Name: _______________________

An Introduction to Ancient Greece

Ancient Greece was not one large empire but a collection of smaller city-
states. The term the Greeks used was polis, which meant "city-state." A polis was
bigger than a city but smaller than a state. They were scattered throughout the
Mediterranean area. Some were sea-ports; others were more inland. Some of the
more famous city-states were Athens, Sparta, Corinth, Delphi, and Thebes.

Can you find some

of the more famous
city-states on the
map of Ancient
Greece?

Circle the
city-states.

Athens
Athens was the
birthplace of democracy, or
the idea that each person
could have a voice in what
laws were passed and who
made up the government.

Sparta
Sparta was a place of great
determination. The Spartans
believed in a strong army. All
Spartan boys were trained to be The Parthenon was built in
soldiers. When the Persians the 5th century BC in Athens. It is
invaded Greece, the other city- a temple to honor the Greek
goddess Athena and remains
states looked especially to Sparta
today as a symbol of Ancient
and its army to keep them safe. Greece and the beginning of
Athenian democracy.

Fun Fact:
The word “polis” means city-state. In modern times, the word is widely
used in the sense of ‘city’ and is found in the names of many American
cities. Can you think of a city with ‘polis’ in the name?
 Name: _______________________

Greek City-States
Ancient Greece was not a country with a single
government.Instead, ancient Greece was divided into hundreds
of independent city-states, or polises. These city-states usually
included a city, like Athens, and its surrounding countryside,
farms, and small villages. Each city state had its own
government, laws, and customs.
Though the Greek city-states were fiercely independent,
these city states did have many things in common. They
worshipped the same gods, they spoke the same language, and
they had the same cultural background. And in times of foreign
invasion (such as the Persian wars), they would band together
to fight a common enemy.
Most of the city-states were monarchies ruled by a king.
Some of the city-states were oligarchies ruled by the
powerful elite members of society. Athens had a very special
kind of government called democracy, which meant 'rule of the
people.' In Athenian democracy, people voted for the laws that
they wanted.

Answer in complete sentences.

1. What is a city-state?
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
2. How were city-states different from one another?
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
3. What did the city-states have in common?
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________

4. When did the city-states unite?

______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________

Fill in the chart: Types of Government

Democrac
Monarchy Oligarchy
y

Definition

Advantages

Disadvantages

Fun Fact: Most ancient Greeks were loyal to their own

city-state. If asked where they came from,
they would reply, "I am from Sparta," "I am a
citizen of Athens," or "I come from Thebes."
They would probably not say, "I am from
Greece."
How do you reply when someone ask where
you are from?
 Name: _______________________
The Greek City-States
Read the passage. Fill in the blanks with words from the word list.

voted agora gods polis philosophers city-states

acropolis arts government oligarchy army

Though everyone in ancient Greece spoke the same language
and worshipped the same______, Greece was not a united country.
Instead Greece was split into hundreds of _________, which were
small countries that included a city and the surrounding farmland.
The Greek word for a city-state is a ________________. A typical
polis had a marketplace called an _________ and a fortress on a high
hill called an _________.

Each city-state had its own form of _________ and system

of laws. Athens, for example, is known for its democratic
government where all citizens _________ to choose new leaders or
make new laws. Sparta, on the other hand, was ruled by an
_________, which consisted of two kings and a council of important
citizens. Each polis had very different beliefs.
Spartans believed in a strong ___________
and were trained to be soldiers. In contrast,
Athenians loved the ____________. Athens
produced many great _______________ and
writers.
Myron's Discobolus , meaning 'Discus Thrower', is one of
the most famous Classical Greek statues, held up as a
Fun Fact: masterpiece of Greek Art.
 Name: _______________________

Athens Democracy
Read the passage. Fill in the blanks with words from the word list.
assembly polis debates democracy
vote oligarchies pottery people

The system of democracy was introduced 2,500 years ago in

Athens, Greece. The Greek _________ of Athens was famous for its
government. Unlike most Greek city-states, which were ruled by
_________, monarchies or tyrants, Athens in the 5th century B.C. was a
_________, which means the rule of the _________.
In Athens, male citizens would gather in an _________ on a hill
and make new laws for the city. At the assembly, every Athenian
citizen had the right to speak his opinion. Citizens held public
_________ and speeches before laws were passed.

In Athenian democracy each male citizen also had a right to

_________. The citizens usually voted by having a show of hands. If
they needed a secret vote then they voted by scratching their
answers on a broken piece of _________.
Did you know?
The word Democracy comes from the Greek words: 'demos' and 'kratia', meaning
'the people rule'.
Fun Fact:
In ancient Athens, the worlds first
democracy, they had a process called
ostracism, where once a year the people
could vote on the politician they thought
was most destructive to the democratic
process. The “winner” was banished from
Athens for 10 years.
 Name: _______________________
Getting to Know Greek Geography
The Greeks lived on rocky, mountainous lands surrounded by
water. The mainland of Greece is a peninsula, an area of land
surrounded on three sides by water. The Greek peninsula is very
irregular. It’s one big peninsula made up of a series of smaller
peninsulas. In addition to the mainland, there are many islands.

Because mountains cover much of Greece, there are few flat

areas for farmland. People settled in those flat areas along the
coast and in river valleys. They lived in villages and towns separated
by mountains and seas.

Travel across the mountains and seas was difficult so

communities were isolated from one another. As a result, the people
created their own governments and ways of life.

1. Name the Island to the south of Greece. ______________________________________

2. Name the body of water to the south of Greece. ____________________________

3. Name the body of water to the west of the peninsula of Greece. _____________________

4. Name the Sea to the East of the Peninsula of Greece. ____________________________

 Getting to Know Greek Geography (cont.)
Read each statement and decide if it represents an effect of the
mountains or seas on Greece. Write mountain or sea on the line
provided.
6. There was little farmland.
___________________

7. A source of food was provided.

___________________

8. Villages and towns were separated from each other.

___________________

9. Greeks were able to trade with other civilizations.

___________________

10. Travel was difficult.

___________________

11. Transportation was made easier.

___________________

12. There was little contact between towns.

___________________

13. The Greeks were able to exchange ideas with other cultures.
___________________