Greek Blog 1

People first lived in Greece about 55,000 years ago.

In Knossos, the Minoans built a great civilization.

The Mycenaeans controlled mainland Greece from about 1600 B.C. to about 1200 B.C.

The inhabitants of Greece were intensely loyal to the concept of the polis

Temples and other buildings also stood on the acropolis.

Citizens met in the agora to discuss common issues.

Trade was the mainstay of Athen's economy.

Terracing means carving small, flat plots of land from hillsides.

This slave was called the boy's pedagogue and taught the boy manners.

Generally, most Athenians believed that money should be spent on buildings to benefit the whole community, and not on private homes.

Hoplites formed the center of the Athenian infantry. Helots were people that the Spartans conquered.

Solon also made changes in Athenian government; for example, he set up citizen juries to preside over some court cases.

These Greek city-states developed very different societies and systems of government.

Helots made up the third and lowest group in Spartan society.

This was so remarkable, that even though he only wrote one book, he is widely recognized as the greatest historian of ancient times.

The form of democracy Athens had under Cleisthenes was called direct democracy.

Athens developed a form of democracy when the idea of popular government, or the idea that people can and should rule themselves, began to take root.

We do not really know who the author or authors of the two epic poems attributed to Homer were; however, the period described is often called the Homeric Age.

The Olympics were probably held for the first time in 776 B.C. to honor the god Zeus.

This term came to describe a privileged social class

The Spartan's courage at this battle allowed the other city-states of Greece time to prepare their forces against the Persian invasion.

Sparta won this war after 27 years.

Pericles was a great general, orator, and statesman in Athens, and was responsible for building the Parthenon and the Acropolis.

This Athenian victory resulted in an uneasy peace that lasted for 10 years.

Athens was the leader of this alliance.


Today we use the world odyssey to describe any long, adventure-filled journey.