Tools of the AAncientncient GGreeksreeks A Kid’s Guide to the History & Science of Life in Ancient Greece Build inventions, monuments, and works of art Meet explore the people 15 the history of whose ideas Hands-On Greek civilization changed Activities with hands-on the world activities learn how the discoveries of ancient Greece affect us today Kris Bordessa TOOLS OF THE ANCIENT GREEKS A Kid’s Guide to the History & Science of Life in Ancient Greece Build inventions, monuments, and works of art Meet Explore the people whose 15 the history of Greek ideas changed the Hands-On civilization with world Activities hands-on activities Learn how the discoveries of ancient Greece affect us today Kris Bordessa Other titles in the Tools of Discovery series: Tools of Navigation: A Kid’s Guide to the History and Science of Finding Your Way by Rachel Dickinson Tools of Timekeeping: A Kid’s Guide to the History and Science of Telling Time by Linda Formichelli and W. Eric Martin Tools of the Ancient Romans: A Kid’s Guide to the History and Science of Life in Ancient Rome by Rachel Dickinson Tools of Native Americans: A Kid’s Guide to the History and Culture of the First Americans by Kim Kavin Nomad Press A division of Nomad Communications 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Copyright © 2006 by Nomad Press All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review. The trademark “Nomad Press” and the Nomad Press logo are trademarks of Nomad Communications, Inc. Printed in the United States. ISBN: 0-9785037-1-6 Questions regarding the ordering of this book should be addressed to Independent Publishers Group 814 N. Franklin St. Chicago, IL 60610 www.ipgbook.com Nomad Press 2456 Christian St. White River Junction, VT 05001 www.nomadpress.net Contents Introduction .......................................................................... 1 Chapter 1: Ancient Greece and the Beginnings of Democracy ... 3 Chapter 2: Farming, Trade, and the Greek Way of Life ............ 19 Chapter 3: The Arts of the Ancient Greeks .............................. 37 Chapter 4: Greek Gods ......................................................... 55 Chapter 5: Sports and the Olympics ...................................... 69 Chapter 6: Philosophy .......................................................... 79 Chapter 7: Architecture ........................................................ 87 Chapter 8: Science, Math, and Medicine .............................. 101 Chapter 9: Mapping the World and the Stars ....................... 117 Chapter 10: Warfare in Ancient Greece ................................ 129 INTRODUCTION hen we look at the modern world and try to figure out why we live the way we do, we find ourselves turning again and again to a small nation in the Mediterranean Sea, and to events that took place there more than 2,000 years ago. Much of the world around us has been heavily influenced by people we now call ancient Greeks. If you find that hard to believe, just look to the sky. Our constel- lations go by names like Orion, Cassiopeia, Andromeda, and Perseus. Those names come directly from ancient Greek mythology. Even one of America’s space programs was named for the Greek god, Apollo. Some American cities sport Greek names—Athens, Geor- gia, is one and Homer, Alaska, is another. Some of our most famous buildings feature sweeping colonnades and imposing 1 Tools of the Ancient Greeks columns—elements that were prominent in ancient Greek architecture. The Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., is just one example: it was modeled after the Greek Parthenon. From our democratic society to our theater, and from our ar- chitecture to our names for constellations, ancient Greek cul- ture has influenced our lives today. When we measure, map, and mold the world, we use tools that were invented by the ancient Greeks. Even when we do something simple like argue or run a race, we have the ancient Greeks to thank for showing us how to do it best. Tools of the Ancient Greeks will take you through the intellectual triumphs and mechanical creations of this long-gone, but not-forgotten civilization and show how their world has influenced ours. Biology, astronomy, athletics, democracy, logic, and reason—the Greeks laid the groundwork in nearly every field of learning you can imag- ine. With this book you can follow in their footsteps. 