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Guided Reading netw rks

Greek Civilization

Lesson 1  Greek Culture

ESSENTIAL QUESTION
What makes a culture unique?

Greek Beliefs

Identifying  The first column below asks questions about the

religious beliefs of the ancient Greeks. Write your answers in the
second column.

Religious Beliefs of the Ancient Greeks

Questions Answers
Who was the king of the Greek 1. Zeus
gods and goddesses?

Who gave the Greek people 2. Gods

prophecies?

Where did the Greek gods and 3. Mount Olympus

goddesses live?

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What were traditional stories 4. Myths
about gods and heroes called?

5. Describing  Describe the shrine at the Temple of Apollo in

Delphi and tell what happened there.
The room had an opening in the floor where smoke from the volcano would
appear. A priestess sat on a chair. She would translate her answers. Then
leaders of the state would travel to Delphi to ask for advice from the Oracle of
Apollo.
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Greek Civilization

6. Explaining  Explain how the Greeks honored their gods

and goddesses.
They held festivals. They would also hold the Olympic Games every four years in

honor of Zeus.

7. Describing  Fill in the blank spaces in the chart below

with either yes or no to compare how the Greek gods and
goddesses were like and unlike humans.

Comparing Gods and Goddesses to Humans

Gods &
What They Did Humans
Goddesses
Got married yes yes

Had great powers yes no

Had children yes yes

Could enter Mt. Olympus yes no

Acted like children yes yes

Looked human

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yes yes
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Greek Civilization

Epics and Fables

8. Classifying  Some of the oldest kinds of stories are epics and
fables. Complete the chart below by writing Epic or Fable in
the right-hand column next to each characteristic listed on the
left side. Some items in the list may match both epic and fable.

Characteristic Epic or Fable?

A. Main characters are talking animals. fable
B. Main character is brave hero. epic
C. Story is a poem. epic
D. Story is not a poem. fable
E. Story is about adventures. epic
F. Story is about brave deeds. epic
G. Story is long. epic
H. Story is short. fable
I. Story is told out loud. fable
J. Story is written down. epic
K. Story teaches a lesson. fable
L. Story was believed to be true. epic

9. Describing  Name the two most famous epics written by

the poet Homer and briefly describe each.
Iliad and Odyssey. Iliad is about the Trojan Horse, and Odyssey is about a Greek

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hero from the Trojan Wars adventure home.

The Impact of Greek Drama

10. Explaining  Describe what a drama is and tell what the two
types of dramas were that developed in ancient Greece.
A drama is told through the wordsactions of a cast of

characters. Two types of dramas are tragedies and comedies.

11. Identifying  Name two playwrights of ancient Greece and

tell what kind of dramas they wrote.
Sophocles.

Euripides.
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Greek Civilization

Greek Art and Architecture

12. Listing  Name the three ideals on which Classical Greek
art is based.
Classical Greek art is based on reason, balance, and harmony.

13. Comparing  What architectural feature that was a part of

Greek temples is also found in buildings such as the
White House and the Capitol?
The Greek Colums

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