What Makes Athens Unique

•  How did geography affect the early Greeks?

Geography affected the early Greeks in that since Greece is located on a peninsula there were advantages to living by the sea. The location helped make them an attractive location for the sea trade. Greece also had mountains that did not have very good soil for growing crops. However, the mild climate allowed for some farming. Farmers grew crops such as grapes, wheat, olives, and barley, as well as raised sheep and goats too.

•  What contributed to the development of the Minoan civilization?

The Minoan civilization began on Crete, which is an island off the coast of the mainland of Greece. There, an archaeologist named Arthur Evans came across a palace from a king named Minos. The Minoans built the palace at a place called Knossos in Greece, even though the Minoans themselves were not Greek. What helped their development was trade, so they built ships and traveled to places like Syria and Egypt.

They traded things like vases and pottery to get things like metal and ivory. Unfortunately, near 1450 B.C., the Minoans collapsed, and theories suggest that it was due to big waves made my earthquakes.

•  How did the Mycenaeans become a powerful military force?

The Mycenaeans became a powerful military force through taking over the Minoans, which also helped them control the Aegean area. The Mycenaean workers made pottery and jars for oil, and other workers made weaponry for the soldiers. After taking over the Minoans, the Mycenaean people increased in wealth greatly, which also made their military strength increase as well.

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•  How did the Greek culture spread to other parts of the world?

Because of the fact that Greek farmers could not grow enough grain, the communities of Greek started sending people to other areas in order to further colonize. This helped the Greeks start growing in size all along the coasts of both the Black Sea and Mediterranean Sea. This helped Greek culture to spread across Southern Europe, North Africa, and western Asia. The other colonies on the coast began trading things like fish and oils to the mainland, which helped expand trade because the trade goods were improving.

•  What were the different types of government that developed among the Greek city-states?

The government began when wealthy nobles began taking power away from the kings, but they did not hold power for very long. The farmers hated the nobles, and eventually they wanted political change. This led to the rise of tyrants who took power and ruled completely over city-states. The common people usually sided with the tyrants, who built things like new temples, fortresses, and marketplaces. They led many city-states until the Greeks developed into democracies or oligarchies.

•  How did Sparta become a military society?

Sparta became a military society because in 650 B.C. the helots revolted against their Spartan masters. Since Spartan leaders wanted to prevent these revolts from happening again, they decided to make Sparta a military society that focused on discipline. The Spartan leaders thought that a military society created more obedience and loyalty. At age seven, boys joined the military and left their homes. In military camps, the boys learned to read, write, and use weapons. In addition, these boys were treated harshly because the military leaders believe that harsh treatment would make young boys into adults who would survive the pain of battle.

•  What were the characteristics that made Athens unique?

Athens is unique in that their ideas about society and government as well as their education was very different from that of the Spartans. For example, the boys in Athens studied arithmetic, geometry, art, music and public speaking. They were also able to participate in sports. Athenians felt that this kind of education created young individuals with strong minds and bodies. When the boys turn eighteen, they have to take an active role in public affairs. Athens was also unique in that they were ruled by a direct democracy.

•  How did the Persians successfully rule their large empire?

The Persians ruled their large empire because King Cyrus the Great built a strong Persian army. Because of that army, he began creating an empire that became the largest in the ancient world. King Cyrus kept together his growing empire by treating conquered people fairly. He let them keep their own religion, language, and laws.

After Cyrus, Darius I divided the Persian Empire into several provinces to make it easier to govern. These provinces were called satrapies. They were governed by a satrap to carry out orders in each province and collect taxes.

•  What did the Greeks do to defeat the Persians?

The Greeks revolted against their Persian rulers. The Athenians sent warships to help the rebels, but the Persians crushed the uprising. The Persian king Darius was upset that the Athenians interfered. He decided to punish the mainland Greeks for interfering in his empire.

King Darius sent 600 ships and an army to invade Greece. They waited there for a few days. They were expecting the Greeks to fight them but they did not. They only had 10,000 soldiers and the Persians had 20,000. When the Persian horsemen were on the ships, the Athenians attacked down the hills and onto the plain of Marathon. The Athenians caught the Persian foot soldiers standing in the water. The Persians suffered a terrible defeat against the Greeks.

•  What it was like to live in Athens during the rule of Pericles?

Under the rule of Pericles, Athens became an economic and cultural center of Greece. Athens also had a democratic government. They practiced a direct democracy. Pericles brought Athenians that are more ordinary into government because he chose people based on their abilities, and not because of their social class. Pericles also supported writers, artists, sculptors, teachers, and philosophers. Athens became a great center of knowledge called “the school of Greece.”

•  Explain: Why is Ancient Greece considered the cradle of Western Civilization?

Ancient Greece is considered the cradle of Western Civilization because many ideas that grew in the western world began there. For example, something that Greece started was a system of democracy. Instead of being ruled by one king, they created a system in which the people of Greece govern themselves.