Ancient Greece

Geography and the Early Greeks
The Big Idea
Greece’s geography and its nearness to the sea strongly influenced
the development of trade and the growth of city-states.
Main Ideas
• Geography helped shape early Greek civilizations.
• Trading cultures developed in the Minoan and Mycenaean
civilizations.
• The Greeks created city-states for protection and security.

Geography Helped Shape Early Greek Civilizations
The ancient civilization of Greece was located in southeastern Europe along the
coast of the Mediterranean Sea. The geography of the region helped to shape the
government and culture of the Ancient Greeks. Geographical formations
including mountains, seas, and islands formed natural barriers between the Greek
city-states and forced the Greeks to settle along the coast.
The Greeks called
their land "Hellas."
The English word
"Greece" comes
from the Roman
word for the country
"Graecia."

Aegean Sea
I. The region of the Mediterranean where the Greeks first settled is called the
Aegean Sea.
A. Greek city-states formed all along the Aegean coastline and on the many
islands in the Aegean Sea.
B. The people of Greece used the Aegean to travel from city to city.
C. The Aegean also provided fish for the people to eat.

Mountains
I. Mountains
A. The land of Greece is full of mountains.
1. Around 80% of the Greek mainland is mountainous.
2. This made it difficult to make long journeys by land.
3. The mountains also formed natural barriers between the major city-states.
B. The tallest mountain in Greece is Mount Olympus.
1. The Ancient Greeks believed that their gods (the Twelve Olympians) lived
at the top of Mount Olympus.

Islands
I. Islands
A. The Aegean Sea is home to over 1000 islands.
B. The Greeks settled on many of these islands including Crete (the largest of
the islands), Rhodes, Chios, and Delos.
The Greek philosopher Plato once said that "we live around the sea like frogs around a pond."
The Greek peninsula has excellent harbors to
stimulate trade and is surrounded by numerous
islands.

Climate
I. Favorable climate.
A. Long dry summers and short mild winters (Much like southern California)
B. Mountain ranges protected Greece from the Northern climate.

Trading Cultures Developed in the Minoan and
Mycenaean Civilizations
I. Minoans
A. They spent much of their time at sea, trading in the Mediterranean.
B. Ships carried goods such as wood, olive oil, and pottery all around the
eastern Mediterranean.
C. They became the victims of a huge volcano that erupted north of Crete.
D. They were not considered to be Greek, since they didn’t speak Greek.
CRETE

Trading Cultures Developed in the Minoan and
Mycenaean Civilizations
I. Mycenaeans
A. They were the first people to be considered Greek.
B. They lived inland and built fortresses.
C. They were more violent in their trade.
D. They took over Crete and became the major traders in the eastern
Mediterranean.
E. They developed colonies in northern Greece and Italy, from which they
shipped goods around the Mediterranean and the Black Sea.

Greeks Created City-States for Protection and Security
I. City-States (750 B.C. to 400 B.C.)
A. City-States were small in area.
1. The Greek word for city-state is polis.
2. A city-state was usually built around a strong fortress on top of a high hill
called an acropolis.
B. People living in Ancient Greece did not think of themselves as
"Greek", but as citizens of their city-state. For example, people from Athens
considered themselves Athenians and people from Sparta considered
themselves Spartans.
C. The two most powerful and famous city-states were Athens and Sparta.

Life in a City-State
I. Life in a City-State
A. The city-state became the foundation for Greek civilization and gave the
Greeks an identity.
1. Each city-state had its own special gods or goddesses.
B. The town around the acropolis was surrounded by walls for protection.
C. People no longer had to fear raiders.
D. Life in the city focused on the marketplace, or agora.

City-States and Colonization
I. City-States and Colonization
A. Life in Greece became more settled, and people agreed that the Greeks should
establish colonies.
B. Before long, groups from city-states around Greece began setting up colonies
ringing the Mediterranean and Black Sea.
1. They spread all around the Mediterranean and the Black Sea.
II. Patterns of Trade
A. Although the colonies were independent, they often traded with city-states on
the mainland.
B. Trade made the city-states much richer.
C. Soon the Greeks had become the greatest traders in the whole Aegean region.

Sparta and Athens
The Big Idea
The two most powerful city-states in Greece, Sparta and Athens, had very
different cultures and became bitter enemies in the 400s BC.
Main Ideas
•The Spartans built a military society to provide security and protection.
•The Athenians admired the mind and the arts in addition to physical abilities.
•Sparta and Athens fought over who should have power and influence in Greece.
AthensSparta

Athens
I. Athens
A. Athens is named after the Greek goddess Athena.
1. She was the goddess of wisdom, war, and civilization and the patron of the
city of Athens.
a. Her shrine, the Parthenon, sits on top of a hill in the center of the city.
B. The Athenians admired the mind and the arts in addition to physical abilities.
C. Athens was home of Greek democracy and culture.
D. Athens was a busy center of manufacturing and commerce.
E. Education was very important in Ancient Athens.
F. A peaceful city-state.

