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Home , Greek literature, Larisa (Argos), Minotaur, Mycenae, Tagus (title), Thermopylae

Early

THE (FROM ALPHA TO OMEGA)

POSEIDON’S ADVENTURES

Meet the Minoans, the Mycenaeans, and IN PARTNERSHIP WITH

Early_Greeks_FC.indd 1 3/8/17 4:55 PM 2 Mountains and Seas It is thousands of years ago. You’re sitting on a beach looking out at a crystal-blue sea. Suddenly, in the dis- tance, you see your father’s ship returning home. Your heart skips a beat. You can’t wait to see how many fish he’s caught. Or maybe he’s bringing back goods from a faraway land. You see islands on the horizon. Your father says there are thousands more you cannot even see. Maybe on one of the islands is a child looking your way, wondering what life is like for you on the ICELAND Skelleftea

mainland. And what about Archangelsk Nuuk FINLAND Reykjavik the mountains behind you? Ostersund Vaasa Torshavn Beyond the jagged peaksNORWAY are Syktyvkar Helsinki deep valleys that are homeOslo to Stockholm kids and their families, living Tallinn St. Petersburg Vologda Kirov ESTONIA Novgorod on farms. Chances are you’ll Jaroslavl Riga never meet them,DENMARK but you’re LATVIA Rostov Gorkiy Copenhagen LITHUANIA all Greek. You’reSunderland all part of Kaunas Moscow Kazan Minsk Dublin Gdansk Tol Yatti an ancient civilizationNETH. that Orol Kuybyshev IRELAND U. K. Berlin POLAND BELARUS Voronez will changeLondon the world forever. Warsaw Saratov Cork GERMANY Kiev BELGIUM Krakow LUX. Lviv CZECH Volgograd SLOVAKIA UKRAINE Loire 0 500 mi. Ri l IS LOCAT- ve r EUROPEAUSTRIA HUNGARY MOLDOVA Frunze ATLANTIC Nantes SWITZ. 0 500 km. SLOVENIA ROMANIA ED on the Balkan OCEAN FRANCE PoITALY River CROATIA Da ALPS nuBucharestb Peninsula in south- BOSNIA e River Krasnodar Toulouse ITALIANApennines PENINSULAAdriatic Sea Bayonne Pyrenees ConstantaBlack eastern . , , and parts E bro MONTENEGRO BULGARIA Sea IBERIANValladolid R Corsica GEORGIA(A peninsula is an of Turkey. The south- Porto ive Madrider r Rome area of land that is ern part of Greece’s gus Riv Barcelona ALBANIABALKAN Ankara ARMENIA AZERBAIJAN PORTUGAL Ta Tyrrhenian PENINSULAGREECE Asia almost complete- mainland is called SPAIN Sea TURKEY PENINSULA M e d i Aegean IzmirMinor Ponta Delgada Lisbon Sevilla t e r Ionian ly surrounded by the Peloponnesus. It r a Sicily Sea Adana n Sea water.) Greece is is connected to the Gibraltar Algiers Tunise Tehran a n Nicosia THRACE Black Sea TUNISIA SYRIAbordered byBakhtaran the rest of the mainland DONRabatIA Cyprus CasablancaACE Sea of LEBANON M Marmara Tripoli S Mediterranean,Baghdad Esfahanby the Isthmus of Mts.MOROCCO Ouargla e a ISRAEL ATLANTIC Mt. Olympus Aegean, and Ionian . (An isthmus Asia N IRAQ Basra Aegean Minor JORDAN Seas. is a strip of land that Canary Islands SeaALGERIA CairoN i Ionian W E l also colonized what connects two large e KUWAIT Sea AFRICASabhah Reggane R PELOPONNESUS iv Red are today southern pieces of land.) WESTERN EGYPTe LIBYA S r Sea Riyadh QATAR SAHARA Djanet Crete Al Jawf Aswan U. A. E. Makkah (Mecca) SAUDI ARABIA MAURITANIA Araouane Bilma Nouakchott NIGER MALI Khartoum ERITREA YEMEN SENEGALEarly_Greeks_2-3.indd 16 Asmara 3/8/17 4:56 PM Dakar Niamey CHAD Sanaa GAMBIA Bamako SUDAN BURKINA NIGERIA N’Djamena DJIBOUTI GUINEA BISSAU GUINEA BENIN Conakry GHANA Abuja Addis Abbaba SOMALIA IVORY TOGO Freetown Waw Georgetown COAST Porto Novo CENTRAL AFRICAN Paramaribo SIERRA LEONE ETHIOPIA Monrovia Lome CAMEROON REPUBLIC GUYANA FRENCH GUIANA Abidjan Accra SURINAME LIBERIA Malabo Bangui EQUATORIAL GUINEA Yaounde UGANDA SAO TOME & PRINCIPE REPUBLIC OF KENYA Mogadishu Libreville Kampala CONGO Sao Tome Nairobi GABON CONGO Manaus Belem RWANDA Fortaleza Brazzaville BURUNDI Kinshasa Sao Goncalo Kananga TANZANIA Recife Dar es Salaam Porto Velho Cachimbo Luanda Likasi Barreiras COMOROS BRAZIL Huambo Salvador ZAMBIA MALAWI Cuiaba Brasilia ANGOLA Lusaka Goiania NAMIBIA Harare Antananarivo Belo Horizonte OCEAN ZIMBABWE BOTSWANA Windhoek MADAGASCAR Campinas MOZAMBIQUE PARAGUAY Rio De Janeiro Walvis Bay Gaborone Sao Paulo Asuncion Curitiba Pretoria Maputo Tolanaro Luderitz Mbabane Bloemfontein ARGENTINA SWAZILAND Porto Alegre SOUTH AFRICA LESOTHO Rosario Umtata URUGUAY Cape Town Port Elizabeth Buenos Aires Montevideo

