Ancient Greece was divided into many city-states because of its geography. Ancient Greek government evolved slowly. Before 800 BC, kings ruled Greece. Some kings built large palaces. The Acropolis was built by a king. Sparta had two kings, unlike other city -states that had only one. Usually the kings in Sparta were brothers or cousins. Kingship ended in the Dark Ages, except for Sparta.
Aristocracy was started by a small clique of wealthy families. They ran the government.
In Athens in about 500 BC, democracy began. Men gathered to vote on things of importance.
Jurymen, officials and council members were elected into positions in government.Voting was the way the Athenians chose their governments way of running things.
Tyrants were people who ruled any way they wanted and they took power by force. There was a wise saying "power corrupts" meaning too much power is a bad thing. Between 600 BCE and 500 BCE the most important city-states were ruled by tyrants.
There were no lawyers in ancient Greece, an orator was able to state your case if you couldn't.
Aside from kings in Sparta there were 5 other officials called ephors (F-ers).
Thursday, April 9, 2009
ENTERTAINMENT
Kids played with toys in ancient Greece, they had toys like dolls and wooden horses. They also played many games. Story telling played a great role in ancient Greek entertainment. They also enjoyed poems.
Theater started in the classical period. Theatres were built outside.The Athenians loved theater and held regular competitive festivals. Tragedy was thought of as a high art form with its mythical tales retelling the fall down of a hero. Painted back drops and elaborate costumes were what the Greeks used in theater. Public entertainers were people who performed on the streets. Entertainment was both mild and vicious.
Two of the ancient Greek instruments were the lyre and flute. The double flute was made of 2 pipes with holes. The lyre was a hand held harp.
At a symposium they would dance or they would tell stories. An Iliad was a poem acting the final year of the Trojan war. The Odyssey was a poem from the famous poet Homer.
In ancient Greece there were 2 main types of entertainment, track and field and theater. The ancient Greeks also liked giving parties, hunting and fishing. They used pipes,harps and other hand made instruments.
Theater started in the classical period. Theatres were built outside.The Athenians loved theater and held regular competitive festivals. Tragedy was thought of as a high art form with its mythical tales retelling the fall down of a hero. Painted back drops and elaborate costumes were what the Greeks used in theater. Public entertainers were people who performed on the streets. Entertainment was both mild and vicious.
Two of the ancient Greek instruments were the lyre and flute. The double flute was made of 2 pipes with holes. The lyre was a hand held harp.
At a symposium they would dance or they would tell stories. An Iliad was a poem acting the final year of the Trojan war. The Odyssey was a poem from the famous poet Homer.
In ancient Greece there were 2 main types of entertainment, track and field and theater. The ancient Greeks also liked giving parties, hunting and fishing. They used pipes,harps and other hand made instruments.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
