Vocabulary: Classical Greece & Rome

Rise and Fall of Greece

Unit 2.2 Classical Greece and Rome

Objective

• Identify the location of Ancient Greece, when it ruled, and the reasons for its rise and fall.

Examine the map closely then answer the following questions

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Multiple Choice

Greece was located on which continent?

• Europe

• Asia

• Africa

Open Ended

What do you know about the area of the world where Ancient Greece was located? Identify any historical or modern-day civilizations or countries in that region or events that have taken place.

Greek Civilization (started 1750 BC) 

Greece is located in SE Europe & consists of a mainland & an archipelago [chain of islands]. Mainland Greece is a large peninsula surrounded on 3 sides by the Mediterranean Sea (the Ionian Sea and the Aegean Sea). The geography of Greece greatly influenced the culture in that, with few natural resources & surrounded by water, the people eventually took to the sea for their livelihood. Mountains cover 80% of Greece which means little agriculture. As a result, the early Greeks colonized neighboring islands & founded settlements along the coast of Anatolia (aka: Asia Minor/Turkey). The Greeks became ship builders, sailors, & traders to acquire resources they did not have. One benefit of Greece’s trade with other nations was that they encountered the Phoenician alphabet, which they adapted & became the basis for Latin & many other languages including English. 

^{Greek Civilization: Impacted by Geography}

The mountains that covered Greece and the seas between islands also isolated the people of Greece. As a result, Greeks developed individual polis, also known as city-states. City-states were cities with surrounding land and villages. Each city-state was independent and located in an isolated valley. While the Greeks spoke the same language, they had different cultures and government and social structures because they were divided. The mountains separating the city-states were barriers to cultural diffusion and unity. In addition, a lack of resources and differences between the city-states led to rivalry and antagonism that led to wars. The two most well-known city-states were Sparta and Athens.

Multiple Select

Identify two geographic features that separated the Greek city-states.

• mountains

• seas

• deserts

The Rise (1750 bce) and Fall of Greece (338 ce)

Open Ended

What contributed to the rise of Greece?

The Rise (1750 bce) and Fall of Greece (338 ce)

Multiple Select

What did Athens achieve during its golden age?

• stability

• wealth

• public projects

• advancements in the arts

The Rise (1750 bce) and Fall of Greece (338 ce)

Open Ended

Why did Greece fall?