Ancient Greece. Big Idea: Greece s geography and its nearness to the sea strongly influenced the development of trade and the growth of city- states.

Transcription

1 Ancient Greece 8.1 Geography and the Early Greeks Essential Question: What factors shaped government in Greece? Big Idea: Greece s geography and its nearness to the sea strongly influenced the development of trade and the growth of city- states. Key Word Definition Memory Clue polis The Greek word for a city- state acropolis A high hill upon which a Greek fortress was built classical age A time period that is marked by great achievements

2 A. Geography Shapes Greek Civilization The Greeks lived on rocky, lands surrounded by water. The mainland of Greece is a, an area of land that is surrounded on sides by. In addition, there are many. People settled in the areas between mountains. They lived in villages and towns along the coast and in valleys, so they could farm. Since communities were because of the mountains and seas between them, they created their own and ways of life. They did speak the same, though. Early Greeks relied on the to travel, find food and other products, exchange ideas with other cultures, and. Because of this, they became expert shipbuilders and. Their ships sailed to Asia Minor, Egypt, and islands of the and Seas. Main Idea #1: Geography helped shape early Greek civilization. Q: On what geographic feature is Greece located? Q: Why was travel difficult in Greece?

3 B. Trading Cultures Develop One of the cultures that settled and developed in Greece was the. They lived on the island of, south of the Aegean Sea. They were excellent shipbuilders and traded wood,, and pottery for goods such as copper, gold, silver, and jewels. Although Crete was a great location for Minoan, its geography became dangerous when a huge erupted and caused a giant wave to flood Crete. Because of the flooding and the resulting clouds of that destroyed crops and cities, the eruption may have led to the end of Minoan civilization. Because the Minoans didn t speak the language, historians do not consider them Greek. The first people to speak Greek, and therefore be considered Greek, are the. They built large and powerful all over the mainland. Once the Minoan civilization declined, the Mycenaeans took over Crete and became the major in the eastern Mediterranean. They also set up in northern Greece and Italy from which they shipped goods. The Mycenaeans didn t think trade had to be conducted peacefully, so they often other kingdoms. Their society began to fall apart in the 1200s BC because of and invaders from Europe. As Mycenaean civilization crumbled, Greece slid into a period of warfare and disorder called the. Main Idea #2: Trading cultures developed in the Minoan and Mycenaean civilizations. Q: Where was the Minoan civilization located? Q: How was the decline of the Minoans and Mycenaeans similar? Q: Why did the Mycenaeans put such importance on building powerful fortresses?

4 C. Greeks Create City- States About 300 years after the Mycenaean civilization crumbled, the Greeks joined together in small groups for and, which led to the development of independent. The creation of each city- state, or, marks the beginning of Greece s age. A Greek city was usually built around a strong, which often stood on top of a high hill called the. The town around the acropolis was surrounded by walls for added protection, and even though not everyone lived inside the city walls, they would gather there in times of. Life in the city often focused on the marketplace, or. It served as a place to trade, shop, and hold and assemblies. The became the foundation of Greek civilization to the point where people considered their identities to be part of a city, not as. Life in Greece eventually became more settled, so people had more time to invest in other activities. This resulted in groups from city- states setting up in distant lands. These colonies became independent, and therefore became a new polis. Although the colonies were, they often traded with city- states in Greece. Trade made the city- states much richer, and by 550 BC, the Greeks had become the greatest in the whole Aegean region. Main Idea #3: The Greeks created city-states for protection and security. Q: What is a classical age? Q: Why did Greeks decide to establish colonies? Q: How did city walls and acropolises benefit Greek city- states?

5 Reading checks Q: How did mountains affect the location of Greek settlements? Q: To what regions did Minoan and Mycenaean traders travel? Q: Why did the Greeks develop city- states?