Nike! A Practice Packet on a Classical Civilization – The Greeks

Global History and Geography I Name: ______

E. Napp Date: ______

Let’s start with geography!

  1. Where is Greece located? ______
  2. Identify one geographic feature of Greece. ______
  3. How did this geographic feature affect the Greeks? ______
  4. Identify another geographic feature of Greece. ______
  5. How did this geographic feature affect the Greeks? ______
  6. What bodies of water surround Greece? ______

7. What effect did the geography of ancient Greece have on its early development?

(1) The mountainous terrain led to the creation of independent city-states.

(2) A lack of natural seaports limited communication.

(3) An inland location hindered trade and colonization.

(4) Abundant natural resources encouraged self-sufficiency.

Adapted from bbc.co.uk

“Athens was the largest city in ancient Greece. Athens controlled the land around it, a large region called Attika. Between the many mountains were fertile valleys, where farmers grew olives, grain, fruit and grapes.

Athens became rich and powerful, helped by Attika's valuable sources of silver, lead and marble. In 510B.C., a new way of government was invented in Athens. ‘Demokratia’, from which we get our word 'democracy' which means 'rule by the people'. Any man with full citizen rights could go to the assembly, where they could speak and vote freely. Public debates like this decided how the city was run.

Athens had law courts with trial by jury. Juries were much larger than today, with several hundred members. After listening to the evidence jurors voted by placing metal discs into one of two jars - one for guilty, one for not guilty. Punishments were decided by the court, and included the death penalty.

Women did not have citizen rights. They could not take part in the assembly, or vote, or serve on juries. In wealthy families girls were educated to run the household of servants and slaves, and were usually married by the age of 13. In poorer families women worked alongside men, farming in the fields or running the family business.

Between a quarter and a third of Athens 300,000 population were slaves. These were men and women captured in wars or born into slavery. Many slaves had special skills, such as nurses and teachers, while others had the hardest and most unpleasant work to do. It was common for a rich household to have many slaves.

Athens had yearly festivals for athletics, drama and religious occasions. The city paid for these using taxes, but the wealthiest citizens of Athens were obliged to give extra help.

Rich citizens considered it an honor to pay the performers' fees in the many drama festivals. Similarly they may have to serve as captain of a warship for a year, paying the crew and making repairs.”

Questions:

  1. Why was Athens rich and powerful? ______
  2. What political system did the ancient Athenians invent? ______
  3. What could women and slaves not do? ______
  4. Provide two facts about Athenian slaves. ______
  5. How did Athenian juries differ from juries in the United States today? ______
  6. How did the city of Athens pay for its many festivals? ______

Adapted from bbc.co.uk

Describe the story of the 300. ______

Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle were important Greek philosophers. How do philosophers challenge people to live lives of meaning? ______

Word Bank:

Mountains, Polis, Cultural Diffusion, Phoenicians, Peninsula, Athens, Women, Men, Columns, Sparta, Helots, Socrates, Olympics, Homer, Peloponnesian, Classical

The Legacy of the Greeks

  • Trial by Jury
  • Greek Myths
  • Democracy
    The word 'democracy' is Greek. It means 'government by the people. We have a form of democracy in Britain, and this is a legacy of the Athenians and their assemblies and councils.
  • Tragedy and Comedy
  • Theater
    The word 'theater' is Greek. Most modern theatres follow the Greek plan.
  • The Olympics
    The first Olympic Games were held in 776 BC at the Greek city of Olympia.
  • Marathon
    Pheidippides ran from Athens to Sparta to ask for help against the Persians just before the Battle of the Marathon (490 BC).
  • Architecture
    Throughout the world, buildings are frequently constructed in the style of Ancient Greece. The British Museum is an example of this.
  • The first alphabet with vowels
    The Ancient Greeks played an important part in the development of the alphabet. The first two letters of the Greek alphabet - alpha and beta - have given us the word 'alphabet'.

The Greeks developed a classical civilization.

A classical civilization is a civilization that developed important ideas and inventions that still influence people today.

So, if you were asked, “What have the ancient Greeks done for us anyway?, what would you say. What have the ancient Greeks done for us?

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