Greece by Jennifer Estabrooks

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1 Long Ago in Greece by Jennifer Estabrooks HOUGHTON MIFFLIN HarcOUrt

2 Long Ago in Greece by Jennifer Estabrooks PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS: Cover Alamy Images; 1 The Art Gallery Collection/Alamy; 3 Arco Images GmbH/Alamy; 4 Artville/Getty Images; 5 Photomax/Alamy; 6 Ancient Art & Architecture Collection Ltd/Alamy; 7 Jon Arnold Images Ltd/Alamy; 8 Robert Harding World Imagery/Alamy; 9 Marka/Alamy; 10 Ace Stock Limited/Alamy; 11 The Art Gallery Collection/Alamy; 12 Hemis/Alamy. Copyright by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying or recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the copyright owner unless such copying is expressly permitted by federal copyright law. Requests for permission to make copies of any part of the work should be addressed to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company, Attn: Contracts, Copyrights, and Licensing, 9400 South Park Center Loop, Orlando, Florida Printed in the U.S.A. ISBN: XXXX A B C D E F G If you have received these materials as examination copies free of charge, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company retains title to the materials and they may not be resold. Resale of examination copies is strictly prohibited. Possession of this publication in print format does not entitle users to convert this publication, or any portion of it, into electronic format.

3 Table of Contents A Trip Back in Time Where in the World Is Greece? Greek Myths Greek Buildings The Greek Olympics Greek Dramas From Long Ago to Today

4 Tourists visit the ancient ruins at Delphi. A Trip Back in Time Visiting the small country of Greece can be like traveling back in time. There you are surrounded by reminders of what life was like thousands of years ago. The ways of the ancient Greeks live on today. Many parts of our modern culture have been influenced by Greek literature, buildings, sports, and entertainment. 3

5 Greece sits between what are now the countries of Italy and Turkey. Where in the World Is Greece? Greece is located in southeastern Europe. It is composed of a mainland and more than 2,000 islands scattered throughout several large bodies of water. The land is very dry and mountainous. People have lived and built cities on the mainland for thousands of years. 4

6 Greek Myths Long ago, life in Greece centered on the belief that powerful gods and goddesses lived on Mount Olympus and watched over the people. The Greeks devised stories about these beings called myths. Many myths explain how some things in nature came to be. According to one Greek myth, the god Zeus controlled the sky and the weather. When Zeus became angry with his enemies, he glared at them and hurled thunderbolts at them. The ancient Greeks believed this caused thunder and lightning during a storm. Zeus was considered the father of all gods and humans. 5

7 Zeus s brother, Hades (HAY-deez), boasted that he had acquired all the valuable stones and metal on Earth. He kept them deep inside the Earth, which is why some stones and metal can be found underground. Today, stories of these gods and goddesses still fascinate us. Movies, books, graphic novels, and even video games continue to retell Greek myths. The god Hades is shown in this drawing from an ancient Greek plate. 6

8 The Parthenon took about fifteen years to build. Greek Buildings Any tourist in Greece today can still see the remains of temples that are more than 2,000 years old. The resourceful ancient Greeks constructed the temples out of marble, a rock that is plentiful in Greece and lasts a long time. The Greeks built temples to honor their gods and goddesses. One of the most famous temples is the Parthenon in the city of Athens, which was dedicated to the goddess Athena. 7

9 Greek temples were known for their thick, vertical columns. This style has been copied in buildings all over the world, even into modern times. Many of the famous buildings and memorials in Washington, D.C., have columns like a Greek temple. The Capitol building in Washington, D.C., is the home of the United States Congress. 8

10 The ancient Greek town of Olympia was the site of the original Olympic Games. The Greek Olympics The ancient Greeks loved sporting events. In fact, they started the Olympic Games more than 2,700 years ago. The first games took place on the plains of Olympia. The Olympic games were very important to the entire country. If Greece was at war, peace would be declared and the fighting ceased in Olympia so that soldiers could travel to and from the games there. 9

11 Only men were allowed to compete in the Olympics. No one had to be coerced into entering the games because Olympic athletes were treated like heroes when they returned home. The early Olympics featured some of the same events we have today: running, boxing, wrestling, long jumping, and javelin throwing. One of the most unusual races involved men wearing heavy armor and carrying shields. 10 Discus throwing was another sporting event enjoyed by the ancient Greeks.

12 A team of four horses pulls a chariot in this scene painted on an ancient vase. A popular but extremely dangerous event was chariot racing. In this sport, teams of horses pulling chariots raced around an outdoor track. Drivers could be killed or injured if their chariot hit another chariot. Winners of events did not receive gold, silver, or bronze medals. Instead, champions beamed with pride as a wreath of leaves was placed upon their heads at an awards ceremony. 11

13 Greek Dramas The ancient Greeks were the first people to perform dramas, or plays, on stage as a form of entertainment. Our word drama comes from a Greek word meaning to act. Greek dramas were performed in outdoor theaters that were built into hillsides. The bowl-shaped theaters looked very much like a modern football or soccer stadium. This Greek theater is in the ancient city of Ephesus, which is now part of Turkey. 12

14 A drawing shows what the Greek theater at Ephesus might have looked like. Greek writers developed two types of plays that are still common today: comedies and tragedies. Comedies were humorous plays that mocked political leaders. Tragedies were stories about gods or other heroes that usually had unfortunate endings. 13

15 From Long Ago to Today Our modern world owes much of its culture to the ancient Greeks. If you ever visit our nation s capital, notice the tall columns on the Jefferson Memorial. Think about the meaning of drama when you see a play performed onstage. Keep in mind those athletes of long ago whenever today s Olympic Games take place. Remember the Greeks. 14

16 Responding TARGET VOCABULARY Word Builder Words such as resourceful end with the suffix -ful. The suffix -ful means full of. What other words end with -ful? Add more words to the chart below. Words with -ful resourceful?? Base Word resource?? Meaning full of resources?? Write About It Text to Text What other countries have you read about? Write a paragraph describing the country and some of the things it is best known for. Use at least two words from the Word Builder. 15

17 TARGET VOCABULARY acquire beamed boasted ceased coerce declared devised glared resourceful unfortunate TARGET STRATEGY Question Ask questions before you read and after you read. Which vocabulary word could be used to describe something a happy child and a flashlight did? 16

18 Level: S DRA: 40 Social Studies Strategy: Question Word Count: Build Vocabulary Houghton Mifflin Online Leveled Books