1. Greek Culture By: James Cahoon

2. Art, Architecture, and Writing Greek art includes vases, sculptures, and architecture. Greek art can be divided into the Mycenaean, Sub-Mycenaean, Proto-Geometric, Geometric, Archaic, Classical, and Hellenistic eras. Greek art was at its finest from 1550-31 B.C. Many epics and some of the first histories were written in ancient Greece.

3. Ancient Greek Map

4. Major Greek Gods The 13 major gods are Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, Aphrodite, Apollo, Ares, Artemis, Athena, Demeter, Hephaestus, Hera, Hermes, and Hestia. Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades were brothers. Each god was believed to be in control of a different power.

5. Trojan War The Trojan war began when Paris, ruler of Troy, chose Aphrodite to be fairer than Athena and Hera. The war started when Paris kidnapped Sparta's queen, Helen. The war was won when the Spartans' infiltrated Troy’s walls by sneaking in in a wooden horse after pretending to surrender.

6. Famous Heroes Three of Greece’s most famous heroes are Hercules, Achilles, and Theseus. Hercules was said to have great strength, he grew up to beat the odds over and over. Achilles was the hero of the Trojan War. He died from an arrow to the ankle. Theseus was the hero of Athens, who saved his people by killing the minotaur.

7. Famous Monsters The three most famous Greek monsters were the Cyclops, Cerberus, and the Sphinx. A Cyclops is a giant with one eye. In the Odyssey one captures Odysseus. Cerberus is a three-headed, flesh eating dog that watches over the underworld. A sphinx is a creature with the head and body of a woman, bird wings, and a dogs body.