Transcript Impact of Geography on Greece

Cultures of the Mountains and
the Sea
■Essential Question:
–What role did geography play in the
development of classical Greece?
■Answer the Questions after viewing
the slides
After the river valley era, a number
of classical civilizations developed
in the Mediterranean and in Asia
The first major
classical civilization
was ancient Greece
Classic cultures created high levels of achievement in
art, science, & technology that impacted future ages
Impact of Geography on Greece:
Identify 1 geographic feature & propose
how it might impact the culture of Greece
Impact of Geography on Greece:
Identify 1 geographic feature & propose
how it might impact the culture of Greece
Greece’s lack of natural resources & location
on the Mediterranean Sea encouraged
Greek trade with neighboring societies
Mountains covered about 75% of Greece
which divided the people & made unifying
the Greek people nearly impossible
The Greeks
developed
independent
city-states,
called polis,
within each
valley & its
surrounding
mountains
Greek Culture
■Despite their lack of unity,
the Greeks shared some
common characteristics:
–Greeks shared the same
language
–Greek writing was
influenced by the
Phoenician alphabet &
became the basis for Latin
Greeks were polytheistic & believed that the
gods were immortal but had human qualities;
Religion became the basis for Greek mythology
Zeus
King of the gods
Athena
Goddess of wisdom
Aphrodite
Goddess of love
Apollo
God of sun & music
Ares
God of war
Hades
God of underworld
Hera
Goddess of family
Poseidon
God of the seas
Most Greek city-states had an agora that was
the center for trade & government
City-states had an
acropolis, a temple on
a hill dedicated to a
sacred god
Differences Among Greek City-States
Despite similar
language &
religion, the
Greek polis were
very different
from each other,
especially
how they were
governed
Differences Among Greek City-States
Some polis had a
monarchy, a gov’t
ruled by a king
Differences Among Greek City-States
Some polis had an
aristocracy, a gov’t
ruled by elite nobles
Practiced in Corinth
Differences Among Greek City-States
Some polis like Sparta
had an oligarchy, a
gov’t ruled by a small
group of citizens
Differences Among Greek City-States
Some polis like Athens
had a direct democracy,
a gov’t ruled by citizens
who vote on decisions
The Greek city-states Athens & Sparta
represented the differences among polis
■Athenian society
focused on wealth
& culture:
–Athens had a
direct democracy
in which both
rich & poor
citizens could
vote & hold
public office
Athenian society focused on wealth & culture
Architects built the Parthenon
to honor the goddess Athena
Athenian society focused on wealth & culture
Artists created
realistic sculptures
Theater had both
comedies & tragedies
Athenian society focused on wealth & culture
Philosophers Socrates, Plato, & Aristotle
questioned assumptions & the use of logic
to find answers to questions
The Greek city-states Athens & Sparta
represented the differences among polis
■ Spartan society focused
on military strength,
not freedom & learning
–Spartan men served
in the military until
60 years old
–Boys began military
training at age 7
–Women ran family
estates while men
trained or fought
Spartans showed their strength during
the Persian Wars
Athens & Sparta competed for influence in
Greece & developed a strong rivalry that
eventually led to the Peloponnesian War
Sparta defeated
Athens, but the war
weakened the Greeks
Closure Activity
■Where would you rather live:
Athens or Sparta? Why?
■Essential Question:
–What was the impact of the
spread of Hellenic culture under
Alexander the Great?
■Closure Actvity:
–What are the top 3 Greek
innovations? Explain how our
world is better because of these
3 achievements.
Mountains divided
the
Greeks
Ancient
Greece
into independent city-states,
like Athens & Sparta
Access to the sea increased
trade & cultural diffusion
(sharing ideas) with other cultures
The Greek city-states, especially Athens,
developed cultural innovations that are still
used today which transformed Greece into a
“classical civilization”
Spartan High School Musical lyrics
Greek wealth & innovation made it a target to
outside invasion; From 493 B.C. to 479 B.C.,
Persian kings Darius & Xerxes tried (but failed)
to conquer the Greeks in the Persian Wars
The Peloponnesian Wars left the
Greeks weak & open to invasion
After the Persian Wars, the
Greek city-states, led by rivals
Athens & Sparta, fought each
other in the Peloponnesian Wars
In 338 B.C., King Philip II of
Macedonia attacked & conquered
the Greeks, but he died soon after
Macedonians viewed themselves as Greeks
& shared much of their culture; King Philip II
hired Aristotle to tutor his son Alexander
King Alexander of Macedonia
■ Alexander was only 20 years old when he
became king of Macedonia:
–But he proved to
be ambitious & a
brilliant military
strategist
–Once in power,
Alexander began
to expand his
empire
Alexander began his conquest by crushing a
Greek revolt in Thebes; He ordered the death of
Thepeople
Empire
of Alexander
6,000
& sold
everyone elsethe
intoGreat
slavery;
His brutality convinced other Greeks to not rebel
Alexander set his sights
on the Persian Empire
& began his attack by
conquering Egypt;
Egyptians viewed
Alexander as a liberator
In 331 B.C., Alexander attacked
Alexander
& defeated the mighty Persian
destroyed the
The led
Empire
Alexander
theof Great
army
by King of
Darius
III
capital
Persepolis
Alexander led his army to conquer India; After
taking the Indus River Valley, Alexander’s troops
begged him to return home after 11 years away
from their homes while conquering the empire
By 323 B.C., Alexander had conquered a massive
empire
& began
to governthe
& unify
his
The
Empire
ofplans
Alexander
Great
kingdom, but he fell ill & died at the age of 32
Alexander left behind an important legacy:
He spread Hellenic (Greek) innovations &
culture throughout his empire
In each territory he conquered, Alexander left
behind a Greek-styled city named Alexandria
Alexandria in Egypt was the most significant of
these cities & best represented Hellenism
(the spread & blending of Greek culture )
Alexandria became the center
for Hellenistic culture & trade
for the Mediterranean world
Alexandria had a museum &
library that preserved Greek,
Egyptian, Persian, Indian
cultures & attracted scholars
for centuries
Alexandria Egypt
When Alexander died without an heir, his
empire was divided among his top 3 generals
Alexander's empire was the largest of the
classical era, but it was short-lived (13 years)
& was never unified or governed
■ Summary of Alexander the Great:
–He was a military genius & well educated
–His interest in Greek
history & culture as well
as Persian, Egyptian, &
Indian ideas led to a
vibrant new culture,
Hellenism, that shaped
future civilizations
–But, his empire did not last long enough
to compete with future empires, such as
those ruled by Rome and the Mongols
Closure Activity
■ Which emperor was “greater”: Darius of
Persia —OR— Alexander of Macedonia?
–Give 3 reasons to explain your answer
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