Long ago, the world was very different. During that time, The Greeks, Persians, Egyptians, Mesopotamians, and other groups ruled over the land. Today, we'll focus on Greece.

Greece was around during the time of 1900 BCE (Before Common Era)-1100 BCE. Ancient Greece consisted of city-states, a small country made up of a simple city and the lands and villages that surrounded it. The most commonly known city-states were Athens, the capital of Greece, and Sparta, the city-state known for it's great military and fighting skills.

Ancient Greece really left a great impact on the world we know today. They impacted us by their Olympic Games, their philosophy, democracy, their mythology, architecture, and Tragedy/Comedy plays.

In Greece, each city-state was very different. Each had a different form of government. In Athens, they had a democracy, where the people had the power to choose what they wanted for their city-state. In Sparta, they had a monarchy, where they were ruled over by a king who chose what they thought was helpful for their kingdom.

Greek Forms of Government

Oligarchy: ruled by a few

Monarchy: ruled by one

Democracy: ruled by the people

Dictatorship: When someone abuses the power to rule

Ancient Greece wasn't perfect. Persia, a neighboring empire wanted to take over Greece. This started the Persian Wars, which lasted from 492-449 BCE with continuous battles. During this time, all the Greek city-states united together to create Greece. (Since the city-states didn't classify themselves as Greeks, but as the name of their City-state. Ex. Athens: Athenians, Sparta: Spartans)

Ancient Greece originally thought of the Olympics. The activities included: Running/ Jumping, Discus throwing, Wrestling, Boxing, Pankration, a form of martial arts combining wrestling and boxing, and some Equestrian Events like horse races and chariot races.