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Table of Contents
Ancient Greece was a civilization belonging to a period of Greek history that lasted from the Archaic period of the 8th to 6th centuries BC to the end of antiquity (ca. AD 600).
See the fact file below for more information on the Ancient Greece or alternatively, you can download our 18-page Ancient Greece worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.
Key Facts & Information
HISTORICAL AND GEOGRAPHICAL BACKGROUND
- The earliest Greek civilizations thrived nearly 4,000 years ago. The term “Ancient Greece” refers to the period of history that lasted from 750 BC (the archaic period) to 146 BC (the Roman conquest). Ancient Greece is the culture that provided the foundation for Western Civilization.
- Almost completely surrounded by the Mediterranean Sea, mainland Greece was composed of about 1400 islands. Greek cities were founded around the Black Sea, North Africa, and near modern-day Spain, Sicily, and France.
- Before the Archaic period, Greeks lived in small farming villages. Since then, villages evolved and started to be bounded with walls.
- From then, government developed and citizens organized politics through a set of laws, later called the constitution. Early city-state economy was based on agriculture, not trade. Politically, most polis were ruled by aristocrats rather than monarchs.
- During the Late Classical Period, Philip of Macedon united warring city-states. After his assassination, Alexander the Great, his son assumed the throne.
- In 168 BCE, after the defeat of Macedonia, Roman Republic took over Greece. As a result, Greek culture influenced the emerging Roman Empire.
WAY OF LIFE AND ACHIEVEMENTS
- The Greeks were the first to have a democratic government.
- The ancient Greeks did not have one king or queen. They lived in city-states. Each city-state was a separate political unit. Each city-state had its own laws and government.
- There were over 100 city-states in Ancient Greece, and they could not get along with each other. The two most powerful city states were Athens and Sparta. They were very different. In Athens, the focus was on education and the arts. Sparta’s focus was on the military.
- On top of the tallest hill in each city-state, the Greeks built a collection of buildings called an acropolis. The acropolis was used for three things: religious festivals, banks, and a fortress.
- The first Olympic games were held in Ancient Greece almost 3000 years ago (776 BC) at the Greek city of Olympia.
- The Ancient Greeks played an important part in the development of the alphabet. The first two letters of the Greek alphabet – alpha and beta – have given us the word ‘alphabet’. There are 24 letters in the modern Greek Alphabet.
- They have been used since in the 8th to 9th century BC. The letters are: Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, Epsilon, Zeta, Eta, Theta, Iota, Kappa, Lambda, Mu, Nu Xi, Omicron, Pi, Rho, Sigma, Tau, Upsilon, Phi, Chi, Psi, and Omega. The Greeks were the first to develop an alphabet with vowels.
- Slaves were very important to ancient Greek daily life. Slaves cleaned and cooked. They also worked in the fields, shops, mines, factories, and on ships. Even the police force in ancient Athens was made up of slaves.
- In Greece, the men ran the government. They spent a lot of their time out of the house while involved in politics. Men also spent time in the fields overseeing the crops. They sailed, hunted, and traded. All of these activities took the men away from home. Men enjoyed wrestling, horseback riding, and the Olympic Games. Men had parties in which the women were not allowed to attend.
- In most city-states, women had little freedom. Wealthy women hardly ever left the house. They sent slaves to the market. The women were allowed to attend weddings, funerals, and some religious festivals. Their job was to run the house and bear children. Greek women supervised slaves who did all the cooking, cleaning, and tending of the crops. Male slaves guarded the women when the men were away. Girls did not go to school. They learned only the basics of reading and math at home. Girls were taught how to run a house. Women lived in a special section of the house called the gynaeceum.
- The ancient Greeks were polytheistic, which means they had many gods and goddesses. They were known as the Olympians. Greek Myths are all that’s left of the ancient Greek religion. The Greek Myths are our window into Ancient Greece.
Ancient Greece Worksheets
This is a fantastic bundle which includes everything you need to know about Ancient Greece across 18 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use Ancient Greece worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about the Ancient Greece which was a civilization belonging to a period of Greek history that lasted from the Archaic period of the 8th to 6th centuries BC to the end of antiquity (ca. AD 600).
Complete List Of Included Worksheets
- Ancient Greece Worksheets
- Greek City-States
- In Three Words
- The Acropolis
- The Olympics
- Famous Greeks
- Rival City-States
- Greek Art
- Greek Gods and Goddesses
- Influence and Legacies
- Touring Greece
Frequently Asked Questions
How old is ancient Greece?
The Archaic Age is the time period from 700-480 BC. This is different than the Classical Age, which is from 480-323 BC. The Classical Age is known for its art, architecture, and philosophy. But during the Archaic Age, there were advances in art, poetry, and technology.
What is Greece famous for?
Greece is famous for its ancient philosophers. People like Plato, Pythagoras, Socrates, and Aristotle came from Greece. Greece is also known as the birthplace of democracy in the West. They invented Olympic Games and theater there too. Ancient Greeks invented monumental temples with Greek columns.
What did ancient Greeks wear?
In ancient Greece, clothing was typically made of chiton, peplos, himation, and chlamys. These were the four main types of clothing worn by civilians. The chiton was an undergarment that consisted of a single piece of cloth draped around the body. Peplos was a cloak that was worn over the chiton. The himation was a cloak that could be worn either over or under the peplos. And finally, chlamys was a type of cloak that could be worn either over or under the himation.
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Use With Any Curriculum
These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.