Comodoro Rivadavia 3

u GREECEISALSO islands and along trade, migration, u ONTHEMOUN- figs, grapes, and between mountain made up of thou- the coast of the and the sharing of TAINOUS mainland grain in the rocky villages was very sands of islands mainland became ideas, beliefs, and of Greece, people soil. They also difficult. This gave and islets. The great seafarers and customs. built communities raised goats and rise to individual early Greeks who fishers. Traveling in the valleys other livestock. city-states instead settled on the on the sea inspired and plains. They Communication, of a unified empire. cultivated , travel, and trade

d AS GREEKSOCIETY developed and the economy grew, so did job special- ization. Instead of making everything they needed to survive, many early r HARBORS, WHICH Greeks specialized are places along in one job – like the coast where fishing, selling ships can dock goods, making What would you safely, became very pottery, or acting – have liked to be in important – and to earn a living. ancient Greece? busy – in early Fisher? Potter? Greece. By the fifth parts of Africa, Storyteller? century BCE, the Asia, and parts of Shepherd? Actor? harbor of Piraeus, Europe – traded near Athens, goods there. It was became the busiest said that anything trading center in could be bought in the Mediterranean. Piraeus, including Merchants from all food, pottery, , the Greek islands spices, marble, – plus Egypt, other and more.

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THE MINOANS BUILT and trade to Early Civilization in Greece cities around government and lavish . entertainment. Crete is the largest of the Greek islands. In Everything hap- The largest was ancient times, it was home to two civilizations, pened at the built in 1700 BCE , from in the city the Minoans and the Mycenaeans. Imagine liv- religious worship of Knossos. ing on Crete so many years ago. . . . If you’re a Minoan, you might live near a palace with so many rooms and passageways, it’s like a maze. According to legend, King built the , or maze, to house the Minotaur. (That’s a mythical beast with the head and tail of a bull and the body of a man.) But that’s just a legend. Your life centers on the palace. It’s where your mom goes to the mar- ket, your dad discusses the news with friends, and your family attends sporting events. Like most Minoans, you love theater, art, and music. You dream of becoming an actor, or maybe you’ll be a great sailor, like your dad. Perhaps you’re a Mycenaean, whose family moved south to Crete from the Peloponnesus. Your family may be poor, but you’re happy living on your farm. You love to hear stories about great warrior kings like who, according to legend, fought in the .

u ANCIENT CRETE r THE MINOAN bustled with cities civilization began but it also had rich in 2000 BCE and farmland. In The was named after , the great the mythical king blind Greek Minos. According said Crete to Greek mythol- was a “handsome ogy, Minos was country, fertile, the son of the god thronged [crowded] and the with people. . . .”* goddess .

