Ancient

Greece
The Complete Guide to

The Arts

The Parthenon:

The Parthenon was a temple to Athena built on the Acropolis, and the
sculptures built inside is considered the height of Ancient Greek art. The
Parthenon is a symbol of Ancient Greece and is a must see for anyone
visiting.

Minoan Art:

Minoan Art dates back to 1900 B.C, and is one of the earliest examples of
greek art. Minoan paintings are painted in the egyptian profile, but unlike
other mediterranean cultures, Minoans painted on wet plaster. This allowed

for brighter color, but paintings had to be completed before the plaster
dried. This resulted in more fluid paintings, unique to Minoan art.

Map

Geography:

Greece is very mountainous. So much so that 80% of Greece has hills or

mountains. Greece also has around 6,000 islands. Greece has a mediterranean
climate, meaning gentle winters and hot summers.

Athenian Empire:

The Athenian Empire, or Delian League was a league of around 150 greek
cities founded in 478 B.C. It was formed to defend against Persia. It was
led by Athens, but due to their oppressive and controlling leadership the
Peloponnesian War broke out, which led to the led of the league.

Athens:

Athens was the leading power in Greece after 480 B.C. The city of Athens
was the center of greek culture, philosophy, arts and education until the
Macedonian conquest of Athens in 340 B.C.

Time Periods

Mycenaean Greece:

The Mycenaean time period occurred at around 1600 B.C. The Mycenaeans had a
highly militarized society, and they conquered Greece all the way to Crete,
thereby ending the dominance of Minoan culture. Society was controlled by a
warrior aristocracy.

The Dark Ages:

From 1200 B.C to 1000 B.C Mycenaean Greece was ravaged by unknown forces.
Following the collapse of the Mycenaeans came the collapse of Greek
culture. The the Mycenaean language was forgotten, monuments were not built
and art became much more simplistic. Many towns and cities were abandoned.
Greece eventually recovered, and by the 8th century a new Greek language
was invented which brought the Dark Ages to a close.

Mythology

Orpheus:

Orpheus was a musician from Greek mythology who could charm anything and
anyone with his beautiful jams. He even charmed Hades to bring his wife
back from the dead, but it didnt really work out.

Electra:
Electra was a character from the greek tragedy Electra by Sophocles. In
the tragedy, her father Agamemnon was murdered by her mother after he
arrived home from the Trojan War. Then, Electra and her brother Orestes
killed her mother and her step-father in revenge.

People

Alexander the Great:

Alexander the Great was a legendary Greek General. He was born in 356 B.C,
and at the age of 20, assembled armies which under his leadership conquered
all the way to India. He defeated the Persians and founded Greek cities all
through Mesopotamia and Egypt. At the age of 32 he was poisoned and died.

Homer:

Homer was a famous greek poet who was born between 850 and ll02 B.C. He is
called The Teacher of all Greece by Plato. His most famous works include
the Iliad and the Odyssey.

Wars
Ionian Revolt:

The Ionian Revolt was a revolt of the Greek cities in Asia Minor. In lasted
from 499 B.C to 493 B.C. The cities were trying to gain independence from
the tyrannical rule of the Persian lt.
Empire. They were successful until 494 B.C, when the Persians recovered
from their defeats and crushed the revolt. The Ionian Revolt would lead to
the first Persian invasion of Greece as the Persians wanted to punish
Athens and other Greek states for supporting the revolt.

Peloponnesian War:

The Peloponnesian War was a war between the Athenian Empire and Sparta with
their allies in the Peloponnesian League. The power of Athens threatened
Sparta, and the heavy-handed rule that Athens held over the Delian League
aggravated them. Relations between Sparta and Athens became very hostile.
War began in 431 B.C. After a brutal and horrific conflict, Sparta and her
allies were victorious. Athens was reduced to a shadow of its former self
and the golden age of Greece came to a close.

Culture & Society

Ancient Greek Language:

Greek language has changed drastically throughout the years. The ancient
Mycenaeans had their own dialect, found on the script Linear B. After the
dark ages of Greece, Ionic became the main dialect in Greece. The rise in
power of Athens in the 5th century B.C caused the Athenian dialect; Attic
to become the main language spoken in Greece. When Alexander the Great
conquered his Empire, he created a new dialect of Greek which was a
combination of many different dialects. This new dialect was called Koine
Greek, and it became the common language of all Greeks.

Ancient Greek Clothing

Ancient Greeks usually wore uncut white cloth, fastened with elaborate
buttons and fasteners. There day to day outfits included an undergarment
and a cloak. The undergarments, called chiton and peplos. They were pieces
of cloth worn over the shoulders that came down to the ankles or the knees
and were held at the waist by a belt. The Himation was a cloak worn over
the undergarments. It served as protection from cold weather. Most Greeks
wore sandals, slippers or boots.

Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greece#Geography_and_climate
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greek_Dark_Ages
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mycenaean_Greece
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Greece#Mycenaean_civilization
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Athens#Classical_Athens
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Delian_League&redirect=no
http://www.greek-gods.info/ancient-greece/images/ancientgreece.jpg
http://cdn.c.photoshelter.com/img-get/I0000mJmSRYvF5I8/s/750/750/01GRE-16-1
3-bull-jumping-Minoan-art-copy.jpg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c5/Pegasus_(PSF).png
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:The_Parthenon_in_Athens.jpg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parthenon

http://mediad.publicbroadcasting.net/p/kufm/files/201402/orpheus2.gif
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orpheus#Death_of_Eurydice
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electra
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x500.jpg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iliad
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,w_300/MTE4MDAzNDEwNTU4NjgyNjM4.jpg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homer
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peloponnesian_War#Prelude
http://s1.hubimg.com/u/5273802_f520.jpg
http://www.ancientgreece.com/s/AncientGreekLanguage/
http://pittkyle123.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/greek-alphabet.jpg