Map Master
I am the large body of water that surrounds Greece to the south and was used as a "highway" for trade.
What is the Mediterranean Sea?
Because 80% of Greece is covered in these, it was very difficult for Greeks to travel by land.
What are mountains?
This city-state was famous for having the most powerful navy in the ancient world.
Who is Athens?
Because this city-state was located near the coast with a great harbor (Piraeus), it became a wealthy center for trade and the arts.
What is Athens?
Because Greeks couldn't easily travel by land, they became the best ______ in the ancient Mediterranean world.
What are sailors (or shipbuilders/mariners)?
This large, hand-shaped peninsula is home to the city of Sparta.
What is the Peloponnesian Peninsula?
The mountains acted as natural barriers, causing Greece to be divided into these independent local governments.
What are city-states (or Poleis)?
Because they lacked enough farmland to feed their growing population, Greeks traveled across the sea to start these "sister cities."
What are colonies?
Located inland on the Peloponnesian Peninsula, this city-state was surrounded by mountains and focused on land-based military power.
What is Sparta?
When a city-state ran out of food, they sent people across the Mediterranean Sea to claim new land. This process is called ______.
What is colonization?
Located to the north of the Greek city-states, this region eventually became the home of Philip II and Alexander the Great.
What is Macedonia?
Because the rocky terrain made large-scale farming difficult, Greeks focused on growing these two "liquid gold" crops that take up less space.
What are olives and grapes?
This term describes the exchange of goods and ideas between Greece and places like Egypt or Asia Minor.
What is maritime trade?
While Athens looked outward toward the sea, Sparta looked inward and used its geography to stay isolated. Which city-state was more likely to welcome foreign traders?
What is Athens?
How did the Mediterranean Sea act as a "cultural bridge" between Greece and the rest of the world?
It allowed for the exchange of ideas, such as the alphabet from the Phoenicians or architectural styles from Egypt.
To find this region (modern-day Turkey), a Greek sailor would have to head East across the Aegean Sea.
What is Asia Minor?
Explain how the mountains affected Greek unity. Did they see themselves as one big country or separate groups?
Separate groups; they were more loyal to their city-state than to "Greece" as a whole.
Besides goods like grain, what is one idea or cultural element the Greeks spread through their Mediterranean colonies?
What is the Greek alphabet (or religion/architecture)?
Explain how the Peloponnesian Peninsula’s geography helped Sparta stay protected from naval attacks.
It was mostly landlocked or had rugged coastlines that made it harder for a large fleet to stage an invasion compared to the open ports of Athens.
True or False: The mountainous terrain made it easy for a single King to rule all of Greece at once. Explain.
False; the mountains made communication and travel too difficult for one person to control everything, leading to independent city-states.
Point to the relative locations of Athens and Sparta. Which one is further north?
Athens is further north/east; Sparta is further south on the Peloponnese.
If you wanted to send a message from Athens to Sparta, why might you choose a boat over a horse?
The mountainous terrain made land travel slow, dangerous, and difficult compared to sea travel.
Describe the "Coastal Connection." Why were most major Greek cities built within 40 miles of the coast?
To have easy access to the sea for trade and food, since the inland mountains were too rugged.
If you were a merchant from Asia Minor looking to sell grain, which city-state would you visit first, and why?
Athens; because of its maritime focus and need for imported food due to poor local soil.
Why were most Greek colonies located on the coastlines of places like Asia Minor or Italy rather than deep inland?
To maintain a connection to their "mother city" via the sea and to ensure they could continue maritime trade.