Ancient Greece Chapter 13 Section 1 p April 22, 2009 SS period 1/2/3/4

Key PointsNotes Key PointsNotes Early Greek Culture City-States Early Greek culture saw the rise of the city-state and the creation of colonies. City-states were political units made up of a city and all the surrounding lands. Usually built around a hill called the acropolis that held a fortress, temples, and other public buildings Most people thought of themselves as residents of a city-state, not as Greeks.

Key PointsNotes Key PointsNotes Colonies The Golden Age of Greece Greeks established colonies around the Black and Mediterranean seas. Trade between cities and colonies helped keep Greek culture strong all over Europe. The period between 500 and 300 BC in Greece was a golden age, a period marked by great achievements.

Key PointsNotes Key PointsNotes The Growth of Greek Power The golden age began after the Greeks banded together to defeat the powerful Persian Empire. Athens, the city-state that had led the fight against Persia, became the cultural center of Greece.

Key PointsNotes Key PointsNotes Athenian Culture Athenian Democracy Famous politicians, artists, and thinkers lived in Athens. Leaders like Pericles supported the arts. Athens was the world ’ s first democracy. People elected their leaders and helped make government decisions.

Key PointsNotes Key PointsNotes Architecture and Art Architecture Greeks built magnificent marble structures all over Greece. Most famous building is the Parthenon, a huge temple in Athens. Greek buildings were symbols of the glory of the cities in which they were built. Art Greek art is still admired today. Greeks are most famous for their statues and carvings. They wanted their art to look realistic. Artists studied the human body to make their work as lifelike as possible.

Key PointsNotes Key PointsNotes Science, Philosophy, and Literature Science Greeks wanted to learn how the human body works. Made advances in many fields: Medicine Biology Math Astronomy Other sciences

Key PointsNotes Key PointsNotes Science, Philosophy, and Literature continued Philosophy Philosophers tried to figure out how people could be happy. Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle were some of the most influential thinkers in world history. Their ideas still shape how we think today. Literature Wrote timeless classics Created stories about great heroes and adventures, poems about love and friendship, and fables meant to teach lessons Created drama, or plays, as a form of popular entertainment

Key PointsNotes Key PointsNotes The Decline of the City-States The golden age ended due to conflict between Athens and its rival city-state, Sparta. Sparta was a military city with a powerful army. Jealous of the influence Athens had over other city-states, Sparta attacked Athens. The war between Athens and Sparta ripped Greece apart. In the end, Sparta won. After the war, Greece was in shambles. Thousands of people had been killed and whole cities had been destroyed.

Key PointsNotes Key PointsNotes The Empire of Alexander Alexander’s Conquests The Spread of Greek Culture Alexander the Great formed a huge empire and spread Greek culture into new areas. Alexander the Great conquered Greece in the 330s BC. From Greece, he set out to create an empire. At its height, the empire stretched from Greece to India and included all of Central Asia and Egypt. Alexander worked to spread Greek culture through his empire. As a result, a new culture formed that blended Greek and other cultures. Historians call this culture Hellenistic, or Greek-like.

Summary: Greece was the location of the first great civilization in Europe. Greece was the location of the first great civilization in Europe.