Classical Kids: An Activity Guide to Life in Ancient Greece and Rome

Classical Kids: An Activity Guide to Life in Ancient Greece and Rome — page 3
THE ACE OF GREECE Ancient Greece was an area but never one nation The people lived in city states that were independent and were often at war with each other Although they were sometimes competitive all the city states shared the same language and customs Because of the rugged land most people settled in river valleys or along the coast In time the population grew too large for the food supply so Greek city states began to set up colonies in other places Greeks sailed around the Mediterranean Sea in search of locations for new settlements A landless Greek could go to a colony and become a landowner Others just wanted to go for the adven ture The colonists took a sacred flame from the hearth of the city state When the new colony was built and secure it broke ties with the city state Two city states became the most important and powerful Sparta and Athens They were both homes to Greek citizens who spoke the same language wor shipped the same gods and were located only one hundred miles apart Yet life was very different in these two city