Ancient Greece

Ancient Greece - The Birth Place of Democracy

About 2,400 years ago ancient buildings in Greece were shining marble temples dedicated to the gods of Mount Olympus. Myths were part of the every day of Greeks. We know about these stories because they have been passed down to us. Also there is much Greek art that has survived to our day.

But why study Ancient Greece?

Greece has often been called the "birthplace" of Western civilization" because many of their thoughts about science, man, and politics are studied today and respected.

Ancient Greece was a world that was dominated by man. At that time though they were not known as Greeks, but "Hellas". Individually they were known as "Helenes."

Also though Ancient Greece was really two civilizations separated by a period of three or four hundred years known as the dark ages. The first period is called the Mycenaean civilization and was from 1600 B.C. to close to 1100 B.C. The second period started about 800 B.C. and this was when their art, written language and architecture were revived.

Greeks - Masters of the Seas

In the 5th B.C.E., Greek Colonies stretched from the Iberian Peninsula to the Black Sea.There are two geographic facts to explain why they were so spread out. 1)Their land is very mountainous and rocky with most of the fertile or farmland in only a few valleys and along the sea coast. 2) Nearly all of Greece was no more than one or two day's travel from the sea. The sea became Greece's source of power and greatness.

Seven Wonder of the Ancient World - why put this here?

Because this list of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World was created by the Greek, we felt it important to place them here. Also, it's not surprising that the list included mostly Greek structures. {5 of the 7 wonders are credited to the Greeks.}

Colossus of Rhodes Lighthouse of Alexandria

Mausoleum of Halicarnassus Statue of Zeus

Temple of Artemis Hanging Gardens of Babylon

Pyramids of Giza

Herodotus and Thucydides

During the fifth century B.C., Herodotus and Thucydides, invented what we call today historical writing. Herodotus? account of Greece?s wars with Persia earned him the nickname the ?Father of History.? Thucydides wrote a more serious, and more factual, record of the later wars between Athens and Sparta.

Latitude and Longitude

The Greeks did not invent maps but they did come up with ideas to make maps more useful. Claudius Ptolemy, the last of the great Greek mapmakers, compiled an eight-volume ?Geography? around A.D. 150.

Latitude: This measures distance north or south of the equator.

Longitude: This measures distance east or west of the prime meridian. The prime meridian is an imaginary line that runs from pole to pole and passes through Greenwich, England.

Daily Life in Ancient Greece

Ancient Greeks saw themselves as part of a household. The household included immediate family members, but also distant relatives and slaves all living under the same roof. The head of the household was the oldest male.

Vocabulary Words

polis - The Greek word for city. Many words we have today come from this word. {police and politics}

democracy - The people of Athens invented this type of government which is political rule by the people.

city-states - Independent states ruled from one central city.

Acropolis - A fortress on a hill in Athens with strong stone walls enclosing temples.

Mount Olympus - The highest mountain in Greece. The Greeks believe the gods and goddesses lived forever on top of the mountain and looked down on them.

Lapbook Layout