*Homer. . Robert Fagles, trans. Penguin Group, 1996.

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u THE fell in about 1450 BCE. Many say it was because of a Mycenaean inva- sion. Others blame a volcanic eruption, earthquake, or fire. Some believe it was a combination of all these events. u FROM ABOUT d SOME SAY THE 1450 BCE to 1100 Mycenaean civili- BCE, the Mycenaean zation fell because civilization ruled it was invaded by over Crete and the , a peo- the Peloponnesus. ple from northern Named after the Greece. Others city of Mycenae, blame economic Mycenaeans were troubles. There is a mostly peasants, theory that the Sea or poor farmers, Peoples, a myste- who were ruled rious band of naval over by warrior raiders, caused the kings. They were downfall. Whatever greatly influenced caused it, that col- by the Minoans. lapse started the They adopted Greek Dark Ages. many Minoan customs as their own. This cultural borrowing included sailing techniques, a system, and pottery styles. Because they spoke an early form of Greek, they’re called the first Greeks.

u THE MINOANS They developed a Try This! were great sailors system of writing Greek myths are and successful to keep track of filled with imag- traders. They trad- their trading inary creatures ed oil, wool, activities. Examples like the Minotaur. and pottery for of Minoan writing Draw or describe things like copper, still exist, but no your own mythi- tin, and gold from one has been cal beast. What is the Egyptians and able to translate its special power? Mesopotamians. them – yet.

Early_Greeks_4-5.indd 17 3/8/17 4:58 PM 6 r GREEKMYTHS, which are stories Legends and Myths about gods and heroes, explained A bard has come to town! You cheer when nature, , and you hear the news. Your friends gather humankind’s place in the world. Put around to hear the traveling storyteller sing, together, all the play music, and tell stories about gods, heroes, myths make up a and adventure. mythology. Each god and goddess Storytelling was a very important part of in early Greek life. Myths and legends were not ruled over only entertaining, they were also the basis of a different domain the Greek and taught valuable lessons. and had a unique They were passed down from generation to power. The most powerful Greek generation by word of mouth. From myths god was Zeus, the about the gods to fables and epic poems about god of thunder Greek history, these stories survived thousands and lightning. Zeus ruled over all the of years, through prosperity and the Dark Ages. other gods. They greatly influenced world culture, lan- guage, and literature – and they still do today.

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u HOMER WAS ONE OF the ancient world’s greatest . The and The Odyssey are two of the best-known epic poems, or long “No man or woman born, coward or poems about heroic brave, can shun his .”* deeds. Yet we know almost nothing — Homer, The Iliad about Homer. We *From Myths of Greece and Rome by H. A. Guerber. American Book Company, 1921. think he was blind, because the bard in u MANY GREEK The Odyssey cannot legends, or stories r THE TROJAN WAR see. Many believe about heroes or ended around the Homer was born in events passed time the Greek , in Asia Minor, down through the Dark Ages began. between 1200 BCE ages, were based From about 1100 and 700 BCE. Some on real events. The BCE to 750 BCE, think he’s just a Trojan War was trade and the arts legend; they believe an actual war in in Greece declined. the works were cre- 1200 BCE. It inspired Poverty increased, ated by a group of Homer to write his and cities were poets. Whatever the epic poems. The abandoned. Greeks truth is, thousands Odyssey tells the began migrating of verses of adventures a man from the mainland that we call Homer’s named to the islands in were passed down has on his ten-year search of a better by word of mouth journey home from life. Writing all but after he died. These the war. It includes disappeared. Greek epic poems helped the tale of the myths and legends define Greek iden- , a trick survived, thanks tity, and they have the Greeks used to to storytellers. d IF THERE WAS A er than bronze, from Cyprus or the influenced literature get into the walled bright spot in the which is made of . Iron led through the ages. city of Troy. Dark Ages, it was copper, tin, and to great changes in the introduction other metals. Most Greece, including of iron. Iron is likely, iron was first the beginning of stronger and hard- brought to Greece the Iron Age. Homer’s The Odyssey and The Iliad are great adventures filled with heroes and mythical beasts. Write your own adventure. It’s going to be epic!

