ANCIENT GREECE
STUDY GUIDE
1. Describe the climate of Greece. Greece has a
Mediterranean climate with hot, dry summers and mild, moist
winters.
2. What about Greece’s geography allowed for formation of
city-states? Rugged mountains and isolated valleys
3. What are some things that could be found in a city-state?
Temples, agora, acropolis,
4. Describe the evolution of democracy in Athens.
 Monarchy
 Oligarchy
 Tyranny
 Democracy
5. What form of government originated in Athens?
Democracy
6. Who could participate in government in Athens?
Free men, born in Athens
7. Who is Homer?
He was a blind poet, who wrote The Iliad and The
Odyssey (epic poems about Trojan War)
8. What are the 3 types of columns that the Greeks
were first to design?
 Ionic
 Corinthian
 Doric
9. What was the Parthenon?
Temple built to honor the goddess Athena. It was a
masterpiece of architecture with a statue of her
built by the sculptor, Phidias.
10. Describe Golden Age
The Golden Age was a period of peace and
prosperity. During Greece’s golden age there were
many contributions made to Greek society.
11. Who were three famous Greek philosophers and
what were they famous for?
 Socrates – encouraged Greeks to question the world
around them
 Plato – founder of the “Academy” in Athens
 Aristotle – taught Alexander the Great and invented
the debating method
12. What weakened Greece and left it open for attack?
War between Athens and Sparta (Peloponnesian War)
13. Who was Alexander the Great? He was the King
of Macedonia and was taught by Aristotle which
gave him an appreciation of the Greek culture. He
conquered Greece and Persia and created an
empire from the Mediterranean to India.
14. How did Alexander the Great spread Greek
culture? As Alexander conquered areas he built
cities and urged Greek people to move there.
15. Who were Zeus, Poseidon, Hades and Athena?
 Zeus – god of the sky and ruler of Olympian gods
 Poseidon – god of the sea
 Hades – god of the underworld
 Athena – goddess of Wisdom
16. Was Ancient Greece monotheistic or polytheistic?
They were polytheistic. They believed in many gods.
17. What is the relative location of Greece?
 north of Egypt and the Mediterranean Sea
 West of Mesopotamia
 East of North America
18. Why did Greek athletes participate in the ancient
Olympic games? To honor Zeus
19. How were the Greek city-states/polis different
from each other? How were they alike?
They each had their own government and set of laws.
They shared the same language and were
polytheistic, believing in the same gods.
20. What is the purpose of myths?
To explain things in nature, such the creation of the
world; to entertain; to promote cultural morals
21. On what continent can you find Greece? Europe
22. Compare Athens and Sparta.
Athens Sparta