The Acropolis of Athens



Class Literature Genres

Narrative Nonfiction

expository 

EPIC POETRY

This Week in a Little History of the World: Ancient Greece 

Background

Ancient Greece was a civilization that dominated much of the Mediterranean thousands of years ago. At its peak under Alexander the Great, ancient Greece ruled much of Europe and western Asia. The Greeks came before the Romans and much of the Roman culture was influenced by the Greeks.


Ancient Greece formed the foundation of much of Western culture today. Everything from government, philosophy, science, mathematics, art, literature, and even sports was impacted by the ancient Greeks.



Periods


Historians often divide up the history of ancient Greece into three periods:

Athens and Sparta


Athens and Sparta were the two main city states that ruled much of ancient Greece. They were often rivals and fought each other in the Peloponnesian Wars. At other times they united together in order to protect the Greek lands from invaders. The cultures of the two cities were very different. Sparta was almost entirely focused on war and how to fight, while Athens focused on the arts and learning.


Interesting Facts about Ancient Greece