The New Childrens Encyclopedia

190

Greeks and...

The ancient Greeks had one of the

most advanced ancient civilizations.

Historians know much about them from

their writings, artifacts, and the influence

of their culture on other nations.

ATHEN’S ACROPOLIS

The best-known acropolis

was built in the

city-state of Athens.

 PARTHENON A huge

statue of Athena, the city’s

goddess, stood inside this large

temple—the most important

building on the acropolis.

431–404 BCE

The Peloponnesian

War between the

rival city-states of

Athens and Sparta

and their allies

involved almost all

the Greek world.

1250 BCE 492–449 BCE 334–323 BCE

TIMELINE

After a 50-year war,

the Greek city-states

succeeded in

defeating an

invading

Persian army.

The early Greeks

and the people of

Troy fought a

legendary

ten-year war.

Alexander the

Great expanded

the Greek

Empire across

Persia.

O
 The Greeks formed a collection of

independent city-states.

O
 When a city needed to expand, they

set up a new colony city around the

Mediterranean Sea.

O
 The Greeks invented the democratic

system in which people voted for their

leader. However, only free men could vote.

GREEK POLITICS

Alexander the Great’s empire

King Alexander III (356-323 BCE), who ruled

over the Greek city-states from 336 BCE, led a

12-year-long military campaign, enlarging the

ancient Greek Empire. He conquered the

Persian Empire, Syria, and Egypt, and

continued east as far as India.

O Site: An acropolis is an area

of a city sited on high ground

as a home for the city’s god.

O Buildings: The main

public and religious buildings

were built on the acropolis.

O Date: The buildings seen

today on the acropolis in

Athens were mostly built in

the mid-5th century BCE.

AN ACROPOLIS

The propylaia

was the gateway

to the acropolis.

EGYPT

PERSIA

GREECE

SYRIA

HISTORY AND POLITICS