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– Strait that

connects the Aegean Sea to the Black Sea

• Strait: thin area of water connecting two other waterways

• 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

• 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

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• 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.

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

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

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

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• 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?

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

• 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

Athenian Acropolis• Fortified hilltop for protection–Walls are the mountain its built on—

marble

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

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• 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?