Introduction to Ancient Greece

- Located in southern Europe

- the mainland and small islands spread on Mediterranean Seas.

Introduction to Ancient Greece

- fishermen, traders, sailors

- traded with many different parts of the world

Introduction to Ancient Greece

Ancient Greece was not a unified country but a collection of city-states (polis) with distinct political and social systems.
Athens and Sparta was two iconic city-states.

The Birth of Democracy

• Democracy (dēmokratía): "Rule by the people"

• Structure

  Assembly (Ekklesia)

  Council of 500 (Boule)

  People's Courts (Dikasteria)
  

Limitations of Athenian Democracy

• Who participated?

  • Citizens: Free adult males

  • Excluded: Women, slaves, and non-citizens

• Debates on inclusivity and fairness
  

Ancient Greece and Modern USA

The Golden Age of Greece

• Athletics: the Olympics

• Democracy developed into Politics

• Homer wrote the Iliad and the Odyssey

• Mathematics: Pythagorean theory

• The Greek alphabet

Greek Classical Period

• The conquer of Persia (Alexander the Great)

• The Parthenon was established

• Emergence of theatre, architecture, and art.

• Development of philosophy: Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle.