Ancient Greece

The Society

• Regions of Ancient Greece: The Peloponnese ; Central Greece; Northern Greece; the Islands .

• Ancient Greece had hot, dry summers and mild, wet winters. 

Culture

• The Greeks made important contributions to philosophy, mathematics, astronomy, and medicine.

• 98% of the Greeks are Christian Orthodox. The rest of the population are Muslims, Roman Catholics, and Jewish.

Food

• Wheat and barley were the most important crops and mist people ate porridge and bread. 

• Olives and grapes were also important. Olives were pressed to make oil and grapes were pressed to make wine.

• Coriander, sesame and honey were often used to add taste, but not sugar because they didn't have any.

•  Farmers kept pigs and poultry for their meat and sheep and goats for their milk.

Key Inventions

• The alarm clock is one of today’s most commonly used gadgets, and it also originates from ancient Greece. The first of alarms used by ancient Greeks were nothing like the ones today. They used an integrated mechanism to time the alarm.

• The modern Olympics are one of the greatest spectacles of sport. But when Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of the international Olympic committee started the first modern Olympics in 1896, he was extensively inspired by the ancient Olympics that used to be held in ancient Greece more than 2700 years ago.

• Archeologists have found cranes in ancient Greece dating to the late 6th century B.C., making them another important ancient Greek invention.