ANCIENT GREECE

DO NOW:

• We are finishing our China presentations!

HOMER AND THE ILIAD

• No one really knows who he was or when he lived - anywhere between 1150 - 850 BCE?• Oral storyteller: told these tales from

memory!• Iliad is about the Trojan War - a war

between the Greeks and the Trojans about “the face that launched a thousand ships.”

PRIMARY (?) SOURCE: ILIAD

• Read aloud as a class• Consider our questions in pairs

As a class:• What does this show about the values of the Ancient

Greeks?• YOU decide: is this a primary or secondary source? Or is it

both?

GREECE

GREEK GEOGRAPHY (PUTTING THE G IN GSPRITE)

MYCENAEAN GREECE (1600 - 1100 BCE)

• Warrior culture: gained power through conquest• “Time of Homer and the Gods”: this is when the

Trojan War took place (supposedly)• Agriculture: olives, grains, and grapes

THE GREEK “DARK AGES” (1100 - 800 BCE)

• Myceneaen culture falls to either outside invaders or internal conflicts• Decline in writing and culture - we don’t know

what happened because we have no writings about it • Probably lived in family units

RECOVERY (800S BCE)

• New writing system (alphabet)• Pottery and other artifacts discovered at sites

RISE OF THE CITY-STATES (8TH CENTURY BCE ON)

• New types of governments: republics, monarchies, democracies, and oligarchies

ATHENS

• Arguably the most important Greek city-state• Birthplace of democracy• Accomplishments in theater, sculpture,

philosophy, and architecture• Great education system• Athena was their patron goddess

SPARTA

• Most famous for its army• Goal of education for the Spartans was to create

powerful warriors• All Spartan citizens were equal, but not all

Spartans were citizens• Boys went to the agoge at the age of 7 to learn to

be a good soldier

CORINTH

• Costal city-state• Great tradition of culture and trade• Had their own money and public works system (to

counteract unemployment)

WRAP UP

• Questions?• Review: what did we learn about the Iliad today?

How does it show Greek customs and values?• What were some major turning points in archaic

Greek history?