Government in Athens
The Big Idea
The people of Athens tried many different forms of government
before creating a democracy.
Main Ideas
•Aristocrats and tyrants ruled early Athens.
•Athens created the world’s first democracy.
•Ancient democracy was different than modern democracy.

Tyrants Ruled Early Athens
I. Tyrants Seize Power
A. Tyrants are powerful individuals, usually nobles or other wealthy citizens,
who seize control of the government by appealing to the common people for
support.
1. Unlike today, tyrants generally were not considered harsh and cruel.
B. Once in power, for example, tyrants often set up building programs to provide
jobs and housing for their supporters.

Aristocrats and Tyrants Ruled Early Athens
I. Aristocrats and Tyrants Ruled Early Athens
A. Athens was the city where democracy was born, but it started out as an
oligarchy, a government in which only a few people hold power.
B. A group of rich landowners called aristocrats held power.
1. As a result of rebels trying to overthrow the aristocrats, harsh laws were
created by a man named Draco.

Athens Builds a Limited Democracy
I. Athens Builds a Limited Democracy
A. Like other city-states, Athens had power struggles between rich and poor.
B. Athenian reformers moved toward democracy, rule by the people.
1. In Athens, citizens participated directly in political decision making.

Building Democracy
I. Draconian Law
A. The first step toward democracy came when a nobleman named Draco
(DRAY koh) took power.
B. In 621 B.C., Draco developed a legal code based on the idea that all Athenians
were equal under the law.
1. Draco’s code dealt very harshly with criminals by making death the
punishment for practically every crime.
2. It also upheld such practices as debt slavery, in which debtors worked as
slaves to repay their debts.
Draco's code was said to be "written in
blood" because almost all crimes were
punishable by death.

Solon
I. Solon
A. Democratic reforms were introduced by Solon (SO•luhn), who came to power
in 594 B.C.
B. Stated that no citizen should own another citizen, Solon outlawed debt slavery.
C. He organized all Athenian citizens into four social classes according to wealth.
1. Only members of the top three classes could hold political office.
2. However, all citizens, regardless of class, could participate in the Athenian
assembly.
D. Solon also introduced the legal concept that any citizen could bring charges
against wrongdoers.
“Society is well governed when its
people obey the magistrates, and the
magistrates obey the law.”
Solon

Cleisthenes
I. Cleisthenes
A. Around 500 B.C., the Athenian leader Cleisthenes (KLYS•thuh•NEEZ)
introduced further reforms.
B. He broke up the power of the nobility by organizing citizens into ten groups
based on where they lived rather than on their wealth.
C. He also increased the power of the assembly by allowing all citizens to submit
laws for debate and passage.
•The reforms of Cleisthenes
allowed Athenian citizens to
participate in a limited democracy.
•Citizenship was restricted to a
relatively small number of Athenians.
•Only free adult male property owners
born in Athens were considered
citizens.
•Women, slaves, and foreigners were
excluded from citizenship and had few
rights.

Greek Political Structures Review
Monarchy
• State ruled by a king
• Rule is hereditary
• Some rulers claim divine right
• Practiced in Mycenae by 2000 B.C.
Aristocracy
• State ruled by nobility
• Rule is hereditary and based on
family ties, social rank, and wealth
• Social status and wealth support
rulers’ authority
• Practiced in Athens prior to 594 B.C.

Oligarchy
• State ruled by a small group of citizens
• Rule is based on wealth or ability
• Ruling group controls military
• Practiced in Sparta by 500 B.C.
Greek Political Structures Review
Direct Democracy
• State ruled by its citizens
• Rule is based on citizenship
• Majority rule decides vote
• Practiced in Athens by about 500 B.C.

Boys and Men in Athens
I. Boys and Men in Athens
A. Athens’s main rival in Greece was Sparta.
B. Though they also worked to improve their bodies, they had to devote only two
years to the army.
1. They learned to read, write, count, and sing.
C. Wealthy boys continued their education with a private tutor.
D. Boys from poor families usually became farmers.

Girls and Women in Athens
I. Girls and Women in Athens
A. Unlike boys, girls received almost no education, because men did not think
they needed to be educated.
B. Athenian women had fewer rights than women in many other city-states; in
fact, they hardly had any at all.

