Transcript Ancient Greece - The Lesson Builder

World History
September 21, 2015
Ancient Greece
Ancient Greece
Ancient Greece consisted of a mountainous region with valuable port
cities. Each city and it’s surrounding area is called a polis. Two of the
most powerful poleis were Athens and Sparta. Locate them on the
map, which one appears to be closer to the sea? Which polis do you
think was more open to ideas from other poleis and regions? Why?
Athens
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Located on Attica peninsula
Emphasis on government and
education
If Athenians could afford it
they sent their boys to school
to learn to read and write
Athena was their patron
goddess because she is the
goddess of wisdom and war
Athenians began using a
democracy type of government
– All free male citizens voted
and made decisions for the
polis
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Girls trained to good mothers
and worked closely with their
mothers to learn their skills to
take care of a family, home, and
weave cloth
Boys worked with their fathers
and learned their skills –
farming, woodworking, pottery
making, or stone-working shops
Boys trained in the local
gymnasium: boxing and
wrestling
Girls didn’t practice sports, they
were told to “hear little, say
little, and ask no more than
absolutely necessary”
Sparta
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Located on the Peloponnesus
peninsula
Emphasis on training to be strong
warriors – at the early age of 7
boys began learning fighting
skills such as archery, javelin
throwing, and sword-fighting
Artemis and Ares-(god of
war)were the patron gods –
Artemis is the goddess of the
hunt
Spartans form of government
was a monarchy and transitioned
into a oligarchy - Spartan leaders
made decisions for the polis at
meetings held in the agora
Spartans had many more slaves
than other Greek cities and
slaves did the majority of the
field work
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Boys could go to school to
learn to read and write but
they spent even more time
training to be soldiers
Girls trained too, they
practiced running, throwing
javelins, and playing ball
games
Girls didn’t become soldiers
but it was thought that strong
mothers would make strong
men
Girls also learned skills from
their mothers and boys learned
skills from their fathers
Athens and Sparta Similarities
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Spoke Greek, shared ancestry, traditions and culture
Lived and adapted to a mountainous terrain
Rivaled to be the most powerful Greek city
Share religious views: believed that many gods and
goddesses ruled the world
Zeus was the most worshiped god but other gods were
worshiped and thought to be protectors of their city.
They held festivals to honor the gods and goddesses
They believed the gods lived on Mount Olympus
They enjoyed the stories of Homer – an ancient Greek
poem writer
What made Athens’ Golden Age
golden?
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Athens had the largest
acropolis and about
100,000 people lived in
Athens making it the
largest city or polis in
Greece.
The agora was bustling
with crowds of people
meeting to listen to
government discussions,
vote on political matters,
buy and sell goods in the
markets, and read the
city’s “bulletin board”.
The Parthenon in
Athens’ Acropolis
Greek columns
The Golden Age
460B.C.-399B.C.
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Historians mark this a
time period rich in culture
and wealth.
Athenian craft workers’
products were the most
valuable and desirable
from other poleis and
civilizations.
Athens began mining
silver from the
mountains.
Sculptures were
detailed and
portrayed the
human anatomy
accurately
Theatre – Comedy, Tragedies,
and Satyrs
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Athenians enjoyed
entertainment like the
theatre, music
festivals, and religious
festivals
The Navy
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Athenians built a
mighty navy fleet.
Athens became
rich from payments
from other Greek
poleis for
protection from
Persian attacks.
Athenian trireme
Athens’ Currency
Drachma made from silver or
bronze
Athenian Government
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Athens is the
birthplace of a
democracy.
An assembly of free
men gathered in the
agora to vote on
issues that helped
shape the polis.
Citizens also sat on
juries to hear evidence
and make decisions in
a court of law.
Pericles was
heavily involved
in Athens’
government. He
arranged that
men be paid to
serve on juries
and hold offices
in the assembly.
Pericles was
also a military
general known
for his strategy
and bravery.
More Philosophy
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Philosophy is the search
for wisdom and the right
way to live.
Socrates was a famous
philosopher and teacher
that began questioning
Athens’ laws, values, and
even religion.
Plato was Socrates’
student and he preserved
his teachings by writing
them down and he too
became a famous
philosopher.