Prelims 5 Flashcards
It’s believed the first Ancient Greek civilizations were formed nearly BLANK (approximately 1600 BC) by the mighty Mycenaeans of Crete (a Greek Island).
4000 years ago
The Ancient Greek Empire spread from Greece through BLANK and, in 800 BC, the Greeks started to split their land into city-states, each with its own laws, customs and rulers.
Europe
The Greeks had some strange superstitions about food – some wouldn’t eat BLANK as they thought they contained the souls of the dead!
Beans
A three-headed dog that guarded the gates to the underworld
Cerberus
A slithery sorceress whose look could turn people to stone
Medusa
Who had one eye in the middle of its forehead
Cyclops
Statues of Greek gods and goddesses were placed inside temples, the most famous of which is the BLANK.
Parthenon
This temple in Athens was built for the goddess Athena, the protector of the city.
Parthenon
A famous legend tells how, in 1180 BC, the cunning Greeks conquered the city of BLANK – by hiding inside a giant wooden horse!
Troy
This horse was left outside the city’s walls and, thinking it a gift, the people of Troy wheeled it inside… only for the sneaky Greek soldiers inside to creep out and seize the city!
Trojan Horse
Did you know that the Ancient Greeks invented the theatre? They loved watching plays, and most cities had a theatre – some big enough to hold 15,000 people! Only men and boys were allowed to be actors, and they wore masks, which showed the audience whether their character was happy or sad. Some of the masks had two sides, so the actor could turn them around to change the mood for each scene.
TRUE
The BLANK held many festivals in honour of their gods.
Ancient Greeks
To celebrate the BLANK, the first Greek Olympics were held in the city of Olympia in 776 BC and are thought to have inspired our own Olympic Games! The winners of each event were given a wreath of leaves, and when they returned home, they would be given free meals and the best seats in the theatre!
God Zeus
The city-states were often at war, but just before the Olympics, a BLANK would be called so that everyone could travel to Olympia safely.
Truce
The name Greece comes from the Latin word BLANK, which in turn comes from the Greek word Graikoi
Graecia
The legacies of of Greece and Rome are so intertwined; thus the famous phrase: “the glory that was Greece and the grandeur that was Rome”
“Thanks to Rome, Greece would never die.” (Ancient Civilizations Almanac -1999)
True
The Greeks are recognized as an exceptional people
Noble Greeks
Out of the darkness of barbarism that prevailed in ancient times, absolute despots that governed their people capriciously and ruthlessly and the rampant superstition and ignorance, the cities of Greece progressed. These cities became centers of white-hot intellectual energy and their inhabitants pursued beauty in all forms and developed a passion for democracy in its true sense.
FACTS
Greece which is officially named the BLANK , is a country in the Mediterranean.
Hellenic Republic
Read and Understand
North of Greece lie Albania, Bulgaria and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, and to the east is Turkey.
Read and Understand
To the southeast of Greece is the Aegean Sea, to the south is the Mediterranean Sea, and to the west is the Ionian Sea.
Read and Understand
The climate of Greece is regulated by the Mediterranean Sea. The winters are mild and wet, although the temperatures in the mountains are quite cold. The summers of Greece are dry and hot. Spring and fall are the nicest time to visit Greece, as the weather is warm, but not too hot, and the sun is shining.
