Greek Civilization
I. Greece’s Geography
1. Mountainous land in the Mediterranean Sea
2. 2 peninsulas
a. Attica – triangular-shaped peninsula
with harbors
b. Peloponnesus – mountains and seas
divide it
A. Farming
1. Covered with mountains and rocky soil
a. made farming difficult
b. Solution – grew crops that grew well
in the harsh environment
i. olives = staple crop in Greek life
2. Farmers raised
a. sheep
b. goats
3. Food was scarce.
a. relied on seas to survive
B. The Greek Economy
1. Occupations (jobs)
a. farmers
b. sailors
c. shipbuilders
d. traders
i. bought grain from surrounding
areas
ii. Traveled as far as Egypt and
Spain
II. Trading Civilization
A. The Minoans
1. Lived on the island of Crete
2. controlled trade in the eastern
Mediterranean Sea
3. Tsunami may have allowed
Mycenaeans to take over
B. The Mycenaeans
1. Came from central Asia
2. Captured Greek mainland and established
kingdoms
3. Kingdoms were centered around a palace
on a hill.
a. centers of trade and peace
b. provided protection during war
4. Conquered by the Dorians
a. made iron weapons; Mycenaeans only
had bronze weapons
C. The Phoenicians
1. present-day Lebanon
2. Looked to sea (survival)
a. sailed across the Mediterranean as
traders
i. traded goods
1. cloth
2. metals
3. glass objects
4. purple dye (royalty)
b. established colonies
D. A Phoenician Invention
1. Spread culture and ideas
2. Greatest invention = alphabet
a. basis for the alphabet used today
b. The Greeks adapted it, and made
reading and writing easier
c. able to record history and stories
III. Greek Religion and Culture
1. Practiced polytheism
a. 12 main gods and goddesses
i. lived on Mount Olympus
(Greece’s highest mountain)
ii. Played role in daily lives
iii. Controlled natural disasters
1. storms
2. earthquakes
iv. Festivals to honor them
1. Olympic Games
A. Philosophy
1. Philosophers studied history, political science,
science, and mathematics
2. Teachers
a. Socrates
i. Led discussions on how to live
ii. Questioned Athens’s laws, customs,
and even religion
iii. Put on trial for “urging Athens’
young people to revolt”
iv. Sentenced to death
3. Plato was Socrates student, and became Aristotle’s
teacher.
B. Greek Drama and Epics
1. Plays
a. outdoor theaters
b. Actors wore masks, which represented the feelings
of the characters.
i. still a symbol of acting and theater today
c. Comedy – ends happily
d. Tragedy – main character dies or is defeated
2. Poems described Greek history.
3. Famous poet = Homer (not Homer Simpson)
a. wrote 2 epic (long) poems
i. Iliad – described war between Greeks and
Trojans
ii. Odyssey – described adventures of
Odysseus (soldier in Trojan war)
Alexander’s Empire
I. The Growth of City States
1. Polis – city-state at the heart of the region
2. Built around an acropolis – walled hill
where people could seek safety from attack
(religious center too)
3. Agora – market and meeting area in the
city-state
A. Governing City-States
1. city-state ruled by one
a. monarchy – ruled by a king
b. tyrant – power taken by force
2. city-state ruled by groups
a. oligarchy – government of the wealthy
and powerful
b. democracy – all citizens participated
i. only men
ii. United States
II. Empires in the
Mediterranean
1. 2 most powerful city-states in Greece
a. Athens
b. Sparta
Sparta vs. Athens
Sparta
Athens
• Government – kings
• Education –
• Government - Democracy –
men were citizens
• Education –
• Boys – soldiers
• Girls – mothers of soldiers
• Women – had some rights
• Wealthy boys – school
• Poor boys – trade school
• Girls – at home
• Women – few to no rights /
rarely seen in public
A. War with Persia
1. Persians
a. present-day Iran
b. conquered land in Asia Minor
(present-day Turkey)
c. Darius attacked Greece and failed.
d. enemies with Greece
B. The Peloponnesian War
1. Athens – rich and powerful
2. Sparta became jealous
3. 431 B.C. – Peloponnesian War began
a. Athenians hid
b. plague broke out in Athens
i. disease or event that causes suffering
for many people
ii. killed a 1/3 of the city
iii. Pericles died
4. Athens surrendered in 404 B.C.
III. A New Power
1. Macedon – country north of Greece
2. Used cavalry (horseback)
a. more effective than fighting on foot
3. Alexander the Great succeeded his father
Philip.
A. Alexander the Great
1. Trained to be a general
2. Conquered Egypt, Asia Minor, and Persia
3. Age 32 – ruler of the largest empire in the world
a. Babylon was the capital.
4. Died at age 32
a. began the Hellenistic era
i. means “like the Greeks”
ii. Greek language, culture, and customs
influenced the Mediterranean world for the next
700 years.