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The Geography and Early Cultures of Ancient Greece

The Geography and Early Cultures of Ancient Greece. Geography. Mainland Greece is very mountainous Separated different city-states from each other Has several peninsulas Peloponnesus and Balkan the major ones Varied waterways seas, straits, islands, harbors. Dardanelles

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The Geography and Early Cultures of Ancient Greece

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  1. The Geography and Early Cultures of Ancient Greece

  2. Geography • Mainland Greece is very mountainous • Separated different city-states from each other • Has several peninsulas • Peloponnesus and Balkan the major ones • Varied waterways • seas, straits, islands, harbors

  3. Dardanelles • Strait that connects the Aegean Sea to the Black Sea • Strait: thin area of water connecting two other waterways

  4. Mountains made up 75% of Greece • Affected Greece by splitting it into different regions which • Helped city-states gain individuality • Hindered their ability to work together • Each city-state thought it was better than others • Limited amount of farmland • Lead to the Greeks colonizing new lands for farming • Moderate Temperatures • 48° F in the Winter and 80° F in the Summer allowed the Greeks to have an outdoor life

  5. Seas and Waterways affected Greece • Causing them to trade primarily by water • Profitable trade through Mediterranean, Aegean, and Ionian Seas • Made Greeks great sailors with a strong navy • Waterways connected Greeks to Italy, Egypt • Harbors kept boats safe overnight

  6. Processing • How did the water in and around Greece affect the lives of the people living there? Give at least two examples. • How did the mountains affect the people of Ancient Greece? Give at least two examples.

  7. The Early People of Greece • Indo-Europeans • Mycenaeans ruled from 2000 BCE-1200 BCE • Name came from city: Mycenae • Cities included Athens and were ruled by kings (monarchy) • Trojan War weakens Mycenaens and causes collapse

  8. Trojan War • 1200 BCE: Mycenaean Kings fought 10 year war against Troy (located in Anatolia) • According to legend, Paris, a Prince of Troy, stole Helen, the wife of a Mycenaean King , away starting the war • Dorians move in after Mycenaeans • Less advanced--little writing • After Dorians, Greeks split into city-states

  9. Epics of Homer • Because the Dorians lost the skill of writing, the Greeks learned about the Trojan War through oral traditions • Homer: blind storyteller who wrote epic poems of the Trojan War • The Iliad: The Trojan War • The Odyssey: Odysseus’ 10 year journey home

  10. Processing • Why were oral traditions so important to the early Greeks? • Do you think oral traditions or written records are more accurate? Why or why not?

  11. Early Cities • Early cities focused on two ideas: • Promoting civic participation • Getting people (free adult men) involved in decisions of city • Promoting commercial/business life • Getting people to trade products/ideas • City-states known as polis • Polis: city and surrounding countryside • Ex—Washington DC and its suburbs • Agora: city center—like business district • Acropolis: fortified (protected) area of city • Not all had one • Some cities put agora in acropolis

  12. Agora: • Place for discussion and trade • Men met for food, clothes, ideas • Women rarely seen • Acropolis: • Used for protection and as a sign of power • Made it easy to see oncoming attackers • Place for royalty, women, and children to hide during war

  13. Athenian Acropolis • Fortified hilltop for protection • Walls are the mountain its built on—marble

  14. Greek Religion and Mythology • Polytheistic • Mythology had 3 purposes: • Explaining natural phenomena (Storms, thunder, lightning, etc) • Explaining human qualities (speed, knowledge, strength, sight, etc) • Explaining life events (births, deaths, marriages, etc. ) • Greek gods spread to Rome and can still be seen in everyday life • Literature, art, monuments, politics, architecture

  15. Processing • How did Greek mythology help the Greeks explain their everyday lives and the world around them? • What impact did Greek mythology have on the world after the Greeks were gone?

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