Geography Where is Greece Located Aegean Sea Ionian

Geography: Where is Greece Located: Aegean Sea Ionian Sea Mediterranean Sea • Surrounded by Mediterranean, Aegean, and Ionian seas • Became skilled sailors • Used seas to travel and connect with other people • Adopted the Phoenician Alphabet

Geography: Impact • Rugged mountains, valleys, and small islands made travel and communication difficult • Difficult to grow crops (small population) • Unable to build a large empire • Led to many small citystates (polis)

Rise of the City-States (Polis) • Ancient Greece was divided into roughly 500 independent City States or “Poleis” • Each polis was self-contained, self-sufficient economic and social unit • Separate customs, dialects, and religious practices • Naturally competitive with each other • Only unique circumstances would lead to long-term cooperation

City-States Design • Divided into two parts • Acropolis (fortified hill top) • Government buildings • Marble temples and statues • Flat Ground (walled in main city) • Markets • Theaters • Public areas • Homes

http: //www. history. com/topics/ancient-history/ancient-greece

Types of Governments Monarchy • Ruled by a monarch (King) • Hereditary • Claimed Divine Right • Monarchs only answer to GOD

Aristocracy • Ruled by small group of nobles (land owning families ) • Authority comes from wealth

Oligarchy • Ruled by small groups of powerful wealthy people • Often from the merchant class • Authority comes from control of the military

Greek Democracy • Roots of representative government • Ruled by the citizens • Citizens have the right to vote • Majority rules • Limited-Direct Democracy • Limited to male citizens • Voted Directly on issues

Athens Builds a Limited Democracy • Citizens participated directly in political decision making • How did they get there? • Draco, 621 B. C. developed legal code based on the idea that rich and poor were equal, harsh punishments for criminals • Solon, 594 B. C. no citizens should own other citizens, 4 distinct social classes based on wealth , citizen could bring chargers against wrongdoers • Cleisthenes, 500 B. C. broke power of nobility, ten groups based on where you live vs. wealth, Council of Five Hundred, citizens could submit laws for consideration • Allowed citizens to participate in a limited democracy • Only free adult male property owners in Athens could participate