Greece is situated in south-east Europe and is a very mountainous and rocky peninsula with many islands.

The Olympic Games were originated from this country above 2500 years ago! The great architecture is still treasured in museums. Lets discover this whole new ancient world!

The present Greek flag

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The Ancient Olympic Games

The Olympic Games began over 2,700 years ago in Olympia, in southwest Greece. The Games were part of a religious festival. The Greek Olympics, thought to have begun in 776 BC, inspired the modern Olympic Games (begun in 1896). The Greeks invented athletic contests and held them in honour of Zeus, king of the gods, and were staged every four years at Olympia, a valley near a city called Elis. People from all over the Greek world came to watch and take part.

ancient Greek gods

The Greeks believed in many gods: they were polytheistic. It is impossible to say how many Greek gods there were, because different Greeks worshipped different gods. Certainly there were hundreds. The most famous of them, and the ones which the most people sacrificed to, were Zeus, Hera, Apollo, Poseidon, Aphrodite, Athena, and Hades.

Zeus: Zeus was the ruler and leader of all the Greek Gods. He was the ruler of the sky and ruled and resided on mount Olympus Hera: Hera is the sister and wife of Zeus (the Greeks did not approve of this arrangement for real people but they thought it was okay for gods). Apollo: Apollo is a younger god, the son of Zeus and the twin brother of Artemis. Artemis: Apollo had a twin sister named Artemis, who was also the daughter of Zeus Poseidon: The Greeks thought of Poseidon as a god of violent, unpredictable movement. He is most often the
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god of the ocean, which is of course the biggest, most unpredictable, and most dangerous thing around. Aphrodite: Aphrodite was the Greek goddess of love. Athena: Athena is the child of Zeus. Hades: Hades is probably the darkest of all Greek Gods, as he is the ruler and God of the Underworld and wealth.

The acropolis
The term acropolis means upper city and many of the city states of ancient Greece are built around an acropolis where the inhabitants can go as a place of refuge in times of invasion. It's for this reason that the most sacred buildings are usually on the acropolis. It's the safest most secure place in town. The Acropolis in Athens is perhaps the most famous. In Athens, as in other Greek city-states, the ancient Athenians built temples and moments on the Acropolis dedicated to Athena and other ancient
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Greek gods. The Parthenon was built by Pericles in the 5th century BCE. (the Parthenon and acropolis looked very alike!)

Greek food
The soil was not very fertile along the coastline. The ancient Greeks used systems of irrigation and crop rotation to help solve that problem. All over Greece, the people grew olives, grapes, and figs. They kept goats, for milk and cheese. In the plains, where the soil was richer, they also grew wheat to make bread. Fish, seafood, and home-made wine were very popular food items.
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In some of the larger Greek city-states, meat could be purchased in cook shops. Meat was rarely eaten, and was used mostly for religious sacrifices.

Olive Trees
The olive tree is one of the few trees that can still produce fruits even in rocky and unproductive land. Olive trees main characteristic is its longevity and the preservation of its productivity. The olive tree has been the symbol of wisdom and peace. The olive tree was the sacred tree of goddess Athena and Athens, the capital of Greece, took its name from the goddess. Zeus had decreed that the city should be given to the god who offered the most useful gift to the people. Poseidon gave them the horse. Athena struck the bare soil with her spear and caused an olive tree to spring up. The people were so delighted with the olive that Zeus gave the city to Athena and named it after her. Athena is often shown with an olive branch, a symbol of peace and plenty.
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At the Ancient Olympic Games, winners were presented with a simple olive tree branch which was cut with a gold-handled knife from a wild olive tree. The Greeks believed that the vitality of the sacred tree was transmitted to the recipient through the branch.

An olive tree at the foot of the

Gorgeous Architecture!
The Greeks developed three architectural systems, called orders, each with their own distinctive proportions and detailing. Sometimes, they made figures of goddesses as pillars around temples near the Acropolis. The Greek orders are: Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian. Doric Ionic Corinthian

The Doric style is rather sturdy

The Ionic style is thinner and

The Corinthian style is seldom

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and its top (the capital), is plain. This style was used in mainland Greece and the colonies in southern Italy and Sicily.

more elegant. Its capital is decorated with a scroll-like design (a volute). This style was found in eastern Greece and the islands.

used in the Greek world, but often seen on Roman temples. Its capital is very elaborate and decorated with acanthus leaves.

Alexander the Great

One of the greatest military geniuses in history, Alexander the Great was born in 356 B.C. in Pella, Macedonia. The son of Philip of Macedon, who was an excellent Army General and organizer. His mother was Olympias, princess of Epirus.

At the age of 20, Alexander assembled forces in Greek Cities in Corinth that recognized him as their Leader. His Army mainly consisted of Macedonian soldiers and also some Greeks. He then invaded the Persian Empire, whilst he was at war in Thrace, some Greek cities rebelled, which brought him back South.