Ancient Greece

Georgia Performance Standards

SS3H1a,b,c

Greece on a Current Map

Ancient Greece

Acropolis

• Acropolis means 'high city' in Greek. Most city-states in ancient Greece had at their centre a rocky mound or hill where they built their important temples and where the people could retreat to if under attack. The most famous acropolis is the one in Athens, the Parthenon.

• Greece is a land of mountains and dry, rocky soil.

• Finding places to settle and farm was not easy, but ancient Greeks were able to form small villages.

• Each Greek village depended mainly on the foods they raised, such as grapes and olives.

• The highest mountain

in Greece is Mount

Olympus, seat of the

gods of Greek mythology.

The Mediterranean Sea

• The sea was very important to the ancient Greeks because it was easier to travel than the mountains.

Democracy:ruled by the people

The men of Athens met weekly, discussed city problems, worked on

solutions, and started a

form of government known as a democracy.

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Direct democracy: A government in which people vote to make their own rules and laws.

 Representative democracy: A government in which people vote for (elect) a smaller group of citizens to make their rules and laws for everyone.

• Athens became the world’s first democracy.– Citizens made the decisions by voting. If most

citizens voted for an idea, it became a law.• Direct democracy is a government in which people

vote to make their own rules and laws. • To vote you had to be and adult male, a citizen from

birth (both mom and dad were Athenian), own your own land or home, and couldn’t be a slave.

• The government of the United States is based on many ideas of ancient Greece.– The U.S. is a representative democracy,

meaning that a representative (the president) acts in the interest of the citizens.

Architecture

Influence of Greek Architecture

What characteristic does the Parthenon and the U.S. Supreme Court have in common?

Greek architecture is best characterized

by the use of columns.

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DORIC

IONIC

CORINTHIAN

Olympic Games

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Ancient Greeks honored their

gods by holding sporting

events called the Olympics.

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The Ancient Olympic Games

• The first Olympics was held in the city of Olympia in 776 BC to honor the god Zeus.

• They had only one event, a sprint (a short run that was called the "stade"). A wreath of olive branches was placed on the winner's head

• Years later, there were 9 games played: boxing, discus, equestrian event, javelin, jumping, pankration, pentathlon, running, and wrestling.

The Modern Olympic Games

• The first modern games were held in 1896 by Pierre de Fredy, Baron de Coubertin. He was a French educator and sportsman.

• De Coubertin designed the flag of the Olympics and it was first used in the 1920 games in Belgium.

The Olympic Flag The flag of the Olympic Games has five

interlocking rings (blue, yellow, black, green, and red) on a white background. The rings represent the five parts of the world that were joined together in the Olympic movement: Africa, the Americas, Asia, Australia and Europe.

The Olympic Flame

• The tradition of the Olympic flame began during the ancient Olympic games. A flame was lit for each Olympics, every four years, and burned throughout the games. The flame symbolized the death and rebirth of the Greek heroes.

• For each Olympics, a new flame is started in the Olympic stadium in Olympia, Greece, using a parabolic mirror. It is extinguished during the closing ceremony.