Ancient Greece
Joyce Ortega
Pamela Garcia
Greece’s Geography
 The land of Greece looks as if the sea has smashed it to pieces.
Some pieces have drifted away to form small, rocky islands.
 Greece is a country made up of peninsulas. Mountains are the
major landform of Greece. Greece’s islands are mostly
mountain peaks. Only about one fifth of Greece is good for
growing crops.
 Parthenon was created in Athens. In the center of town are
two hills, the Acropolis with the monuments from the Age of
Pericles, and Lycabettus with the picturesque chapel of Ai
Giorgis. Sparta is known in Greek as Sparti.
Greece’s People
Playwrights
 Aeschylus
 Aristophanes
 Euripides
 Sophocles
Historians
 Herodotus
 Thucydides
 Xenophon
Philosophers
Aristotle
Epicurus
Plato
Socrates
Mythical Creatures
Antigone
Electra
Orpheus
Epic Poets
 Hesiod
 Homer
Leaders
 Pericles
 Alexander the Great
Sculptors
Phidias
Praxiteles
Mathematicians
Archimedes
Greece’s Location
Greece is located in Southern Europe, its mainland is
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located at the southern end of the Balkan Peninsula.
Greece is surrounded on:
The north by Bulgaria, the Republic of Macedonia and
Albania.
To the west by the Ionian Sea.
To the south by the Mediterranean Sea.
To the east by the Aegean Sea and Turkey.
Greece’s Climate
 The climate in Greece is predominantly Mediterranean. However, due to the
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country’s unique geography, Greece has a remarkable range of microclimates and local variations.
To the west of the Pindus mountain range, the climate is generally wetter
and has some maritime features.
The east of the Pindus mountain range is generally drier and windier in
summer.
The north areas of Greece have a transitional climate between the
continental and the Mediterranean climate. There are mountains that have
an alpine climate.
Mediterranean (dry and wet)
Alpine Mediterranean
Transitional-Continental-Mediterranean
Temperature
Abs. minimum temperature: -27.8 °C (-18.0 °F), Ptolemaida.
Abs. maximum temperature: 48.0 °C (118.4 °F ), Elefsina and Tatoi.
Greece’s Religion
Religion in Greece is dominated by the Church of
Greece, which is part of the wider Greek Orthodox
Church.
 It represents the majority of the population and
Greek Orthodoxy is constitutionally recognized as the
“prevailing religion” of Greece (making it one of the
few European countries with a state religion). Other
major religions include Catholicism, Hellenic
Neopaganism, Judaism, Protestantism, and Islam.
The Golden Age of Athens
 The years from 479 B.C. to 431
B.C. are
called the Golden Age of
Athens.
 During the Golden Age, Athens grew rich from trade and from
silver mined by slaves in regions around the city. Athenians also
made important achievements in the arts, philosophy, and
literature, and democracy reached its high point. For about 30
years during the Golden Age, Pericles was the most powerful
man in Athenian politics.
 Pericles was a member of an aristocratic family, but he supported
democracy. One of the greatest accomplishments under the rule
of Pericles was the construction of the Parthenon.
Ancient Greek Religious Beliefs
 Greeks worshiped a family of gods and goddesses called the
Twelve Olympians. Each ruled different areas of human life and
the natural world.
 The Greeks took great care when honoring their gods. They
wished to give thanks and to receive blessings. They also tried
to avoid angering the gods. Wherever the Greeks lived, they
built temples to the gods.
 Because the gods had human forms, they also had many
human characteristics. The main difference between gods and
humans was that the gods were immortal and also had great
powers. Although the Greeks worshiped all their gods, each
city-state honored one of the twelve gods.
A Family of Gods
Zeus
Ruler of all gods and humanity
Hera
Goddess of marriage and childbirth
Apollo
God of music, poetry
Artemis
Goddess of hunting
Athena
Goddess of wisdom and war
Ares
God of war
Aphrodite
Goddess of love
Hermes
Messenger of the gods
Poseidon
God of earthquakes and the ocean
Demeter
Goddess of fertility
Greek Science and Philosophy
 Philosophers believed that people could use the powers of the
mind and reason to understand natural events. One of the first
philosophers, Thales, believed that water was the basic material
of the world.
