Ancient Greece The Early History of Greece

People first moved into what is now Greece about 4000 years ago. They came in groups and settled together in tribes. These tribes developed separate towns called city-states. The city-states developed because of Greece's geography. Greece is very mountainous with many isolated valleys. It also has many islands. These tribes built towns on the hills. In the valleys the people grew crops. They kept their animals on the hills. On top of the tallest hill in each city-state the Greeks built a collection of buildings called an acropolis. The acropolis was used for three things:

• religious festivals

• banks

• a fortress

Each city-state had its own laws and government. There were over 100 city-states in Ancient Greece. These city-states could not get along with each other. They were often fighting with one another. Some of the more prominent ones were:

City-States

Sparta
known for excellent soldiers

 

Acropolis at Sunset

Athens
known for educating in arts and sciences

 

Temple of Apollo

Corinth
known for its bronze statues, pottery, and vase painters

The Heraion of Argos

Argos
famous for musicians and poets

Megara

Megara
known for textiles

Government

These city-states had three kinds of government:

• tyrant -  dictator

• democracy - the people voted for their leaders and laws

• aristocrats - leading families

Some city-states changed the kind of government from one type to another.

Click the images to go to the individual pages.

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