Mountains and Seas

1. Mountains and Seas

2. Do Now • Take out your vocabulary sheet and fact-finder

3. I. The Land of Greece • A. Present-day Greece is located in south-eastern Europe on the Balkan Peninsula. A peninsula is a stretch of land that is almost completely surrounded by water.

4. Balkan Peninsula

5. The Land of Greece • B. Greece’s southernmost tip reaches into the MediterraneanSea.To the west lie the Ionian Sea and the ItalianPeninsula while to the east is the AegeanSea. • C. The BalkanPeninsula curves south and east toward a part of Asia called AsiaMinor or “Little Asia.” Today, Asia Minor is part of the country of Turkey.

6. The Land of Greece • D. The Ionian and Aegean Seas almost separate the southern part of Greece from the rest of the mainland. Only a small strip of land called an isthmus connects them. The southern part of Greece is called the Peloponnesus.

7. Greece and Surrounding Area

8. Peloponnesus Region

9. The Land of Greece • E. Mountains cover nearly three-fourths of mainland Greece. The heavily forested PindusMountains run north and south through the center of Greece. Between the mountains lie narrow valleys and small plains. Because the region is so mountainous, much of the soil is thin and rocky.

10. Pindus Mountains

11. Soil in Crete

12. The Land of Greece • F. The jagged coastline of Greece is cut by many inlets and is surrounded by as many as 2,000 islands. These islands are also part of present-day Greece. The largest of the islands is Crete, located southeast of the Peloponnesus, in the Mediterranean. The early people of Greece also settled on these small islands, as well as along the coasts of northernAfrica, AsiaMinor, and what are now parts of Spain and Italy.

13. Map of Greece

14. Inlets

15. Crete

16. Greek Coastline

17. Greek Coastline 2

18. Greek Coastline 3

19. II. Life Among Mountains • A. The ancient Greeks settled in the narrow valleys among the mountains. As a result, the mountains separated settlements, and each community developed on its own. For many centuries, the mountains kept the people of Greece from uniting under one government.

20. Greece’s Mountains

21. Greek Mountains

22. Mount Olympus

23. Life Among Mountains • B. The rugged mountains made inland travel and trade difficult. To travel by land from one community to another, people had to hike through the mountains on dirtpaths. The rivers of Greece were of no use for travel because they often dried up.

24. Life Among Mountains • C. The mountainous land also affected agriculture. Only about 20 percent of the land is good for agriculture. Greece’s soil, for the most part, is poor and rocky, and its climate is dry. There is little flat land available for farming or raising large animals, such as cattle and horses.

25. Life Among Mountains • D. The ancient Greeks found ways to adapt to their rocky environment. They raised animals, such as sheep, goats, and pigs, which are fairly small and do not need large areas for grazing. From sheep and goats, the Greeks obtained wool, hides, and cheese. They ate very little meat, but when they did, they preferred pork.

26. Greek Soil

27. Goats, Sheep, and Pigs

28. Life Among Mountains • E. The early farmers made the most of the region’s dry climate and poor soil by planting crops well-suited to the area, such as barley, wheat, olives, and grapes. They ground the barley and the wheat into flour for baking breads and cakes, which they sweetened with honey.

29. Barley and Wheat

30. Greek Olives and Grapes

31. Life Among Mountains • G. They ate olives and crushed them to make olive oil for: 1. Cooking 2. Lamp Fuel 3. Bathing 4. Perfumes • H. They also ate grapes and pressed them together to make wine.

32. III. Life by the Seas • A. The seas surrounding Greece provided an abundance of fish and an easier way to travel than hiking across mountains. For these reasons, the ancient Greeks started most of their settlements near the coast.

33. Life by the Seas

34. Life by the Seas • B. The Greeks developed into a seafaring culture of: • 1. Fishers • 2. Sailors • 3. Traders

35. Life by the Seas • C. Greece has many fine natural harbors, or sheltered places with deep water close to shore. The ancient Greeks sailed close to the shoreline, from one harbor to another.

36. Greek Harbor

37. Life by the Seas • D. Through sea travel, people in coastal settlements had contact with one another. Over time, some people migrated from one coastalvillage to another, and others moved from the mainland to the surrounding islands. • E. In the process, the early Greeks exchanged ideas and religious beliefs.

38. Life by the Seas • F. The early fishers knew well the sea’s fearfulpower. Sailing was dangerous, especially in the winter, when the winds were strong and the waters rough.

39. Life by the Seas • G. According to the ancient Greeks, the god Poseidon ruled the seas and watched over sailors and their boats. The ancient Greeks believed that Poseidon expressed his moods through the sea. A terrible storm rocking the sea was a sign that Poseidon was angry.

40. Poseidon

41. Poseidon Side Note • According to Greek mythology, the god Poseidon ruled the seas; his brother Zeus, the skies; and his brother Hades, the underworld. Poseidon could also cause earthquakes with his trident. He was famous for his terrible temper, and in many stories he seeks revenge.

42. Temple of Poseidon

43. Life by the Seas • H. Despite the dangers of the sea, the Greeks depended on it for food and transportation. Sea travel also connected the Greeks with other cultures around the Mediterranean, resulting in an exchange of ideas and goods across great distances.

44. IV. Exchange and Trade • A. The success of early Greek farmers made exchange and trade possible. • B. Their discovery that olives, grapes, and grain could be grown in the dry climate and rocky soil of Greece was a powerful one.

45. Exchange and Trade • C. Not only could they produce a steady food supply, they could provide a surplus. The abundance of food supported a growing population in Greek lands. • D. In time, farmers improved their tools and techniques. • E. Not everyone was busy working in the fields or helping herd goats, sheep, and pigs. Some people began to specialize in new jobs.

46. Exchange and Trade • F. Craftworkers fashioned 1. Tools 2. Containers 3. Clothing 4. Decorative Objects

47. Exchange and Trade • G. They crafted these from natural resources such as 1. Wood 2. Clay 3. Bone 4. Wool 5. Stone 6. Metal

48. Exchange and Trade • H. Weavers, metalworkers, and potters did not grow their own food. Instead, they exchanged their goods with farmers for food. • I. Olives and grapes could also be made into valuable products as oliveoil and wine. Both products required new storage jars. Potters devoted much of their time to making storagejars from clay.

49. Exchange and Trade • J. To get the goods and resources they lacked or desired, the ancient Greeks began to trade with other groups of people in the Mediterranean. For example, Greek farmers could grow barley and wheat, but they had less success in growing wheat, which made tastier bread. Over time, this led the ancient Greeks to import wheat from other places. • K. In exchange, the early Greeks exported their own goods. These goods included wine, olive oil , pottery, and wood.

50. Exchange and Trade • L. Trade resulted in an exchange of ideas, too. The sharing of ideas between cultures was an important means of technological and cultural change. For instance, using a process they learned from civilizations in southwesternAsia, the people of early Greece mixed copper and tin to make bronze. • M. They then made weapons, tools, and bowls from their new metal.