Sparta
I. Unlike their counterparts in the city of Athens, Sparta was a warrior society
A. Sparta was one of the most powerful city-states in Ancient Greece.
B. Sparta focused on foreign conquest in response to population pressure.
1. Neighboring city-states were conquered and annexed.
C. Citizens lived according to stern rules and strict regulations.
1. Individual lives were regulated from birth to death.
2. Citizens were denied freedom of speech or property ownership.
3. All land was owned by the state and rented out to people.
a. Political rights were granted only to a small body of land-owning
aristocrats.

Spartans Built a Military Society
I. Warrior Society
A. Daily life in Sparta was dominated by the army, and boys were trained from
an early age to be soldiers.
B. Spartan men reached full citizenship at age 30 and could then move back
home, but they stayed in the army until they turned 60.

Spartan Infanticide
At birth, Spartan babies were examined by a group of elected overseers to
determine if they were healthy. If the group determined the child was healthy, it
was allowed to live. If not, the baby was tossed over a cliff outside of Sparta.

What Was It Like to Grow Up as a Boy in Sparta?
I. Spartan Boys
A. Spartan boys were trained to be soldiers from their youth.
B. They were raised by their mothers until the age of seven and then taken away
to enter a military school called the Agoge.
1. The Agoge was a tough school where boys lived in barracks, were trained
how to fight, but also learned how to read and write.
2. The boys and were often beaten, given little to eat to make them tough. and
encouraged to fight one another.
3. C. When the boys turned 20 they entered into the Spartan army.
Spartan boys were taken away from
their parents at the age of seven.
Spartan boys were encouraged
to fight one another.
•Boys were
encouraged to
steal food. If
they were
caught, they
were beaten,
not for stealing,
but for getting
caught.

Girls and Women in Sparta
I. Girls in Sparta
A. Spartan girls also went to school at the age of seven.
1. Their school wasn't as tough as the boys, but they did train in athletics and
exercise.
2. It was important that the women stay fit so they would have strong sons
who could fight for Sparta.
B. Girls usually were married at the age of 18.

Women in Sparta
II. Women in Sparta
A. Because men were often at war, women had more freedom and education
than most Greek city-states at the time.
B. They ran the household and owned property.

Helots: Slaves of the Spartans
I. Helots
A. Slaves of the Spartans.
1. They farmed the land, but had to give half of their crops to the Spartans
and also performed other manual labor for the Spartans.
B. There were a lot more Helots than Spartans. [20:1]
1. In order to keep control, the Spartans had secret police that kept track of
the Helots and killed anyone who they thought might rebel.
2. Any Helot caught trying to escape was killed.

Spartan Government
I. Spartan Government
A. Sparta was officially ruled by two kings who jointly led the army, but elected
officials actually had more power than the kings.
1. These officials handled dealings between Sparta and other city-states.
B. Sparta’s government was set up to control the city’s helots, or slaves.
Sparta was officially ruled by two
kings who jointly led the army. Elected officials actually had more power than
the kings and handled dealings between Sparta
and other city-states.
King Leonidas

The Spartan Army
The Spartan Army fought in a
phalanx formation. They would line
up side by side and several men deep.
Then they would lock their shields
together and advance on the enemy
stabbing them with their spears. The
Spartans spent their lives drilling and
practicing their formations and it
showed in battle. They rarely broke
formation and could defeat much
larger armies.
The basic equipment used by the
Spartans included their shield, spear,
and a short sword. They also wore a
crimson tunic so their bloody wounds
wouldn't show. The most important
piece of equipment to a Spartan was
their shield. The biggest disgrace a
soldier could suffer was to lose his
shield in battle.

The Big Idea
Over time the Persians came to rule a great empire which eventually brought them
into conflict with the Greeks.
Main Ideas
•Persia became an empire under Cyrus the Great.
•The Persian Empire grew stronger under Darius I. The Persian Wars
•The Persians fought Greece twice in the Persian Wars.
Greece vs. Persia

Persian Empire
I. The Persian Wars were a series of wars fought between the Persians and the
Greeks from 492 BC to 449 BC.
II. Who were the Persians?
A. The Persian Empire was the largest and most powerful empire in the world
at the time of the Persian Wars. They controlled land that stretched from
Egypt all the way to India.

Ionians
I. Ionians
A. Ionians were Greeks that lived along the coast of Turkey.
1. Persia wanted to stop the expansion of the Greek Empire and invaded
Ionia
B. The Ionians asked Athens and other Greek cities for help.
C. The other Greek cities sent ships and weapons, but were quickly defeated.
D. The Persians didn't like this and decided to conquer the rest of the Greek
cities in order to keep them under control.

