The Geography of Ancient Greece

What makes much of Greece a peninsula?

• The lack of large rivers

• The water on three sides

• The steep mountain slopes

• The large number of islands

The ancient Greeks did not like to travel on land because they:

• Did not want to offend the Earth god

• Were afraid of people from other villages

• Used the land for farming instead of roads

• Found traveling through the mountains difficult

How did the Greek mountains affect communication?

• They isolated communities

• They promoted road building

• They led people to write letters

• They made farmers stop speaking

What made farming in Ancient Greece especially difficult?

• mud

• rocks

• bandits

• climate

Suppose an adviser told a farmer, “You could grow more crops by using irrigation.” What would the farmer most likely reply?

• Our land it too low and flat

• We do not have a big enough river

• We do not have the labor to build ditches

• Our engineers do not have enough skill to design that

The ancient Greeks worshiped the sea god Poseidon. What does this tell about the Greeks?

• They believe in only one god

• They lived in separate villages

• They relied on the sea for travel and trade

• They stayed away from the sea as much as they could

The ancient Greeks raised sheep, chickens, goats, and bees because these animals

• did not need flat land

• could drink sea water

• supplied oil for lamps

• did not eat much food

Why did Greek communities sometimes fight each other?

• they had too many soldiers

• they were crowded together

• they could not start colonies

• they each wanted more land

What problem did ancient Greek communities try to solve by starting colonies?

• too many ships

• too much timber

• shortage of people

• shortage of farmland

A good location to start an Ancient Greek colony would have had

• tall mountains

• a high city wall

• a natural harbor

• strong local tribes