Pump-Up

• What do you think is Greece most remembered for?

Greece & Democracy

Today’s Vocabulary • Homer– Oral poet who told the stories of The Iliad and The Odyssey.

• Athens– The political, commercial, and cultural center of Greek

civilization.

• Sparta– The military power of Greece.

• Persian War– Greek nationalism surged after this victory.

Greek Geography• The Sea– Promoted trade with other

countries

• The Land– Mountains covered most of

Greece• Small, independent communities

– City-states• Made travel hard• Wasn’t good for farming

Mycenaean Civilization

• Trojan War– 10 year war against Troy – Led by Odysseus

• Trojan horse– Huge wooden horse left

outside the gates of Troy– At night, Greeks jumped out

and killed those in Troy

Oral Records• After the Trojan War,

Mycenaean civilization collapsed– No written record exist for 400

years– Learned about their history through

the spoken word (oral stories)

• Homer– Great story teller from which we

get the epics of The Iliad and The Odyssey

• Myths– Traditional stories about the gods

Homer’s The Odyssey Blown off course by gusty winds, Odysseus’ ship

finally landed on the island of the Cyclops. Nearly starving and dying of thirst, Odysseus and his men saw with great relief the flocks of sheep and goats that grazed on the land. Now, at last, the sailors could eat, drink and rest before setting off again for Ithaka.

Odysseus took 12 men with him to explore the island, leaving the rest to guard the ship. Odysseus soon discovered a cave filled with cheese and milk. As he and his men rejoiced over their discovery, the owner of the cave walked in.

The sight of the giant Cyclops silenced them. He was a one-eyed giant with the strength of many men. When he and his flocks were safely in the cave, he rolled a boulder in front of its entrance. Odysseus and his men were trapped.

“Greetings,” said Odysseus. “In the name of Zeus, I have come to ask for your hospitality. My men and I are hungry and thirsty.”

“No,” roared the giant. “I am Polyphemus, the Cyclops. What do I care about the name of Zeus?” Suddenly reaching out a massive hand, he grabbed 2 sailors and ate them.

Odysseus and his companions watched fearfully as the giant fell asleep.

The next day, Polyphemus ate 4 more sailors. Odysseus had a plan for escape, and it was now time to act. He emptied his wine flask into a bowl and offered it to the giant. The Cyclops drake it happily.

“Tell me your name,” he roared. “You, who offer me this delicious potion. What do others call you?”

“I am Noman,” replied Odysseus, offering the giant more wine.

When the giant fell asleep, Odysseus directed his men to sharpen one end of a wooden beam that help up the cave’s ceiling. They charred one end of the beam in the fire. Suddenly they dashed at Polyphemus, puncturing his eye.

When the other Cyclops on the island heard Polyphemus’s shouts of pin, they came to the entrance of his cave and asked him what was wrong.

“Noman has hurt me,” Polyphemus cried, so the other Cyclops shrugged and left.

Then Polyphemus rolled the stone away from the cave’s entrance. He began to feel around the floor of his cave, hoping to catch the men in his giant hand as they rushed to escape. But Odysseus directed his men to tie themselves to the underside of the giant’s sheep, so all Polyphemus felt was his flock heading out to the pasture.

When Odysseus and his men were safely on their ship again, Odysseus called back to the Cyclops. “Cyclops, you should know that it was Odysseus who punished you for refusing to show hospitality as the gods demand.”

The giant roared a reply. “And you should know that my father is Poseidon, who will curse your seaward journey and keep you from your home as long as the gods will permit.”

The Cyclops’s curse was heard by Poseidon. And Odysseus’ return trip from Troy lasted 10 years, as long as the war itself.

Types of Greek Gov’t• Monarchy

– State ruled by a king– Rule is hereditary

• Aristocracy– State ruled by nobility– Rule is hereditary and based on family ties,

social rank, wealth

• Oligarchy– State ruled by a small group of citizens– Rule is based on wealth or ability

• Democracy– State ruled by all citizens– Rule is based on citizenship– Majority decides vote

Activity

• I will assign you to represent one of the four Greek gov’ts.

• Look over what your type of gov’t, what it believes in, who its ruled by, etc.

• Now, solve this dispute based on your gov’ts beliefs. – There is a wealthy nobleman named Phil and his poor

neighbor named Eric. – Eric claims the nobleman wants to take part of his land

to increase his own estate.– Phil says his expenses have increased and he needs

additional land.• Come up with a solution to this problem while

considering the following:– Who in each group has the power to make a decision

and what is the basis of that power?– Which side in the dispute are they likely to favor and

why?

Athens• The political, commercial,

and cultural center of Greek civilization.– Promoted art and learning

• Democracy– Gov’t in which all people

participate.

• Women were not given the same opportunities as men.

Sparta• The military leader of Greece

– Valued strength and discipline over freedom and individuality.

• Men were expected to serve in the army from the age of 7 to 60.

• Girls also received physical training and taught to put Sparta above everything else.

Persian War• Greeks defeated Persians at

Battle of Marathon– 6,000 Persians die vs 200

Athenians

• Thermopylae– 300 Spartans fight and

sacrifice their lives to save Greece.

• Xerxes was defeated at Salamis when his warships were sunk.

• Greek nationalism surged– Love/pride for your country

Reflection

• How did Greece influence American politics?

Honors Homework• After reading more about the Greek city-states of

Sparta and Athens, you will decided which city-state you would rather live in and explain why. Think about the different social roles in each city-state and decide which city-state would best suit your lifestyle. – Example: What if you were a teenage citizen girl, a

teenage citizen boy, a slave, a soldier, or a very wealthy citizen; in which city-state would you rather live? Why?

• Write a one page letter to a friend living in another ancient civilization and explain your lifestyle and why your glad to either live in Athens or Sparta.