Contributor: Danielle Childers. Lesson ID: 10519
Have you ever heard of Greece? Not the grease from cooking food or fixing the car but the country that brought us the Olympic Games and other cool stuff! Travel back in time to see what life was like!
All of these things started in a country called Greece thousands of years ago. Today, you will get to learn about this amazing country. Let your journey begin!
After the initial Fertile Crescent civilizations started to move out, people began to trade with other cities. (See the Additional Resources lesson in the right-hand sidebar for more information on Fertile Crescent civilizations).
Different groups of people invented new technologies and the number of people in the world started to grow.
Today, you are going to learn about the group of people called the ancient Greeks. The ancient Greeks lived in Greece a very long time ago. You might know something of the Ancient Greeks because of their mythology — stories about their gods and goddesses. The god Zeus is one of the most famous of their gods, and the one they considered the most powerful god.
The ancient Greeks also created the Olympic Games.
The events have changed a lot since the days of ancient Greece, but the Olympics are still a powerful symbol of sportsmanship and country pride. To learn how the Olympic Games began, watch The Olympic Games story for kids, from NowYouKnowAbout, and think about how the games, and the overall structure and rules of the Olympics, have changed since 776 B.C.
You can discover more about the Olympics in this article, Origin and History of the Olympic Games (Scholastic).
The Olympics aren't the only interesting legacy (something handed down from generation to generation) to come from ancient Greece. Many objects, including constellations we see in the night sky, are named after Greek gods and goddesses, and the mythology that tells the stories of the Greek deities entertains modern readers and influences the writers and movie makers of today.
Ancient Greece holds so much information, it's almost impossible not to find links to modern society. Take some time to explore topics that are of interest to you using the following resources:
You discovered a lot about ancient Greece, but there is more to learn.
That's right, Zeus!
In the Got It? section, you will explore Greek mythology and learn how it influenced how the people of ancient Greece carried out their daily lives.