Persia’s First Invasion of Greece
I. First Invasion of Greece
A. King Darius of Persia led a Persian invasion of Greece in 490 B.C.
B. He gathered a vast army of soldiers that outnumbered any army the Greeks
could muster.
1. They boarded the Persian fleet and headed to Greece.
C. The Persian invasion united all of Greece.
1. Sparta and Athens, bitter rivals, united to fight the Persians.
King Darius
of Persia

Battle of Marathon
I. Battle of Marathon
A. The Persian fleet landed at the Bay of Marathon, about 25 miles from Athens.
B. The Persians had more soldiers, but underestimated the fighting capability of
the Greeks.
1. The army of Athens routed the Persian army killing around 6,000 Persians
and only losing 192 Greeks.
C. After the battle, a runner from the Athenian army ran the 25 miles back to
Athens in order to prevent the Persians from attacking the city.
1. This is the origin of the Marathon running race.

Persia’s Second Invasion of Greece
I. In 480 BC., Xerxes (son of Darius) led an invasion of Greece to get revenge on
the Greeks for humiliating his father’s attempt ten years earlier.
A. He amassed a huge army of over 200,000 soldiers and 1,000 warships.
Xerxes (son of Darius)

Battle of Thermopylae
I. Thermopylae
A. Xerxes’ Persian army of over 20,000 soldiers began its march southward and
threatened Athens.
B. The Greeks put together a small force, led by the Spartan King Leonidas and
300 Spartans.
C. They Spartans met the Persians at a narrow pass in the mountains called
Thermopylae.
King Leonidas
of Sparta

I. Thermopylae
D. The Spartans held off the Persians killing thousands.
1. However, the Persians found a way around the mountains and got behind
the Spartans.
2. The Spartans fought to the death, killing as many Persians as they could.
a. King Leonidas and the Spartan army’s heroic last stand delayed the
Persian advance and allowed the other Greek city-states to unify.
Battle of Thermopylae

Battle of Salamis
I. After the Battle of Thermopylae, the Persian army continued on to Athens.
A. The people of Athens had fled and when the Persians arrived they found it
deserted.
1. The Persians then looted and set fire to Athens.
B. The Athenian navy lured the Persian navy into battle near the island of
Salamis.
Xerxes watches as Athens burns.

Battle of Salamis
I. Battle of Salamis
C. The much larger Persian fleet was sure of victory and attacked the small
Athenian ships.
D. The Athenian ships, called triremes, were fast and maneuverable.
1. The Athenians rammed the sides of the large Persian ships and sunk them.
E. The Athenians decisively defeated the Persians causing Xerxes to retreat back
to Persia.
Xerxes, king of Persia, had his golden throne carried along so he could watch the Greeks be defeated
by his army from a nearby hillside. He must have been pretty disappointed!

Age of Pericles
I. Pericles (461 B.C. to 429 B.C.)
A. A very popular and well-liked leader of Athens.
B. He beautified Athens and constructed exquisite temples.
1. The Parthenon on the Acropolis (hill).
C. Introduced democratic reforms, which benefited all.
D. Pericles encouraged the arts.
1. Writers, artists, sculptors, poets, musicians, and philosophers.

Prelude to the Peloponnesian War[s]
I. Prelude to the Peloponnesian War[s]
A. After the Persian Wars, Athens emerged as the leader of the Greek city-
states and formed an alliance called the Delian League.
1. It provided for the common defense of Greece.
B. Sparta and its allies became increasingly jealous and distrustful of Athens and
felt that it should be the leader and withdrew from the league.
1. Sparta and her allies formed the Peloponnesian League to counter the
Delian League.

Peloponnesian Wars (459 B.C. to 404 B.C.)
I. The First Peloponnesian War (459 B.C. to 404 B.C.)
A. Sparta and Athens go to war to resolve the leadership of Greece.
1. Athens had the strongest navy, but a weak army.
2. Sparta had a weak navy, but a powerful army.
B. Athens built long walls all the way from the city to its seaport Piraeus.
1. This enabled them to stay inside the city and still have access to trade and
supplies from their ships.
2. Although the Spartans never breached the walls of Athens during the first
war, many people died inside the city due to plague.
a. This included the great leader and general of Athens, Pericles.
•The "long walls" of
Athens were around
4 ½ miles long each.
The entire length of
the walls around the
city and the ports
was around 22 miles.

I. The Peace of Nicias: An uneasy peace.
A. After ten years of war, in 421 BC Athens and Sparta agreed to a truce called
the Peace of Nicias.

Athens Attacks Sicily (415 B.C.)
I. Athens Attacks Sicily
A. In 415 BC, Athens decided to help one of their allies on the island of Sicily.
1. Athens sent a large force there to attack the city of Syracuse.
2. Athens lost the battle horribly and Sparta decided to retaliate starting the
Second Peloponnesian War.