Early_Greeks_6-7.indd 17 3/8/17 5:00 PM 8 d SOMEOFTHE than 20,000 an , or r INTHEEIGHTH greatest city-states people, Athens “city on a hill.” An century BCE, each included , was the largest. acropolis housed city-state was , and Corinth. Most city-states temples and gave ruled by an oli- As home to more centered around citizens a place to garchy, or small take shelter in case group of wealthy of attack. Beyond aristocrats. Many the acropolis were oligarchies found it houses, farms, and hard to share pow- an , or open- er. Some ambitious air market. The aristocrats wanted agora was to be the sole lead- , or sole Athens, overthrew the city-state’s er. By the seventh leaders who rule tyrants and created center of trading century BCE, many by force. In the fifth democracy, or rule and government. city-states were century BCE, some by the people. under the rule of city-states, like

new time – the age of the Greek , The Rise of Greek or city-state. If you’d been alive in Greece back then, you might have lived on a farm City-States on the mainland. Or perhaps you’d The myths and legends of ancient Greece have dwelt in a fishing village along the survived through a dark time that began coast. Maybe you’d have been at home after the Trojan War. Cities became in a city on an island. Wherever you empty, art almost disappeared, and there lived, your community would have were no books for hundreds of years. been part of a city-state. All city-states Then, around 750 BCE, the Greek Dark were independent and separated by Ages finally ended. It was the dawn of a from other city-states.

Early_Greeks_8-9.indd 16 3/8/17 5:02 PM 9 “Man is made by nature to l INA GREEK that ordinary people democracy, citizens helped make the live in a polis.”* were not subjects decisions for their of a monarchy or city-state. Greek *. Politics. Ernest Barker, trans. Oxford University Press, 1995. oligarchy. Male cit- democratic values izens over the age have survived l THE GREEK of 18 could vote over the centuries philosopher for their leaders, and greatly influ- Aristotle thought serve on juries, and enced modern it was natural for help make laws. democracies. people to live in Citizenship meant a polis, where free people were citizens.

u COMMERCE, OR r THEINTRODUCTION large-scale trade, of iron in the 700s flourished among BCE helped change the city-states. Greece forever. They traded goods Tools and weapons such as olive oil, made of iron were grain, wood, and stronger than those l INSEARCHOF country.) Greek pottery. They also made of bronze. more land and control over the traded weapons Strong iron tools resources, Greece colonies did not and tools made helped Greek farm- founded colonies last, but the influ- of iron. ers produce more in Europe, North ence of , food. More food Africa, and Asia customs, goods, meant more people. Minor. (A colony is and ideas is still More people meant a country, or area with us today. there was more of a country, that is competition for under the political resources and land. control of another

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Athena and According to Greek mythology, gods and goddesses competed to be the patrons, or protectors, of cities. Zeus’s daughter was the goddess of wisdom, justice, and war, among other things. Poseidon, Zeus’s brother, was the god of the sea, storms, earthquakes, destruction, and horses. In one myth, Athena and Poseidon both had their eyes on the same town. Poseidon tapped his trident, or three- pronged staff, against the ground and a spring appeared. The people of the town rejoiced and named him the winner. But when they tasted the water, they found that it was salt water. Then, Athena created an olive tree. People could harvest its wood for building or burning, and they could use its olives for food – or to make oil for cooking or for lighting lamps. The people rejoiced and chose Athena as their guardian. They named their city Athens in her honor. On the Acropolis in Athens stands the , a temple to Athena. Long ago, a huge statue of the goddess stood inside this impressive building.

