TxBk+106

noted the Greek thinker Plato. Indeed, the Mediterranean and Aegean seas were as central to the development of Greek civilization as the Nile was to the Egyptians. The ancient Greeks absorbed many ideas and beliefs from the older civilizations of Mesopotamia and Egypt. At the same time, they evolved their own unique ways. In particular, the Greeks developed new ideas about how best to govern a society. As you have read, the earliest civilizations rose in fertile river valleys. There, strong rulers organized irrigation works that helped farmers produce food surpluses needed to support large cities. A very different set of geographic conditions influenced the rise of Greek civilization. which extends southward into the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Mountains divide the peninsula into isolated valleys. Beyond the rugged coast, hundreds of rocky islands spread toward the horizon. * The Greeks who farmed the valleys or settled on the scattered islands did not create a large empire such as that of the Egyptians or Persians. Instead, they built many small city-states, cut off from one another by mountains or water. Each included a city and its surrounding countryside. Greeks fiercely defended the independence of their tiny city-states. Endless rivalry led to frequent wars. link to the world outside. With its hundreds of bays, the Greek coastline provided safe harbors for ships. The Greeks became skilled sailors, carrying cargoes of olive oil, wine, and marble around the eastern Mediterranean. They returned not only with grains and metals but also with ideas, which they adapted to their own needs. For example, the Greeks expanded the Phoenician alphabet. The resulting Greek alphabet became the basis for all western alphabets. By 750 b.c., rapid population growth was forcing many Greeks to leave their own overcrowded valleys. With fertile land limited, the Greeks expanded overseas. Gradually, a scattering of Greek colonies took root all around the Mediterranean from Spain to Egypt. Wherever they traveled, Greek settlers and traders carried their ideas and culture.
 * C5(2) The Rise of Greek City-States **
 * Setting the Scene ** “We live around the sea like frogs around a pond,”
 * Geography of the Greek Homeland **
 * Mountains and Valleys ** Greece is part of the Balkan peninsula,
 * The Seas ** While mountains divided Greeks, the seas were a vital