Its Greek to me – some facts• You are

never more than 85 miles from the sea when you are in Greece

aaa

Only 20% of the land is arable, or suitable for farming

Because Greece is so mountainous, Greeks became expert sailors as they traveled and traded along the

liquid highway

• Because of the terrain the Greeks developed small independent city-states

So called death mask

of Agamemnon

Mycenae as it looks today

The “Lion’s Gate” at Mycenae

An excellent example of tholos or “beehive architecture found throughout

Europe during the Bronze Age (At Mycenae)

Outer and inner wallOuter and inner wall

A Trimene

Troy as it might have looked over 3000 years ago

Homerian Epics

• Perhaps the most famous (and most important) Greek poet was Homer. He composed two epics (narrative poems that celebrate heroic deeds) centered around the Trojan War – The Illiad and The Odyssey.

Dorian architecture gave us the Doric style

column. But the Dorians gave us very

little else. There was no writing during

this time. Historians refer to this time as the Dark Ages

Greek gods

• The Greeks developed a rich series of myths to help explain how the world around them worked.

• Key to Greek Mythology are the Greek gods.

• The gods acted like humans and were subject to emotions and feelings. Love, jealousy, hatred, etc. were experienced by the gods and forced onto humans.

Section 1 review• Greeks rarely traveled more than

_______ to reach the coastline• 85 miles

• What percentage of Greece is arable (can grow food on it)?

• 20 percent• Blind storyteller that is credited with

the Iliad & the Odyssey• Homer

• The Trojan War was fought between Greek cities and?

• troy• No written record in Greece exists from 1150 BCE to 750 BCE because what civilization conquered Greece

(and they didn’t have a written language)

• the dorians

Athens Treasury Building at Delphi

The most famous acropolis is in Athens, but the word means

fortified hilltop

Archy & Cracy

• Archy means leadership or rule• Cracy means a form of government• MONARCHY – rule by a single person, usually a king

or queen• ARISTOCRACY - power is held by a small number of

individuals from an elite or from noble families. • OLIGARCHY - political power effectively rests with a

small elite segment of society• DEMOCRACY – Rule by the people (people power)• DIRECT DEMOCRACY – Government is ruled

directly thru the people and not thru representation

Some more Vocabulary

• Tyrants – Powerful individuals who appealed to the poor & disgruntled.

• Helots – people from Messenia who were forced to stay on their land and grow food for the Spartans. Messenians were always more numerous than the Spartans

• Draco – wrote the 1st Greek legal code whereas the laws were particularly harsh. This is where the term Draconian comes from

Darius I the Great of Persia 521-486 BC. Stone carving from Persepolis. He lost at the Battle of Marathon

Different Greek city’s hoplites

Tomb of 192 Athenians at Marathon

Xerxes I of Persia,

485-465 BC.He won a costly

battle at Thermopyla

e, sacked Athens, and finally was

defeated by the Greeks at Salamis and

Plataea

In ancient times, the coast line was about where the road is now, or

even closer to the mountain. (Thermopylae )

The battle wasn’t just on land – the Greeks had to keep the Persians from landing behind the Spartans

The famous epigram, dedicated to the fallen Spartans. It was written by Simonides. The ancient

plate has been lost; this is a modern construction.

After the Persian navy was defeated, the combined Greek armies defeated their army at Plataea – the hill on the left

is the one the Athenians guarded

Section 2 Review• Fortified Hilltop• acropolis• Archy• Leadership or rule• Government is ruled directly thru the people and not thru

representation• direct democracy• Persian King – lost battle of Marathon• Darius• Persian King – won at Thermopolye – lost war• xerxes