primaryhistory/ancient_greeks/
In Athens there is a famous temple called The Parthenon.It stands on the top
of the Acropolis. To this day people go to see the ruins.
Famous Greeks
Alexandra the Great
Alexander III the Great, the King of Macedonia and conqueror of the Persian
Empire is considered one of the greatest military geniuses of all times.
Alexander was born in 356 BC in Pella, the ancient capital of Macedonia.
He was son of Phillip II, King of Macedonia, and Olympias, the princess of
neighboring Epirus. He spent his childhood watching his father transforming
Macedonia into a great military power, winning victory after victory on the
battlefields throughout the Balkans. When he was 13, Philip hired the Greek
philosopher Aristotle to be Alexander’s personal tutor. During the next
three years Aristotle gave Alexander training in rhetoric and literature and
stimulated his interest in science, medicine, and philosophy, all of which
became of importance in Alexander’s later life. In 340, when Philip
assembled a large Macedonian army and invaded Thrace, he left his 16 years
old son with the power to rule Macedonia in his absence as regent,
which shows that even at such young age Alexander was recognized
as quite capable. That is why we remember him for his great battle
skills.
3000BC-The Minoan Civilisation Begins
1200BC-The Greeks Fight Troy
1100BC-The End Of The Mycenaean Age. Greece enters a “Dark Age”
800BC-Greeks set off by sea to set up Colonies.
776BC-The first Olympic games are held.
700BC-The Illiad and Odyssey Poems are written by Homer.
500BC-Democracy is founded in Athens,But only male citizens can vote.
490BC-The Greeks defeat the Persians at the Battle of Marathon.
480BC-The Greeks and Persians Fight a great sea battle at Salamsis.
443BC-Pericles leads Athens in it’s “Golden Age”
431BC-The Peloponnesian War.
Greek Life
In Sparta war was a big part of their life style.
A Greek soldier carried a big round shield, made of
wood and metal. On his legs he wore metal guards,
called greaves. On his head he wore a metal helmet,
often with a crest on top. The crest was usually made
of horsehair, and stuck up to make the soldier look
taller and fiercer. A hoplite had to pay for his armour,
unless his father was killed in battle. Then he was
given his father's weapons and armour. Rich men had metal armour, shaped
to the chest, but others wore cheap armour made of linen cloth. Layers of
cloth were glued together, to make a tough, bendy jacket, which could be
covered with metal plates.