Ancient Greece Intro

Ancient Greece Geography

Multiple Choice

On what continent is Greece located?

• North America

• Asia

• Europe

• Africa

Location of Greece in the world

• Greece is located on a peninsula in southeastern Europe.

• Peninsula: area of land surrounded by 3 bodies of water

  • 1) Aegean Sea (east)

  • 2) Mediterranean Sea (south)

  • 3) Ionian Sea (west)

GEOGRAPHY OF GREECE

Multiple Choice

What is a peninsula?

• A kind of forest.

• A place surrounded on all sides by water.

• A place surrounded on three sides by water.

• A dry place.

Multiple Choice

The geography of Greece was dominated by...

• rugged ocean coasts

• mountains and seas

• rich, fertile valleys

• vast desert plateaus

The climate of Greece

• Hot and dry summers-limits crops

• Only rains (or snows) in the winter

• When hot, rivers would dry up

• Rivers would flood in the winter

• The temps of Ancient Greece & today follow a similar trend

Farming was difficult due to the many hillsides & rocky soil

• Grapes and olives were staple crops

• They are often grown at the same time, same area, similar climate

• Grapes & olives couldn't sustain them so what would the people of Greece depend on to get their food?

The “Polis”

• Polis is the Greek word for “city-state.”

• A town, city, or village along with its surrounding countryside where people could meet for political social and religious activities

• At the top of the hill, an acropolis was formed - a fortified area that could be used as a place of refuge during an attack or could serve as religious centers

• Below the acropolis was an agora - an open area where people could assemble and use as a market

• The polis was a community who shared a common identity and common goals

• It consisted of:

  • Citizens with political rights (adult males)

  • Citizens with no political rights (women and children)

  • Noncitizens (slave and resident aliens)

• Each city-state had its own government and set of laws that it followed

Polis Continued

Multiple Choice

Many communities in ancient Greece were separated by mountains, which resulted in...

• the development of many different languages.

• the construction of an advanced system of roads.

• the development of independent city-states.

• alliances formed for group protection.

Multiple Choice

Another word for a city-state is ...

• political colony

• agora

• independent empire

• polis

Access to the seas

• Access to the three seas : Mediterranean Sea , Aegean Sea , Ionian Sea

• Travel and trade was easy

• Travel and trade encourage the sharing of ideas and cultures.

The seas gave the people an opportunity to become

• Sailors

• Shipbuilders

• Traders

• Fishers

In addition to people using the seas as a means to find food,

• They also began to explore the surrounding areas

• This is one of the reasons why they were able to colonize (send people to settle in a new area)

• This is also another reason how the culture of Greece was able to spread all over this region

Review

• Greece is located in Europe and has a mainland and thousands of islands

• Greeks depended upon the sea for food & resources due to its mountainous terrain and climate

• The dependance upon the sea helped spread Greek culture

Multiple Choice

Where is the Mediterranean Sea located?

• B

• E

• G

Multiple Choice

Where is the Ionian Sea located?

• B

• E

• G

Multiple Choice

Where is the Aegean Sea located?

• B

• E

• G