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Early_Greeks_10-11.indd 17 3/8/17 5:03 PM 12 Greek Culture Although it was divided by mountains and seas, Greece was united in many ways. All Greeks used the same alphabet and loved hearing the same myths and legends. They had similar forms of government and customs. They worshipped Zeus, Poseidon, and all the same gods and goddesses. In 776 BCE, an amazing event happened that would help bring the city-states together – if only for a little while. It was the first Olympic Games, held in Olympia. Athletes from differ- ent city-states all over Greece gathered to compete. A Greek cheered for his or her home- town athletes, hoping they would bring honor to the polis.

THE GREEKS l FORTHEFIRST were united by a time, works like common religion, Homer’s epic which they learned poems, which had through myths. been kept alive Stories about gods u INTHE 700S alphabet was first by word of mouth, and goddesses BCE, the Greeks developed to help were finally written explained history developed their keep records of down. The Odyssey and nature, and own alphabet. It trades, laws, and and The Iliad are they were used to was inspired by taxes. Having a considered the teach important the Phoenician common written very first examples lessons. alphabet, which language helped of Western litera- used symbols to bring the city- ture. They are represent differ- states closer still taught in ent sounds. The together. schools today.

Early_Greeks_12-13.indd 16 3/8/17 5:06 PM 13 r THEFIRST OLYMPIC r CHILDRENIN Games were ded- ancient Greece icated to Zeus. learned their “Alpha, According to some Beta, Gamma’s.” myths, the games The were his idea. Other has 24 letters, from stories suggest alpha to omega. The the games were word “alphabet” held in memory of comes from the first Zeus’s battle with two Greek letters: Kronos, his father. alpha and beta. The The games cele- alphabet began brated the physical as a way to help abilities of male record trades and athletes, since only create other official men were allowed d FEMALE ATHLETES athletic, equestrian documents. It also to compete. The competed in their (horseback riding), enabled people to games also promot- own version of the musical, and dra- write down myths ed good feelings Olympics, which matic contests. and stories. Without between the com- were called the written versions of peting city-states. Heraean Games. great works like Even in ancient Named for , Homer’s Odyssey, times, the Olympics Zeus’s wife, these the fables of were held every four games included (Ee-sop), or the years. The Greeks Greek myths, these loved these big con- stories might have tests, and they held been lost forever. other, similar events all around Greece.

u WITHTHERISE of the city-states came the devel- opment of city militia, or part-time soldiers. These cit- izen soldiers were known as . They fought on foot with swords and spears and wore heavy bronze helmets and armor. Many city-states were called on like Athens had to fight. Places Using the Greek mandatory military like Sparta and alphabet shown service for men Thebes prided above, write the between the ages themselves on names of some of 18 and 20. having mighty, Greek cities or During wartime, well-trained people mentioned men up to age 60 militias. in this issue.

Early_Greeks_12-13.indd 17 3/8/17 5:06 PM 14 Sparta Imagine living in Sparta during the 400s BCE. Life is not easy. You’re expected to be a great athlete, a brave fighter, and a good citizen. You don’t have any luxu- ries. (In fact, today the word “spartan” means “having no comforts.”) Your father is a warrior, and your mother is just as strong. Legend has it that Spartans were descen- dants of powerful , son of Zeus. That’s what it means to be from Sparta, and you could not be more proud. Located inland on a fer- tile plain, Sparta was the most powerful city-state on the Peloponnesus. History tells us that Spartans were descendants of the Dorians, who came from north- ern Greece and invaded southern Greece and the Peloponnesus in about 1100 BCE.

l THE SPARTANS almost four to one. overtook much of Sparta was always the Peloponnesus. afraid that its hel- They turned the ots would revolt, u SPARTA WAS RULED an assembly, or people they con- or that other city- by two kings whose lawmaking group, quered into , states or nations powers were limit- made up of male or enslaved people might invade. That ed by a council of citizens. The assem- owned by the city- helps explain why elders. The elders bly elected five state. There were it made the military were recruited , or wealthy so many helots, central to every- from Sparta’s high- landowners who they outnumbered one’s life. est class, which handled the daily Spartan citizens by was called the job of governing. Spartiates. They The assembly was proposed laws important, but the that could then elders and ephors be approved by held the real power.

