Guide to Ancient Greece

The Ancient Greeks lived around 3,500 years ago their legacy shapes the world we live in
today. For some people, life in Greece was good, and many lived in busy towns and cities.
They build many temples and very important building that all stood on hills. You will learn
about daily life and how they tried to make sense of the world with Philosophy. We hope you
have fun learning about this wonderful topic and time in history.
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Greek Art
Ancient Greek culture was full of different types of art. Ancient Greeks decorated almost every part of
their lives, from their buildings and city streets to the inside of their homes, many objects in Greek life
were created
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Greek History
Greek history is an interesting look at a wonderful era of human invention, philosophy, art and
architecture. The earliest civilizations in Greece were in two different areas: on the island of Crete and on
the mainland of Greece.
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Greek Daily Life

The daily life of an ancient Greek was very similar to our lives today. Of course, ancient Greeks did not
have smart phones, computers, televisions, or electricity. But they lived in highly organized cities
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Greek Literature
The art of writing was lost to Greece from around 1200 BC, and for nearly 500 years Greece entered an
age of illiteracy. But around 750 BC, Grecian traders came into contact with Phoenicians, who used a
script called an alphabet.
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Greek Science

In the Hellenistic Age of Ancient Greece, science became a major topic of study. The Hellenistic Age of
Greece was a time when Greek culture spread throughout Persia and North Africa, including Egypt.
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Greek Philosophy
One of the most unique and wonderful of Greek inventions was philosophy. Philosophy was the special
way Greeks attempted to make sense out of the world, in a non-religious way. This means that rather
than using myths
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Greek Architecture

Architecture is the art of designing and creating buildings. Greek architecture is a very specific and
influential type of design, which was based off of the post-and-lintel system. The post-and-lintel system
is made up of columns.

Socrates
Socrates was a famous ancient Greek philosopher but he didn't seem to write much because there are no
records.

Greek Gods
Learn all about the Greek God and the different powers abilities they had. Zeus was the King of the Gods
and threw lighting like a spear. Aphrodite was the goddess of love and beauty and was married to
Hephaestus. Apollo was a God who love music but also drove a chariot drawn by swans.
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The Acropolis
Greece is a country with many mountains, and cities were often built on rocky outcroppings to be better
able to defend themselves.
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Greek Alphabet
For thousands of years, humans wrote without any letters. They simply drew pictures to make their
point. You didn’t have to know a certain language to understand these pictures.
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Greek Dance
The Greeks believed in enjoying life. One of the things that made life enjoyable for them was music and
dance.

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Greek Education
The Greeks loved to learn! They believed that learning was one of the best ways you could spend your
time. They didn’t see going to school as a chore at all.
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Greek Food
Finding a great meal in ancient Greece would have been very easy. They ate a variety of delicious dishes,
some of which are still around today.
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Greek Games
Just like children of today, children in ancient Greece enjoyed playing a variety of games.
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Greek Pets

The Greeks loved their pets, especially dogs! Like most modern societies, dogs were the most common
pet in ancient Greece.
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Greek Toys
Just like children of today, children in ancient Greece loved to play with a variety of toys. Archaeologists
have uncovered all sorts of toys at sites in Greece.
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Greek Clothing
The ancient Greeks weren’t terribly interested in fashion! The clothing they wore was simple and was
made to serve a purpose.
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Greek Slavery

The ancient Greeks loved their democracy. They were also proud of themselves for being very civilized
people.
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Alexander the Great

The ancient kingdom of northern Greece was called Macedonia. This powerful empire was ruled by
Alexander’s father, King Philip II.
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Ancient Greek Women

The lives of women in Ancient Greece were very different from women in modern countries today.
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The Dorians

According to Greek legends, the ancient people called the Dorians were named after a district in the
center of Greece.
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Greek Weddings

In Ancient Greece, around 400 B.C.E., young girls were given in marriage as soon as they reached
puberty, about the age of 12 or 13.
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Greek Children
There weren’t any words in the language of the ancient Greeks that had the same meaning as the word
“family.” The closest word to family is the word “oikos,” which means household.
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Greek Men
Free men had most of the rights in the culture of Ancient Greece. Male slaves, women, and children were
not considered to be citizens.
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Greek Theatre

The English words for tragedy and comedy come from the language of the Ancient Greeks. Although the
Greeks were not the first to perform plays, they were very interested in the origins of tragedy and
comedy.
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Greek Home
The architecture of Greek houses in ancient times was designed to keep their residents cool during the
hot summers and keep them warm in winter.
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Ancient Greek Olympics

In 776 B.C.E, about three thousand years ago, the first Olympic Games took place. Originally, the games
were part of a religious festival to honor Zeus.
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Law in Ancient Greece

From 1200-900 B.C.E, the Ancient Greeks had no official court system. During this time period, if you
committed a murder, you would most likely be killed by the members of the victim’s family.