Geogprahy of Ancient Greece

Geography Shapes Greek Life BACKGROUND:The civilization of ancient Greece flowered more than 2500 years ago but the ideas of the ancient Greeks continue to influence the way we live today. Greece is made up of a peninsulaand group of islands in southeastern Europe. A peninsula is a piece of land that is almost surrounded by water. The people of ancient Greece attempted to explain the world through the laws of nature. The ancient Greeks made important discoveries in science. They developed democracy, where people govern themselves rather than being ruled by a king. The Greeks also valued beauty and imagination. They wrote many stories and plays that continue to be performed today.The people of ancient Greece could not farm most of their mountainous, rocky land, so they became excellent sailors who traveled to distant lands. Greek sailors learned from many different cultures and spread their ideas to many lands far from their home. The Greeks learned the alphabet from the Phoenicians, a sea-faring people from modern day Syria and Lebanon.Ancient Greek geographers divided the world into regions we still use today. The lands west of Greece are still known as the western world, while the lands east of Greece are often referred to as the eastern world.A cradle is a small bed for an infant. Many of the ideas that flourished in the western world were “born” in ancient Greece. This is why Greece is often known as the Cradle of Western Civilization. Fill in the blanks using the text above Greece is made up of a peninsula which is a piece of land mostly surrounded by water. Greek people valued beauty and imagination. Greece is in the Alpine Region of Europe which means its covered with mountains. The Balkans mountain range made it difficult for Greek people to farm their mountainous, rocky land, so many of them became sailors. This allowed them to interact with the Phoenicians, who taught them how to use the alphabet to keep records. Today Greece is known as the cradle of Western Civilization because its where many ideas were born. Examin the map above. Which claim can be best supported with evidence from the map? Trade was not possible in the ancient Greek world. There was no way to get everything one might need in the ancient Greek world. Ancient Greeks had to rely on trade to get the goods they needed to survive. Ancient Greeks lived a life of complete luxury.