The Story of Ancient Greece

Geography of Greece
Greece is a small country
in Europe.
Greece is near the
Mediterranean Sea.
The main part of Greece in
on a peninsula.
A peninsula is a body of
land surrounded by water
on three sides.
The rest of Greece is made
up of islands.

Greek City-States
Because Greece is made up of many
islands, and has many tall mountains,
the Greeks began to build city-states
instead of one country.
A city-state is a city with its own laws,
rulers, and money.
City-states were cities that acted like
countries.

Technology results
from necessity
Since Greek
coastal cities
were sandwiched
between the
ocean and the
sea, they
developed an
awesome navy for
trading and
fighting.

Sparta
Sparta was a Greek city-state.
Sparta was very powerful and had
its own army.
Sparta conquered other city-states
to gain wealth and power.
There were three classes of people
in Sparta.
Citizens, non-citizens, and slaves.

Spartas Classes
Only men born in Sparta were citizens.
Women were not allowed to become citizens,
however, women were allowed to own land and
businesses, which gave them more freedom
than other Greek city-states.
The second class in Sparta was people who
came from other city-states or other countries.
They could own businesses but not become
citizens.
The third class was slaves.

Sparta warriors
Learning to read and write in Sparta was not
very important.
Training to become a good soldiers was
important.
Young boys at age 7 were taken from their
parents and trained to be soldiers as well as good
in sports such as running.
Girls were also trained to be good in sports.

Athens
Athens was another important Greek citystate.
The people of Athens wanted to rule
themselves and not have a king or queen.
Athens became the worlds first democracy
around 508 B.C.
A democracy is a government in which all
citizens can vote and have equal say in what
happens.

Democracy in Athens

Athens was a democracy because all citizens

could vote, but only half the people in Athens
were citizens.
Women, people born outside of Athens, and
slaves could not vote.

Megara

Megara was a coastal city-state.

Megara was highly respected in the ancient Greek
world.
Megara was similar to Corinth. They people were
ruled by a king. They had their own coinage. They
had public work programs to keep people employed.
Megara had beautiful statues and open air arenas for
plays. Their boys went to school. Their girls learned
at home; there was a great deal of freedom in
Megara. You could move there from another citystate and rent a home, or even buy one.

Megara
Like all the Greek city-states,
Megara loved to establish new
towns.
They were great sailors,
trading with other Greek citystates. Megara, like all the
Greeks, were trained
warriors.
Megara was famous for its
textiles. Richly colored and
beautifully designed fabrics.

Thebes
Strategically situated on a low
plateau commanding the
surrounding plains of Boeotia.
Thebes (also known as Kadmeia)
was first inhabited around 3000
BCE.
From 2500 BCE there is evidence of
food and wool production and
storage - grinding stones and
terracotta loom-weights and
spools, andbronzecarpentry tools.

Thebes
Following the Dark Ages in Greece (c.1100 to 700
BCE), Thebes re-emerged as an influential Greek
city-state and for the next four centuries the city
would be a constant rival toAthensandSpartafor
regional dominance.
In 480 BCE Thebes sided with Persian when Xerxes
invaded Greece.
The city was a major protagonist in the
Peloponnesian Warfrom 431 to 404 BCE, siding with
Sparta against Athens.

Corinth

Located on the isthmus which connects

mainlandGreecewith the Peloponnese.
First inhabited in theNeolithic period(c. 5000 BCE),
the site became more densely populated from the
10th century BCE. The historical founders of the city
were the aristocratic descendants of King Bacchis,
the Bacchiadae, in 750 BCE.

Corinth
Bacchiadae ruled as a body of 200 until in 657 BCE.
The popular tyrant Cypselus took control of the city, to be
succeeded by his son Periander (627-587 BCE).
Cypselus funded the building of a treasury atDelphiand founded
colonies which included Ambracia, Anactorium, and Leucas.
These added to the existing Corinthian colonies of Corcyra(Corfu)
andSyracuseinSicilywhich had been founded in 734 BCE.

Delphi
Delphiwas an important ancient Greekreligious
sanctuary sacred to the godApollo.
The site was first settled in Mycenaean times in the
lateBronze Age(1500-1100 BCE) but took on its religious
significance from around 800 BCE.
560BCE The oracles ofDelphiand Thebes both tell
KingCroesusofLydia that if he attacks the Medes, he will
destroy a greatempire. Seeing this as a good omen, he
goes towar, loses, and the Lydian Empire is destroyed.

Oracle's Prophecy

The oracle stated that if

Croesus went to war then a
greatempirewould surely
fall. Reassured by this, the
Lydian king took on the
mightyCyrus. However, the
Lydian were routed
atSardisand it was the
Lydian empire which fell, a
lesson that the oracle could
easily be misinterpreted by
the unwise or over-confident.

