GREEK CIVILIZATION

SEMINAR-1

BY:
K. SAI PRANEETH.
B.TECH (PLG),
SPA , JNAFAU.
 CONTENTS:
1. INTRODUCTION.
2. HISTORY.
3. GEOGRAPHY.
4. COLONIES.
5. CULTURE.
6. CITY STATES IN GREEK.
7. POLITICS & SOCIETY.
8. INFLUENCE OF GREEK CIVILIZATION AT
PRESENT.
9. CONCLUSION.
 INTRODUCTION:
 Timeline 1800 BC to 300 BC
 Prehistoric Greece (2000 BC) – Island, coastal towns
 Classical Greek (1000 BC) – Mainland Cities.
 INTRODUCTION:
 Settlements in the form of
small groups called city
states or „polis‟. Ruled by
democratic ruler/monarch
 Mountainous areas , so
little contact between city
states. Each polis had its
own gods
 Famous states – Argos,
Corinth, Sparta, Athens
 Greeks were agriculturists
and traders.
 HISTORY:
• Greek civilization
started around 2000
B.C. -1600 B.C
• Dipylon Vase of the late
Geometric period, or
the beginning of the
Archaic period, ca. 750
BC.
• In 480 B.C., the Greeks
united to defeat the
invading Persians, but
the alliance
didn‟t last long.
 HISTORY:
• In the 8th century BC, Greece began to emerge
from the Dark Ages which followed the fall of the
Mycenaean civilization.
• By the 6th century BC several cities had emerged
as dominant in Greek affairs: Athens, Sparta,
Corinth, and Thebes
• The advent of the democracy cured many of the
ills of Athens and led to a 'golden age' for the
Athenians.
Only 20-30% of ancient Greece‟s land was arable. The most
important crops were olives, grapes, and barley.
 GEOGRAPHY:

• Located in southeastern Europe, Greece is defined by a series of

mountains and surrounded on all sides except the north by water.
 GEOGRAPHY:
• Regionalism and regional
conflicts were a prominent
feature of ancient Greece.
• Numerous islands and the
indented coastlines of the
Greek peninsula and of
Asia Minor stimulated a
seagoing trade.
• The rocky soil and limited
natural resources
encouraged the Greeks to
establish colonies abroad.
 GEOGRAPHY:
• Numerous mountain
ranges, which crisscross the
peninsula, hampered internal
communications and led to
the development of
independent city-states.
• The Mediterranean Sea
moderates Greece's
climate, cooling the air in
summer and providing
warmth in the winter
months
• The Mediterranean Sea moderates Greece's
climate, cooling the air in summer and providing
warmth in the winter months. Summers are
generally hot and dry. Winters are moderate and
rainy in coastal regions and cold and snowy in
mountainous areas.
 COLONIES:
• From about 750 BC the
Greeks began 250 years
of expansion, settling
colonies in all
directions.
• Eventually Greek
colonization reached as
far northeast as present
day Ukraine and Russia.
• Greek colonies were
also founded in Egypt
and Libya.
 CULTURE:
• RELIGION:
• The ancient Greeks were a
deeply religious people.
• They worshipped many
gods whom they believed
appeared in human form.
• ART & ARCHITECTURE:
• During the nineteenth
century, the Neo-classical
vocabulary was heavily
used for both public and
private building.
• In the twentieth century,
Greek architecture has
followed international
architectural trends
 CULTURE:
• LANGUAGE:
• The Greek language is the official language
of the Hellenic Republic and has a total of
15 million speakers worldwide; it is an Indo-
European language.
• LITERATURE:
• Greece has a remarkably rich and resilient
literary tradition, extending over 2800 years
and through several eras.
 CULTURE:
• EDUCATION:
• Education in Greece is compulsory for all children
6–15 years old; namely, it includes Primary
(Dimotiko) and Lower Secondary (Gymnasio) .
• PHILOSOPHY, SCIENCE AND
MATHEMATICS:
• The Greek world is widely regarded as having
given birth to scientific thought by means of
observation, thought, and development of a
theory without the intervention of a supernatural
force.ducation.
 City States in Greek:
• what does it mean to be a greek
city- state?
• Ancient greeks became too
overcrowded on the greek mainland.

• They spread out to the surrounding

islands and formed colonies.

• These colonies became “city-states”.

 The Greeks called their city-state “The Polis”.
Each Polis was an independent governing unit, and many had different
types of government.
 Greek City-States

GREECE

AEGEAN SEA ASIA MINOR

ATHENS

SPARTA

MEDITERRANEAN
SEA
 Politics & society:
• Political structure:
• The Geography of Greece
divided and sub-divided by
hills, mountains and rivers
contributed to the
fragmentary nature of
ancient Greece.
• On the one hand, the
ancient Greeks had no
doubt that they were 'one
people'; they had the same
religion, same basic
culture, and same language.
 Politics & society:
• GOVERNMENT AND
LAW:
• Four major types of
government evolved in
ancient Greece:
• MONARCHY (rule of a king)
limited by an aristocratic
council and a popular
assembly.
• OLIGARCHY (rule of the few) arising when the aristocratic
council ousted the king and abolished the assembly.
• TYRANNY (rule by one who ruled without legal authority) riding
to power on the discontent of the lower classes.
• DEMOCRACY (rule of the people), the outstanding political
achievement of the Greeks.
 Politics & society:
• SOCIAL
STRUCTURE:
• Only free, land
owning, native-born men
could be citizens entitled
to the full protection of the
law in a city-state
• SLAVERY:
• Slaves had no power or
status.
• They had the right to have
a family and own
property, subject to their
master's goodwill and
permission.
 Politics & society:
• EDUCATION:
• For most of Greek
history, education was
private, except in Sparta.
• Boys went to school at the age
of seven, or went to the
barracks, if they lived in Sparta.

• ECONOMY:
• The average daily wage of the
Greek worker which was, in
terms of wheat, about 12 kg.
 Politics & society:
• WARFARE :
• Unable to maintain
professional armies, the
city-states relied on their
own citizens to fight.
 Influence of Greek civilization
at present:
• Greek mythology is a
collection of stories
and narratives
concerning their
gods, heroes and
mythological creatures.
• To this end, they
created the first siege
engines, the first alarm
clock, and many other
inventions.
According to tradition the first OLYMPICS took place in 776 BC. They became a
central aspect of Greek culture and in many ways were the most important
factor uniting the Greeks, except for their language and mythology.
 CONCLUSION:
• "The glory that was Greece," in the
words of Edgar Allan Poe, was short-
lived and confined to a very small
geographic area.
• The English poet John Milton called
Athens "the eye of Greece, mother of
arts and eloquence.
• " Athens was the city-state in which
the arts, philosophy, and democracy
flourished”.
THANK U.........