Greece The Rise of Greek Civilization Greeces Geographic

Greece The Rise of Greek Civilization

Greece’s Geographic Setting Peninsula and small islands surrounded by water Isthmus connecting main land Greece to the Peloponnesus Very rocky and mountainous Small patches of farmland – only 1/5 good for farming No major river valleys – small under ground springs

Effects of Geography Most people were sailors, traders, fisherman Mountains separated cities so city-states developed City-states had own customs and beliefs

Greek Beginnings Greeks used myths to explain their origins and how things were formed. Trojan War- Story about Trojan Prince named Paris was a guest of Greek Menelaus and kidnapped his wife, Helen and took her back to Troy. Greeks broke into Troy to retrieve her by tricking the Trojans with the Trojan Horse

Epic (long poem) The Iliad and the Odyssey are two epics about the Trojan War written by Homer Iliad tells about the fight between Greece and troy The Odyssey tells about the adventures of Odysseus as he struggles to return back to Greece after the war.

The Dark Ages of Greece The years between 1100 s BC and about 750 BC have been called the Dark Ages of Greece. Dark Ages: Poverty everywhere no longer traded for food or goods beyond Greece writing disappeared People depended on oral tradition People finally started to farm and gather near rocky protected hills called acropolises (high city) for protection.

Governing the City-States City-states are cities but also separate independent states Each had a city, villages and surrounding fields There were hundreds of Greek city-states 5 big ones were Athens, Sparta, Megara, Corinth, and Argos.

Aristocracy: Nobles Rule Earliest rulers of Greek city-states Chieftains or kings who were military leaders By the end of the Dark Ages, most city-states ruled by aristocrats. The controlled most of the good land could afford weapons, horses, and chariots which made them stronger than others. Then as Greece started to trade with foreign lands, a middle class of merchants, artisans and traders developed.

The middle class wanted a say in government too. Now they couldn’t afford horses and chariots but they could afford weapons and they could fight on foot. Gradually the power shifted from the aristocrats to the middle class. Aristocrats were overthrown by tyrants, or people who took power by force. The middle class usually supported the tyrants.

Some tyrants were violent and cruel while others were wise and kind. Eventually the people overthrew tyrants who were too harsh. A few cities moved to develop a government called Democracy. In democracy, citizens govern themselves. Athens’ government was a democracy.

594 BC Solon, Athenian leader, won power to reform laws. Made laws to reform both economy and government. 1 st law: canceled all debts and freed citizens who had been enslaved for having debts. 2 nd law: all male citizens age 18 or older had a say in debating important laws.

Not Everyone Benefited From Democracy! Only 1 in 5 in Athens were citizens. SLAVES, WOMEN, and FOREIGNERS did not take part in Democracy!