Ancient Greece was not one country. The Greeks lived in city-states. They called a city-state a polis. Mountains cover 80 percent of Greece. Only small rivers run through the rocky land. Farming was not easy there. The sea is on three sides of the mainland. Many islands belong to Greece.

Around 507 BCE, an Athenian leader named Cleisthenes brought in a new way to run a city. Today it is recognized as democracy. It was the first known one in the world. Citizens voted on laws themselves. They met in the Assembly. Only men who were citizens, aged 18 or over, could vote. Women, foreigners and enslaved people could not.

The agora was a big open place in a Greek city. The word means 'open place to meet.' Later it became a marketplace, a place to buy and sell. People did business there. They talked politics and heard speeches. Socrates walked the public places of Athens. He asked people questions. This way of asking is called the Socratic method.

The ancient Olympic Games were held every four years. They were held at Olympia, in the western Peloponnese in Greece. Olympia is in Greece. The first event was a footrace. A winner got a crown, or wreath, of olive leaves. A wreath is a ring of leaves. The people who took part wore no clothes.

Greek theatre began in Athens. Plays were put on at festivals. The Great Dionysia was held in March or April. In the plays, the actors wore masks. Greek stories about gods and heroes are called myths. They told of heroic Hercules and greedy King Midas. The myths explained things such as the weather. They also retold historical events.

In Athens, a big temple stands on a hill. The hill is called the Acropolis. The temple is called the Parthenon. It is a temple for the goddess Athena. It was built between 447 and 432 BCE. That was a long time ago. Its marble changes from white to gold in the light.

Words to know

• polis: Greek city-state
• democracy: rule by citizens
• agora: open meeting place
• myths: old stories
• wreath: ring of leaves

The short version

The ancient Greeks gave the world big ideas. Athens had the first known democracy, where citizens voted on laws themselves. The Greeks held the Olympic Games every four years at Olympia. They put on plays with masked actors and told myths, stories about gods and heroes.

Quick facts

• Athens had the first known democracy in the world.
• The ancient Olympic Games were held every four years at Olympia.
• In Greek plays the actors wore masks.
• The Parthenon was built between 447 and 432 BCE for the goddess Athena.
• Greek myths explained things such as the weather.