1. Ancient Greece
Chapter 8

2. Geography of Early Greek Civilizations
Mountains cover much of Greece, so contact with other villages was difficult.
People created their own governments and ways of life.
People settled in the flat areas along the coast and in river valleys.
Because travel was so difficult inland, Greeks turned to the seas on all sides.
They became skilled shipbuilders and sailors.
The sea became a source of food as well as a way of trading with other communities.
They also exchanged ideas with other cultures.

3. The Greek city-states
During the Dark Ages, the Greeks started joining together in small groups for protection.
These groups set up independent city-states. The Greek word for city-state is polis.
The creation of city-states marks the beginning of Greece’s classical age, an age marked by great achievements.

4. Life in city-states
A city-state was usually built around a strong fortress on top of a high hill called an acropolis.
The town around the acropolis was surrounded by walls for protection. People no longer had to fear raiders.
Life in the city focused on the marketplace, or agora.
The city-state became the foundation for Greek civilization and gave the Greeks an identity.

5. Government in Athens
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.
A group of rich landowners called aristocrats held power.
As a result of rebels trying to overthrow the aristocrats, harsh laws were created by a man named Draco.
A man named Solon created a set of laws allowing all free men to be citizens, people who had the right to participate in government.
Peisistratus overthrew the oligarchy, however, and became the ruler of Athens. He was called a tyrant, a leader who held power through the use of force. Tyrants were usually good, not harsh, leaders in ancient Greece.

6. Government in Athens
A leader named Cleisthenes, a member of one of the most powerful families in Athens, overthrew the aristocracy and established the world’s first democracy.
For this reason, he is considered the father of democracy.
Under Cleisthenes, all citizens in Athens had the right to participate in the assembly, or gathering of citizens, that created the city’s laws.
They needed many citizens to participate and sometimes had to go searching for people to be in the assembly.

7. Government in Athens
Athens was conquered by the Macedonians and fell under their influence.
The king ruled like a dictator. No one could make decisions without his approval.
The assembly still met to make laws, but it had to be careful not to upset the king.
Eventually, a new king took over and ended Athenian democracy altogether.

8. Greek Myths
Instead of scientific explanations, the Greeks used mythology to explain things.
Mythology is a body of stories about gods and heroes that try to explain how the world works.
They believed gods caused things like volcanic eruptions and the changing seasons.
To keep the gods happy, they built great temples. The Greeks expected help when they needed it in return.