1 greece history geography
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Greek GeographyGreek GeographyEarliest Greek PrehistoryEarliest Greek Prehistory
Sparta
Athens
Aegean Sea
Black
SeaDardanelles Strait
Troy
Crete
Bosphorus Strait
Mediterranean Sea
Adriatic Sea
Asia Minor
Macedonia
Greece
The physical geography of The physical geography of Greece is defined by Greece is defined by
mountainousmountainous terrain and its terrain and its location between the location between the
Aegean and Mediterranean Aegean and Mediterranean SeasSeas..
Peloponnesus Peninsula
Balkan Peninsula
Cyprus
Sicily
The location of Greece The location of Greece facilitated facilitated trade and culturaltrade and cultural
exchange through the exchange through the Mediterranean Basin.Mediterranean Basin.
GreecGreecee
Mediterranean Mediterranean BasinBasin
Greek GeographyGreek Geography
•The The mountainsmountains, seas, islands, , seas, islands, harborsharbors, peninsulas, and straits , peninsulas, and straits of the Aegean Basin shaped of the Aegean Basin shaped Greek political and Greek political and economic/social development economic/social development along with patterns of trade along with patterns of trade and colonization. and colonization.
Early Greek PeepsMinoans Mycenaeans
Location Crete Greek Mainland, Crete
Dates 2000-1500 BCE 1600-1200 BCEAchievements Indoor running
water, art, traded network, navy, written language
Fort-like cities throughout Greece, written records
Reasons for collapse
Volcanic eruption, tidal waves
Earthquakes, war
Early Greek Warfare ~1190 B.C.E.
•Trojan War– Fought between Greeks and Trojans in
the city of Troy (Asia Minor!)– Lasted 10 years!– Legend of the Trojan Horse
•No one was winning. Greeks pretended to sail off and left the gift of the horse to admit defeat.
•Trojans brought gift inside walled city. Inside were Greek soldiers who opened the gates.
•Greeks WIN!
Trojan WarTrojan War•http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N
1Z-zgyGJw0
Political DevelopmentPolitical Development• After the Greek Dark Ages, exciting After the Greek Dark Ages, exciting
things began to happen in ancient things began to happen in ancient Greece. Villages started to band Greece. Villages started to band together to form together to form strong trading strong trading centerscenters. These groups of villages that . These groups of villages that banded together were called banded together were called city-city-statesstates. Soon, hundreds of city-states . Soon, hundreds of city-states had formed in ancient Greece. had formed in ancient Greece.
Political DevelopmentPolitical Development
Mountainous terrainMountainous terrain helped and helped and hindered the development of city-hindered the development of city-
states.states.
Political DevelopmentPolitical Development• The The polispolis, or city-state, was the center , or city-state, was the center
of Greek lifeof Greek life– City-state: a small country which included City-state: a small country which included
the city and the surrounding farm lands. the city and the surrounding farm lands. – Greeks settled in the Greeks settled in the isolated valleysisolated valleys, ,
developing small, fiercely independent developing small, fiercely independent nations (city-states), rather than large nations (city-states), rather than large empires.empires.•Usually caused city-states to be at war with Usually caused city-states to be at war with
each othereach other– Greek cities were designed to promote Greek cities were designed to promote
civiccivic and commercial life and commercial life•Civics and personal honor are the same thing in Civics and personal honor are the same thing in
GreeceGreece
Polis StructurePolis Structure
AcropolisAcropolis
Agora Agora
• Structure of PolisStructure of Polis– Acropolis (Acropolis (fortified fortified
hillhill))– Agora Agora
((marketplacemarketplace at at foot of acropolis)foot of acropolis)
– Polis included Polis included homes, farming homes, farming villages, fields and villages, fields and orchardsorchards
Remember…The acropolis is Remember…The acropolis is on the top-olis and the on the top-olis and the agora is on the floor-a!agora is on the floor-a!
The “high city” or acropolis was on a hill and
contained the temples and government
buildings
Below the hill lay the walled city which contained the
marketplace (agora), theatres, and homes.
Political DevelopmentPolitical Development• Colonization related to Colonization related to
overpopulationoverpopulation and the search for and the search for arable landarable land– Greeks colonize lands around the Greeks colonize lands around the
Mediterranean Sea including islands of Mediterranean Sea including islands of Crete, Cyprus and Sicily.Crete, Cyprus and Sicily.
Economic/Social Economic/Social DevelopmentDevelopmentAncient Greece was Ancient Greece was
located on a located on a peninsulapeninsula between between
the Aegean and the Aegean and Mediterranean Seas, Mediterranean Seas, within within easy sailing easy sailing
distancedistance of the of the Fertile Crescent and Fertile Crescent and Egypt. This location Egypt. This location promoted contacts promoted contacts for for tradetrade and the and the
spread of Hellenistic spread of Hellenistic Culture.Culture.
GreecGreecee
Fertile Fertile CresceCresce
ntnt
EgyptEgypt
““Hellenic” civilizationHellenic” civilization
•Pure Greek civilization is Pure Greek civilization is referred to as “Hellenic,” a referred to as “Hellenic,” a reference to Greek mythology.reference to Greek mythology.
•Later, when Greek civilization Later, when Greek civilization mixesmixes with Egyptian and with Egyptian and Persian, it is called “Persian, it is called “HellenisticHellenistic””
Economic/Social Economic/Social DevelopmentDevelopment
• Unlike places like Egypt, Mesopotamia, the Indus Unlike places like Egypt, Mesopotamia, the Indus Valley, and the Huang He valley, Greece did Valley, and the Huang He valley, Greece did not not have vast amounts of arablehave vast amounts of arable (farmable) land. It (farmable) land. It is primarily rocky & mountainous.is primarily rocky & mountainous.
• The culture that developed was based on The culture that developed was based on commerce from the seacommerce from the sea (similar to Phoenicians) . (similar to Phoenicians) .
Economic/Social Economic/Social DevelopmentDevelopment
• As trade As trade progressed in progressed in Greece, there was Greece, there was a shift from the a shift from the barterbarter system system (trade one item for (trade one item for another) to a another) to a money economy money economy ((use of coinsuse of coins).).
Social StructureSocial Structure• Citizenship in the Citizenship in the
Greek PolisGreek Polis– CitizensCitizens
•Free adult malesFree adult males•Had political rights Had political rights
and the and the responsibilityresponsibility of civic participation of civic participation in governmentin government
– WomenWomen, slaves and , slaves and foreigners had foreigners had no no political rightspolitical rights
No No rightsrights
ColonizationColonization•By 750 BCE, Greece’s rapid By 750 BCE, Greece’s rapid
population growth and lack of population growth and lack of good farm land forced people to good farm land forced people to look for look for other places to liveother places to live..
•Gradually, Greek Gradually, Greek coloniescolonies were were established all around the established all around the Mediterranean, from Mediterranean, from Asia MinorAsia Minor all the way to all the way to SpainSpain..