1. Ancient Greece2nd ESO

Maira Gil Camarón

Natural environmentThe Greek-speaking world was originally called

Hellas: In the south of the Balkan PeninsulaOn islands in the eastern MediterraneanOn the coast of Asia Minor

Physical relief explains why Ancient Greece was not a single and unified country:Mountains divided mainland Greece into small

valleysIslands were separated from each other by the

seaEach valley or island was like a small country

(city-state)

What united the Greeks of Hellas? Common origins

In Crete, the Minoan civilisation appeared around 2600 BC. The main city was Knossos, which have many luxurious palaces and its considered Europe’s oldest city

In the Peloponnese, the Achaeans formed the Mycenaean civilisation between 1600 and 1200 BC

Same language and culture Greeks spoke Greek and used a

syllabic alphabet. Literature helped to spread the same culture among all the Greeks. Poems of Homer provided them with common history as they described the origins and deeds of their ancestors Iliad tells of the war between the

Greeks and Trojans Odyssey tells of the adventures of

Odysseus (king of Ithaca) on his journey home from the Trojan War

Same gods and ritualsGreeks were polytheistic and their gods were

represented in human form (anthropomorphic) and guided and ordered people’s lives. The gods lived on Mount Olympus and had powers and were immortal

Demigod (or hero): born from a union between a mortal and a god

Myths and legends consist of the fabulous adventures of its gods and heroes

To honour their gods, people celebrated religious, cultural and sporting festivals

Similar ways of lifePeasants cultivated wheat, grapes and olives and

raised sheep, goats and pigsArtisants/merchants lived in cities

Two great poleis: Sparta and AthensThe Greek city-states or poleis

Each polis was usually protected by walls and had a similar structure:The Acropolis, the upper part, was composed of a

walled citadel that included all the main religious buildings

The lower part contained the houses, which were grouped into neighbourhoods. In the centre was the Agora, the market place, which was surrounded by religious, political and commercial buildings. The Agora was the centre of the community life

Form of government in the poleisTyrany (takes power by force) one man aloneMonarchy (hereditary) one man aloneOligarchy (rulers are chosen) a group of men

(aristocracy)Democracy (voting or lottery) All the male citizens

in the poleis

SPARTA was an oligarchy Two kings held military and religious authority Gerousia, a council formed by prestigious, older

citizens. They drew up laws and were responsible for justice

The ephors were five magistrates who carried out the decisions of the Gerousia

The Apella (or assembly) consisted of all free men over 30 years old

ATHENS was a democracy (from the 7th century BC) Ekklesia (or assembly). All the citizens met to vote

laws, decide foreign policy and elect magistrates Boule (council): 500 citizens chosen by ballot Athenian leaders were magistrates. The archons

were the chief magistrates, and the strategoi led the army

Each year, members of the law courts were chosen by ballot

Athens: an unequal societyAthenian democracy was limited, as not all

Athenians had the same rights. WOMEN were confined to the home and were

dedicated to the domestic life. They did not have the right to vote and rarely participated in political life

SLAVES were the property of another person and had no rights. They were considered inferior human beings. Some worked in extreme conditions

CITIZENS were the male children of an Athenian mother and father. They could vote and be elected to a public position. They defended the city when there was war, and paid for their own military equipment

METICS were the children of parents who were not Athenian, and they were considered foreigners. They worked as artisans and merchants. They paid taxes but could not participate in politics. They could be part of the army, but they could never hold positions of command

The Greeks colonise the Mediterranean

Reasons for emigrationThanks to the long Greek coastline and large

number of islands, Greeks were expert sailorsMany Greeks abandoned their poleis due to an

increase in population, after the 8th century BC, and a lack of land suitable for cultivation

Greek coloniesGreeks looked for places to establish new colonies

where they could cultivate the land, trade with local peoples and extract raw materials places with good access by sea, easy to defend, a water supply and an indigenous population

The most important areas of Greek colonisation: Southern Italy and Sicily (Magna Graecia), the Iberian Peninsula and the shores of the Black Sea

How did they establish a colony? Before leaving

The inhabitants consulted the gods (in oracles such as Delphi) before the journey about whether it was advisable to go or not. They only set off on their voyage if they received a favourable reply

The voyage They travelled on boats powered by

oars and sails. The Greeks practised cabotage. They only crossed the open sea when it was necessary

Founding a colony When they found a suitable location,

the colonists disembarked and founded a new city (colony). The colonies were independent from their city or origin (metropolis). However, they maintained commercial and agricultural ties to it. The colonists lived from agriculture, fishing and trade with local peoples and the metropolis. Many colonies ended up creating their own currency

Trireme, a Greek ship

The rule of Hellas: from Athens to Macedonia

The Persian Wars (499-479 BC) They took place when the Persians tried to conquer

Athens after conquering many of the poleis in Asia Minor. The Athenians fought back and defeated Persia in the battles of Marathon and Salamis. After the victory, Athens became the richest and most influential poleis

Under the leadership of Athens, many poleis formed a union called the Delian League to defend the city-states against future Persian attacks

The Peloponnesian War (431-404 BC) The domination of Athens

threatened other poleis, such as Sparta, and some of them supported Sparta in the Peloponnesian League, which opposed the Delian League of Athens and its allies

This started the Peloponnesian War, which ended with the defeat of Athens and its League

The war ended the Golden Age of the Greek poleis

Macedonia conquers Hellas: Alexander the Great In the 4th century BC, Macedonia was a mountainous

kingdom, north of Greece. In the mid-4th century BC, Philip II of Macedonia

took advantage of the decline of the poleis, defeated the Athenians and began the conquest of Greece, but he was assassinated in 336 BC

Phillip’s son, Alexander the Great, continued his conquests. Between 334 and 323 BC he defeated the Persian Empire. He ruled territories from Greece in the west to the Danube in the north, Egypt in the south and western India in the east

Alexander founded many cities in the conquered territories. Greek culture spread through many regions, but was also influenced by eastern ideas. This fusion was called Hellenism, and the monarchies that appeared in this territories after the death of Alexander were Hellenistic monarchies

Religion and cultureGods and heroes: polytheistic religion

Gods were immortal but looked human. They loved and fought with each other. They lived on Mount Olympus

Heroes (demigods) were born from the union of a god and a human being: Achilles, Heracles… were extremely powerful, but they weren’t immortal. Many cities had foundation myths, which explained how they were founded by a great hero

Greek myths were colourful stories about all theses gods and heroes. They features fantastic creatures like the Cyclop (one-eye monster), and the centaurs (horses with a human head, chest and arms)

Culture

Arts

The Acropolis in Athens When people talk about the acropolis, they normally

mean the acropolis in Athens. On the Athens acropolis there was a famous temple, the Parthenon. It was built arround 440 BC in honour of the Goddess Athena, who was the protector of Athens. There was also a 9-metre bronze statue of the Goddess Athena

Activity (individual / in pairs): In a colourful sheet, write the main characteristics

of the Greek Architecture. After that, look for photos and information about two buildings (not the same ones that appear in this Power Point) and write the name of the architect, the period, the place… all the information that you consider important

In other colourful sheet, write the main characteristics of the Greek Sculpture. After that, look for photos and some information about two sculptures (not the same ones that appear in this Power Point) and write the name of the sculptor, the period, the place… all the information that you consider important