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Ancient Greece: Ancient Greece: A tale of two cities.A tale of two cities.

Learning IntentionsLearning Intentions1.1. Know some key events in the Know some key events in the

history of Ancient Greece.history of Ancient Greece.2.2. Understand how Geography Understand how Geography

affected the development of Greek affected the development of Greek cities.cities.

3.3. Understand the rivalry between Understand the rivalry between Athens and Sparta.Athens and Sparta.

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Geography of GreeceGeography of Greece

• Greece is surrounded by seas.

• It is a dry, mountainous country.

• Small mountain ranges kept villages separated.

• A lot of Greek villages are isolated on the coasts, making the sea an important means of transport.

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The impact of geographyThe impact of geography

• The brown areas are mountainous.

• The landscape meant that villages (and later cities) were isolated, independent and often developed fierce rivalries.

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Miss Smith at DelphiMiss Smith at Delphi

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Student activity 1Student activity 1

• Compare and contrast the geography of Ancient Greece and Aotearoa/NZ by completing Task 1 on your worksheet.

• Are there more similarities than differences or vice versa? Explain your opinion to your neighbour.

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AnswersAnswersSimilarities Differences

Both Greece and NZ are mostly surrounded by water

Most major cities are close to the coastline

Sea is an important means of transport

NZ is an island whereas Greece is part of Europe and the north borders several countries

Greece is dryer than NZ

Greece isn’t as green: it has less trees and foliage

Greece has more mountainous areas

NZ has more volcanoes

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Greek City-StatesGreek City-States

• Polis (city)– City surrounding a

fort

• Absolutely independent and self-sufficient

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Miss Smith at the ParthenonMiss Smith at the Parthenon

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Greek City-StatesGreek City-States

• Based on 3 ideas:– Geographical

territory– Community it

represented– Economic

independence it produced

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Greek City-StatesGreek City-States

• Similarities– Covered small areas of

land• Athens (2,000 square km)• Sparta (1,300 square km)• Large compared to others

– Small populations (most fewer than 10,000)

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Greek City-StatesGreek City-States

• More similarities– Original forts

created on an acropolis (hill)

– Each city-state had an agora (marketplace)

• Served as a meeting place for the people

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Greek City-StatesGreek City-States

• A polis was more similar to a Maori pa than a modern city: it was a community which included a city or large town as well as the surrounding villages, farms and countryside and the people who lived in them.

• Inhabitants of the polis shared a common language and religious ideas.

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Greek City-StatesGreek City-States• All had independent identities and were

almost like separate nations, similar to Maori tribal organisation before European colonisation.

• Each polis had its own government and laws.

• Took great pride and loyalty in their polis.• Greeks from other city-states regarded as

xenoi or foreigners.• Called all non-Greeks barbarians: because

the Greeks thought that when foreigners talked it sounded like they were saying “bar bar bar”!

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Student activity 2: Complete the table Student activity 2: Complete the table comparing the polis to the Maori pa...comparing the polis to the Maori pa...

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AnswersAnswers

• Height and visibility useful for defending themselves against invaders

• Height offers some protection from environmental disasters such as tidal waves, tsunami

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History of Greece: MinoansHistory of Greece: Minoans

• Minoans– Arrived on the island of

Crete in 2000 B.C.– Built a great civilisation – Volcano erupts and

causes tidal waves• Destroys settlements

and weakens Minoan civilisation

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MycenaeansMycenaeans

• Warriors from the city of Mycenae conquered the rest of Greece in 1400 B.C.– Warlike people– Advanced civilisation

for the time– Earthquakes and

warfare destroyed many cities by 1200 B.C.

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Can you spot Miss Smith?Can you spot Miss Smith?

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1200BC: The Dorians arrive1200BC: The Dorians arrive

• The next wave of invaders were the Dorians.

• They swept through Ancient Greece and eventually settled the city which would become known as Sparta.

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Ancient Greece’s rival: Ancient Greece’s rival: Ancient PersiaAncient Persia

• The Persian Empire was the largest and most powerful in the Ancient World.

• The cities had modern irrigation systems and efficient roads.

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The Persian Empire c.500 BCThe Persian Empire c.500 BC

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Persia versus Ancient GreecePersia versus Ancient Greece

• Between 490BC and 479BC a Persian Army of over 1 million men attempted to conquer the Greeks.

• A union of Greek cities (led by Sparta and Athens) defeated the Persians.

• The movie 300 is set in this war. It is also the origin of the modern Marathon.

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The Rise of AthensThe Rise of Athens

• After the defeat of Persia the city of Athens rose to dominate Greece.

• It had a powerful navy and was the home of democracy and the philosopher Socrates.

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Athenian EmpireAthenian Empire

• The Athenian navy dominated the Mediterranean.

• Athens soon found itself at the centre of a significant empire.

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The ParthenonThe Parthenon

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Sparta: Military City-StateSparta: Military City-State

• Sparta began to fear the rising power of its rival city.

• Sparta also experienced a devastating earthquake and a slave revolt which lasted a decade.

• Sparta’s solution? Form a military state where every male citizen had the same profession: soldier.

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Peloponnesian WarPeloponnesian War• The rivalry between

Athens and Sparta led to the Peloponnesian War (named after a mountain range).

• The naval might of Athens clashed with the formidable Spartan Army.

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Plague and defeat for AthensPlague and defeat for Athens

• In 430BC a lethal plague spread through Athens. Its victims had a high fever and some resorted to diving into water supplies to cool down – spreading the plague further.

• After a lengthy siege Athens surrendered to the Spartan army in 404BC.

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Ancient ruins at DelphiAncient ruins at Delphi

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Student activity 3: Student activity 3: Creating a timelineCreating a timeline

1. Using your ruler, draw a 20cm line on the left margin of your page. Mark each centimetre with a small line.

2. Label the left-hand side of the timeline from 500 BC to 400 BC in 5 year intervals for each centimetre (500 BC > 495 BC > 485 BC etc.)

3. Using the handout, write a brief description of each event in your own words on the right-hand side of the timeline.

4. Illustrate each event with a sketch/drawing.5. Give your timeline a title that explains what the timeline

is about.

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Timeline checklist:Timeline checklist:

√ title

√ even spacing

√ accurate plotting

√ neat and tidy (use ruler!)

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Wrap upWrap up

Copy and complete at least one of the following sentences:

• One thing I didn’t know until today is...

• One thing that I was surprised to learn about was...

• One thing I will never forget about today’s lesson is...

• One fact that I think is useful to know is...