Ch. 9

1. Ch. 9 Greece

2. Up to this point we have learned the first civilizations

3. formed near rivers. The people depended on the rivers to overflow

4. flooding their fields to help make the soil fertile.

6. Greece was different. It did not depend on a river, and

7. because of it being such a mountainous land, It does not

8. have much land that can be used for farming.

10. This mainly mountainous land caused Greece to not be

11. united as a country in early times. The sea is never far from the country in

12. early times. Although Greece is a small land, it has a long coastline with

13. many bays and inlets. In ancient Greece, most people lived

14. along the low coastal areas and in its few short river valleys. Here

15. The rich soil and mild climate were perfect for raising animals

16. and growing Greece’s main crops – grapes, olives, and grains such as barley.

17. Trade allowed Greek ideas to spread and also allowed the

18. Greeks to learn from other cultures. This is where the Greeks

19. got their alphabet and began using coins for money.

20. Uniting the country of Greece under one government was very difficult.

21. The people of Greece all spoke the same language and

22. practiced the same religion, however the mountains physically separated them and

23. people did not frequently travel to other regions.

24. Greece had a pleasant climate which allowed the people to develop an

25. outdoor way of life. The agora, or outdoor marketplace, was a common

26. feature in Greek cities.

27. The agora consisted of fountains for people to get

28. water and men shopping in the marketplace. It also included statues of

29. athletes, important politicians, and sometimes gods and goddesses.

30. Other outside activities included open-air theaters, political

31. meetings, and religious celebrations. The Greeks also developed a

32. lasting interest in sports and athletic contests.

33. About the same time people settled in the Nile valley, settlements

34. developed on islands in the Aegean Sea. By 2500 B.C. , the people of Crete,

35. an island in the Mediterranean Sea, had developed a written language,

36. learned to weave cloth, make pottery , and create beautiful jewelry.

37. Today we call this the Minoan civilization. This group’s wealth came from trade.

38. According to Greek historians, the Minoans controlled trade with all the

39. islands in the Aegean Sea and the cities on the coast of the Ionian Sea. They

40. tradedfood grown on the islands, as well as beautiful pottery and other

41. crafts made by their artisans. By 1600 B.C. the Minoan ships patrolled the

42. seas and protected Peloponnesus from invaders.

44. By about 2000 B.C. groups of people migrated to the Greek mainland. Over

45. the centuries these communities grew into cities. The cities then

46. grew into city-states. Each one developed its own pattern of life.

47. The greatest of the early city-states was Mycenae. As Mycenae grew,

48. so did its power. It replaced Crete as the center of civilization in the eastern

49. Mediterranean. Walls 20 feet thick surrounded the city making it possible for

50. Mycenae's to defend itself. The Mycenaean's took plunder, or valuables seized