Summary about Ancient Greece

The Land and Early History of Greece

Greece is a rocky peninsula with lots of mountains. Few crops

can grow in its stony soil. But Greece is surrounded by water,

which is its greatest natural resource. Ancient Greeks

depended on the sea for fishing and trade.

As their population grew, ancient Greeks formed city-states.

A city-state had a central city called a polis. Each city-state had

its own form of government and laws. All the city-states shared

a common language, religion, and way of life.

Three kinds of government were common in the Greek

city-states. In an , a few powerful and wealthy

people ruled. Other city-states were ruled by a single person

who took control against the wishes of the people. This kind

of government is called a . Some city-states were

democracies. In a , people take part in their own

government.

Two of the most important city-states were Athens and

Sparta. Athens, located in the center of the Greek Peninsula,

was a democracy. Sparta was in the southern part of the

Greek Peninsula. It was an oligarchy ruled by two kings.

The ancient Greeks were known for their great literature,

learning, and architecture. Plays are among the finest pieces

of literature from ancient Greece. Some modern operas and

films are based on these plays.

Ancient Greece had several important thinkers called

philosophers. Socrates was a well-known philosopher. He

taught about knowledge, friendship, and justice. One of

Socrates’ students was a philosopher named Plato. Plato

wrote about government, mathematics, and astronomy. He

also wrote about how people behaved.

The city-states of ancient Greece fought with each other.

In 338 B.C. they were conquered by King Phillip II of

Macedonia. After Phillip died, his son, Alexander the Great,

took control. Alexander conquered new lands. This spread

Greek culture, language, and ideas throughout the

Mediterranean and as far east as India.

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