Maps of Ancient Greece

Maps of Ancient Greece

Key Terms to Know

Directions: Look up each term in your eTextbook and define each in your Social Studies Notebook.

• peninsula

• Crete

• Mycenae 

The Geography of Greece

Located in southern Europe, Greece is made up of the mainland and hundreds of small islands spread throughout the Ioanian, Aegean, and Mediterranean Seas. As a peninsula, the people of Greece took advantage of living by the sea.

• They were fishermen

• They were traders

• They were sailors
  
  

The mountains in Greece did not have fertile soil good for growing crops, like in Mesopotamia, but the mild climate allowed for some farming.

• They grew barley, wheat, olives, and grapes

• They raised sheep

The Greeks, like many other ancient civilizations, felt deeply connected to the land they lived on. While living on the land helped to develop a strong sense of pride in their country, the distance between the islands and the mountains did not help to support unity in Greece. The Minoans and Mycenaeans of ancient Greece used their geography to their advantage. 

Greek Mythology