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u THE MAIN write, but most purpose of educa- of their time was tion in Sparta was spent wrestling, teaching girls and boxing, running, boys to be strong, and doing gym- loyal citizens of nastics. When they Sparta. Training had time to play, to be in Sparta’s Spartan children Bari military began at enjoyed board age seven for boys. games, ball games, All children were dolls, and toy taught to readThessaloniki and animals. d ATHENSAND Sparta weren’t Would you have GREECE that far apart geo- liked to live in graphically, but ancient Sparta? they were very far Why or why not? apart in their ideas. How does Spartan In Athens, thought life compare to a and discussion modern life like were important.Aegean yours? Sea Larisa Meanwhile, Sparta was all about phys- ical strength and pride in the military.

Thermopylae N W E AgrinionLOCRIS Thebes S ATTICAAthens Patrai Corinth Athens Argos Myrtoum Peloponnesus Sea Sparta Messene u WOMENWERENOT other city-states. They were also allowed to take Because Spartan expected to be part in the assem- men spent most of strong and healthy bly or council, but their time fighting so they could raise Spartan women or preparing for powerful Spartan had more pow- war, much of the boys. 0 50 mi. er and freedom daily business of than women in life fell to women. 0 50 km. Khania

Early_Greeks_14-15.indd 17 3/8/17 5:43 PM Crete 16 Athens Your days are spent playing in an olive A powerful city-state and trading center, orchard and learning to read and write. ancient Athens was located on the Aegean You enjoy listening to stories about clever Sea, at the crossroads of Europe, Asia animals and powerful gods. Your father is a Minor, and Africa. In the 600s BCE, Athens wealthy merchant who sails the seas. Your was also at a crossroads historically. Life mother takes care of you and your brothers would soon change for all Athenians, and and sisters, and she runs a busy household. the changes would influence the whole You are a child of Athens. world for thousands of years to come.

l IN 683 BCE, means “cruel” or l A LEADERNAMED , the Athenian Athens’s monarchy “severe.”) In 600 Solon came to leader and poet, is (rule by a single BCE, many Athenian power in 594 BCE. believed to have monarch) was farmers were in He made many said, “[Lawfulness] replaced by an such deep debt reforms, or chang- makes all things oligarchy. In 621 that they lost their es, to the laws of well ordered and BCE, a lawmaker farms. They had Athens. He can- fitted and often named Draco to sell themselves celed all debts and puts chains on the instituted Athens’s into slavery to sur- freed all Athenian unjust.” first written laws, vive. This caused citizens who had *From Egypt, Greece, and which were very great civil unrest sold themselves Rome: Civilizations of the harsh. (Today, the among the poor. into slavery. Ancient Mediterranean by Charles Freeman. Oxford word “draconian” University Press, 2014.

Early_Greeks_16-17_v2.indd 16 3/8/17 5:45 PM 17 r SOLON’SREFORMS man had one vote. allowed all male Decisions were citizens to attend made by majority the assemblies, rule. That means which elected that if more than leaders, passed 50 percent of the laws, and served voters approved an as juries. The rich- idea, it would win. er a man was, the Many of Solon’s higher the position reforms laid the in government he foundation for could hold. Every democracy.

r THE CHILDREN of Athens learned valuable lessons from Aesop’s Fables. Aesop was a storyteller whose fables about ani- mals taught morals like “never give up” and “kindness u EDUCATION WAS ical education, household. Many is king.” Aesop’s very important and the arts. A enslaved people Fables influenced in Athens. Boys boy learned his were educated, , and girls studied father’s trade. too; some became and people today writing, reading, Girls learned doctors and still enjoy the wis- arithmetic, phys- how to manage a teachers. dom they offer.

u INTHE 500S much of Asia Minor BCE, Athens and and the Babylonian other Greek city- Empire. Next, King states faced a Cambyses II con- growing threat quered all of Egypt. from the Persian Later, King Darius Empire, which I set his sights was centered in on conquering u THE PERSIANS In the 500s BCE, the league’s goal Peloponnesian Mesopotamia. all of Greece and even caused con- Sparta created a was to protect its League became By 539 BCE, the its valuable trade cern in Sparta, league, or a group member city-states a major fighting Persian king Cyrus routes, but his the most powerful of allies, called against Athens. force that would the Great (above) attempts failed. city-state on the the Peloponnesian Under Sparta’s help hold back had conquered Peloponnesus. League. At first, leadership, the the Persians.

