Ancient Greece
Greece is renowned for its' historic monuments and buildings and here you will find out all about these ancients structures.
Ancient Greece spans a timeline of thousands of years and can be broken down into three main sections. The first of these is the Neolithic period which dated from 6000 BC. The most domestic of these people lived in the Eastern part of Greece but on the whole they travelled widely, primarily due to very large population numbers. Some ruins of villages set up at this time have been found and did not seem to contain more than approximately 100 people. They settled close to water and out in the open. They were the first Greeks to display a tendency towards farming and kept sheep and goats as well as planting herbs and other crops. Some very well persevered pottery has also been found from this time and it would seem that they tended to use a white and red pattern, making mainly cups and other culinary items such that would have been useful at the time.
The next clear period in Greek ancient history is the Early Bronze Age. It is not surprising that he main characteristic of this time is given by the name of the era. It was at this time that the ancient Greeks started to use metal in order make knifes and swords. It was also at this time that the first clear class system was seen in society and this was dictated by whether or not you could afford the 'new metals' that were available (gold, silver and bronze). People from this time were buried with metal jewellery and implements indicating their level of wealth. The burial style at this time is also distinctive and sites were carved into rock where either one person or an entire family would be buried. If you need help with timelines you can now visit the BBC website and view the British History Timeline.
The final period of Ancient Greece was the Mycenaean Age. At this time the class system became more obvious and the riches were generally reserved for either the king, his entourage or immediate members of the royal family. At this time palaces were built and the people seemed to live in a state of 'warrior mode' being either getting ready for battle, or protecting their villages and wealth. The people of this time were very keen to trade and did so with other Mediterranean and European countries. As seen previously, they were often buried with armour of other items and if they were rich this might be gold or jewellery.
The Greeks also worshipped Gods and these Gods represented many different things. One of the best known is Aphrodite who was the God of Love and Beauty. She had many lovers, both God and Mortal and was admired and adored by many.
Visit the Ancient Greece British Museum and find out more about the Spartans and Gods and Goddesses of Greece.
