Ancient Greece

And its Geography

Objectives

• Find Greece on a blank map.

• Describe the geography of Greece. What three landforms dominate Greece?

• How did the early Greek communities see themselves?

• What was the easiest way for early Greeks to travel?

• Who were the Minoans? Where did they live? How did the Minoan civilization end?

• Who were the Mycenaeans? Where did they live?

Terms and People

• Polis is the Greek word for city.

• Minoans (my-NO-anz) were an early civilization on the Island of Crete.

• Mycenaean (mice-an-EE-enz) had an early civilization on the Greek mainland.

• Classical Age is when a culture makes its greatest achievements.

• Acropolis was a fortress on a hill, often in the center of town.

Today, Greece is a small country in Europe.

Europe

It is a group of peninsulas and islands in the eastern Mediterranean Sea.

Mediterranean Sea

Ancient Greece was larger. It included some of modern-day Turkey.

Modern-Day Turkey

This three-dimensional map shows that Greece is mountainous and rocky.

They often got around by sailing because many Greek people lived on islands and because the mountains separated the cities.

One of the earliest civilizations in this area formed here on the Island of Crete.

It was called the Minoan Civilization.

The Minoans built a huge palace on Crete.

One of their favorite sports was bull-leaping.

They were into dolphins and their women went topless.

They were into dolphins

Later Greeks believed that Crete was the site of the labyrinth of the Minotaur.

http://youtu.be/Pk1EyMTSBP8

Around 1650 BC, an island volcano to the north blew up.

The tidal waves caused by this explosion destroyed Crete’s harbors.

Here’s what’s left of this volcanic island today.

The ash it threw into the air destroyed Crete’s crops.

Minoan Civilization collapsed.

http://youtu.be/diVYUVf-Qt0

After the Minoan Civilization came the Mycenaean Civilization.

The Mycenaean people built walled cities and fortresses.

They lived on the mainland of Greece.

Both the Minoan and the Mycenaean peoples were traders and raiders.

Trade was often conducted with a sword in hand.

After the Mycenaean Civilization died out, some of the Greek cities began banding together.

The Greek word for city is “polis”.

• Minneapolis, Minnesota• Annapolis, Maryland• Indianapolis, Indiana

The time of these city-states is considered the Classical Age of Greece.

The Classical Age of any country is considered to be when it was at its best.

Objectives

• Describe the geography of Greece. What three landforms dominate Greece?

• How did the early Greek communities see themselves?

• What was the easiest way for early Greeks to travel?

• Who were the Minoans? Where did they live? How did the Minoan civilization end?

• Who were the Mycenaeans? Where did they live?

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