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Think about life in Athens and Sparta. How were these city- states similar? How were they different? A Venn diagram, MAKE consisting of two overlapping circles, is a way to show the comparison. Use the information in this magazine to com- A VENN plete the diagram. Write Athens in the partial circle on the left and Sparta in the partial circle on the right. In the area DIAGRAM where the circles overlap, list the ways Athens and Sparta were alike. Then, describe unique characteristics of each city-state in the corresponding partial circle. These descrip- tions will show ways Athens and Sparta were different. CREATE A NEWSPAPER PAGE Suppose you’re a newspaper writer in Greece at the time of one of the transitions between forms of government. Your job is to write the front page of the newspaper, including an article announcing the governmental transi- tion, an article about one of Homer’s epics or an Aesop fable, and a weather report. Use the information in this magazine to pick the par- ticular governmental transition you will write about and the epic or fable. Draft your arti- cles and the weather report. Then, exchange with a classmate to give and receive feedback before producing your final article.

Early_Greeks_18-19.indd 18 3/8/17 5:47 PM 19 MAKE CONNECTIONS WITH THESE RELATED TITLES

Greece’s Golden Age Early Romans Long ago, the great thinkers, politicians, It began as a collection of farming may be long gone, but its and artists of ancient Greece came up villages and grew to become a city legacy lives on in the Western world in with many ideas and art forms we still that ruled over a vast empire. Along the just about every area of life. From the know today. From democracy to architec- way, a king was overthrown, a republic birth of law to major contributions in ture to science and more, the Golden Age begun, and a government of checks engineering and language, the Roman of Greece left a lasting mark on Western and balances created. Learn the details Empire’s influence endures today. civilization. How did a culture from 2,500 behind Rome’s early people and the years ago become so powerful? empire’s extraordinary place in history.

CALIFORNIA STANDARDS

HSS 6.4 Students analyze the geographic, political, economic, religious, and social structures of the early civilizations of Ancient Greece. 6.4.1 Discuss the connections between geography and the development of city-states in the region of the , including patterns of trade and com- merce among Greek city-states and within the wider LEARN Mediterranean region. 6.4.2 Trace the transition from tyranny and oligarchy to early democratic forms of MORE government and back to dictatorship in ancient Greece, including the significance of the invention of the idea of ONLINE! citizenship (e.g., from ’ Funeral Oration). 6.4.4 Explain the significance of Greek mythology to the every- day life of people in the region and how • Greece borders the • Gods and goddesses were continues to permeate our literature and language today, drawing from Greek mythology and epics, such Mediterranean Sea, which very popular subjects of as Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey, and from Aesop’s Fables. is surrounded by Europe, Greek art. Pottery, sculp- 6.4.5 Outline the founding, expansion, and political Asia Minor, and Africa. The ture, and frescoes (paintings organization of the Persian Empire. 6.4.6 Compare and Mediterranean supplied an on walls) all show figures contrast life in Athens and Sparta, with emphasis on abundance of fish to eat and scenes from Greek their roles in the Persian and Peloponnesian Wars. 6.4.8 Describe the enduring contributions of important Greek and sell. mythology. figures in the arts and sciences (e.g., , , , Aristotle, , ). • The is a group • There were about 1,500 of islands in the Aegean Greek city-states of all Sea. According to Greek sizes. Greece had 500 Historical and Social Sciences Analysis Skills: mythology, Poseidon, god of colonies, which were Research, Evidence, and Point of View the sea, was so angry at a home to almost 60,000 4. Students assess the credibility of primary and second- ary sources and draw sound conclusions from them. sisterhood of mermaids that Greek colonists. he turned them into islands.