I. The Second Peloponnesian War: Athens is Defeated
A. The Spartans began to gather allies to conquer Athens and even enlisted the
help of the Persians who lent Sparta money to build a fleet of warships.
B. After fifty years of fighting, Sparta finally defeated the Athenian navy at
Aegospotami in 404 B.C.
1. With the fleet defeated, the people in the city of Athens began to starve.
2. They did not have the army to take on the Spartans on land.
3. In 404 B.C. the city of Athens surrendered to the Spartans.
•After Sparta defeated Athens, they
ended democracy and set up a new
government ruled by the "Thirty
Tyrants". This only lasted for one year,
however, as the local Athenians
overthrew the tyrants and restored
democracy.

End of the Peloponnesian War
I. End of the Peloponnesian War
A. With the defeat of Athens, Sparta became the most powerful city-state in
Greece. (404 B.C. to 371 B.C.)
1. Abolished all democratic reforms throughout Greece.
B. Other city-states started to resent Sparta's harsh dictatorship .
C. In 371 B.C., Sparta was defeated by Thebes in 371 BC at the Battle of
Leuctra.
1. Sparta's harsh dictatorship came to an end.
D. Control of Greece shifted from one city-state to another for years.

Greek Achievements
The Big Idea
Ancient Greeks made lasting contributions in the arts, philosophy, and science.
Main Ideas
• The Greeks made great contributions to the arts.
• The teachings of Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle are the basis of modern
philosophy.
• In science, the Greeks made key discoveries in math, medicine, and
engineering.

Greek Achievements: Government
Government
• The Greek city-state of Athens first introduced the world to the idea of a true
democracy.
• Citizens were allowed to vote for their leaders and on new laws.
• This idea is prevalent in our world today.
• Most of the world's governments today have some sort of democracy where the
people get to vote and participate in the government.

Greek Achievements: Architecture
Architecture
• Greek architecture has been imitated throughout history.
• The Romans copied many of the Greek ideas into their buildings.
• Later, Renaissance architects tried to imitate the Greek style of architecture.
• Today, many government buildings are built in the Greek classical style
including the U.S. Capitol Building and the U.S. Supreme Court Building in
Washington, D.C.
Corinthian Column Ionic ColumnDoric Column

Greek Achievements: Theater
Theater
• The Greeks invented dramas where written work is performed by actors.
• Greek theater introduced the ideas of the comedy and the tragedy.
Drama is a story told by actors who
pretend to be characters in the story
Tragedy is a play in which a person
struggles to overcome difficulties but
fails
Comedy is a play in which the story
has a happy ending

Greek Achievements: Science and Technology
I. Achievements in Science and Greek scientists.
Archimedes- Gave the world
the principles of the pulley
and the screw and lever.
Herophilus- Dissected the
human body and discovered
that blood ran through the
body via arteries.
Strabo- Wrote the first geography
book.
Aristarchus- Proved the
earth rotates on its axis and
moves around the sun.
Hippocrates- Diseases
were the result of natural
causes and not by demons.
Pythhagoras- is often
called the first "true"
mathematician.

Greek Achievements: Greek Literature
Literature- The written works of a group, time period, or culture.
Myth- traditional stories about gods and heroes
Epic- long poems that told about heroic deeds
Fable- a short story that teaches a lesson
Among the earliest Greek writings are two epic poems, the Iliad and the Odyssey by Homer.
•The Iliad tells the story of the last years of the Trojan War.
•The Odyssey describes the challenges that Odysseus faced on his way home from the war.
Helen of Troy Achilles vs. Hector Trojan Horse

Greek Achievements: Lyric Poetry and Fables
Poems were central to the education system and influenced
later writing as well.
Some poems were set to music.
The writers of these poems were called lyric poets, after their
instrument, the lyre.
Other Greeks told short stories that taught the reader
lessons about life or gave advice on how to live. These
stories were called fables.
Aesop is famous for fables such as “The Tortoise and the
Hare” and “The Boy Who Cried Wolf.”

Greek Achievements: Art
I. Greek art heavily influenced western art throughout history.
A. Three Artistic Phases of Ancient Greek Sculpture
1. Archaic (750BC-479BC)- Human forms tended to be stiff, rigid, and
symmetrical.
2. Classical (479 BC-336 BC)- Saw more naturalistic poses. Muscular figures
that appeared to be moving.
3. Hellenistic (336 BC-30 BC)- Sculptures became more sensuous, bold, and
dramatic.
ClassicalArchaic Hellenistic

