9781422283400

CHAPTER 1

A PEEK AT THE GREEKS T he Greeks were on top of the European world from around 600 to 200 bc . Western society owes a lot to them. The Greeks had pride in their cities, soldiers, arts and crafts, poems and plays, thinkers, scientists, and politicians. They pitied people who were not Greeks and felt that everyone else was uncivilized. Greece was divided into many city-states, which were cities with farms

and countryside around them. All city-states were fierce rivals , and their citizens loved to call each other names. Athenians were smug and bossy, Spartans were cheats and liars, Corinthians were soft, and Thebans were traitors, which was the worst insult of all. The biggest rivalry was probably between Athens, the strongest naval power, and the Spartans, the strongest land power.

Watch this video for a brief history of ancient Greece.

Chapter 1: A PEEK AT THE GREEKS 7