Chapter 7Ancient Greece
Section 1The Geography of Greece
Geography Shapes Ancient Greek Life Mainland of Greece extends into
Mediterranean Peninsula: body of land nearly surrounded
by water Peloponnesus
Southern tip of Greece Linked by an isthmus to the rest of Greece
Landscape & Climate Covered by mountains
Divides land into many regions No large rivers
Made transportation difficult Rugged landscape
Made it difficult for Greece to unite under single gov’t
Mild, rainy winters and hot, dry summers
Agriculture Rocky land
Small region good for farming More than ½ Greeks were farmers
Greek society Landowners were upper class & men
Could also supply himself w/ equipment needed to defend his homeland
Had higher place in society than merchants & poor Got more farmland by founding colonies in other
regions Anatolia
Resources Lacked natural resources
Had to find in other locations 2 important resources
Plentiful stone for building Coastline w/ good sites for harbors
A seafaring People Mediterranean Sea, Ionian Sea, &
Aegean Sea Highways of water Used for transportation routes
Skilled sailors & ship builders Rowing ships: war Sailing ships: trade
Seas were source of food too Fish important part of diet
Trade & Commerce Did not produce much grain Surplus of olive oil, wine, wool, & fine
pottery Bought & sold goods between city-states
& other regions Main items bought was grain, timber,
animal hides, & slaves Also traded for nuts, figs, cheese, & flax
(used to make linen)
Mycenaean Civilization Peloponnesus
Site of 1st civilizations Mycenae (most important city)
On hills surrounded by a protective wall King ruled each city of Mycenaean Greece & the
surrounding villages & farms Nobles within Mycenae lived in luxury
Mycenaeans were traders Culture: featured writing, gold jewelry, bronze weapons, &
fine pottery Civilization collapsed around 1200 B.C. because of invaders
Written records no longer kept; little known until around 750 B.C.
New Advances in Greek Culture Greeks learned from others
Phoenicians Developed a writing system that used 22 symbols
that stood for sounds Greeks picked up on alphabet between 900 &
800 B.C. Later evolved into own alphabet of 26 letters
Also learned about coins from trading w/ other peoples
Eventually developed new forms of literature & gov’t
Section 2Life in Ancient Greece
Gods involved in peoples lives The Gods of Greece
Had divine & human qualities (powerful, but also had human emotions)
Constantly competed w/ each other Zeus
Ruler of the gods He & 11 other major gods & goddesses lived on
Mount Olympus Each city had a special god or goddess to protect it
i.e. Athena was protector of Athens
Greek Gods & Myths
Myths: stories that people tell to explain beliefs about their world
Developed to explain the creation of the world & human beings
Many myths described how gods & goddess related to one another & to humans
Others portray Greek heroes & heroines
Greek Mythology
Important to honor gods Angry god could cause trouble Built statues, temples, & had special
events
Honoring the Gods
Certain days each month were hold to different gods or goddess Celebrated w/ sacrifices & public
ceremonies
Holy Festivals
Often part of religious festivals Held every four years during major
festival that honored Zeus Took place in Olympia Only men competed in contests
During Olympics a festival to honor the goddess Hera wife of Zeus took place Unmarried girls competed in foot races
The Olympics
Stories told of ancient heroes Passed down through generations & from long poems that told stories
(called epics) Epics of Homer
Iliad & the Odyssey Trojan War
Iliad Greek warrior Achilles
Mother held him by his heel & dipped him in a special river. Every place the water touched was protected from injury. He was unbeatable in battle except when struck by an arrow in his weak spot, his heel, & he died
Odyssey Describes the adventures of the Greek hero Odysseus. On his trip home
from the Trojan War, Odysseus offended Poseidon (God of the sea). In revenge Poseidon made Odysseus’ journey take 10 years. He & his men traveled through strange & dangerous lands on trip home. He used his wits & trickery to survive
Early Greek Literature
Fable: a short story, usually involving animals, & teaches a moral lesson.