Oracle's Prophecy
In 480 BC, whenXerxes, the son ofDarius the Greatof
Persia, returned to finish the job of conquering the Greeks in
which his father had failed, the Athenians consulted the
oracle. They were told:

Now your statues are standing and pouring sweat. They shiver with dread. The black blood drips
from the highest rooftops. They have seen the necessity of evil. Get out, get out of my sanctum and
drown your spirits in woe.

It was unambiguous. When persuaded to seek advice a

second time, the oracle gave a way for the Athenians
to escape their doom.
When Athena approached her father to help her city,
Zeus responded that he would grant that

"a wall of wood alone shall be uncaptured, a boon to you and your children."

The oracle again advised the Athenians to flee:

Await not in quiet the coming of the horses, the

Oracle's Prophecy
The oracle again advised the Athenians to flee:
Await not in quiet the coming of the horses, the marching feet, the armed host upon the land. Slip
away. Turn your back. You will meet in battle anyway. O holySalamis, you will be the death of
many a woman's son between the seedtime and the harvest of the grain.

Meanwhile, the Spartans also consulted the oracle and were

told:
The strength of bulls or lions cannot stop the foe. No, he will not leave off, I say, until he tears the
city or the king limb from limb.

or in a version according to Herodotus:

Hear your fate, O dwellers in Sparta of the wide spaces;
Either your famed, great town must be sacked by Perseus' sons, Or, if that be not, the whole land
of Lacedaemon Shall mourn the death of a king of the house of Heracles, For not the strength of
lions or of bulls shall hold him, Strength against strength; for he has the power of Zeus, And will
not be checked until one of these two he has consumed

Oracle's Prophecy
The Spartans withdrew in consternation, wondering
which fate was worse. The Delphians themselves then
asked how Persia could be defeated. The oracle
replied:
PraytotheWinds.TheywillprovetobemightyalliesofGreece

OUTCOME
Events overtook the prophecy when the Persianarmy
assaultedThermopylae Spartan-led coalition and
allies held the pass against them.
KingLeonidas, the Lion, resisted the Persian advance
until betrayed by treachery.
Refusing to retreat, the entire Spartan contingent,
including their King (as foretold), lost their lives, but
in so doing gained immortal fame

OUTCOME

The Persian armada then sailed to nearby CapeArtemesium,

where they were met by the Athenian fleet. The Athenian ships
fought against great odds, but in three battles managed to hold
their own.
A tremendous storm then arose at Artemesium, with the most
violent winds attacking the ships for three days. The Persians
lost about 20% of their warships and perhaps the same number
of transport vessels to the storm. The stormy winds and huge
waves did not harm the Athenian ships.

OUTCOME
Back in AthensThemistoclesargued that the wall of
wood referred to the Athenian navy and persuaded
the Athenians to pursue their policy of using wealth
from their Attic silver mines atLauriumto continue
building their fleet
On the grounds that the oracle referred to the
nearby island ofSalamisas "holy", he claimed that
those slain would be Greece's enemies, not the
Athenians. For these the oracle would have said "O
cruel Salamis".
Athenian fleet and its allies destroyed the Persian
fleet at Salamis.

Olympia
Olympia is the birthplace of the Olympic Games andZeus'
sacred place
Olympia has cultivated ideals since ancient times.
It was never just the games, but also the honor, the peace,
the struggle and the body - all in one.

Pericles
Pericles was the leader
of creating democracy
in Athens.
He had many buildings
constructed.
Pericles had the
Parthenon and the
Acropolis built.

Parthenon and Acropolis

Education in Athens
Education was very important in
Athens.
Boys went to school to learn to read
and write. They also learned many
sports.
Girls were not allowed to go to school
or learn to play sports.

The Greek Alphabet

The Greeks borrowed their alphabet from
the Phoenicians.
Most European languages, including English
borrowed ideas from the Greek alphabet.

Socrates
Socrates was a
philosopher of Ancient
Greece.
A philosopher is
someone who tries to
explain the nature of
life.
Socrates taught by by
asking questions. This
method of questioning
is still called the
Socratic method.

Plato
Plato was a student of
Socrates.
He started a school
called The Academy.
Platos writing took the
form of a dialogue
between teacher and
student.

Aristotle
Aristotle was
another Greek
philosopher and
student of Plato.
He wrote about
science, art, law,
poetry, and
government.

Alexander the Great

Alexander the Great
was the son of King
Phillip II of Macedonia.
Alexander conquered
Persia, Egypt, the
Middle East and
Northern India.
He died at age 33,
historians believe from
malaria.

Greek
Military

This is a
catapult, a
Greek invention.
It could throw
300 pound stones
at walls and
buildings

Greek
Military

This is a hoplite, a
Greek infantry soldier.
Hoplites were middleclass freemen who
had to pay for their
own weapon and
shield.

Greek
Military

This is a phalanx.
Soldiers get in a
tight box. They
each have a large
shield and a 9
foot long spear.

Flamethrower
!!!!!

Alexanders Empire