Power Point 4 Slides--Ancient and Classic Greece Flashcards
What is Hellas?
Means “The Land of the Greeks”
How does geography shape Greek culture?
Diversity in geography made their culture unique.
Mountains divide the land which leads to independent city-states.
No good rivers connecting settlements.
Fragmentation leads to diversity.
City-states surround the Aegean Sea–it is what unites the Greeks.
What are two important city-states?
Athens and Sparta–2 city-states close geographically but very different cultures.
How does the climate of Greece affect its culture?
Climate is temperate with temperatures ranging from mild to hot. Much of their public activities occurred outside. People gathered and spoke in public and many were able to participate. This helps promote democracy as an idea–that everyone had something to contribute.
What did Greek citizens have in common?
Language and religion.
If you asked a Greek who they were, how would they answer?
The would first identify themselves as a citizen of their city-state since that was their most important connection. Ex. Athenian
What were two important early Greek civilizations of the Bronze Age?
Minoa, Mycenea
Why did the Minoan and the Mycenean societies, along with others, decline during the Greek Dark Ages (around 1100 - 800 BCE)?
Invasions from outsiders, esp. from groups called the Sea Peoples, have been blamed. It was also a general time of upheaval.
What happened in Greek culture during the Dark Ages?
A lot of what we think of as classical Greek culture started to develop during this time period including Greek literature and religion.
Who was Homer?
Poet who wrote down the Iliad and the Odyssey at the end of the Greek Dark Ages. These are two of the most important works in ancient Greek literature. He may have been blind–some question if he actually existed. The stories had been passed down for generations orally. .
What does the Iliad tell us about Greek culture?
It depicts a very warlike Greek culture–covers battles between Greeks and Trojans.
What was the Greek view of the world and the place of gods and humans in it (as we see in Homer’s works as well as others)?
Greeks believed gods existed in a special realm above the Earth and they had a direct connection with humanity, regularly intervening in human affairs.
Human beings are constantly affected by gods’ actions and can interact with the gods.
Gods are members of our society. They are not perfect beings.
Humans and gods are players in the cosmic drama.
What are the key characteristics of the Greek religion?
Anthropomorphic– mostly human like gods.
Polytheistic–many gods.
Stratified–levels of gods.
No true theology–No one set system of worship.
Who were the most important group of gods in Greek mythology?
the Olympians
Who were the Olympians descended from?
The Titans