Many today are credited to a Greek named Aesop Most famous is “The Hare & the Tortoise”
Aesop’s Fables
Section 3The City-State and Democracy
Geography divided Greece into small regions
Basic form of gov’t became the city-state A state formed by a city and its
surrounding lands
The Rise of City-States
Greek word for city-state is polis Most were small
Limited by geographic features Athens & Sparta were the largest Most controlled from 50 to 500 square
miles of territory & had fewer than 20,000 residents Formed close communities
Greek City-States
Center of city-life was the agora (an open space where people came for business & public gatherings) Male citizens meet to discuss politics As well as festivals & athletic events Statues, temples, & other public buildings
were found in and around this area Many had a fortified hilltop or acropolis
1st used for military later as places for temples & palaces
Layout of the City
Each city-state was independent People figured out what kind worked for
them Some kept the same form of gov’t over
time while others changed from one system to another
Forms of Gov’t
Monarchy Earliest form of gov’t King or queen has supreme power & rules
Aristocracy Gov’t ruled by the upper class of society
or by nobility Descended from high born ancestors
(claimed to be mythical heroes) Corinth began as a monarchy, then an
aristocracy
Monarchs & Aristocrats
Oligarchy Rule by the few People rule because of wealth or land ownership (not
inherited social class like aristocracy) Tyrants
Someone who took power in an illegal way Became king w/o royal birth
Poor were not part of gov’t in monarchies, aristocracies, or oligarchies (they resented this & often rebelled)
Sometime a wealthy person wanted to seize power & would ask the poor for help to become the leader
Tyrant would work to help the poor or created building programs to provide jobs for them Also made laws to cancel their debts owed
Tyrants helped to overthrow oligarchies & also showed if common people united behind a leader, power could be gained
Poor started to demand more political power
Citizenship A person who is loyal to a country & who
is entitled to protection by the gov’t of that country Only adult males (other variation depending
on your city-state) Both upper & lower classes were citizens
Gradual reforms took place over time make a major change to society
Athens Builds a Limited Democracy
500 B.C. Poor farmers had huge debts & were forced to work the
lands of someone else or become slaves They became very angry
594 B.C. Solon chosen to lead Athens Created reforms to prevent a revolt
Freed enslaved people Made a law ending slavery Organized citizens into four classes based on wealth not birth
Richest: had most power All citizens could serve in assembly (lawmaking body)
Solon
500 B.C. Increased the power of Athenian citizens even more
Reorganized the assembly to take power away from the nobles
Organized citizens into 10 groups/tribes Based on place of residence instead of wealth or family ties
Set up a group of 10 commanders to lead the military Tribe elected leader to serve for 1 year
Also reformed the council that helped the assembly to govern Council of Five Hundred
Cleisthenes
Council of 500 50 men from each of the 10 tribes
Any citizen over the age of 30 qualified to be a member Chosen by lot (random) to serve for a term of 1 year
Could be reelected only once
Council of 500 could suggest laws to the assembly for debate & possible passage Laws passed by majority vote
Changes moved Athens to early form of democracy Gov’t in which the citizens make political decisions
either directly or through elected representatives Athens had a direct democracy: all citizens meet to
decide on the laws
Direct Democracy
Gov’t did not include all of the people Only free adult males were citizen &
could take part in gov’t Not women, enslaved people, or
foreigners Also included a system called ostracism
Any member of the assembly who though someone was a danger to the city-state could submit the name of the person for a vote by the assembly. If enough votes were received then that person was sent way for 10 years
Limited Democracy & Ostracism
Had to serve in the army whenever they were needed Athenian citizens were trained for warfare
Also served on juries Had to be at least 30 Had several hundred people to hear
charges against a person All citizens were equal in the courts No professional lawyers or judges
Citizens argued cases before the jury directly
Citizens’ Responsibilities