Ancient Greece

( Outline )

 Geography

 three geographical regions - northern Greece

- central Greece
- Peloponnese

○ Northern Greece - consists of Epirus and Thessaly

- separated by the Pindus mountain range
- chief town Dodona
- largest plain area
- surrounded by mountains
- Cambunian range on the north – highest mountain Mt. Olympus

- river Peneius – through the valley – Vale of Tempe, between two mountains

○ Central Greece -more mountains than northern

- contains countries of:Locsris, Acarnia, Doris, Phocis,
Boeotia, Attika, Megaris

○ Peloponnese - central region- Arcadia

- northern slope Achaea with Elis and Corint on either side
- on the east – Argolis area

Architecture

 New Stone Age - earlier buildings ( small houses, wooden walls )

- later big houses, stone walls
 Early Bronze Age - bigger house, fancier bigger stone walls
 Late Bronze Age - under the influence of Western Asia, Minoans on Crete ( big
stone tombs, paved roads, bridges, dams
 Greek Dark Age - burned places, roads, bridges
 Iron Age + Archaic period - new type of building : temple for the gods
- earliest temple built in Doric style
- houses , no more palaces
 Classical period - more temples, bigger, new design ideas –
Parthenon(in 440 BC )
-public buildings: gymnasia and stoas (men can
meet there)
  Helenic period - new architectural types
- new forms – theatres
- newinterests in town planning(no straight
lines in streets )
- withthe consequence of Alexander the
Great – architecture became way to spread culture and show
who is in charge
- around 200 -100 BC - Roman style
- Corinthian
atchitecture
- 400 AD – Greeks convert to Christianity
( churches…)

 Ancient Greek Games

– very closely connected to the worship of the gods and heroes

– Greeks took games of all kinds very seriously
– they believed that their gods loved to see: strong, fit, graceful human
bodies
– one way to get on the good side of the gods was -to exercise
-to eat right
-to oil their skin
-to create a
beautiful body
– they like especially physical athletic competition
– the most famous – the Olympic Games

 the Olympic Games

– began in Olympia
– in 776 BC
– the place was called Olympia = Olympic games )
– celebrated every four years
– more than a sport meeting ; religious festival to honor the Greek god
ZEUS
– the biggest event in their world
– men from all Greece came to compete

○ Interesting information about OG :

– only men could compete ( women were not allowed )
– during OG all wars had to be interrupted (it was peace during this
period )
 – sport disciplines: -running, jumping
-throwing a javelin , throwing a discus
-wrestling , boxing

-reward : - a branch of the holy olive tree + large

money

 Olympia
– site and home of the first, original Olympic Games
– situated in western Peloponnisos (Peloponnesus ) in a valley Elis
– not a town, only a large place with buildings associated with game-
gymnasiums, schools
– national shrine of the Greeks
– contained many treasures of Greek art (temples,monuments, theatres,
statues...)

 Government in Ancient Greece

- a lot of different kinds of governments (due to many city-states in

ancient Greece)
 Aristotle divided governments into four groups: + tyrannies
+
democracies
+
monarchies
+
oligarchies
- there was still used the same dividing
- first monarchies, then oligarchies, then tyrannies and the
democracies
- city-states used a different system (never become democracies
or tyrannies)

Late Bronze Age (2000 and 1200 BC)


-
city-states seem to be monarchies - by kings
- Greek mythology reveals kings f.e. Agamemnon and
Theseus

 After Dark Age – some city-states still had kings

- the most famous is Sparta: ( 2 kings)
+ brothers - stayed at
home
 + cousins - fight in
wars

 Archaic period - many city-states ruled by oligarchies

- oligarchies (group of aristocrats – powerful ).

 in the 600's and 500's BC city-states taken over by tyrants

- Tyrants - aristocrats with power over the others - getting the
support of the poor people (any legal right to rule)
 in 510 BC -Athens - first democratic government

- other Greek city-states imitated them (Carthage and

Rome)
- democracy did not give power to everyone.
- no women, no slaves, no foreigners, no children.
- Athens had an empire - none of people could vote
either

 The temples of Ancient Greece

- they were the biggest because Greek life was influenced by religion
- often built to celebrate civic power and pride
- three architectural system, orders, - each with own distinctive
proportions and detailing.
- Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian.(pictures of them will be shown)

 The Doric style - is rather sturdy and its top (the capital), is plain
- was used in mainland Greece and the colonies in
southern Italy and Sicily.
- Parthenon - temple of Athena Parthenos ("Virgin"),
Greek goddess of wisdom, on the Acropolis in Athens
- was built in the 5th century BC, and
despite the enormous damage it has sustained over the centuries, it still
communicates the ideals of order and harmony for which Greek
architecture is known.

 The Ionic style - is thinner and more elegant.

- Its capital is decorated with a scroll-like design (a
volute). This style was found in eastern Greece and the islands.
- Erechtheum - temple from the middle classical period
of Greek art and architecture,
- built on the Acropolis of Athens
between 421 and 405BC.
- it contained sanctuaries to Athena
Polias, Poseidon, and Erechtheus.
- The Temple of Apollo at Didyma - The Greeks built
the Temple of Apollo at Didyma, Turkey (about 300 BC).
 - The design of
the temple was known as dipteral, a term that refers to the two sets of
columns surrounding the interior section.
- These columns
surrounded a small chamber that housed the statue of Apollo.
- The Temple of Athena Nike - part of the Acropolis in
the city of Athens.

 The Corinthian style - is seldom used in the Greek world, but often
seen on Roman temples.
- Its capital is very elaborate and decorated with
acanthus leaves.
- most ornate of the classic orders of architecture
- the oldest known example, however, is found in
the temple of Apollo at Bassae (c.420 B.C.). The Greeks made little use
of the order; the chief example is the circular structure at Athens known as
the choragic monument of Lysicrates ( 335 B.C.)

- The temple of Zeus at Athens (started in the

2d cent. B.C. and completed by Emperor Hadrian in the 2d cent. A.D.) was
perhaps the most notable of the Corinthian temples

SOURCES :

http://www.historyforkids.org./learn/greeks/index.htm

http://home.hetnet.nl/%7Elubartus/olympics.htm#Introduction

http://ancienthistory.about.com/od/greekmapsall/a/70107greekgeogr.htm

http://www.ancientgreece.com/s/Main_Page/