Ancient Greece: An Introduction. Warm Up!!! 1.What advantages/disadvantages do mountains provide...
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Transcript of Ancient Greece: An Introduction. Warm Up!!! 1.What advantages/disadvantages do mountains provide...
Warm Up!!!1. What advantages/disadvantages do
mountains provide areas?
2. What is a city-state?
3. Why do civilizations/countries need governments?
4. What is the best form of government? Explain.
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• Venezuala is one of the happiest and most murderous places in the world.
Geographical Impact
• Greece includes the mountainous peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea and the approximately 1,400 islands in the Aegean and Ionian Seas.
• The uneven terrain caused numerous issues:– Made land transportation and communication
difficult– Only 20% of the land was farmable– It was not suitable for irrigation– Not able to support large populations– Desire for more living space motivated them to
seek colonies.• Greece lacked natural resources (timber, precious
metals, and arable farmland) - needed to trade with other areas.
• The development of Greek civilization was shaped by the nearby seas - Mediterranean, Black, Aegean, and Ionian.– Became great sailors.– Within sailing distance of Egypt and
Mesopotamia.– This trading led to the cultural, technological,
natural resource, craft exchanges.– Led to a shift away from the barter system
(trading one good for another) to a monetary system.
• Mountains covered ¾ of the land, which made it difficult to unite politically.– Established small, local, independent
communities with little interest in cooperating with each other.
– Created natural defenses.
Early Civilizations• Minoans:
– Emerged on the island of Crete around 2000 BCE.
– First civilization in this area.– Brought ideas from Egypt and Mesopotamia.– Depended on trade.– Destroyed around 1450 BCE.
• Mycenaeans:– Early Greeks
on the mainland.
– Conquered by Northern invaders - Dorians, which started the Greek Dark Ages (1450-750 BCE).
Rise of the City-States• By 750 BCE, Greece was
dominated by city-states (polis) that included the major city and the surrounding countryside (numerous villages).– Had approximately
20,000 people.
– Citizens could take part in government.• Included free, landowning males• Gathered at the fortified hilltop (acropolis) to
conduct business.• Women had very few rights and slaves had no
political rights.
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• As a result of overpopulation and the need for more arable land, many city-states turned to colonization.
• City-states unified by language, culture, and religion, but not politically.
• Different forms of government emerged throughout Greece in the different city-states:– Monarchy– Aristocracy– Oligarchy– Direct Democracy
Rise of the City-States (cont.)Monarchy:
• State ruled by a king.• Rule was hereditary
through the king’s family.• Some rulers claimed
divine right - their power to rule comes from the gods.
• Example - Mycenae
Aristocracy:• State ruled by the
nobility.• Rule is hereditary and
based on landownership.• Social status and wealth
support rulers’ authority.• Example - Athens (594
BCE)
Rise of the City-States (cont.)Oligarchy:
• State ruled by a small group of citizens.
• Rule based on wealth.• Ruling group controls the
military.• Example - Sparta
Direct Democracy:• State ruled by the
citizens.• Rule based on citizenship
(free, landowning male).• Majority rule makes
decisions.• Example - Athens (461
BCE)
Greek Religion• Greek religion is known
as mythology, based on exciting stories that offered explanations of natural phenomena, human qualities, and life events rather than moral guidance and an afterlife.
• Mythology was expressed in epic poems - the Iliad and Odyssey
• Polytheistic (belief in many gods) - gods walked the earth with men who were concerned most with keeping the various gods happy.
The Role of Gods• Gods were the center of
Greek life with each city dedicating itself to one god or goddess (Athens = Athena).– It was important to
keep the gods happy.– Built temples and had
festivals to honor them.• Starting in 776
BCE, Greeks got together every four years in Olympia for a sports festival to honor Zeus.