Greece Study Guide
The ancient Greeks have influenced the lives of people
today. The United States’ government is based on the
ideas developed in ancient Greece.
Contribution: the act of giving or doing something
Specialization: when people focus on producing
selected goods and
services
Interdependence: Two or more people depending on each
other for
goods and services.
Government
 Greece is known as the birthplace of democracy.
 All citizens had an equal voice in running the
country.
 Men were the only people allowed to vote.
Direct Democracy – a government in which all people
vote to make their own rules and laws.
Geography
 The country of Greece is on a peninsula located in
the Mediterranean Sea (southeastern Europe).
 There are many islands around the mainland of
Greece.
 Ancient Greece was divided into city-states, or
small communities because the mountains and
valleys on the mainland of Greece isolated people
from each other.
Jobs
The most important jobs held by the ancient Greeks
were being farmers, shipbuilders, and traders.
Agriculture
 Because of all the mountains, the Greeks farmed on
hillsides.
 Their main crops were olives and grapes.
Trading
 The ancient Greeks traded with countries such as
Egypt, Syria, and Sicily.
 Trading took place on the Mediterranean Sea
because it was easier to travel by boat than over
the mountains on poor roads.
o This is another reason why city-states (small
independent communities) developed.
Architecture


Greek architecture often uses columns.
The Greeks designed three types of columns.
o Doric
o Ionic
o Corinthian
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The Acropolis
o The Acropolis is a hill in Athens where the
Greeks built temples to their gods and
goddesses.
o The Greeks believed in many gods and
goddesses.
o The
the
o The
the
Parthenon is the most famous building on
Acropolis.
Parthenon was built as a temple to Athena,
Goddess of Wisdom.
Sports – The Olympics
 The Greeks loved sports!
 The Greeks began the Olympic games in 776 B.C.
(you do not need to memorize this date.)
 The games were held to honor the gods and
goddesses.
 Only men could compete…women were not even allowed
to watch!
 Today’s Olympic games are modeled after the games
of Ancient Greece.
Arts
 Ancient Greeks enjoyed music, painting and making
statues and pottery.
 Their statues and pottery were decorated to show
events from everyday life.
 They also enjoyed performing and watching plays.
 Their plays were either funny (comedy) or sad
(tragedy).
 Actors were all men who wore masks to show which
character they were playing.
Gods and Goddesses
 Ancient Greeks believed in many gods and
goddesses.
 Believed the gods controlled everything from the
weather to people’s feelings.
 They built temples to honor their gods and
goddesses.