Overview:
About 2,500 years ago, Greece was one of the most important places in the ancient world. The Greeks were great thinkers, warriors, writers, actors, athletes, artists, architects and politicians.
The Greeks called themselves Hellenes and their land was Hellas. The name ‘Greeks’ was given to the people of Greece later by the Romans. They lived in mainland Greece and the Greek islands, but also in colonies scattered around the Mediterranean Sea. There were Greeks in Italy, Sicily, Turkey, North Africa, and as far west as France.
History;
People have been living in Greece for over 40,000 years. In about 1100 BC, Greece entered a Dark Age. It is known as a dark age because nobody knows much about what happened - all written language and art disappeared. In 800BC, almost 300 years after the Dark Age began, Greek civilization slowly emerged again. This period is known by historians as the Archaic period of Greek history. During this time, many of the cities in Greece were ruled by a king-like figure.
Around 480 BC, Greece entered a golden age which lasted for 200 years. The people built fantastic temples, made scientific discoveries, wrote plays and founded the first proper democracy. Historians call this period Classical Greece.
The final period of Greek history is known as the Hellenistic period. This lasted from 323 BC to 30 BC, when the Romans took control of Greece. The Romans didn't destroy Greek life, though. They respected the Greeks and copied many things about their culture, including their buildings, beliefs and clothes.
The Olympics:
For the ancient Greeks, the Olympic games existed since mythical times, but no definitive time of their inauguration can be identified with any certainty. The first Olympiad was held in 776 BCE, and this is the year that provides the first accurate chronology of Greek history.
They held very different events than we see today such as chariot racing, as originally they were festivities held in honour of the Olympian Zeus. Ancient Olympic Athletes competed nude. The city-states were often attacking one another and this presented problems for athletes traveling to the Games in far away Olympia, so a period of truce or ekecheiria was introduced.
Religion:
In Ancient Greek Mythology there were 12 main gods and goddesses known as the Olympian gods. These were said to live on Mount Olympus. The 12 Greek gods were: Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, Demeter, Athena, Apollo, Artemis, Ares, Hephaestus, Aphrodite, Hermes, and either Hestia or Dionysus. Hades is not included as one of the Olympian gods, as he was thought to dwell in the Underworld.
The Greek myths are filled with stories of the gods’ infidelity! Zeus sired countless children and demi-gods with gods, nymphs, titans, and mortals. His most famous half-human half-god children brought about by his affairs were Hercules and Perseus.
Interesting facts:
In Ancient Greece it is believed that a man called Pheidippides ran 26 miles from Marathon to Athens. He wanted to announce the news of the victory of the Battle of Marathon.
In a court case, they used large juries, sometimes up to 500 people! Court case verdicts were often reached by the majority, but because there were so many people, it wasn’t very fair.
Scientists argue that the Greeks invented the yo-yo. This was after they found a device which is very similar and dates back to 500 BC. It is believed that the yo-yo is the second oldest toy in the world.
The word “idiot” was derived from Ancient Greece in that period. At the time it referred to anyone who didn’t participate in politics.
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