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EDITOR: Jennifer Dixon FACT-CHECKER: David Stienecker ART DIRECTION: Brobel Design DESIGNERS: Ian Brown, Ed Gabel, AUTHOR: Emily Dodi David Ricculli, Jeremy Rech AUTHOR TEAM LEAD: Barak Zimmerman PHOTO RESEARCH: Ted Levine, Elisabeth Morgan, Sheila Sarmiento PRESIDENT AND CEO: Ted Levine ACTIVITIES WRITER: Marjorie Frank CHAIRMAN AND FOUNDER: Mark Levine PROOFREADER: Margaret Mittelbach

GRADE 6 TITLES Image: p.17 middle left (school scene); Ivy Close Images: p.17 middle right (“The Tortoise and the Hare”); ACTIVE MUSEUM: p.19 top center (Cincinnatus receiving the World’s Early People Ancient India ambassadors). Art Resource: Balage Balogh: pp.4–5 (Knossos Palace scene), p.5 middle (Knossos Palace); © RMN-Grand Palais: pp.10–11 (Athena and Poseidon); Universal Mesopotamia Indian Empires Images Group: p.15 bottom left (Spartan women). Bridgeman: Weatherstone, A.C.: Ancient China p.17 top (men voting in assembly). Getty: ©CORBIS/Corbis p.4 middle left (Crete); DEA / G. DAGLI ORTI: p.5 bottom right (ship procession); p.19 bottom (Akrotiri); Archaeology Early Romans Print Collector: p.5 top right (volcano); Universal History Archive: p.7 top left (Homer); Language Roman Empire Leemage: p.9 top left (Aristotle). Granger: Granger, NYC: p.13 bottom right (Hera); DeA Picture Library / Granger, NYC: p.13 bottom left (). iStock: Starcevic: p.3 Ancient Hebrews Christianity and Rome’s Legacies top right (Greek mountains and valley); BremecR: p.3 top left ( island); ZU_09: Early Greeks Olmec and Maya p.7 middle (scene from The Odyssey); Grafissimo: p.7 top right (scene fromThe Iliad); duncan1890: p.17 bottom right (). Shutterstock: Pokomeda: p.18 bottom Greece’s Golden Age Civil Rights (newspaper icon); vvoe: p.19 top right (Colosseum). Ancient Persia

ORIGINAL ILLUSTRATIONS: Brobel Design: Maps, p.2, p.15. ON THE COVER: Trojan horse scene from The Iliad. iStock: Grafissimo. Michael Kline Illustration: Cartoons, cover; Child Writing on Tablet, p.7; Oligarchy, PICTURE CREDITS: Alamy: North Wind Picture Archives: p.3 middle (Piraeus), p.6 bottom p.8; Sheep Herder Reading, p.12; Child Reading Tablet, p.12; Child Writing on Paper, (bard entertaining), p.12 (Athena); Lebrecht Music and Arts Photo Library: p.3 bottom p.13; Spartan Kings, p.14; Spartan Boys Wrestling, p.15; Make a Venn Diagram, p.18. (Greek craftsmen); bilwissedition Ltd. & Co. KG: p.4 bottom right (King Minos); Stefano Bianchetti: p.5 bottom right (); Valery Voennyy: p.5 middle right Wood Ronsaville Harlin, Inc.: Rob Wood: Boy Looking Out to Sea, pp.2–3; Agora, (Mycenaeans); Walker Art Library: p.6 top (Athena); PRISMA ARCHIVO: p.7 bottom pp.8–9. (iron tools), p.14 bottom (helots); FALKENSTEINFOTO: p.8 top (Acropolis), p.16 bottom right (Solon); INTERFOTO: p.9 top right (voting in assembly), p.9 middle right TEXT ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: (farmer), pp.14–15 (Spartans), p.16 bottom left (Draco), p.17 bottom left (Cyrus the Excerpt from a translation of “Eunomia makes all things well ordered…” by Oswyn Murray Great), p.19 top left (Aristotle teaching); Mary Evans Picture Library: p.9 bottom right taken from Egypt, Greece and Rome by Charles Freeman. Text copyright ©2014 by (Greek ship); Lanmas: p.13 top left (olympian); p.16 top (Athens landscape); Classic Charles Freeman. Reprinted by permission of Oxford University Press.

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