Ancient Greeks
EQ: How did Ancient Greece develop and impact the modern world? |
Why I believe Greece is Astounding |
The geography in Greece made a great impact in their civilization. The mountains made it hard to travel by road so they didn't travel on land very much. This did not make them excluded from of the rest of the world though. Greece was surrounded by seas. They became experts in sailing and trading by water. The mountains divided Greece so instead of one they had many small governments and communities. They climate there was nice and warm. This lead to many outdoor activities. Greece was where the first Olympic Games were created.
How did Geography shape Greek life?Greece is 3/4 mountains and is surrounded by sea. They use the sea to trade. The Mycenaeans lived in south Greece on a rigid cliff that could not be attacked. They were powerful and ruled many valleys along with Athens and the Tiryns. The Mycenaeans fought a ten-year war with Troy. This was called the Trojan War. The Greeks won after much devastation. Not long after the victory of the Trojan War, the Mycenaean civilization collapsed. A new civilization developed and their people were called the Dorians. Greeks somehow lost the art of writing and reading during this time. They transferred knowledge orally. They told many stories. One of the most famous storytellers was a blind man called Homer. He wrote Epics, or lengthy narrative poem. Myths started to grow popular. Myths are traditional stories about the Greek's Gods. Popular Greek Gods you may know are: Athena, Hera, Poseidon, and Zeus
How are Modern Political systems related to greek city-states?There are many ways that ancient Greece's political system is like ours. Here are a few ways. In ancient Greek, The city-states were called a polis. In each Polis, citizens would come together to discuss politics in an Acropolis. Some city-states had monarchy, oligarchy, or had an aristocracy. Some had tyrants though back then they were not considered harsh and cruel like they are today. Athens had trouble trying to get their rich and poor citizens happy. They came up with the idea of making a democracy. From 621- 500 BCE Athens were creating a democracy. In 725 BC Sparta took over the Messenians and forced them to become Helots, or peasants forced to stay on the land they worked on. Sparta was scared though that the Helots would create a successful revolt and take over. Sparta dedicated themselves to make a powerful army and strong city-state. Though they did not like each other, Athens and Sparta had to team up to fight against their common enemy, the Persians . The Greek army was set in a phalanx. A phalanx is a fearsome formation. After much heartache and loss, the Greeks won the battle.The Persian Wars lasted from 490-479 BC.
HOW IS ANCIENT GREECE STILL APART OF OUR LIFES TODAY IN REFERENCE TO DEMOCRACY, ART, LITERATURE, AND PHILOSOPHY?In Ancient Greece there was a man called Pericles who was the leader of Athens and created a Direct Democracy. Art and Architecture also blossomed at this time. They also created dramas that were split into two groups. These 2 were Comedies and Tragedies. The spartans and Athenians went to war. (again) This was called the Peloponnesian War. Sparta and Athens sign a truce which is later broken by Athens. Sparta defeats them due to their strong army.
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The Greeks are rich with culture!!! From myths, to religion, to politics they intrigue historians today. Many famous geniuses lived in Greece. Some examples are: Aristotle, Plato, Socrates, and Homer. Thousands of beautiful temples were built in Greece. A couple of the most famous are the Olympia and Erechtheum.
ErechtheionOlympiaGreek PhalanxPersian war Map |