Greek Achievements: Sports
The Ancient Greeks loved athletics and sports.
Their legacy is exemplified in the modern-day Olympic Games which began with
the Ancient Greeks in 776 B.C.
•Although there were trained women athletes in Greece, only men
could participate in the Olympics.
•Married women were prohibited from watching the Games under
penalty of death!
•There were no gold, silver, or bronze awards in the ancient
Olympics, just an olive wreath for the winner.
•The pankration was the old-school version of the Ultimate
Fighting Championship. A combination of wrestling and boxing,
pankration also included arm-twisting, biting, kicking,
strangleholds, and finger-breaking. Only eye-gouging was
discouraged.
Coming from diverse backgrounds in
Greece, all male athletes had one
thing in common: they all competed
naked!
Strange… But True

Greek Achievements: Philosophers
I. Philosophers
A. Greek philosophers were "seekers and lovers of wisdom."
1. Studied and analyzed the world around them using logic and reason.
B. Although we often think of philosophy as religion or "the meaning of life", the
Greek philosophers many studied mathematics, physics, and science as well.
C. Often the philosophers were teachers of wealthy children.
1. Some of the more famous ones opened their own schools or academies.

Socrates
Because of his radical thinking he was put on trial where the jury sentenced to
death. After being sentenced to death, many of Socrates’ friends asked him to flee
to exile by offering to bribe the guards. Socrates declined the offer. Socrates was
given a hemlock poison mixture that he drank without the slightest hint of
hesitation. Soon, numbness started to set in slowly and eventually reached his
heart.
I. Socrates
A. Socrates taught by asking questions, a technique we call the Socratic method.
1. He wanted people to question their beliefs and look for knowledge.
a. This angered and frightened people.
2. He was arrested and condemned to death for questioning the authority of
the gods.

Plato
I. Plato
A. Plato was a student of Socrates.
B. His most famous book is called the Republic
1. Plato believed that governments should be run by philosopher-kings and
not the regular people.

Aristotle
I. Aristotle
A. Aristotle was a student of Plato, but didn't necessarily agree with all that
Plato said.
B. Aristotle liked to focus on more practical areas of philosophy including science.
C. He founded his own school called the Lyceum.
D. He thought that reason was the highest good and that it was important to
have self-control.
E. Aristotle was a tutor for Alexander the Great.
Strange… But True
Wind direction, according to Aristotle, determined the
sex of a baby.
Aristotle believed the main purpose of the human
brain was to cool the blood.

Hellenistic Period (350 B.C. to 146 B.C.)
I. Hellenistic Period (350 B.C. to 146 B.C.)
A. Years preceding the Roman conquest of Ancient Greece.
B. The cultures of Ancient Greece and the Orient were mixed.

King Philip of Macedon
I. King Philip of Macedon (356 B.C. to 336 B.C.)
A. Defeated Greece and united it with Macedon.
B. Philip planned to invade Persia, but was assassinated while attending his
daughter’s wedding.
1. The assassination was plotted by his wife, Olympias to make her son Alex
the new king..
Many scholars suspect to this day that the assassination of King Philip of Macedon by agents of his
wife, Olympias, to elevate their son, the future "Alexander the Great" to the thrones of Macedon and
Greece was a successful conspiracy. "Alexander the Great", himself, continues to be a suspect in the
murder of Philip, his own father, in his ascension to the throne.

Alexander the Great
I. Alexander the Great (336 B.C. to 323 B.C.)
A. Son of King Philip of Macedon.
B. Put down uprisings in Greek cities after his father's death.
C. Conquered Asia Minor, Persia, Egypt, Syria, Afghanistan, and northern
India.
D. The city of Alexandria, Egypt became the capital of Alexander's empire.
E. Alexander the Great died of fever in 323 B.C. at the age of 33.
1. Alexander the Great's empire collapsed soon after his death.

The Conquest of Alexander the Great

Conquest of Alexander the Great: Map

Greek Mythology
The Big Idea
The ancient Greeks created great myths and works of literature that influence the
way we speak and write today.
Main Ideas
• The Greeks created myths to explain the world.
• Ancient Greek literature provides some of the world’s greatest poems and
stories.
• Greek literature lives on and influences our world even today.

Understanding Greek Culture
I. The Greeks Created Myths to Explain the World
A. Instead of scientific explanations, the Greeks used mythology to explain things.
B. Mythology is a body of stories about gods and heroes that try to explain how the
world works.
C. Religion was a very important part of everyday life.
1. The Ancient Greeks worshipped nature (Pantheism)
a. Greek gods represented forces of nature, but had human traits.
2. To keep the gods happy, they built great temples. The Greeks expected help
when they needed it in return.

