Geography of Ancient
Greece
LESSON 1
Vocabulary
 Peninsula
 Harbor
Map
 Mediterranean
 Crete
 Rhodes
 Attica
 Peloponnesus
 Phoenicia
 Aegean
 Ionian
Sea
Sea
Sea
The Big Picture
 No
great river flowed through Ancient
Greece.
Ancient
Greek civilization was rooted in a
rocky landscape surrounded by the sea
Mountains and Sea

Greece is made up of the southern European mainland and over 400 islands.
Same area that makes up Greece today

Crete is the biggest Greek island
 East
of Crete is the island of Rhodes ( an island near what is present day
Turkey)
 Rhodes
provides thee perfect rest stop for ships sailing between Greece
and western Asia

Mountains and hills cover most of the land. Little farmable land
Land Along the Coast

In eastern Greece large plains are suitable for farming (near the coast)
A
few plains are on Attica (peninsula)
 Peninsula Attica
is an area of land nearly surrounded by water
also contains Harbors
 Harbor-
is a sheltered place along the coast (used for ships)
 Peloponnesus
is a mountainous peninsula, with a thin band of fertile
land. It does have many rivers.
 Unlike
ancient Egypt or Mesopotamia these rivers dry up during the
summer
Agriculture in Ancient Greece

Greece has a climate that can be challenging for farmers

Summers are hot and dry, and winters are wet and windy

Farmers grew wheat and barley (like ancient Mesopotamians) but
their main crops were olives and grapes
Crossing the Seas

Sailing was an important part of life

Sailors traveled as far as ancient Egypt to trade

Greek merchants competed with traders from Phoenicia (what is
present day Lebanon)

Olive oil is the most prized exports