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The Landscape of GreeceSettlement and it’s Affects

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The Conditions

The soil is not very good for growing things, there are a lot of mountains that make it hard to walk from one place to another, and there is never enough fresh water.

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However . . .• Greece does have is a lot of coastline

(beaches). No part of Greece is more than about forty miles from the sea: a couple of days walking. Plus there are a lot of small islands

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Mountains Everywhere• Greece has a lot of mountains-80%

of the land is mountainous. • Mountains are not too high• Rugged enough to make travel on

land challenging • Greatly reduce the amount of land

available for farming!

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What About Natural Disasters• Greece is in the middle of a very

active volcanic zone – this the possibility of earthquakes and/or volcanoes.

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How did Greece Look • There used to be quite a lot of trees on the hillsides

of Greece • People cut most of them down • Why?

– Maybe used the trees to make the heat to produce iron.

– Greek forests located in the highlands were cleared by goats and used for charcoal production

– homes and wagons were made of wood– Wood was probably a necessary resource in the

construction of the fleet of ships.– Around 13th century BC cleared due to the needs

of the rapidly growing population

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The Fight for Forests• 5th century B. C. was divided up by two

major powers • Athens and Sparta – Peloponnesian War• Wood was very important for maintaining

naval power for Athens• Spartan army appears to have invaded the

Attica region as soon as the war started and to have cut down the forests.

• Athens and Sparta were exhausted at the end of the long war

• Power in the Greek world shifted northward to Macedonia

Sources: John Perlin, A Forest Journey: The Role of Wood in the Development of Civilization; Takeo Yuasa, The Environment and Civilization

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Sparta

Athens

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What was the weather like?• The weather changed with the seasons. It

also depended on whether you were in Northern Greece or in Southern Greece.

• The summer - hot and dry.• It hardly rains at all in Greece in the

summer • Winters in southern Greece are chilly and

rainy, but not really cold • Northern Greece, it would be colder, and

there would probably be snow several times in a winter, though you wouldn't have snow on the ground continuously

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Who Where the Greeks

• The early Greeks were sailors – they were good sailors and not so great farmers.

• They depended on the sea for fishing • And for trading – buying and selling

goods.• Greeks also hired themselves as solders

to fight for other people in the region.• Greeks also often turn to piracy or raiding

to make a living

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Soil and Agriculture

• Grew barley and wheat• Olive trees for olive oil• Grapes grow well in rocky soil• Goat and sheep most common

livestock-meat, wool, and milk.

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Greece Today

• From what you know about the landscape during the ancient times, what do you think are environmental problems that modern Greeks have?

• Do you think they are some of the same or new problems have developed?

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Wildfires

• In August 2007 wildfires spread through vast parts of Greece.

• 1000’s left homeless• Over 150 deaths

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Results “has a significant impact on global

atmospheric pollution,” including release of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide that are implicated to global climate change.

August 25, 2007

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Acid Rain

• Acid rain is rain that is more acidic than normal

• air pollution from the burning of fossil fuels is the major cause of acid rain

• Acid rain eats away at stone, metal, paint -- almost any material exposed to the weather for a long period of time

• Acid Rain is a Problem That Can Travel

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Damage to Ancient Structures

Acropolis in Athens

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Other Environmental Concerns

• Air and water pollution have become a major problems in Greece. Since World War II - increase of industrial activities, motor vehicles, and foreign tourists

• dispose of the waste from the factories is to direct them to the sea

• As a result of the droughts, and uncontrolled use of fertilizers and by soil erosion, the quality of the Greek soil has also declined.

• This has resulted in desertification in many agricultural areas -- many farmers losing their business.

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Discussion Questions

• What are similar problems faced by ancient Greeks and the modern country of Greece?

• How did the Greek landscape affect the lifestyle of the ancient Greeks?

• How did the ancient Greeks change or modify their environment to meet their needs?

• What are some of the affects of the modification to the landscape to both ancient Greece and the modern country of Greece?