Ancient Greece was not a unified nation, but a collection of Greek city states and colonies. The colonies spread throughout the Aegean Sea, Asia Minor and Italy. All the colonies shared a common language—Greek. All colonies shared a common culture and religion. The Greeks were sea-faring (traders) and relied on agriculture to survive.

Minoans, Mycenaeans, and Phoenicians

The three cultures

that influenced the

development of

Greek civilization

Minoans•A wealthy trading culture•2,000 B.C.•Exported pottery, metal work, wine, and olive oil

The Mycenaeans•1600 B.C.•Traded metals from the Greek mainland for the beautiful Minoan exports•Conquered Crete in 1450 B.C. and took over Minoa’s valuable trade•This civilization disappeared by 1100 B.C.

The Phoenicians• Located on the eastern Mediterranean

(today's Lebanon)• Founded colonies around the Mediterranean• Developed the alphabet

Greek City-States

• Shared a language & letters

• Remained independent of each other

• Each region had a Polis (city-state)

Polis

A city-state in ancient Greece

Polis • Each polis was a nation of its own

• Ruled by nobles who own land

• Developed because land was isolated by mountains or water

• Common language• Depend on one another

to survive.

• Met every year at a great athletic contest

known as the Olympics.

Structure of the

City-States(Polis)

AcropolisAgora

ACROPOLIS• A large hill in ancient Greece where city residents sought shelter and safety in times of war and met to discuss community affairs • A fort stood at the acropolis. It also had temples to honor local gods.

Agora

• A central area in Greek cities used both as a marketplace and as a meeting place.

Ancient Greece: Citizenship • Citizens: members of a political

community with rights and responsibilities.

• ONLY free and land-owning men born in the polis could be citizens.

Ancient Greece Citizens: Rights and Responsibilities

• Male Citizen Rights – Vote– Hold public office– Own property – Defend themselves in court

• Male Citizen Responsibilities – Serve in government– Fight for their polis as citizen

soldiers

Citizenship: Women and Children

• Women and children might qualify for citizenship, but they had non of the rights that went with it.

Review Questions •Greece was not a unified country. Instead it was a collection of what? •What did the Greek colonies shared? •What were the three cultures that influenced the development of Greek civilization?•What is a polis? What did polis shared? •When examining the structure of Greek city-states, all Greek polis had these two structures. What were they? •Who could be citizens in the Greek city-states? •List 2 rights of Greek citizens and list 2 responsibilities of Greek citizens. •Could women and children be citizens?

Greek Government

Ms. Elias

iMater 2014-2015

The“Dark Age” (1100–800 BC)

• What is the Dark Age?

• After the “Dark Age” in Greece 3 forms of government developed: Monarchy

Tyranny

Oligarchy

Democracy

Political Changes

• At first there were kings (monarchy), but wealthy land owners took the power from the kings. – Owners of small farms dislike the nobles.– Common people supported tyrants—someone who

seizes power ad rules with total authority.– Tyrants ruled until about 500 BC

• From 336 BC, most city states were oligarchies or democracies.

Governments of the

city-states

Monarchy

Democracy

OligarchyTyranny

Monarchy Some city-states had a single ruler

Tyrant Is someone who sizes power and rules with

total authority.

Oligarchy

In some city-states, a small group of the richest and most powerful citizens

controlled decision-making

Democracy

a government in which the citizens make political decisions