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An Introduction
ANCIENT GREECE
Burning Questions
• What do you already know about Greece?
• What do you think you know about Greece?
• What do you want to know about Greece?
Ancient Greece: Searching for the Good Life
What’s your definition of “the good life”?
The ancient Greeks went to the theatre with friends, read entertaining poetry, and relaxed with a good meal. They especially enjoyed the freedom to do as they pleased
The ancient Greeks created revolutionary laws, literature, and political systems.
They gave people new rights and freedoms.
They gave the individual dignity.
Its efforts to make life easy and more enjoyable for individuals have been admired and imitated ever since ancient Greek times.
Ancient Greece’s timeline lasted from about 2000 B.C. to 146 B.C.
How many years is that?
Is that a short or long time compared with ancient Egypt?
The land of ancient Greece was very small.
Ancient Greek civilization developed in the southern tip of the Baltic Peninsula and on the many Greek islands dotting the Aegean Sea – a total area only about twice the size of Vancouver island.
The Greek lands are rugged and mountainous with few rivers and little rainfall.
The only good farmland lies in small packets nestled in valleys and on islands.
Greece’s earliest settlers enjoyed Greece’s warm, dry climate.
The hilly country was ideal for raising sheep and goats.
Crops grew easily on the small patches of farmlands. These crops included grains, olives, and grapes.
The Greek lands were rich in natural resources.
The early settlers found plenty of timber and stone for building.
The also found copper, silver, obsidian, and tin.
These materials were used for making tools and trading with other societies.
Greece’s best geographic asset was its seacoast.
Its many natural harbors provided protection for boats and access to plentiful fishery.
Brain Break
On your map of Ancient Greece:
• Shade the sea in blue• Shade the land that is part of Greece in
green• Highlight or outline the following main
city states – Athens, Sparta, Delphi, and Olympia
***at the height of ancient Greece’s civilization, Athens and Sparta were the largest and most influential cities
Farmland was limited to isolated pockets n Greece’s isolated lands.
The earliest settlements developed as small and independent communities cut off from one another.
Hinterland/ Mini-country: Each city was surrounded with farmland that provided its own food, had access to the sea, and could function on its own.
Self-governing city = city-state
Even though the Greek people were loyal to their own city-state, the Greek customs an traditions were shared by all
All ancient Greeks worshipped the same gods, and all spoke the same language
All ancient Greeks shared the same ancestry and way of life
They banded together for protection in times of war
Questions:
1. What features of the physical environment of Greece were advantages and which were drawbacks?
2. What occupations would you expect to find among people who relied on the sea as much as the ancient Greeks did?
3. How did the physical environment influence travel and communication between the different city-states?
4. How did the physical environment contribute to the development of city-states?
5. Why do we talk about ancient Greece as one civilization when it was really just a collection of mini countries?