Zeus was the king of the
Greek gods. He was the
god of thunder and sky.
Zeus is the ruler of all the
other gods and goddesses.
He is married to Hera but
has had many affairs.
The Twelve OlympiansThe Twelve OlympiansThe Twelve OlympiansThe Twelve Olympians
ZeusZeusZeusZeus

Hera was the queen of the gods,
both sister and wife of Zeus.
The Greeks considered her a
protector of marriage and
childbirth
Zeus wandered the world seducing
beautiful women, often while
disguised as a mortal or an animal.
This made Hera insane with rage
and jealousy. Strangely enough,
most of her anger was directed at
Zeus’s lovers and their children
instead of Zeus himself.
HeraHeraHeraHera

Poseidon, King Zeus’
brother, was the god of
the oceans but that
included seas and
rivers as well.
He tamed horses,
caused earthquakes as
well as storms, and
carried a trident.
PoseidonPoseidonPoseidonPoseidon

Demeter was the
goddess of the harvest.
She was a sister of
Zeus as well as the
mother of Persephone.
It should come as no
surprise that wheat, the
cornucopia and bread
were her symbols.
DemeterDemeterDemeterDemeter

AthenaAthenaAthenaAthena
Athena was the goddess
of wisdom and courage.
She was the patroness of
Athens and the people
of the city built the
Parthenon in her honor.
Owls, helmets and spears
were among her symbols.

Apollo was the god of
light, the sun, truth
and poetry. His twin
sister was Artemis.
He is often seen
holding a lyre, a
gift from Hermes.
He’s also associated
with music, the arts
and healing.
ApolloApolloApolloApollo

Artemis was the goddess
of wild animals and the
hunt. She also helped
women in childbirth.
Her temple was one of
the 7 Wonders of the
Ancient World.
ArtemisArtemisArtemisArtemis

Ares, the god of war, represented
all the destruction of battle.
It should come as no surprise his
children were Fear and Terror.
Some of his symbols were the
spear, the helmet, a chariot and
a flaming torch.
AresAresAresAres

Aphrodite was the goddess
of love and beauty. She
was so lovely that Zeus
feared it would cause
problems.
Zeus had her marry
Hephaestus, who was
really ugly.
AphroditeAphroditeAphroditeAphrodite

Hermes was the messenger
of the gods. He was also
the god of thieves, travelers
and sport.
He carried a herald’s wand
and wore both sandals and
a hat with wings.
HermesHermesHermesHermes

Hestia was the goddess of
the hearth, domesticity
and family. She almost
never left home.
Her sisters were Hera
and Demeter.
There is a debate that
possibly Hestia gave up her
seat to Dionysus in order to
stop conflict.
The jury is still out.
HestiaHestiaHestiaHestia

Dionysus was the god of
the grape harvest, wine,
fertility and theater.
Among his symbols are
a staff tipped with a pine
cone, the grapevine and
a leopard skin.
DionysusDionysusDionysusDionysus

It’s debated whether the
final Olympian was
Hephaestus or Hades.
Hephaestus was the god of
fire, volcanoes and
blacksmiths.
He made weapons
for the gods and his symbols
were the hammer, anvil and
tongs.
HephaestusHephaestusHephaestusHephaestus

HadesHadesHadesHades
Hades was the god of the
dead. He didn’t spend so
much time, if any, at Mt.
Olympus. No, Hades lived
in the underworld.
His symbols included
wealth and the lovely three
- headed dog Cerberus.

Heroes in Mythology
Many Greek myths told about the adventures of great heroes. Some heroes were
real, while others were not.
Some of the major heroes were Theseus, Jason, and Hercules.
Theseus traveled to Crete
and killed the minotaur, a
half-human, half-bull
monster.
Jason sailed across the seas
in search of great treasure.
Hercules was the most
famous for fighting many
monsters and performed
nearly impossible tasks.

Monsters and Creatures of Greek Mythology
Centaurs
The Centaurs were half-man half-
horse creatures. Their upper half was
human, while their lower half had four
legs like a horse. In general, centaurs
were loud and vulgar. However, one
centaur named Chiron was intelligent
and skilled in training. He trained
many of the Greek heroes including
Achilles and Jason of the Argonauts.
Cerberus
The Cerberus was a giant three-headed
dog that guarded the gates of the
Underworld. Cerberus was the
offspring of the feared monster Typhon.
Hercules had to capture Cerberus as
one of his Twelve Labors.

Charybdis
Charybdis was a sea monster that took
the shape of a giant whirlpool. Any ships
that came near Charybdis were pulled
down to the bottom of the sea. Ships that
passed through the Strait of Messina had
to either pass by Charybdis or face the
seas monster Scylla.
Chimera
The chimera was a giant monster that
was a combination of many animals
including a goat, lion, and snake. It was
an offspring of Typhon. The Chimera
was feared throughout Greek
mythology as it could breathe fire.

