December 8, 2015
AIM: To what extent did the geography impact the
political, social and economic development of
Ancient Greece?
DO NOW: Examine the map of Greece and the
Mediterranean region. Discuss 2 to 3 ways
geography or location would have impacted the
economy, politics or society of Greece. (write on
the back of map)
HOMEWORK:
- Outline pp 127-133 “Warring City-States” due Thursday
- Outline pp 134-140 “Democracy & Golden Age” - Monday
- Map Quiz Mediterranean region - Tuesday
If you want to clean out binders, make
sure you keep everything we’ve done.
We’ll need it again at Regents time.
Ancient Greece
Essential Question: To what extent
does the geography impact the
development of a civilization?
Why study Ancient Greece?
This civilization fundamentally shaped
European civilization and ultimately, the
rest of the world.
 First to explore questions about
humanity’s place in the universe

– The birth of science and philosophy
Went beyond religion to try to understand
universe in rational & logical terms
 Questioned society and the role &
purpose of government  POLITICS

Key questions
What geographical factors helped to
mold the evolution of city-states?
 How did the impact of the Minoans &
Mycenaeans lead to the concept of a
heroic past?
 How did the Greeks develop basic and
enduring political forms?
 What did the Greek intellectual triumph
entail and what were its effects?
 How and why did the Greeks eventually
fail?

The Mediterranean World
Greece
I. Ancient Civilizations
a. People living in river valleys depended on the rivers
flooding for fertile land.
II. Greece
a. Did not depend on flooding.
b. Had no rivers.
c. Had mountainous land and deep valleys with rugged
highlands (hills).
d. Mountains divided the people. (don’t build roads,
developed trails instead)
Terrain
Geographical isolation  political
isolation!!!
Isolated city-states develop  POLIS
After the destruction of their homes, Minoans and
Mycenaeans spread the culture throughout the region.
III. Seas Surrounding Greece
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
Aegean Sea is to the East of Greece.
Ionian Sea to the West of Greece in
btw. Greece and Italy.
Mediterranean Sea to the South of
Greece.
These seas made Greece a
crossroads for trade.
Greece had long coastlines with many
bays which were good for trading.
IV. Settlements
a.
b.
c.
Most people lived along the coast.
Soil was rich and there was a mild climate
which was good for farming and raising
animals.
The Greeks sold their crops to other lands
located across the seas. (small farms
only. Barley, olives, grapes) Only 20% is
farmable  limits population growth
Greek Alphabet-Extra Info

Used to write the Greek
language since about the
9th century BC
 First to use separate
symbols for each vowel
and consonant
 Modification of the
Phoenician alphabet
 Gave rise to Latin
alphabet
V. Greece’s Geography
a. Mountains divided Greece into different
regions.
1. 75% of Greece is covered in mountains.
2. Transportation/Communication is difficult
b. Lowlands-fertile land.
c. Hills-good for animals.
Geography-Extra Info

Greece is located on
the Balkan peninsula
about the size of
Louisiana in the
Mediterranean Sea.
 Located on the
continent of Europe,
it’s very close to
Egypt, the Persian
empire (which
includes Turkey) and
Rome.
The Greek World-Extra Info




Mountainous terrain
Many islands
Asia Minor (Ionia)
No city-state could rule all



Each very independent
Colonies spread
throughout Mediterranean
Common Hellenic Culture
VI. People in Greece
a. All people spoke the same language and had the
same religion.
b. Because the mountains separated the people,
they rarely traveled to the other regions in
Greece.
c. People created small, independent communities
each with their own way of doing things called
city-states. Each had their own independent
government.
VII. Climate
a. Rain fell during winter months.
b. Summers were hot and dry which allowed
Greeks to spend most of their time
outdoors at agoras (marketplaces).
c. Greeks enjoyed outdoor events such as:
• plays
• religious and political events
• sports and athletic competitions
d. Philosophy, drama, politics, music…
develop at the agoras
VII. Minoan Civilization
a. Settled on the island of Crete
b. Named after King Minos
c. The Minoans developed a written language.
d. They learned cloth weaving, pottery and jewelry
making.
e. Wealth came from trade.
i. They controlled trade with all islands in the
Aegean Sea and cities on Ionian Sea, Syria
and Egypt.
ii. Traded food , pottery , and artisan crafts.
f. Ships patrolled the seas and protected the kingdom
from invaders.
g. When the Minoan civilization grew weak, groups of
people migrated to the Greek mainland.
IX. Mycenae
a.
b.
c.
City-state on the Greek mainland that
developed after the Minoan civilization
grew weak.
Replaced Crete as the center of
civilization in eastern Mediterranean.
Became very powerful and were
successful defenders against
attackers.
Exit Question

Explain two ways geography (either
climate, terrain or location) impacted
development of Ancient Greece
Trojan War
a. Troy was a real place, but the story of the
war is a mixture of myths and legends.
b. The war was fought between the Greeks
and the people of Troy.
c. Gods and goddesses help heroes on both
sides of the battle.
d. Sparta (Greeks) won by hiding in the
Trojan Horse and making a surprise attack.
e. Poet, Homer ,wrote two poems about the
war: The Iliad and The Odyssey
f. Focus on heroism
Trojan War Additional Info.
 After tricking the Trojans to open their
main doors, using the Trojan horse, the
Achaeans destroyed and mercilessly
slaughtered the Trojans.
Earliest picture of the Trojan Horse,
on a vase ca. 670 BC.