 Democritus, who lived in the 400s B.C., thought that
everything was made of tiny particles he called atoms. More
than 2,000 years later, modern science showed that he had
been correct.
Socrates
 Socrates wanted to consider the true meaning of qualities such
as justice and courage. In 399 B.C., Socrates was brought to
trial. The authorities accused him of dishonoring the gods and
misleading young people. He was sentenced to death by forced
suicide.
Plato and Aristotle
 Much of what is known about Socrates comes from the writing
of Plato, one of his students. Socrates’ death caused Plato to
mistrust democracy.
 Plato founded a school in Athens called the Academy, where he
taught a student named Aristotle. Aristotle believed that reason
should guide the pursuit of knowledge. He later founded his
own school, the Lyceum.
Visual and Dramatic Arts
 The ancient Greeks devoted great attention to their arts. The
Greeks used visual arts, such as architecture and sculpture, to
glorify and honor their gods. The ancient Greeks are also
known as the first playwrights, or people who write plays.
The Parthenon
 The temple was made of fine marble. Rows of columns
surrounded it on all four sides. Within the columns was a room
that held the statue of Athena, made of wood, ivory, and gold.
The statue rose 40 feet, as high as a four-story building.
Dramas
 Athenians were the first people known to write dramas. Some
of the most famous Greek plays were tragedies. A Greek tragedy
consisted of several scenes that featured the characters of the
story.
 Between the scenes a chorus chanted or sang poems. In most
plays, the author used the chorus to give background
information, comment on the events, or praise the gods.
Comedies
 During the 400s B.C. in Athens, poets wrote comedies that
made fun of well-known citizens and politicians and also made
jokes about the customs of the day.
 Because of the freedom in Athens, people accepted the humor
and jokes. Athenian comedy is conventionally divided into
three periods: Old Comedy, Middle Comedy, and New Comedy.
Slavery in Ancient Greece
 Slaves did a great deal of work throughout the city-states of
Greece. Slavery was common in Athens.
 Historians estimate that as many as 100,000 slaves may have
lived in Athens. This would mean that almost one third of the
city’s population were slaves.
 Many people became enslaved when they were captured by
armies during war or by pirates while traveling on ships. Slaves
did not have any of the privilages taken for granted by the rest
of Greek society.
 Slaves could only become free if they bought their own freedom
or if their master freed them.
Math and Science
 Mathematics and science also flourished in Alexandria. Around
300 B.C., a mathematician named Euclid developed the branch
of mathematics called geometry.
 He started with accepted mathematical laws. Then, he wrote
step-by-step proofs of mathematical principles.
 A scientist named Eratosthenes even calculated the distance
around Earth. Eratosthenes used mathematics that were
advanced for hid time. His result was very close to the correct
distance as it is known today.
 The equatorial circumference of the Earth is 24,901.55 miles.
This is how many miles the Earth is around. But if you measure
around the Earth, passing through the poles, it’s only 24,859.82
miles around.
Greek Olympics
 The Greeks invented athletic contests and held them in honor
of their gods. The Isthmos games were staged every two years at
the Isthmos of Corinth.
 The Pythian games took place every four years near Delphi. The
most famous games held at Olympia, south-west of Greece,
which took place every four years.
Greek Periods
Period
Neolithics
Early
Bronze
Minoan
Mycenaean
The Dark
Ages
Archaic
Classical
Hellenistic
B.C.
6000-2900
2900-2000
2000-1400
1600-1100
1100-750
750-500
500-336
336-146
Greek Temple Architecture
 Doric
The Doric style is
rather sturdy and its
top (the capital), is
plain. This style was
used in mainland
Greece and the
colonies in southern
Italy and Sicily.
 Ionic
The Ionic style is
thinner and more
elegant. Its capital is
decorated with a scrolllike design (a volute).
This style was found in
eastern Greece and the
islands.
 Corinthian
The Corinthian style is
seldom used in the
Greek world, but often
seen on Roman
temples. Its capital is
very elaborate and
decorated with
acanthus leaves.