Ancient Greece - The Ancient Greeks

 

 

the ancient Greek temple of Hephaestus

Greece is a country in Europe. It lies on the Mediterranean Sea. Greece has been settled since ancient times. Today, we still follow many ideas the ancient Greeks had about science, sports, the arts, and government.

Towns in ancient Greece were called city-states. City-states were very independent and very proud. Athens, which is now the capital of Greece, was a famous ancient city-state. It was named after Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom and knowledge.

The people of Athens invented a new kind of government. It was called democracy. This meant that the citizens of Athens were allowed to take part in their government. They could vote and make big decisions. We use this kind of government in the United States today. We owe it to the ancient Athenians.

The ancient Greeks had their own religion. They believed in many different gods. Each god represented something specific to the Greeks. For instance, there was a god of war and a goddess of love. They even had a god of sleep.

The ancient Greeks did many things to honor their gods. They put on plays. They held sporting events. In fact, the first Olympic Games were held in ancient Greece. We still hold Olympic Games today. Like democracy, it is just one of many things that we got from the ancient Greeks!

Comprehension Questions

1. Where is Greece located? 

1. in the United States 
2. near the Mediterranean Sea 
3. in Italy 
4. in the Pacific Ocean 

2. Which of these answers is NOT something about ancient Greeks that is described in the passage? 

1. their sports 
2. their religion 
3. their clothing 
4. their government 

3. Studying the ancient Greeks can be important to Americans today because 

1. the Greeks were the first civilization in America. 
2. we have city-states that are based on the Greek system. 
3. their government was very different from ours. 
4. some parts of our society were started by the Greeks. 

4. Read the following sentences: “Each god represented something specific to the Greeks. For instance, there was a god of war and a goddess of love.”

The word represented means 

1. created or invented 
2. wrote stories about 
3. was used as a symbol for 
4. voted in an election 

5. What is the main purpose of this passage? 

1. to introduce important things about ancient Greece 
2. to explain the type of religion ancient Greeks had 
3. to compare and contrast ancient Greece and America 
4. to explain the ancient origins of the Olympic Games 

6. What are two things we still have today that the ancient Greeks invented? 

(written answer)

7. Based on the passage, explain how we know that the ancient Greek gods were very important to them. 

(written answer)

8. The question below is an incomplete sentence. Choose the answer that best completes the sentence.

Some religions have only one god, __________ the ancient Greeks believed in many gods. 

1. in the end 
2. but 
3. because 
4. consequently