Ancient Greece: Rise of Polis and Athens

Apuntes

ANCIENT GREECE Complete, visual and easy-to-memorize study guide Main idea: understand the story as a chain of causes and consequences. Geography -> polis -> Athens and Sparta -> Persian Wars -> rise of Athens 1 CULTURES OF THE MOUNTAINS AND THE SEA THE SEA THE MOUNTAINS The sea was essential to Greece, just as rivers were to other civilizations. Greece was surrounded by the Aegean Sea, Ionian Sea, and Black Sea. No place was very far from the coast (about 85 miles at most). The sea was used for travel, trade, and communication with other peoples. About 3/4 of the land was covered by mountains. The mountains separated regions and made political unity difficult. As a result, many independent communities developed, and people were very loyal to their own city. MEMORY KEY SEA = transportation + trade + contact. communities + polis. MOUNTAINS = separation + independent THE CLIMATE The climate was relatively mild: about 48°F in winter and 80°F in summer. This encouraged outdoor life and activities. 2 MYCENAEAN CIVILIZATION DEVELOPS Around 2000 B.C., groups settled on the Greek mainland and eventually became known as the Mycenaeans. They lived mainly in southern Greece and built fortifie...