Cyclopes
The Cyclopes were one-eyed giants.
They were famous for making Zeus his
thunderbolts and Poseidon his trident.
Odysseus also came into contact with a
Cyclops while on his adventures in the
Odyssey.
Furies
The furies were flying creatures with
sharp fangs and claws who hunted
down murderers. There were three
main furies who were sisters: Alecto,
Tisiphone, and Magaera. The "Furies"
is actually a Roman name. The Greeks
called them the Erinyes.

Griffins
The griffin was a combination of a lion
and an eagle. It had the body of a lion
and the head, wings, and talons of an
eagle. Griffins were said to live in
northern Greece where they guarded a
huge treasure.
Harpies
The harpies were flying creatures with
the faces of women. The harpies are
famous for stealing the food of Phineus
every time he tried to eat. Jason and the
Argonauts were going to kill the harpies
when the goddess Iris intervened and
promised that the harpies would not
bother Phineus any longer.

Hydra
The hydra was a fearsome monster
from Greek Mythology. It was a giant
snake with nine heads. The problem
was that if you cut one head off, more
heads would quickly grow back.
Hercules slew the hydra as one of his
Twelve Labors.
Medusa
Medusa was a type of Greek monster
called a Gorgon. She had a woman's
face, but had snakes for hair. Anyone
who looked into Medusa's eyes would
be turned to stone. She was once a
beautiful woman, but was turned into a
Gorgon as punishment by the goddess
Athena.

Minotaur
The Minotaur had the head of bull and
the body of a man. The Minotaur came
from the island of Crete. He lived
underground in a maze called the
Labyrinth. Each year seven boys and
seven girls were locked into the
Labyrinth to be eaten by the Minotaur.
Pegasus
Pegasus was a beautiful white horse
that could fly. Pegasus was the horse of
Zeus and the offspring of the ugly
monster Medusa. Pegasus helped the
hero Bellerophon to kill the chimera.

Satyrs
Satyrs were half-goat half-man. They
were peaceful creatures who loved to
have a good time. They also liked to
pull pranks on the gods. The Satyrs
were associated with the god of wine,
Dionysus. The satyr Silenus was
perhaps the most famous satyr. He was
the son of the god Pan.
Scylla
Scylla was a terrible sea monster with
12 long tentacle legs and 6 dog-like
heads. She guarded one side of the
Strait of Messina while her counterpart
Charibdis guarded the other side.

Sirens
The Sirens were sea nymphs who lured
sailors to crash on the rocks of their
islands with their songs. Once a sailor
heard the song, he could not resist.
Odysseus encountered the Sirens in his
adventures on the Odyssey. He had his
men put wax in their ears so they could
not hear the song, then he tied himself
to the ship. This way Odysseus could
hear their song and not be captured.
Sphinx
The Sphinx had the body of a lion, the
head of a woman, and the wings of an
eagle. The Sphinx terrorized the city of
Thebes, killing all those who could not
solve its riddle. Finally, a young man
named Oedipus solved the Sphinxes
riddle and the city was saved.

Typhon
Typhon was perhaps the scariest and most powerful of all the monsters in Greek
Mythology. He was called the "Father of all monsters" and even the gods were scared of
Typhon. Only Zeus could defeat Typhon. He had the monster imprisoned underneath
Mount Etna.

Terms to Know:
City-States Aegospotami Socrates
Monarchies Philosophy Plato
Oligarchies Hellenistic Period Aristotle
Limited Democracy King Philip of Macedon Doric
Sparta Alexander the Great Ionic
Helots Alexandria, Egypt Corinthian
Athens Cultural Fusion
Pericles Pantheism
Parthenon Mount Olympus
Acropolis Zeus
Persia & Persian Wars Hera
Phalanx Poseidon
King Darius Athena
Marathon, Battle of Aphrodite
Xerxes Pythhagoras
King Leonidas Hippocrates
Thermopylae, Battle of Aristarchus
Salamis, Battle of Strabo
Delian League Herophilus
Peloponnesian League Archimedes
Peloponnesian War

Concepts to Know:
•Describe the geography of Greece and how it helped civilization develop.
•Explain the reasons for the lack of Greek unity?
•Describe the some of the developments in government in ancient Greece.
•What were some of the similarities and differences between Sparta and Athens?
•Explain the Persian Wars. What were their results?
•What was the Peloponnesian War and why was it fought?
•Who was King Philip of Macedon?
•Describe the accomplishments of Alexander the Great.
•Describe the religion of ancient Greece. Who were some of the ancient Greek gods and
goddesses?
Describe some of the major achievements in literature of ancient Greece.
•Describe some of the major achievements in science of ancient Greece.
•Describe some of the major achievements in philosophy of ancient Greece.

Ancient Greece

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