GREECE

GREECE

Bordering countries are Albania, Macedonia, Bulgaria, Turkey

Bordering bodies of water are Mediterranean Sea, Aegean Sea, Ionian Sea, Sea of Crete

Capital is Athens

Mountains cover most of Greece, land is rocky with little fertile soil, summers are hot and dry

Winter – ¾ of rain falls, mild and wet

Summer – hot, dry, very sunny

Greece is a seafaring country because you are never far from the sea, 1/5 of Greece is islands, land is not very good for farming

A city-state is the city/town and the surrounding villages and farmland

Greek city-states were independent, small in size, quarreled among themselves

The Ancient Greeks were:

patriotic

shared a common language, religion, and culture

prized their freedom and way of life

creative thinkers

Greece became independent in 1829

What happened in Olympia, Greece in 776 BCE?

What is Greece’s capital city called?

How many letters make up the Greek alphabet?

What is Greece’s national cheese?

What is the currency used in Greece?

How many Greeks work in agriculture?

What two major geographic features shape Greece?

How many islands are apart of Greece?

What religion do ninety-eight percent of Greeks belong to?

What is a major holiday in Greece?

First Olympics

Athens

24

feta

Euro

One in five

Mountains and Seas

2000

Greek Orthodox Church ~ Christian

Easter and Christmas

LOCATION

Greece is located in southern Europe between Albania and Turkey. It borders the Aegean Sea, Ionian Sea, and the Mediterranean Sea. It has a population of 10,964,020. Athens is its capital.

AREA

Greece has a total area of 131,940 sq km. That means it is slightly smaller than Alabama

CLIMATE

Greece has a Mediterranean climate with plenty of sunshine, mild temperatures and a limited amount of rainfall.

SUMMER

In summer, the dry hot days are cooled by seasonal winds called the meltemi, while mountainous regions have generally lower temperatures.

WINTER

The winters are mild in lowland areas, with a minimum amount of snow and ice, yet, mountains are usually snow-covered.

TERRAINGreece consists of a mountainous and craggy mainland jutting out into the sea. Four-fifths of Greece consist of mountains or hills, making the country one of the most mountainous in Europe. Greece has the tenth longest coastline in the world.

LAND USE

About 20% of Greece is farmable. Farmers grow olives, figs, fruit, grapes, and very little grain.

GREECE’S GEOGRAPHY

1)Peloponnesus Peninsula and numerous islands in the Aegean Sea

2)They were separated from one another by rugged mountains, bays and inlets, and by being on an island3) Most Ancient Greeks were farmers

4) A Mediterranean climate – mild winters with hot, sunny summers . . . you can grow crops all year round . . . similar to southern California

5) Mainly grow grapes and olives

Grow small amounts of wheat and barley

6) Main disadvantage is that only ¼ of the land is level so they could only grow small amounts of grain crops and, therefore, they had to trade with others to get more grain

7) Main advantage is the sea – it connected all Greeks to one another and Greece to other civilizations so that they could trade and get what they needed

GREECE’S ORIGINS

MINOAN AGE• Minoans

• Crete ~ Knosses

• 2000 – 1400 BCE

had a system of writing, fine artwork, great sailors, traded with Mesopotamia, Egypt, and Phoenicia, master builders of palaces that were maze like with plumbing and decorated with colorful murals

MYCENAEAN AGE• Mycenaeans• Greek mainland/

Mycenae• 1400 – 1100 BCE• Built cities on top of hills,

very similar to the Minoans – sailors, trade, palaces, and writing, conquered the Minoans

DARK AGE• Dorians• Invaders from northern

Greece who came to middle and southern Greece

• 1100 – 800 BCE• Trade came to a stop,

written language disappeared, people lived in isolated villages, oral traditions kept Greek history alive, population increases

AGE of EXPANSION• 800ish – 500 BCE• Villages grow and

develop back into cities, trade comes back and increases, leaders emerge in each city, city-states {an independent, self governing city and the land around it} develop and begin to fight one and compete against one another

Minoans of Crete

The islands were stepping stones by which civilization spread from Egypt and Mesopotamia westward into Europe.

The Minoans had running water, fresco paintings, women were equal to men, they had writing and artists, made ornaments and figures out of ivory, bronze, gold, and silver.

The Minoans had colonies on the Aegean Islands, in Greece and in Asia Minor.

That the Minoan culture was advanced and better than the Greeks and the Greeks were opened minded enough to realize this and change their ways to be like the Minoans

MINOANS MYCENAEANS

First navy

Named after King Minos

Had minitar and bull fighting

Known for pottery cups

On Crete

Weakened by fire, earthquakes, tidal waves

Linear A – cannot read

On Greek mainland

Had walls that were 40 ft. high and 20 ft. thick

Known for bronze weapons

Linear B – can read

Tall people

Fell to outsiders

Writing for record keeping

Had palaces

Were into trade

Seafarers - sailors

The Greek City-State

Ruins of the agora at Corinth, Greece. Most Greek cities had an agora, which acted as the city center, housing marketplaces, civic centers, and forums.

Map of major Greek City-States in 500 BCE

Greek City-State

GREECE’S RELIGION

1) The gods controlled the world of nature and the human world.

2) Purpose of Myths and Legends:

celebrate the gods

explain the gods’ role in creating the world and causing natural events

to tell of the gods’ powers

3) All Greek gods were part of a family and Zeus was the supreme god.

4) Zeus – justice and weather

Poseidon – sea

Hera – marriage

Ares – war

Dionysus – wine

Apollo – light (sun), health, herding, prophecy

5) Ways the Greeks worshipped their gods:

prayed to them for things they wanted

thanked the gods with animal sacrifices

built sanctuaries where they could worship and honor the gods

religious festivals and competing in the Olympics

GOVERNMENTS of GREECE

MONARCHY

• King rules over a group of people• King was head of the most powerful family• Power was passed on to the oldest son• King relied on nobles to defend the land

OLIGARCHY

• A few people hold the power over a large group of people

• Improved the government – more efficient

• City-states grew to quickly – food shortages, discontent, poor farmers lost land to wealthy and became slaves

TYRANT

• A leader who seizes power by force and rules single handedly {dictator}

• Many people supported, laws are reformed, poor are aided, and taught the citizens by uniting behind a leader they could gain power and make changes

• Leader can become harsh and greedy

DEMOCRACY

• Power to make decisions was in the hands of the people• Council proposed new laws, all citizens met every 9 days to vote on laws. Law courts had jurors who made decisions, all citizens rich or poor were involved

• Not all citizens liked sharing power, especially the rich

GREEK CITIZENSHIP

ADULT MALE CITIZENS

• Men over eighteen• Your father had to have been a

citizen and mother’s father had to have been a citizen for you to be a citizen

• Only 45,000 citizens in Athens

WIVES and CHILDREN of CITIZENS

• 145,000 women and children of citizens in Athens

• They had no political rights• They could not own land

METICS

• 35,000 foreigners in Athens• They were from other city-states or

countries• They couldn’t vote or hold public

office• They were protected by the law• They were usually traders,

shopkeepers, craftsmen, or moneylenders

SLAVES

• About 80,000 slaves in Athens• They were captured during war• They couldn’t vote or choose jobs• They needed permission to have a

family• They were paid and could buy their

freedom• They were farmhands, did household

chores, metalwork, and made pottery

ANCIENT GREEK LIFE