2.1 Orientation and Life in a Greek city-state

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• Middelbare school
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Orientation and Life in a Greek city-state

Learning objectives 

1. You can write down some features of Greek city-states.
2. You can explain how not all people who lived in Greece had citzenship rights 
3. You can explain what life in a Greek-city state was like 

Page 54 (Orientation) 

Guessing language

• It would make sense if this one were...
• Surely this one is...
• I have a hunch that it's.... 

Around 450 BC. the Greeks 

lived around the edges of 

the Mediterranean.

They colonized most of the 

Mediterranean.

City-states and polis

Greeks did not live in a single state. 

Greeks lived in 700 different city-states. The bigger city-states are Athens and Sparta 

In Greek we would call it polis (plural poleis)

Imagine you are a Greek chief and you are choosing a good place to build a city-state.

 

Drag number 1, 2 and 3 where

you would like to build the polis.

1

2

3

Guessing language

• It would make sense if this one were...
• Surely this one is...
• I have a hunch that it's.... 

What was a Greek polis?

1. a Greek insurance account
2. the Greek word for police
3. a group of politicians together
4. a city that is also a state

Co-operating language

• How about we put..... ?
• I don't know about you, but I think a good one would be...
• Good thinking! I hadn't thought about that 

Which statement about the Greek city-state is incorrect?

1. A city state is a city with a surrounding area.
2. A city state was the most important city in a state in ancient times.
3. Greeks called a city state a polis.
4. Each city state had its own laws.

Co-operating language

• How about we put..... ?
• I don't know about you, but I think a good one would be...
• Good thinking! I hadn't thought about that 

City-states

The poleis were different from each other.

Each had their own government and laws. 

But the culture was the same.

• Religion 
• Buildings 
• same language 

Greek citizens 

There was inequality in the Poleis. 

1. Male citizens
2. Foreigners 
3. Women 
4. Slaves 

Male citizens were the only ones with citizenship rights. 

1. Could make decisions (Like go to war or not )
2. Had to pay for their own armor 

IIn the Greek world you could almost [..............1...............] come across slaves. Slaves were also employed in [..............2..............]. Slaves worked [..............3..............] on the land. Once a slave, he remained so [..............4...............] (all) his life. Greeks found slavery [..............5...............]

Put the right words on the right spot

Woorden

nowhere

everywhere

education

government

never

also

the rest of

mostly

plain

special

Co-operating language

• How about we put..... ?
• I don't know about you, but I think a good one would be...
• Good thinking! I hadn't thought about that 

Life in a Greek city-state

Farming in Greece wasn't ideal. 

• Grapes
• olives 
• grain 

The Greeks were sailors and traders.

They sold pottery, wine and olive oil for grain. 

Strict division of tasks 

Women 

Under control of a man 

Could not decide who to marry 

Got no education at all 

Rich women would tend to the household 

Men

Provided the income 

Rich boys would get education and sport 

Made all the decisions for the family.

Describe what Greek colonisation was.

Co-operating language

• How about we put..... ?
• I don't know about you, but I think a good one would be...
• Good thinking! I hadn't thought about that 

Who had citizenship rights in Greece

Co-operating language

• How about we put..... ?
• I don't know about you, but I think a good one would be...
• Good thinking! I hadn't thought about that 

Give 3 examples of inequality between men and women.

Co-operating language

• How about we put..... ?
• I don't know about you, but I think a good one would be...
• Good thinking! I hadn't thought about that 

Learning objectives 

1. You can write down some features of Greek city-states.
2. You can explain how not all people who lived in Greece had citzenship rights 
3. You can explain what life in a Greek-city state was like 

Do you think that this lesson was enough for you to understand the learning goals?

1. Yes, I got it.
2. No, I still do not understand everything

Was your answer in the previous question "A"?
Then you can fill in "OK".

Was your answer in the previous question "B"?
Then write down what part of the lesson you do not understand and (if you can) what can help you.