Section 1: Daily Life in Athens

Section 2: Athens, Sparta, and the Peloponnesian War

Section 3: Philip of Macedonia, Alexander the Great, and the Spread of Greek Culture

Section 1: Daily Life in Athens

1. city-state - a city with its own traditions, government, and laws; both a city and a separate independent state.

2. democracy - a form of government in which citizens govern themselves.

3. Athens - a city - state in ancient Greece; the capital of modern-day Greece

4. agora - a public market and meeting place in an ancient Greek city; the Agora, spelled with a capital a, refers to the agora of Athens

5. vendor - a seller of goods

6. slavery - condition of being owned by, and forced to work for, someone else

Section 2: Athens and Sparta

1. Sparta - a city-state in ancient Greece

2. hellots - In ancient Sparta, the term for slaves who were owned by the state

3. Pelopponesian War - a war fought between Athens and Sparta in ancient Greece; almost every other Greek city-state was involved in the war.

4. plague - a wide spread disease.

5. blockade - an action taken to isolate the enemy and cut off its supplies.

Section 3: The Spread of Greek Culture

1. assassinate - to murder for political reasons

2. Alexander the Great - the King of Macedonia who conquered Persia, Egypt, and invaded India.

3. Hellinistic - describing Greek history or culture after the death of Alexander the Great, including the three main kingdoms formed by the break up of Alexander's Empire.

Athens was and still is an important city of ancient Greece. In ancient times it held the most important agora, or market place, and today it is the capital of Greece.

In Athens, politics held a major role in the lives of men and at younger ages, boys would observe them since they knew that one day they could possibly be an important figure to the public.

The market place, or agora, was a common place to all people, but in Athens, it was the busiest! Agoras were not only used to buy and sell items, but it was also a meeting place for people.

In terms of business and trade, the agora was the best place to go. an exchange of goods and ideas were very important among the people. There were all sorts of food that an Athenian, a citizen of Athens, would want. Farmers and Artisans would come here daily to sell their goods and the public would attempt to bargain with their prices.

There were numerous public buildings that surrounded the Agora, some of which include temples and government buildings. The architecture used by the ancient Greeks have influenced architecture today and are still visible in the modern-world in government buildings in the United States and throughout Europe.

Private homes were made of mostly mud bricks, and in most houses, there was a small courtyard that was hidden from the streets. Other rooms in the household included a kitchen, storerooms, a dining room, and bedrooms. They did not have running water, so people had to fetch some from a public fountain.

The women in Athens did not participate in government, but rather stayed in the household. Men often believed that women needed protection, but a lot has changed since this time period. In ancient Greece, women could not own property, be a part of government, or vote. They could become priestesses, took care of domestic matters such as taking care of children and managing food supplies, and last but not least, for less wealthy families women worked.

Lastly, one of the most important groups for infrastructure and economy, the slaves. Slaves did not have any rights in ancient Greece, and were owned by other people or the government. These slaves were a key part in the daily life of ancient Greece. They took care of many different chores throughout the house, the farms, mines, and creating pottery. They also tended to the children and cleaned homes. The slaves have also built many important structures such as government buildings and homes.

Questions:

1. What took place in an agora?

2. What were the roles of women in Athens?

3. Were slaves important to ancient Greece? Why?

4. What aspects of ancient Greece are still visible in the modern-world?

Before 359 BC, Macedonia was poor and divided. Macedonia spanned from the north eastern part of modern-day Greece to the Balkan peninsula. A man named Philip, who later became King Philip of Macedonia, wanted to control and conquer all of the rich and powerful city-states of Greece through the use of diplomacy and military force. King Philip seized power in Macedonia and united the kingdom. During his rule, he was able to form alliances with many Greek city-states by threatening or bribing them. He also accomplished creating an army even greater than that of Sparta, who was known for their military. The last two states to be conquered by King Philip were Athens and Thebes. They joined forces, but it was not enough to defeat King Philip and his army, leading to King Philip gaining control of all of ancient Greece. After his successful conquest of Greece, King Philip aspired to attack Persia next, but in 336 BC, he was assassinated by one of his rivals.

King Philip had a son named Alexander, and had insisted that he was tutored by Aristotle, who was a renowned for his teachings in philosophy, math, and science. After King Philip's death, his son, Alexander, became King at the age of twenty. At the young age of twenty, Alexander was already an experienced soldier and decided to invade the Persian Empire. His first battle was successful, and he continued on. In 11 years, he became known as Alexander the Great because of his numerous victories. In this time span, he had successfully conquered Persia, Egypt, Palestine, Babylon, and more lands past the Indus River. Each place he went, he established cities, and many of them were named after him. Alexander wanted to continue pushing east, but decided to fall back. Once he arrived in Babylon, he had contracted a fever and later died in 323 BC. With all of his conquests and victories, Alexander the Great had spread Greek culture throughout this region of the world.

After his death, the empire had dispersed into three kingdom, Greece and Macedonia, Egypt, and Persia, each ruled by one of his former commanders. During this time, many people from Greece began to settle throughout the region. Soldiers, artisans, and merchants moved around greatly at this time.

Throughout his rule, Alexander the Great tried to preserve the native cultures of the people he had conquered. The addition of many Greeks in the conquered cities gave birth to a Hellenistic culture or Hellenistic Kingdom. The term Hellenistic is a combination, or mix, of both the native culture as well as Greek culture. The cities in the Hellenistic Kingdoms were modeled after Greece. Some buildings that were included were agoras, theaters, and temples. The better jobs were held by the Greeks, and as far as language goes, many people spoke mainly Greek in the cities, and in the countryside, people spoke their native languages.

The Hellenistic Kingdoms also spread to Egypt. The most known and greatest Hellenistic city was Alexandria, located in Egypt at the edge of the Nile River's delta, and it was also the capital at this time. Throughout the years, Alexandria grew famous as a center of business and trade. In it's harbor, it contained a lighthouse that was roughly 350 feet tall, and it was used to guide the ships to port. Alexandria was also renowned for being the most important Hellenistic city that specialized in learning. It had the largest library in the world containing about half a million scrolls. It was also know as the learning capital of the Greek world, attracting scholars and writers from all over the world to use the library.

In Alexandria, the subjects of Math and Science prospered. In 300 BC, a mathematician named Euclid developed a branch of mathematics we know today as Geometry. He started with Mathematical laws and they wrote step-by-step proofs of mathematical principles which explained different shapes such as cones, cubes, angles, squares, and triangles. At this time, many people in this region had figured out that the earth was round, and even calculated the distance around the earth. A scientist named Eratosthenes calculated that the earth was 24,662,000 miles around, which was very close to that what we know today at 24,900,000 miles around. Another scientist named Archimedes discovered that the use of pulleys and levers could allow people to lift very heavy objects.

Questions:

1. Why is King Philip of Macedonia significant?

2. Who is Alexander the Great? What were his accomplishments and what cities or modern-day countries did he conquer?

3. How did Greek culture spread throughout the region?

4. What are Hellenistic Kingdoms? Which one was the most important and why?

5. What are the two subjects that excelled most in the Hellenistic Kingdoms? Who were the people and what did they develop or calculate?

Have a look at these websites! They contain different information on different topics throughout the History of Ancient Greece!