2 CHAPTER Learn the names Explore ancient Compare the and stories of Greek philosophy ancient Greek gov- the ancient Greek and inventions ernment and way populations of life to your own 1 Ancient Greece and the Beginnings of Democracy hen we talk about ancient Greece, we are referring to the time period from about 800 BCE to 31 BCE. Those 800 years in an- cient Greece produced some amazing ideas, inventions, dis- coveries, and beliefs, many of which we use in our daily lives today. But before we focus solely on BCE? CE? those clever Greeks, let’s take a quick As you read, you will notice dates with the look at how ancient Greece evolved. letters BCE. This stands for Before Common Era. The beginning of the Common Era is The First Greeks marked by the birth of Jesus and begins Situated on the Aegean Sea, ancient with the year 1 followed by the letters CE. Greece is considered part of the Ae- Events that occurred prior to the first year gean world. The Aegean world in- of the Common Era are classified as Before cludes all of the civilizations in this Common Era. The years BCE may seem back- area. The Minoans were the first great ward, because as time passes, the years actu- ally become smaller in number. A child born civilization in the Aegean world. in 300 BCE, for instance, would celebrate his They lived a peaceful existence on or her 10th birthday in the year 290 BCE. the island of Crete, near mainland Think of it as a countdown to Common Era. Greece. Although much information 3 Tools of the Ancient Greeks about the Minoan civilization is lost to history, we do know that the Minoans lived on Crete for at least 750 years, and most historians think the first Minoans came from Asia. Archeologists have unearthed Minoan palaces with elegant rooms and elaborate wall paintings, Minoan. indicating that the Minoan culture was a wealthy one. One interesting discovery about Minoan culture is that they didn’t seem to have any military whatsoever. The Minoans traded with other populations throughout the Aegean world, including the Egyptians (they even appear in Egyptian art), but archeologists and histori- Mycenaean. 4 CHAPTER 1: Ancient Greece and the Beginning of Democracy ans can’t find any evidence that the Minoans had There weren’t any Greeks an army, or even soldiers. And although the Mino- in ancient Greece. That ans were the forerunners of ancient Greece, they term was given to the didn’t speak Greek. In fact, no one is sure what people of Greece genera- language the Minoans used to communicate. tions later by the Romans. Around 1450 BCE the island of Crete and the Mi- The people we now know noans fell under the power of the Mycenaeans, who as ancient Greeks called themselves Hellenes, after did speak Greek. The Mycenaeans lived on the main- Helen of Troy. Hellenic land of Greece, and their nation was called Mycenae. means Greek. They were excellent craftspeople: they built elaborate underground tombs, giant defensive walls, and the Lion Gate that still stands today. Like the Minoans, the Mycenaeans were traders. Wealth came to them through trade with other lands, such as Egypt and northern Europe. What language did They traded items such as animal skins Q: the Minoans speak? and oil for papyrus, a paper-like What language did the material made from Mycenaeans speak? plant fibers, and am- ber, a fossilized resin used in making jewelry. But unlike the peaceful Minoans, the Mycenaeans were a warlike people, always battle-ready. Not only did they defend their own people, they actually went looking for trouble. The most famous Mycenaean battle of all is one you’ll hear more about later: the battle of Troy in the Trojan War. The Trojan Horse. words to know archeologist: someone who studies the buildings, graves, tools, and other objects of people who lived in the past to learn about their culture 5 Tools of the Ancient Greeks Know Your Ancient Greeks Helen According to legend, Helen was the most beautiful woman in the world. She was the daughter of the Greek god, Zeus, and Leda, a mortal queen. Men came from all over ancient Greece hoping to marry the Spartan princess. Helen had to obey the wishes of her mortal father, Tyndarecus, and she mar- ried a man named Menelaus, king of Sparta. The goddess Aphrodite had other plans for Helen. Aphrodite was in debt to a man named Paris because he had chosen her as the most beautiful of three women in a contest. In payment, Aphrodite offered up the beautiful Helen to Paris, and made Paris so attractive that Helen wouldn’t be able to refuse him. While Menelaus was away, Paris charmed Helen. People debate whether Paris kidnapped Helen or she ran away with him, but in any case, Menelaus was not happy. When Paris and Helen reached Troy, they were married. Menelaus and his brother, Agamemnon, followed with an army of men to retrieve Helen. And that’s how the Trojan War began in about 1200 BCE. The mighty Mycenaeans fell under attack between 1200 and 1150 BCE. It isn’t known exactly what happened, but some historians be- lieve the Mycenaeans were attacked by the Dorian people from the north. In any case, in less than one hundred years, the Mycenaeans abandoned their civilization, and left few clues as to how they lived.