Geography of Ancient Greece

• Students will be able to explain what the geography of Ancient Greece is.

• Students will be able to recall the major components of city-states in Greece.

• Students will be able to explain the importance of ships and trade in Greece.​

• Very mountainous and rocky

• Mainland peninsula

• Coastline ​and valleys used for farming

• ​The Greeks were isolated from each other

• ​They had to use the seas to meet their needs

  • ​Mediterranean

  • ​Ionian

  • ​Aegean

• ​Became excellent shipbuilders and traders

​Minoans (2000 BC)

• Lived on island of Crete

• Best shipbuilders of their time

• Traded for gold, copper, silver, jewels

• 1600s BC

  • Volcanic eruption causes waves, ash

  • May have led to end of civilization

• Mycenaeans (1400s BC)

  • Spoke Greek, Considered 1st “Greek” people

  • Lived on mainland Greece

  • Took over Crete, set up colonies in Greece and Italy

• Often attacked other kingdoms

  • Possibly started Trojan War

• 1200s BC

  • Fall apart when invaders move in

  • Greece falls into Dark Age

• Polis

  • City-state

• Acropolis

  • Fortress located on top of high hill

• City surrounded by walls for protection

• Agora

  • Marketplace, located in city center

  • Used for trade, religion, and government

​City-states gain strength through trade, colonization

• Set up colonies in Turkey, Italy, and France

• 550 BC

  • City-states begin to gain strength, increasingly independent

Corinth, Thebes, Argos, Delphi, Rhodes - https://www.ducksters.com/history/ancient_greece/greek_city_state.php

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Athens - https://www.ducksters.com/history/ancient_greek_athens.php

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Sparta - https://www.ducksters.com/history/ancient_greece/sparta.php​