Geography of Greece
The Sea: Greece is a peninsula in the Mediterranean surrounded by various seas. Greece is made up of over 2,000 islands
sea trade
skilled sailors
sea travel cultural diffusion
diet of fish/seafood
The land: Greece is covered in 75% mountains. Difficult to farm. Lack of natural resources. Irregular coastline.
Isolation(different forms of government)
trade
varied cultures
desire for colonies(for natural resources, more living space, and adequate farm land)
can’t support a large population
Greeks developed terrace farming because mountains are not suitable for farming
Climate: Mediterranean climate, Average temperatures 48-80, limited farming, droughts
Outdoor lifestyle
leisure time spent outside
public events held outdoors(theater ,Olympics)
Can grow grapes and olives
Forms of Government
Monarchy
State ruled by king
Rule is hereditary
some rulers claim divine right
practiced in Mycenae (1450 BCE)
Aristocracy
State ruled by nobility
rule is hereditary and based on land ownership
social status and wealth support ruler’s authority
practiced by Pylos, Delphi
Oligarchy
State ruled by a small group of citizens
rule is based on wealth
ruling group controls military
Practiced in Sparta (800-600 BCE)
Direct Democracy
state ruled by its citizens
rule is based on citizenship(18, male, born of citizen parents)
citizens vote directly on laws
majority rule decides vote
practiced in Athens(461 BCE)
The Polis
Polis was the Greek word for city-state
A polis was an independent city and its surrounding farm land
Mountains separated the Greeks
Shared a common language and religion
never unified the government system
Athens vs Sparta: Peloponnesian War in 431 BC
Athens
Direct Democracy
Value education(at age 7, boys go to school)
Start military training at 18
Laws afford equal justice for all people
ordinary citizens can judge public issues(vote)
most women are married
patriarchal society(male dominated)
Women’s job was to raise children
girls only learned about raising kids, dancing, and music
Sparta
Oligarchy
valued military(boys sent to military barracks at age 7)
women expected to marry
wanted women to be healthy to raise healthy soldiers
“Golden Age”: a period of peace and prosperity with advancements in math, science, art, architecture, literature, philosophy, technology, medicine, and education.
The Parthenon: served as a temple to the Greek goddess Athena
Greek expression of harmony, symmetry, and balance
Nike of Samothrace
Nike: winged victory
A winged statue wit flowy clothes on a boat
Philosophy: a system of thought; ideas based on logic and reason; philosophers are lovers of wisdom
Socrates played the role of gadfly: subjected traditional ethical teachings to critical scrutiny.
Alexander the Great
Goals:
make the world Greek
spread Greek culture
Have the worlds largest empire
Accomplishments:
Conquered parts of Egypt, Persian Empire, Iran, modern-day Afghanistan
crowned Parraoh by the Egyptians
defeats the Persians
names 11 different cities after himself(Alexandria)
Development of Hellenistic culture