Ancient Greece
Greece is a peninsula, which means that it is surrounded on three sides by water. Greece has a lot of smaller peninsulas sticking out from it, which means Greece enjoys many natural harbors.
Greece is also covered with mountains. They are not huge mountains but if you are trying to go from place to place in Greece, you'll find the mountains a bit of a hindrance.
Three thousand years ago, it was very difficult to get from place to place in ancient Greece by walking. But it was easy to get from place to place in Greece by boat.
In the ancient world that grew up around the Mediterranean Sea, the Greeks became known as great sailors. They sailed about the Mediterranean, setting up colonies and outposts where they could.
They tried to set up a colony or two in Egypt, but the Egyptians chased them away. They had more luck establishing new towns on the coast of Turkey, on the coast of Italy, on the coast of Africa, and on the coast of France.
Meanwhile, back in mainland Greece, cities were thriving. The soil was mostly fertile. The Greeks had a wealth of seafood, fresh fish, a wealth of vegetables, and fresh drinking water. The Greeks were very happy with their land.
Athenians thought of themselves as the shining star of the Greek city-states. They were famed for their literature, poetry, drama, theatre, schools, buildings, and government.
Before the Greek dark ages, Athens was a small village, home to a tribe of Ionian people. After the Greek dark ages, Athens grew rapidly until Athens was one of the two most powerful city-states in the ancient Greek world. (The other was Sparta.)
The Athenian were very different from the ancient Spartans.
The Greeks believed that each city-state in ancient Greece had a god or a goddess in charge of it, their special patron. For Athens, the patron was Athena, goddess of wisdom. Perhaps because Athena was their patron, Athenians put a great deal of emphasis on education.
Girls learned at home from their mothers. They learned how to run a home, and how to be good wives and mothers.
Boys were educated quite differently. Until age 6 or 7, boys were taught at home by their mothers. From 7-14, boys attended a day school outside the home. There, they memorized Homeric poetry and learned to play the lyre. They learned drama, public speaking, reading, writing, math, and perhaps even how to play the flute.
After middle school, they went to a four year high school and learned more about math, science, and government. At 18, they attended two years of military school.
There was just cause for Athens to be proud of its system of education for its citizens.
Each city-state chose its own form of government. Most Greek city-states were ruled by kings. In Athens, citizens (the men) met each week to discuss problems. They worked on solutions. The men of Athens experimented with government. For about 100 years, Athens was a direct democracy!
Greece is a peninsula, which means that it is surrounded on three sides by water. Greece has a lot of smaller peninsulas sticking out from it, which means Greece enjoys many natural harbors.
Greece is also covered with mountains. They are not huge mountains but if you are trying to go from place to place in Greece, you'll find the mountains a bit of a hindrance.
Three thousand years ago, it was very difficult to get from place to place in ancient Greece by walking. But it was easy to get from place to place in Greece by boat.
In the ancient world that grew up around the Mediterranean Sea, the Greeks became known as great sailors. They sailed about the Mediterranean, setting up colonies and outposts where they could.
They tried to set up a colony or two in Egypt, but the Egyptians chased them away. They had more luck establishing new towns on the coast of Turkey, on the coast of Italy, on the coast of Africa, and on the coast of France.
Meanwhile, back in mainland Greece, cities were thriving. The soil was mostly fertile. The Greeks had a wealth of seafood, fresh fish, a wealth of vegetables, and fresh drinking water. The Greeks were very happy with their land.
Athenians thought of themselves as the shining star of the Greek city-states. They were famed for their literature, poetry, drama, theatre, schools, buildings, and government.
Before the Greek dark ages, Athens was a small village, home to a tribe of Ionian people. After the Greek dark ages, Athens grew rapidly until Athens was one of the two most powerful city-states in the ancient Greek world. (The other was Sparta.)
The Athenian were very different from the ancient Spartans.
- The Spartans were famed for their military strength.
- Athenians were famed for their commitment to the arts and sciences.
The Greeks believed that each city-state in ancient Greece had a god or a goddess in charge of it, their special patron. For Athens, the patron was Athena, goddess of wisdom. Perhaps because Athena was their patron, Athenians put a great deal of emphasis on education.
Girls learned at home from their mothers. They learned how to run a home, and how to be good wives and mothers.
Boys were educated quite differently. Until age 6 or 7, boys were taught at home by their mothers. From 7-14, boys attended a day school outside the home. There, they memorized Homeric poetry and learned to play the lyre. They learned drama, public speaking, reading, writing, math, and perhaps even how to play the flute.
After middle school, they went to a four year high school and learned more about math, science, and government. At 18, they attended two years of military school.
There was just cause for Athens to be proud of its system of education for its citizens.
Each city-state chose its own form of government. Most Greek city-states were ruled by kings. In Athens, citizens (the men) met each week to discuss problems. They worked on solutions. The men of Athens experimented with government. For about 100 years, Athens was a direct democracy!