2. The Birth of Greek Civilization
Ancient Greece was not a unified nation, but a collection of Greek city states and
colonies concentrated in mainland Greece, but spread throughout the Aegean Sea, Asia
Minor and Italy. They shared a common language, religion and culture, and like the
Phoenicians, were a sea-faring as well as an agriculturally based society.
Ancient Greece was not a unified nation, but a collection of Greek city states and colonies.
The colonies spread throughout the Aegean Sea, Asia Minor and Italy.
All the colonies shared a common language—Greek.
All colonies shared a common culture and religion.
The Greeks were sea-faring (traders) and relied on agriculture to survive.

3. Minoans, Mycenaeans, and Phoenicians
The three cultures
that influenced the
development of
Greek civilization

4. Minoans A wealthy trading culture 2,000 B.C.
Exported pottery, metal work, wine, and olive oil

5. The Mycenaeans
1600 B.C.
Traded metals from the Greek mainland for the beautiful Minoan exports
Conquered Crete in 1450 B.C. and took over Minoa’s valuable trade
This civilization disappeared by 1100 B.C.

6. The Phoenicians Located on the eastern Mediterranean (today's Lebanon)
Founded colonies around the Mediterranean
Developed the alphabet

7. Greek City-States Shared a language & letters
Remained independent of each other
Each region had a Polis (city-state)

8. Polis A city-state in ancient Greece
Because most city states were surrounded by mountains and seas, post polis were small.
However, some were large.
For example, by 500 BC nearly 300,000 people lived in Athens.
Yet the majority were small.

9. Polis Each polis was a nation of its own Ruled by nobles who own land
Developed because land was isolated by mountains or water
Common language
Depend on one another to survive.
Met every year at a great athletic contest known as the Olympics.
A polis gave Greek citizens a sense of belonging.
Example) How we feel about our home states. New Yorkers, Georgians, etc.
There was great loyalty to their city states.
They put the common need of their polis first, than their own personal needs.
However, they were not UNIFIED as a whole country----this LACK of Unification weakened Greece.

10. Structure
of the
City-States
(Polis)
Acropolis
Agora

11. ACROPOLIS
A large hill in ancient Greece where city residents sought shelter and safety in times of war and met to discuss community affairs
A fort stood at the acropolis. It also had temples to honor local gods.

12. Agora
A central area in Greek cities used both as a marketplace and as a meeting place.

13. Ancient Greece: Citizenship
Citizens: members of a political community with rights and responsibilities.
ONLY free and land-owning men born in the polis could be citizens.
Ancient Greek citizenship was very different from Mesopotamia or Egypt
In Mesopotamia and Egypt members of these civilizations were SUBJECTS who had no rights, no voice in government, and no choice, but to obey rulers.
Eventually, some city states later on ended the requirement of owning LAND for a person to be a citizen.
In Greece---not

14. Ancient Greece Citizens: Rights and Responsibilities
Male Citizen Rights
Vote
Hold public office
Own property
Defend themselves in court
Male Citizen Responsibilities
Serve in government
Fight for their polis as citizen soldiers
Since only free and land-owning males were citizens they believed that it was their RESPONSIBILITY to protect their polis which was made up of their property.

15. Citizenship: Women and Children
Women and children might qualify for citizenship, but they had non of the rights that went with it.

16. Review Questions
Greece was not a unified country. Instead it was a collection of what?
What did the Greek colonies shared?
What were the three cultures that influenced the development of Greek civilization?
What is a polis? What did polis shared?
When examining the structure of Greek city-states, all Greek polis had these two structures. What were they?
Who could be citizens in the Greek city-states?
List 2 rights of Greek citizens and list 2 responsibilities of Greek citizens.
Could women and children be citizens?

17. Greek Government
Ms. Elias
iMater

18. The“Dark Age” (1100–800 BC) What is the Dark Age?
After the “Dark Age” in Greece 3 forms of government developed:
Monarchy
Tyranny
Oligarchy
Democracy

19. Political Changes
At first there were kings (monarchy), but wealthy land owners took the power from the kings.
Owners of small farms dislike the nobles.
Common people supported tyrants—someone who seizes power ad rules with total authority.
Tyrants ruled until about 500 BC
From 336 BC, most city states were oligarchies or democracies.

20. Governments
of the
city-states
Monarchy
Democracy
Tyranny
Oligarchy

21. Some city-states had a single ruler
Monarchy
Some city-states had a single ruler
Changes to government in ancient Greece started with the common people being dissatisfied with the nobles running the city-states.

22. Is someone who sizes power and rules with total authority.
Tyrant
Is someone who sizes power and rules with total authority.

23. Oligarchy
In some city-states, a small group of the richest and most powerful citizens controlled decision-making

24. Democracy a government in which the citizens make political decisions