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Greek City-States

Early Greek Civilizations

Early Greek Civilizations Interactivity

Before the famous city-states of Athens and Sparta came to dominate the Greek landscape, several early civilizations lived on mainland Greece and the Greek island of Crete. Evidence of these civilizations has only been discovered in the past two hundred years. In this interactivity, you will examine information about the Minoans, the Myceneans, and the Greek Dark Ages. Click the player button to begin.

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Athens and Sparta

City-States Interactivity

You already learned Greece had a very mountainous interior that limited contact among communities early in the culture's development. This lead the Greeks to form independent city-states called poleis. Each polis had its own identity, government, coinage, patron god, and social and political structures. They formed around fertile land and other natural resources. Two major poleis in ancient Greece were Athens and Sparta. By comparing Athens and Sparta in this interactivity, you will better understand the types of differences among poleis. Click the player button to begin.

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eMediaVA iconAs you likely deduced, many Greek city-states emerged after the Dark Ages. In fact, some historians estimate there were upwards of 1,500 different communities, albeit most of them were small by modern standards. Take a moment to view the video, The Greek City-State, from eMediaVASM, to see how wealth, independence, accomplishments, and democracy spread throughout the city-states. What do you notice were some of the similarities and differences between the various city-states? How did democratic decision-making, free speech, and justice play a role in ancient Greece?

Greek City-States Review

Greek City-States Review Interactivity

review iconNow that you have examined information about Greek city-states, review your knowledge in this interactivity. Click the player button to get started.